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Ethical Threads: a Spring Living Fair special

March 17th, 2009 | Published in Event Report

Words and photos by Yvonne Chew.

The last day of the 2nd annual Spring Living Fair was reserved for fashion, showcasing apparel from various local eco-friendly companies and designers. Yvonne Chew, photographer and String Magazine correspondent, attended this event rightfully dubbed Ethical Threads at the Heritage Hall in Vancouver two Sundays ago. Here’s what she had to say about it:

The Spring Living Fair’s Ethical Threads fashion show and market presented clothing, bags, and accessories from 15 local eco-friendly designers. I love markets that have a fashion show component because I get immediately interested in what’s on the runway and can then see it right there in the vendor’s booth as I pass by it after seeing the show.

Many vendors were very friendly and excited to talk about their products and as I circled around the booths, I could feel the sense of pride, openness, and trust that they had in their products. It was clear that they believed they were making a positive impact to the environment by choosing an eco-friendly sustainable route. In the Artevist line, activism was a prevalent subject, and the ethically made T-shirts created by artists and nonprofits resulted in wearable art that had meaning and purpose to inspire change.

The fashion show portion of Ethical Threads market was organized by Tasha E Fashion Productions, one of the generous sponsors of the Spring Living Fair. The show was replete with many beautiful outfits created by the eco-friendly designers present. Some of my favorite clothing lines were torn clothing, body politic and Artifaax.

I loved the A-line skirts, simple bows, and femininity of torn clothing. The shirts with hand-sewn designs and skirts were matched to look like one piece dresses. Each piece in the collection complimented the other quite nicely. I also enjoyed the sophisticated outfits designed by body politic: one of the models walked down the runway with an open trench coat that revealed a stunning and shimmery purple dress. Denise Brillon’s Artifaax clothing line and jewellery looked gorgeous on the confident and beautiful aboriginal models who strutted down the runway like nobody’s business. They were a strong collective group and I could feel their love and sense of community as they held hands at the end of their set. Even the Artifaax backstage staff had their short time in the limelight as Denise Brillon strutted out holding hands with the hairstylists and makeup artists at the end of the show.

Designer Pauline Siu of flora&fauna also showed off her Spring line during the Ethical Threads fashion show. We can expect to see more of her work as she reveals her Fall/Winter ‘09 collection on Friday, March 27th at the upcoming Vancouver Fashion Week.

Ora’s recycled leather bags were one of my favourites also, well-sized and beautifully designed. Another bag design company that caught my eye was moukisac, a 6-in-1 shopping bag system. The bag could be worn as a small sling bag or waist bag and opened up to a big shopping bag. I loved the idea of having something compact which could be opened into something larger. The moukisac system also contained four “moukinet” drawstring mesh net bags which could hold produce or bulk foods.

MahaDevi Design and Granville Island Organix were two more of my favourites. These vendors had products made with natural materials such as bamboo, hemp, and organic cotton, which are not only good for the environment, but also hypo-allergenic and naturally anti-bacterial. Granville Island Organix, a local boutique, carries many organic and eco-friendly lines, including some of the other lines from vendors that were present at the fair.

The Students In Free Enterprise at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (SIFE BCIT) did an amazing job organizing this event and bringing together local businesses and entrepreneurs to promote a commitment to environmentalism, economic sustainability, and fair trade. I was inspired at how the power of activism in a community can influence what you wear or use in your everyday life: whether it be makeup, clothing, accessories, what you sleep in, or what you wake up to. It felt good to participate in a fair and community where I could appreciate and be aware of products that have a positive impact in our environment and future.

To learn more about Yvonne and see more of her photos click here.

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