Let's call it a case of "deja vu all over again." We're reading a story on how designers admit that eco-friendly fashions were not all that stylish in the past, but all that has changed and consumers can now wear green and look good in the process.
Well, as it turns out, we have read this story before (something strikingly similar to it anyway) and even discussed it going back a few years on RetailWire. Today, however, is a new day and some retailers and designers are more convinced than ever that clothes made with organic fibers, etc. are ready to make the leap to chic if not quite cheap.
"Four years ago, there was very little in the mainstream," Zem Joaquin, founder of ecofabulous.com, told the San Francisco Chronicle. "Now there are clothing stores devoted solely to environmentally conscious designs like Eco Citizen ... and eco-couture being sold at Barneys New York. Pact showed a beautiful example of organic underwear on the runway. It used to be hard to find, and when you did, it was saggy and unattractive."
"When it comes to buying green or price, the general public will more likely choose the cheaper item on anything, whether it's fashion or tomatoes," Joslin Van Arsdale, founder of Eco Citizen, a boutique devoted to eco-friendly clothing, told the Chronicle.
"A key to advancing the movement is to educate people and make them realize that piece of $5 T-shirt comes with an invisible cost, a human cost," said Ms. Van Arsdale. "The main thing these designers are doing differently is educating people about doing fashion that isn't just price-based. It can be all three together - people, planet, profit."
Discussion Questions: When do you think mainstream consumers will be ready to buy eco-friendly fashions? What do designers and retailers need to do to overcome consumer reluctance to purchase?