We are all aware of the numerous environmental initiatives being undertaken at the international, national, industrial and individual levels each day. But most of us tend to think that a green lifestyle is limited to the consumption of energy and the release of Carbon emissions. Well, look around and you’ll be able to identify many more significant aspects to green living, one popular facet among them being the use of green clothing.

I admit that Green clothing isn’t really the latest trend, at least not in circles where new fashions come out every season.  But it has been catching on quickly, made popular among the masses by the rich and the famous – yes, our very own “celebrities”. So Who cares what they are doing! Right? Well I do! And not for the reasons you may think. The fact is, as a society, at large, we watch them to see what they’re wearing what they’re doing and what they’re involved in and whenever possible try to imitate them. They even exert an influence on our outlook and way of thinking. Smart as they are, they’re aware of their own power and often use it to highlight important issues and advocating green clothing seems to be the latest focus area. So even I don’t personally care what some stranger in Beverly Hills is wearing to the market this morning, I DO care (and am thrilled, frankly) that many youngsters will go to great lengths to emulate their newfound passion for all that is green – including green clothes!

Take for example Pamela Anderson, the babe from Baywatch, already known to be a strong supporter of PETA, who has lately disclosed plans to work with renowned fashion designer Richie Rich to come up with a clothes line for the brand Muse. This line will focus on casual clothes including skirts, hooded tops and swimwear, apart from accessories like leather-free shoes which are all slated for a summer debut.

But Pammie isn’t the first one to do this. Bono, the lead singer of the US band U2, known for his involvement in many social responsibility initiatives has now formed a threesome with his wife and designer Rogan Gregory to create a brand called Edun - which is the word ‘Nude’ spelled backwards. They have promised to create green clothes by hiring family run businesses in South America and Africa and ensuring that better standards of labor practices are involved, indirectly making it clear that they are against clothes manufactured in sweatshops.

Other well known designers working hard to spread the Green fashion message include Oscar de la Renta and Diane von Furstenburg who were noted for sending eco-designs down the runway during the New York Olympus Fashion Week last fall. Noted designer and daughter of Sir Paul McCartney, Stella McCartney is also known for espousing the cause whom we mentioned here last week.

The second Eco Stiletto Green Girl’s Night Out held on the 17^th of March, 2009, also saw a host of TV celebs out to give a hand to the green cause (Eco Stiletto is a company that’s into providing green fashion and features celebrities that support the cause).

Wearing new designer labels isn’t the only way to go green though. Buying and wearing ‘Vintage’ (read second-hand clothes), is also a great way to reduce the amount of cloth going into landfills. Actress, Jessica Alba , was heard praising this way of going green at the AMNH dance held on 27 March.

Technorati Tags: Bono, celebrities, Diane von Furstenburg, Eco Stiletto, green clothes, Green Girl's Night Out, Jessica Alba, New York, Oscar de la Renta, Pam Anderson, Stella McCartney

OK, so if you have read a fashion mag in the past 5 years or past 5 days, you know that one of the fastest growing sectors in the industry is “eco-fashion”. We like to keep it simple here and just call them “green clothes”, because frankly, everyone has a different definition. But in any event, while you’ve probably picked a few personal favorites, it’s possible that you’ve missed out on a few of those that got lost wandering among the herds in the world organic clothing. One of our goals here is to keep you posted when we see one we think you might be interested in.

The following are some of our favorite ones we chose to feature today:

1. Stella McCartney: While you know the name, and probably know that her collections have been animal-friendly since she began in 1997, you may not have known that she now has an Organic line as well. Her current collection features both dressy and casual pieces, constructed of both organic cotton and organic hemp. Her wares can be found in any of her 11 stores, including flagships in New York, London, Paris and LA as well as 600 other stores in over 50 countries.

We like: In 2007, McCartney introduced “CARE”, the first luxury organic skincare line, containing 100% organic active ingredients.

2. howies:  A family brand, selling one of the most comfortable green couture, howies is a UK-based Company, started with 4 Tshirts in 1995. While the company acknowledges that their clothing might seem to be over priced at the first glance, if the customer calculates their value on sustainability terms, it would prove its worth. We definitely recommend heading on over to their website for a fun read about their beliefs and their history.

We like: howies pledges to give 1% of their turnover or 10% of pre-tax profits (whichever is greater) to grass-root environmental and social projects.

3. Levis Eco : Huh? When all the big league players started jumping onto the green band wagon, how could the master of jeans stay behind? Yes we are talking about that Levis. They came into the industry with their certified organic cotton denim in the Fall of 2006 and how! With their outstanding collection, they proved themselves once again to be the toughest competitors in their league.

We like: Earth-friendly elements include the use of recycled buttons, rivets and zippers, and natural indigo was used to dye some styles of jeans. All external packaging will be made from organic fabric or recycled paper and printed with soy-based ink.

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