Designs by Elena Garcia (Photo: Nancy Wells)
Nolcha Fashion Week 2009 is one of the great events happening in New York City alongside the infamous Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. Featuring designers from all over the world, this event showcases clothing and accessories through runway shows and exhibitions.
Monday September 14 was the Nolcha Ethical Fashion Preview which included make-up, clothing, and accessories that are eco-friendly. The preview was set up on the Mezzanine of the Carlton Hotel and offered a lounge area and individual booths for each company. I had a chance to speak with some of the designers and representatives of some of these wonderful brands:
Blue Coral/ Parvesh Jai (www.parveshjai.com)
These one-of-a-kind garments are hand-crafted using bio-degradable and recycled materials. Designers Parvesh and Jai create masterful details on each piece using a variety of techniques and materials, including recycled plastic bags in brilliant colors, hand-painted images, and intricate beadwork. A single garment contains so many layers of detail, it has to be seen in person to really absorb how much care and attention is involved. One of their recent collections was featured in an exhibit at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
Redhanded (www.redhandedbags.com)
Some of the great features of this handbag company are that every bag is vegan, fair trade, and made from biodegradable materials. The materials as well as the bags themselves are all made in the United States. The inside linings are organic 100% cotton and either hand-dyed or printed. Redhanded is dedicated to four core values: Not supporting slave-labor or child-labor economies, practicing environmental responsibility, producing vegan/animal-friendly products, and community service and involvement. The collection features handbags, clutches, totes, and messenger bags in familiar shapes but with fun and quirky details. One of the clutches on their website has a handcuff strap and a heart applique. The main bags shown at the Ethical Fashion Preview were white with brown or black fuzzy shapes, almost like fancy cow spots.
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Emesha (www.emesha.com)
Creative Director Emesha Nagy was influenced by her Hungarian roots when thinking of ways to make her company globally responsible. Her production is based in Hungary, where she practices fair wage with the hopes of helping the industry thrive in this region once again. Emesha stressed to me that there are many high-quality manufacturers based in Hungary, but the current economic and social conditions have caused a major decrease in the business for them. Her clothing is eco-friendly, biodegradable, and made from sustainables such as silk, wool, and cotton. Her newest collection features clean modern silhouettes with beautiful workmanship and construction.
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Rene Geneva Design (www.EcoChicClothing.com)
This company started with corsets in 1997 and has since evolved into a full clothing collection. Her collection features beautifully crafted corsets with special details, and a variety of feminine separates and sophisticated dresses. The products are all fair trade, organic, and eco-friendly, as designer Rene Geneva holds environmental and social responsibility in highest regard. Her first entirely organic and eco-friendly collection was produced in 2005 and she continues to carry this mission through all of her work since. She uses fabrics such as hemp blends, certified organic cotton, bamboo, and formaldehyde-free and wildcrafted silk.
PLAYBACK (www.playbackclothing.com)
Many companies can claim to be eco-friendly in some way, but 
Playback takes pride in being 100% sustainable from start to finish. They use several innovative processes to create recycled clothing. One method is producing T-shirts from plastic bottles converted into fabric. The color of the shirt is created from the hue of the original bottles so there are no chemical dyes involved. Playback also creates incredibly soft shirts using X-ray fill technology. And finally, they make hoodies and zip-ups from cotton scraps left by other manufacturing from companies such as Juicy Couture. They are proudly catching the attention of bands who share a passion for their cause. Dave Matthews Band and Phish have already signed up to use Playback clothing for their printed merchandise.
Passchal (www.passchal.com)
It started with tractor inner tubes for Co-founders Angela Greene and Ken Kobrick. They began at home .jpg)
converting these inner tubes from giant earth movers into a material to be used for purses. They taught themselves how to sew, and thus began their venture into recycled handbags. Coming from a non-design background, eventually they involved manufacturers in the process, with the goal of creating luxury-worthy handbags with an eco-friendly twist. Recently, Whole Foods contacted Passchal to use their discarded banner materials for handbags also. The lettering details in the banners become a tasteful graphic element in the bags. Also, the tiny ridges and textures in the inner tubes take on a design detail of their own, often resembling special stitching or pebbled leather. Lately the company has been focusing on their marketing, by participating in events that attract the attention of celebrities. They also want to put emphasis on perfecting the aesthetics of their bags to truly give them the look of luxury. To this day, the duo still process the inner tubes at home, a little reminder of where they came from.
Patricia King Davies/ PKD Spa (www.pkdspa.com)
Patricia King Davies believes that life should be able to flow seamlessly from one part of the day to the 
next. She believes in clothing for a healthy Zen lifestyle, clothing that can go effortlessly from the office to resort, retreat, meditation, spa, and lounging around the house. These are not your typical yoga or workout clothes. This collection is meant to be clean yet sophisticated-looking and made of the finest quality sustainable fabrics. The fabrics are all made from soy, bamboo, cotton, and hemp. In the fall she uses fabric made from Yaks in Tibet. Due to the natural moisture of the fabric, these pieces are also ideal for travel because they resist folds and wrinkles. The buttons are also all sustainable and beautiful, made from materials such as shell, wood, and coconut from all over the world.
Photos by Nancy Wells, exceptions: Emesha photo courtesy Bel Esprit press kit CD, Redhanded photo courtesy of website, Rene Geneva photo courtesy of website, PKD spa photo courtesy of website.
Other Designers featured:
View these designers through the Bel Esprit Online Showroom: Alberto Parada, Article 23, Elena Garcia, L'Shandi, Moonlight Jewelry, Ojasvy, Room to Roam, Van Markoviec
Ana Guitierrez: Wearable Art (www.anagutierrez.com)
The Andean Collection (www.theandeancollection.com)
Ms Bodangles (www.msbodangles .com)
For more info about Nolcha Fashion Week 2009 visit www.nolchafashionweek.com
Comments
This is great. Thanks. I'm particularly excited about Redhanded. Stylish vegan accessories are so hard to find. Thanks again.
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