The Top 7 Green Fashion and Beauty Trends Emerging from Tough Times

Sustainable fashion, though still in its infancy, has steadily been kicking into gear thanks to the eco-genius of designers such as Stella McCartney, Ali Hewson, Linda Loudermilk, and others who are influencing both indie and conventional clothing labels to use sustainable textiles, dyes, and manufacturing processes. Looks like it's working, too: Eco-friendly clothing is showing up everywhere from Target to Victoria's Secret. Meanwhile, cosmetics, skin care, and other beauty lines are following suit by integrating organic and chemical-free ingredients. But there's much to green fashion and beauty than just just organic cotton or all-natural ingredients. The intersection of a recession and an upswing in green style is creating interesting trends that you'll want to know about. We outline the top 7 sustainable fashion and beauty trends below, so that this year for Earth Day, you can make a resolution to follow them them all.

Eco-labeling: Still Confusing, but Getting Better


Have you ever stood in the shampoo aisle looking for that perfect, gentle scrub that leaves your strands silky without a toxic residue? Then before you know it, ten minutes have passed? With a plethora of green beauty products popping up on the scene, figuring out which ones are truly green can no doubt become not only a time suck?but a headache. Which is worse: the shampoo containing sodium benzoate or the one with sodium stearoyl lactylate? Luckily, labels that identify truly green products are on the rise. Though they are by no means uniform or universal yet, some companies are making a concerted effort to make navigating the shopping aisles a little easier. Whole Foods, for example, started the Whole Body labeling system in 2008. Using a set of eco-friendly criteria, they?ve issued the seal on nearly 1,200 of the store's products. Across the pond, ECOCERT, Europe's leading labeling system, only certifies products as natural and organic if they have a minimum of 95 percent certified-organic plant-based ingredients and a minimum of 10 percent certified-organic total ingredients.



The Return of Made in the USA


We often think about the carbon footprint and health risks of food imported from other countries—less often do we apply those fears to the realm of fashion and beauty. Most conscious consumers are aware that some clothing manufactured in far-away places may be born out of sweatshops, but another concern is that those "certified organic" labels may not be as "certified" as they claim. Now, as just as we're re-thinking our food as something that should be "farm to plate," some clothing lines have begun to do the same?keeping the manufacturing and distribution on home-based soil. American Apparel for one waves its U.S. made, born and bred flag proudly. Also made in the U.S.A: A bevy of brands for the great outdoors, Cali-cool casual wear, certified organic jeans and even yours truly—Planet Green and sister site TreeHugger t-shirts.



Sewing Is the New Knitting




A few years ago, it wasn't uncommon to see hip yound things on New York subways knitting their brains out. Well, there's a new craft in town. Sewing. And if you want to go hyper-local with your clothes, just pick up a needle and thread or invest in a sewing machine. No longer a granny activity, sewing has become red hot, with do-it-yourself resources and tutorials like Etsy, CRAFT Magazine and books like Sew it Up pooping up all over. Check out some of the sewing projects on Planet Green, like turning tattered pants into a classic cocktail dress or converting old towels into a warm and cozy bathrobe.





Organic Clothing in Unexpected Places



One of the most exciting pieces of evidence that eco-fashion is infiltrating the masses, is the appearance of organic and sustainable clothing items at conventional retailers. Jasmin said it right when she recently posted about the "unlikely marriage" between superstore Target and the niche, eco-clothing brand Loomstate for Earth Day. Blythe rounded-up five mainstream companies making waves by incorporating natural materials into their lines including Victoria's Secret and Nike. And H&M—a company notorious for low-quality, throw-away fashion—is making promises to boost their use of organic cotton by 50 percent in 2009. Whether these companies are operating sustainably beyond the sales racks and behind-the-scenes is yet to be proven but until then—we're happy to at least see them beginning to take greener strides.





Organic Skin Care is the New Luxury Skin Care



Move over Creme de la Mer. Today's savvy consumers know that what you put on your skin is just like what you eat—it's all getting absorbed into your body. So bye-bye chemcicals and synthetic ingredients, ladies-who-lunch are trading up their traditional beauty products for ones made from healthier ingredients. Beauty brands and retailers are following suit by adding organic lines. But you don't have to be a diva to afford this trends; affordable eco-friendly beauty and skin care lines are becoming increasingly available in pharmacies across the country.



But that's not the only way to stay beautiful. Forget the medicine cabinet all together and stock the fridge instead. Health experts and nutritionists are crediting radiant, younger-looking skin to Omega-rich diets, whole foods, and superfoods. Skip the "magic" (read: expensive) beauty aids and use the money saved to add better foods to your shopping list. So whether you're juicing; detoxing; or just filling up on fresh, local and organic fruits and veggies, sustainably caught fish, or organic nuts and nut butters, skip the high-cost and over-packaged miracle potions for a better, more wholesome, investment in a beautiful body.





Edible Beauty Treatments



Similar to the trend in skin-friendly, eco-friendly diets, is what we call edible skin care—or using basic pantry items to create topical skin treatments. This concept isn't new. In fact, it's ancient. India and other South East Asian countries have for centuries been using oils and essences to promote health in an alternative health system called Ayurveda. Its influence is only now becoming a hot, green ticket to health here in the west. Coconut and vegetable oils make for a great skin and hair conditioners, yogurt and honey are cheap DIY face mask ingredients, and a homemade vegetable toner made of lettuce, cucumber, and lemon juice can help skin fight the winter doldrums. We've also seen DIY skin scrubs and a variety of ways to take advantage of the anti-aging properties of green tea. So look in your cupboard and get concocting!





Quality + Durability = Green



Those on a recession-style budget may not like to hear the following but it's a big—though lesser recognized—part of the sustainable fashion equation that we can't ignore: It's worth dishing out a bit more money for a clothing item that you love—even if it's not made from organic materials—and that you know will last. Here's why: Though it may seem easier to justify purchasing lots of cheap disposable fashion pieces over fewer better quality items, the truth is you can get hundreds if not thousands of uses out of the quality stuff. Compare that to your last impulse purchase you wore once before it fell apart. Looking at what you really need and want and creating a plan and budget to buy it will not only work wonders for a classic wardrobe and tidy closet. Now that's sutainable fashion.