Eco-chic green fashion is in, and here to stay because Green has become the new Black. Green fashion reflects our respect for our bodies, and the ecological future of the planet that we live in, while providing us with beautiful, high quality, durable, and fashionable clothing.

Green fashion is in because is makes good dollars and cents, too. You may make more of an investment in the intial purchase, but your clothes last longer, wash better, and just get better with age. This article is an introduction to the terminology, and resources for green fashion.

Let's start out with a definition of the word Green for our purposes. Dictionary.com defines it as "environmentally sound or beneficial." Click here for a further definition of the term Green.

All of the clothes in this article are available from Green Retail and Wholesale, LLC.

Today shopping just for fun is not enough.  We need to know that our purchases contribute to the health of our future and the world that we live in.  We want to contribute to reducing chemicals from our atmosphere and that includes making eco-conscious decisions about our clothing.

There are many resonably priced green fashion companies now, and more are being created every day.  Some companies focus on creating fashion from organic cotton, hemp, and other organic fabrics.  Others make new fashions by recycling old clothing, or encouraging clothes swapping parties. 

All of these choices contribute toward a more eco-friendly green fashion with a purpose.

100% Organic Cotton

To be considered 100 percent organic, cotton must be "certified by a third party (such as the USDA), following strict guidelines for growing the fiber, using no disallowed synthetic chemicals.

Bamboo

A textile made from the pulp of the fast growing bamboo plant that's soft, highly water absorbent, and anti-bacterial.

Fair Trade

Fair trade companies look at more than just the bottom line. They look at development as a whole and create more of a partnershi with suppliers, which makes for a fairer exchange system where workers get paid fair wages and work under good conditions.

Hemp

A strong fabric swen from the fibers of the fast growing cannabis plant (a variety that contains virtually no THC, the active ingredient in marijuana).

Recycled/Upcycled

Material that's been reprocessed at the end of its life into something new and useful.

Sustainable

Describes a product created by a process that can continue indefinately without causing environmental destruction or usurping resources.

Get out of the habit of just throwing away old clothes that you have grown out of or are tired of.  Here are some things you can do with them.

Host a Clothes Exchange

Invite friends over and tell them to bring gently worn clothes that they no longer want.  Have a party, and a fashion show, trying on each other's cast offs.  Everyone goes home with something new.  Donate the leftovers to a local homeless shelter.

Remake Your Old Clothes

Take apart old clothes and recreate them into something new.  Upcycling clothes is very trendy, and it saves you the money for buying new.

Green fashion is ethical because it is fashion that is good for the earth, and for the people who make the fashion.  Green fashion does away with the harmful chemicals that are produced by the fashion and clothing industry in their farms and factories.

Green fashion is ethical because it does not leave unhealthy chemical residue on the clothing after completion that will get into our skin, and because it creates a healthier environment for farm and factory workers who make the clothing.