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I read this blog post today about eco-friendly clothing - the designer being interviewed responds that eco fashion isn't really getting anywhere in Australia. They state:

"There seems to be this pervading idea that sustainable fashion should only be marketed to the tree hugging green set, which is a shame because it needs to reach a wider audience. Yet it's not surprising, in the past eco clothing hasn't been fashion forward. 'Greenies' are often shy of wearing fashionable clothing for fear it may indicate some sort of right wing consumerism vice in them, and don't want to be seen as buying into the 'system'... Sadly we're often left with goods that are 'anti style' and 'anti design'. Why can't one be both stylish and conscious? Surely beauty and design are not evil vices?"

And:

"Politically we are in the grip of right wing times in Australia and as you know the environment is not high on the Liberal's agenda, hence lack of awareness with the consumer about environmental issues. I think if the government is not prioritising the environment how can we expect the public to do the same?"

I agree that there's a reluctance in many people to wear 'eco' clothing because they relate it to the 'greenie' hippy set and nothing around (here at least) is both eco-friendly and fashionable. But is that really a political issue, as she claims, or simply a design issue?

Politics and fashion? Give me a break. It's no wonders some people have negative associations with eco-friendly clothing if the best argument in support of it is 'damn the right'. This chap doesn't even know his stuff. Federally there's a right-wing government, but every state and territory has a left-wing, unionist government.

If they want to create a market for eco-friendly clothing in Australia they could start off with some nice designs we'd want to wear, have a few stores where we can buy it, and, oh, do that marketing thing. Like normal fashion brands. Dolce and Gabanna didn't get to their status because of government policy, and eco-friendly clothing isn't staying off people's radar because of it either.

I hate when people poloticise stuff that so shouldnt be.

They're usually just either trying to grab a head line or completely off the mark.

Yeah marketing would definitely help :/

I don't know, even the title of eco friendly clothing has me disinterested. I get this automatic image of tree-hugging hippies who haven't shaved (both the male and female variety) wearing nappy like paper bags. They'd really need to update the image and hopefully keep the pricetag below crazy as well. Eco friendly stuff is so horribly expensive!

Funny you should mention the price point - when I think of eco-friendly I always think of over-priced Op Shop.