Fashion Harm Reduction, & Turk + Taylor AW 2010

After writing so critically yesterday about the heritage luxury brands (Gucci, et al) finally hearing the death-rattle and attempting to figure out how to become sustainable (or at least greenwash their marketing enough to convince people that leather and cashmere could be sustainable), it's important to point out clothing lines that are using organic cotton, fair labor, and moving towards having a substantial vegan product base. Lines like Vaute Couture, Matt & Nat that are entirely vegan and utilize organic and recycled textiles and ensure fair labor are taking their rightful place in the limelight. It's easy for some activists and critics to brush off the entire fashion industry (including the sustainable and vegan brands) as "frivolous" or have a "down with it all" attitude and concentrate on what they see as more pressing issues - but the fashion industry impacts the environment, people, and animals in such huge ways that it deserves much more detailed attention. For example, conventional cotton is responsible for 25% of all insecticide use worldwide, and leather and wool products are an incredibly profitable aspect of the hugest cause of global warming (livestock production).  It's a classic harm-reduction vs abstinence scenario. Clean needles or denial that people are doing drugs? Condoms or denial that teens have sex is happening. Sustainable fashion, or denial that people are buying into these images and ideas?

That being said, we are so excited to see that Turk + Taylor has many vegan items in the new winter collection (which is something that is always hard to come by). Typically, when we think of winter clothing, it is almost invariably wool or other animal products. Below are some images from the new menswear look-book, and our favorite vegan model, Jayce, is featured in them.

Featuring western-style "Panhandle" organic cotton button-downs, "Glen Canyon Grandad" pea coat-style, french-terry, shawl-neck sweaters with organic cotton fleece, and military-inspired "Washington Square" jackets in waxed organic cotton and upcycled sailcloth - the vegan highlights from this and other growing collections and brands are something that the old-school luxury brands who, like the polar bears, are on thin ice, need to carefully learn from and look up to.