L.A. Fashion Week Fall '08: The Green Initiative
The Green Initiative returned to the runway for a March 12 fashion show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios in Culver City, Calif., to highlight green fashions from five designers, this time featuring the darker hues of Fall.
Newcomers to the show included Canadian Barbara Boswell, whose Lilikoi collection featured soy- and organic-cotton dresses with hand-painted prints of coral and bamboo, done in nontoxic inks, of course. Also new to the Smashbox stage was the Columbus, Ohio, design team of Beth Doane and Bethany Armstrong, who showed their Andira Rain Tees, organic T-shirts and tanks featuring prints of art made by children who live in the endangered rain forests of Central and South America. The shirts are made from organic fibers, and a new tree is planted for each piece sold.
Returning to the show were Simplicio Michael Luis of Los Angeles–based M the Movement, who highlighted mostly menswear with denim, shirts, vests and trousers made from soy, charcoal, bamboo and organic cotton. Rene Geneva of Austin, Texas, also returned with her eco-chic line of eclectic eveningwear, Rene Geneva Design. One piece featured a corset dress decorated with hemp silk, among other materials. Los Angeles denim brand Vintage China incorporated organic cotton and bamboo into its line of sportswear, featuring hand-painted dress shirts. Finally, French-born Mathilde Rosset of Los Angeles–based Lady Muse returned to show a new collection of her “desposyni” coats, made of rescued fabrics and intricately constructed into a number of vintage looks decorated in velvet tapestry and brocade.
The show was again staged by Mikey Koffman and The Gallery, Los Angeles.—Robert McAllister
