The Princes of ECOTOPIA

 Ethical Fashion always intimidates the "mainstream glamour", its  subversive nature doesn't always aim to please, 

 it bends to the edgier side...the darker the better.

Ecouture is designer's alter ego, omnimously enigmatic, at some point, snub by the higher echelons. While its original ethos are non-comformist and non-elitist, its voluntary introversion( Alexander McQueen, Gareth Pugh, Rick Owens, Yohji Yamamoto), the use of cheapest components like bin liners and toilet chains( Vivienne Westwood, Comme des Garcons), the total concept, is not simply to offer alternative dressing...but a lifestyle, a way of life.

Illustrado, one of the leading style magazines in the Dubai, challenged six talents to" bleed' their creativity and pumped up what is eco-fashion  all about. Miss LALAINE CHU BENITEZ-editor-in- chief,  works  on championing the cause, and is highly commendable. Not only the issue focuses on environmental friendliness in style and fashion, it also places  Filipino artistry in the spotlight. Illustrado magazine's unique and highly conceptualized issue, put up five notches...it is fashionably chic!

So welcome the risque' ensemble of undisputed talents, surfacing  amongst the fierce in the Middle Earth.

JESSIE SINDAYEN

ECO- Avant GARDE

JESSIE SINDAYEN's uncluttered, edgy and time consuming wearable art, is the cover of this month issue of ILLUSTRADO.

Raising the bar of expectations (not only our eyebrows!), the transformation of  geometrical structure of paper origami precisely stitched together and painstakingly attached to create a hip and trendy skirt, shows the mastery over surface treatment of Sindayen.

The strainer arm bling, the mesh-wire veil and steel bracelets, were just right to the structure. 

The plastic wrapped mid stockings completed the look. Totally in control, Jessie Sindayen is the luxe of Ecouture...tame, low key and fluid. 

SHELFRED SURDILLA

Juvenile Fashionist

BATHROOM COUTURE

SHELFRED SURDILLA's young and boy-next- door look is deceptive. Maybe it is skin deep, but not his innate creativity. His humor is his 'joi de vie', putting toilet's must haves into an amazing collection of what is called the BATHROOM COUTURE!!

Clean and soft white towels neatly folded to form like a closed umbrella; knee length, very playful and naughty. What more could be better than toilet napkins magically twisted like bird wings embellished at the bodice of the dress...

hahaha!!!! WITTY! CHARMING and cute!!!!! I was mesmerized and in love with his collection.

I can't wait what is his next surprise!......the new prince of fashion, his highness Prince Shelfred!

USHI SATO

ECO ROCK GLAM

Everybody loves USHI SATO's LRD...the rock GLAM 'Little Red Dress'!!!! from Michael Cinco-Dubai's Fashion Supremo to the High Fashion Diktat, Bandoix Flores. Sato's fabulous piece is an art created by his beautiful mind. Tweetum Couture, is soft plastic narrow skirt with red pipe in circle patterns. Adorned with red plastic tube cut outs in diminishing splurge with Manga inspired waist band in plastic tubes patiently attached together.Hair clips

added youthful exuberance to the reddish hair. The innovative, very amazing, very hip and very fabulous blue high strung needle pointed bleeding dainty and fragile S-H-O-E-S.....you know what? stole the thunder from the rose!

You are the young hip version of Christian Louboutin USHI!!!!!...LOVE YOU MUAHHH!...END.

And so in the land of Ecotopia.....3 PRINCES claim their haute-ness.......................

PHOTO CREDITS:in fairness...EROS GOZE!!!!!!!

ECO-UTURE: The Greener Side of Fashion

Stylemonger goes Green.....

Eco-awareness are all about novelties, media hype and and "trend" moments.
Are we ready to embrace ethical fashion and organic lifestyle? can we shed- off the faux eco-consciousness and puncture the bubble of our irresponsibilities and by heart address the reality?...

In marketing language, a gimmick is a quirky feature that distinguishes a product or service without adding any obvious function or value. Thus, sells solely on the basis of distinctiveness and may not appeal to the more savvy or intelligent consumers, so we see features in boxes with recyclable logos, eco- friendly avatars and organic labels.

Although some of the things we do seem like basic common sense, they would tell us, you should walk away from label/sweatshop stores and buy something from a local arts exhibition. Why on earth would you shop for vegetables in the air-conditioned basements of big malls instead of local markets? And why would anyone eat out in a disposable plastic plates instead of a backyard home- grown banana leaves anyway?

It feels like yesterday’s common sense has become today’s tokenism. Of course, good intentions matter. I don’t mean to demonise our present as the destroyer of all things good and green and old-fashioned.

Some of the foods, fabrics and services were created by the most unfair means of production in history; slavery, cheap labor practices and exploitations. Unless we can be sure that the steps we take today – whether it’s buying jeans from hip shops or vegetables out of a basket instead of a freezer – don’t rely on the same systems, we cannot count our practices as fair.

But there is no way that we can do this, unless we stop thinking of the ‘one person can make all the difference’ as a rule instead of a maxim. Unilateral decisions that do not involve the ideas and commitment of our family and the larger community may make for great dinner conversation, but they generally tend to detract from the larger fight.

Climate change and eco-disaster are not merely future inconveniences. They are a cataclysm already scheduled to happen. In this case, the best ‘return to roots,’ indeed, would be to get out of our heads and our houses, and get involved in local communities. Instead of trying to live without electricity for a year, work with the neighbours to bring down the apartment block’s carbon output. Invest in a farm that can sustain fairly-undertaken local labour while growing healthy food. Given all the work our forefathers put in to create a pleasant self sustaining land in which we could breathe freely, it’s the least we can do to take it seriously.

Pseudo "organic and eco-friendly" garments are already in the market, shouting labels like it is handcrafted, created from natural fibre, using traditional techniques, endeavouring to preserve precious heritage and support families of craftsmen.’ ...blah,blah..blah.


There are pioneers. There are followers. And then, there are opportunists. The latter group is highly misleading. They are quick to sense the trend of the moment, and without any real effort, seek the easiest way to make a fast buck, or 15 minutes of fame, or a good Samaritan tag, or something else in equivalence.

‘Eco’ is a much abused word in fashion. Many a campaign will have ‘noble’ product descriptions. An ‘eco-friendly purse’? Pray, what is that? Be specific, please. Take, for example, the aforementioned garment tag text, and analyse. It is deliberately worded to facilitate misinterpretation. ‘Natural fibre’ does not signify ‘organic’. ‘Support families of craftsmen’ does not translate into fair-trade or ethical labour laws. Components may be natural, but the complete product may not be biodegradable. The consumer’s ignorance is blissfully taken advantage of.


A host of 'planet-friendly' creators will attempt to make us believe in their angelic ethos. Fashionable materials like cotton, are intrinsically green’- seems to be a resounding chant. Fact is, industrial cultivation demands mammoth usage of pesticides and chemical fertilisers. Only a miniscule percentage of designers actually source ‘green’ fabric. Then there are those who had probably created one ‘organic’ collection in 2010, but still use it as leverage to call themselves ‘eco-friendly’...goodluck to your ethical mantras!
To maintain a green process throughout – dyeing, manufacturing, packaging and marketing - is an extremely difficult task. Price points are much higher, there are limitations at each step, and large scale production is hypocritical in eco-ideology. There are technical definitions of terms that need to be adhered to, and universal parameters and standards that need to be catered to, before branding a label ‘organic/ eco etc’.

We, unfortunately, use our terms very loosely, and most of us do not question or check stated facts. We eat what is fed to us, and there is really not much green in our diet.

What pseudo labels do is a bit like power theft – diverting clientele that should rightfully buy from the very few authentic eco designers. Striving to find a balance between green and profitability is the ultimate aim. The way to tell apart the genuines from the fakers is simple. The latter ones will continuously extol their own virtues, while the real eco brigade will question themselves. Recently, I met a prominent fashion figure who runs an organic fabric and supply business. “But,” she said, “When we pack our fabrics in plastic bags for shipment, I wonder – are we really green?”