Posts with tag GlobalWarming

Hey, check it out! That's Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah "I'm not one to think that global warming is caused by human actions" carrying a canvas shopping bag.

Elle magazine has teamed up with eco-crusader Laurie David to auction off some Sigg aluminum water bottles decorated by some of fashion's elite designers. Diane von Furstenberg, Kenneth Cole, Stella McCartney and others have decked out each bottle with their own unique doodles and slogans. They even allowed Donna Karan to participate, even though she hates bunnies.

I don't know what they used to apply their designs, hopefully something that doesn't smear -- since I imagine these things will garner some pretty high prices. The auction is being launched in conjunction with Elle's 3rd annual Green Issue, and the proceeds will go to David's stopglobalwarming.org -- bidding starts on April 17.

[via Ecorazzi]

If you follow the fashion industry at all, you know that designers release their new collections according to seasons -- Fall '07, Spring '08, etc. Makes sense, right? You need a different wardrobe in April than you do in November. However, according to this article in the Wall Street Journal, the days when people swapped out their wardrobes with every change of season may be long gone.

Liz Claiborne Inc, Target, Kohls and JC Penny are all following the trend -- shifting the way they sell clothes, so they have items on the rack that customers need "month to month, instead of season to season."

So what gives?

Apparently part of the reason is that these days, we spend so much time inside that there's no longer a need for the kind of big, bulky clothing our parents used to keep warm during the colder months. But the primary reason for this growing shift away from conventional season-to-season design is said to be something more...fundamental.

In short, it's due to climate change. According to Radley Horton, Columbia University climatologist, "There are less extreme differences between seasons." In fact, Spring comes 7 to 10 days earlier than it used to, fall is a week later than it was in decades past, and the months in between are growing milder -- meaning, that the chore of overhauling your wardrobe ever 3-4 months is quickly becoming unnecessary.

Who knows, maybe this means you don't have to stop wearing white just because Labor Day has come and gone.

This weekend my girlfriend and I were in Target, where she found a $12 pair of shoes that looked way cooler than the significantly more expensive, boutique-bought pair she had on. Cool shoes for 12 bucks? Score! Even if they don't last, it's worth it when it's so cheap, right?

Maybe not. A recent report from researchers at Cambridge University found that the rise of the "fast fashion" industry -- stores like H&M and Target that sell cheap, trendy clothes that aren't designed to last -- is a growing source of the carbon emissions that contribute to global warming.

While some stores are working toward more eco-friendly ways to produce clothing, many feel that shoppers trying to keep up with ever-evolving trends aren't likely to cut back on consumption.

What about you? Would you be willing to look less trendy to save the environment, or is the allure of cute, cheap clothes too much to resist?