Monday, May 16, 2011

Get to Know Pure Green! Kate Black

We took a little break, but we're back with another PGM team member. Meet Kate Black, the fashion editor at Pure Green Mag, who's little black dress is, well, green!

1. Please introduce yourself.
Hello Eco-fashionistas! My name is Kate Black and I am the Fashion Editor for Pure Green Magazine. Besides sharing eco-fashion finds with you, I write a daily eco-fashion blog called Magnifeco.com. I started the blog in 2008, when I first became interested not just in what I eat (local, organic and vegetarian food) but in what I wore. I started researching sustainable and organic designers and realized that although many fantastic (or magnifeco) designers were making efforts to provide 'slow fashion' they were hard to find. So I started finding them and featuring them on my blog. With the unique purpose - that all great finds had to be able to be purchased online, so wherever readers are in the world (I live in Tokyo) they can buy eco, sustainable and ethical fashion.
2. How do you green your wardrobe?
Reduce consumption. The easiest, greenest thing you can do is stay with what you have. Generally, people have been buying more and more clothing but wearing them less and less. This season, I pulled out all of my spring/summer clothes- all of them and made my own 'capsule collection'. Pulling together ten essential pieces, that are the mainstays of my SS11 wardrobe. This re-introduced me to a pair of white flare pants that have been sitting in the back of my closet (that are so a 'go-to' piece for this season), sending a dress to the tailors to become a tunic, and mending a blouse that I love but, due to it's missing button, was almost in the 'donation' pile.

3. Favorite fashion icon you would love to meet?
I would love to meet Safia Minney. She's one of the pioneers of fairtrade fashion and started PeopleTree over a decade ago. She was also one of the pioneers of matching designers (like Boru Aksu) and their designs with workshops and artisans in developing countries to build viable businesses that can sustain communities.

4. Can eco-fashion be trendy? 

Of course!! Big trends this season include 'white' - anything white, which is so summer! And you probably already have this essential;  they might be skinny jeans from past seasons that you can get shortened to capris, or an old white t-shirt that can be re-made into a 'flashdance'-style top - also so 'in'. And don't stay in your own closet - check your mother's, your sisters', your boyfriend's  - white is everywhere.

5. What does green fashion mean to you?
We've been conditioned to think that who we are is reflected in what we wear. And so eco-fashion should be an extension of that! Fast, cheap and super-trendy is just that. However, a piece of clothing - one that you know the story of the source (organic or sustainable fabric), the artisan or designer (ethical or fair) and/ or the history behind the piece (something vintage or re-found) is probably a greater reflection of the person you are.


Sources:
1. Tencel Jersey Dress by Thieves (can be worn 5 different ways!)
3. Funkis Clogs responsibly hand-made in Sweden


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