Words - Cristina Gardeazabal

Photo - Matthieu Granier

:On Sunday morning, while most people got to sleep off Saturday night’s drunken adventures in Paris after the Rugby match, I attended the Ethical Fashion Show’s Ready-To-Wear / Streetwear runway show. Slightly inebriated, extremely tired, desperately needing un café, I showed up only to find all the seats filled. The small, empty patch of wall I found to lean against put me right beside hot lamps, which of course everyone else had wits enough to avoid. All of this coupled with the mass amount of bodies in the room made it impossible to enjoy anything.

I immediately cooked up a plan. I would take a few pics with my camera, then I would slip out when the organizer wasn’t looking, and make a b-line for my hotel. I’d be back in bed within 15 minutes. Click Click Bang Bang. Of course this is not how it went down.

Things started out well. The lights dimmed within minutes of the plan’s inception and the organizer was out of sight. Then the monitors on opposite sides of the runway displayed a list of the first ten designers out of the 40 scheduled on the program. None of them were designers I had interviewed the day before. Logic mixed with guilt made it clear that if I went through with the plan I would have pictures of designers I knew nothing about and I’d have to do more research to write my article.

So I stuck it out to the end. Besides my physical state of being I really enjoyed the show. The models took risks by making their way down the catwalk with some experienced and entertaining break-beat moves. There were several designers I hadn’t seen, who’s pieces just blew me away. As this was the closing show for the entire Ethical Fashion event the backstage crew walked onto the runway at the end, taking well deserved bows. This included one eccentric Dutch choreographer, whom also owns the event’s celebrity parrot, Lord B. Lord B does have his own myspace page and website www.lordb.net

As for the fashion here are my top three picks from the runway.

New K Industry

Christian Simard and Charles Vaillancourt from Montreal displayed their second collection since the companies creation in September 2006. Christian says, “NK’s motto is One Brand One Cause”. That one cause is Fair Trade. All of their clothes are made in Quebec from 100% fair trade certified cotton. Beyond the fair trade what makes this collection, comprised mostly of t-shirts and hooides, one of my favorite are the highly original and visually stimulating illustrations and graphic design. “The designs are either made by friends of ours or people who just really love the brand and submit art through our website”, says Charles.

There is more to Sakina M’sa than just beautiful clothes, the label established a social workshop called Daika, that aims to provide women who have been restricted by social and cultural restrictions a place to use their design skills.

Van Markoviec

Hailing from the Netherlands this ready-to-wear brand is filled with stunning and remarkable pieces. From the mini jacket which looks like denim but feels like cotton and is made from 24% recycled plastic and 76% hemp, to the silk dresses and wool sweaters died with plant pigments, this brand is all about experimenting with eco matter. “I like my clothes to be seen as good quality, green chic, using eco philosophies” says Markoviec.

Moly Kulte

Moly Kulte is another Canadian gem on the catwalk who blew me away. The designs are best described as hippster-retro-eco-chic. Say that five times fast. Designers Dumas and Flageol design not only clothing but a line of accessories. The brand uses all recycled materials from ear buds and old pills for earrings to shower curtain jackets. “Nothing is thrown away, everything created” Ethical Fashion guide.

Special thanks to the Ethical Fashion Show photographer Matthieu Granier