2009 is the third anniversary of the Project Earth Day Fashion Show; I’ve been lucky enough to attend all three and it’s one of those events I really look forward to every year. It’s really a showcase of the most innovative talent (both student and designer) in ecofashion for that year.

Some of the most creative work in fashion design right now is going on in the world of ecofashion, which includes but is not limited to sustainable textiles, upcycling, animal-friendly fabrics and nontoxic dyes. The designers included in Project Earth Day (and others, too) are constantly pushing the boundaries; finding original materials (hemp silk was everywhere this year, there is less bamboo); uncovering new and traditional dye sources (cochineal beetles and Indigo) and making reuse truly beautiful. They are setting the standard for the next incarnation of American fashion which will become more planet- and people-friendly every year because of the forward-thinking work of these designers.

This year the designer’s show (which followed the student show ) featured Bahar Shapar, Lara Miller, Sublet, Melissa Kirgan, Mika Organic, Bodkin, Covet, Fearless Dreamer by Meiling Chen, Larsen Gray, Xing-Zhen Chung-Hilyard (AKA: XZ), Loyale, Mociun, Mottainai, and also shoes by Cri de Coeur, Charmone, OlsenHaus, and Neuaura. Jewlery by Alkemie.

The theme of the show was “Through the Looking Glass” and makeup and hair (adorned with huge bows) reflected the Alice in Wonderland on a Lovely LSD Trip background and accompanying hanging bug sculptures. Held at the Openhouse Gallery, the event was superpacked and everyone was excited to be there.

Bahar Shapar and Molly Garretson organized the event.

Designers Meiling Chen, Melissa Kirgan and Xing-Zhen Chung-Hilyard from the EKO-lab

Melissa Kirgan’s sustainably-dyed dress (I talked to Melissa about this dress at fashion week, check the vid here)

Back detail of Kirgan’s deep waters gown. For a close-up, see Inhabitat’s shot here

Yellow Cutout Kaftan (100% hemp; low-impact ink) by Xing-Zhen Chung Hilyard

Loyale‘s Alviso jumpsuit

Cynthia bloomers and print Alma tank by Lara Miller

Cocoon poncho by Xing-Zhen Chung-Hilyard

Lara Miller’s Madison dress (love the epaulet-like shoulder detail!)

Mika Organic Horse Dress

Mika Organic Horse Evening Dress

Meteor Dress by Mociun

Donovan Jacket, Dorothy Top, Dancey Shorts by Sublet

Silk Twill Dress by Covet

Space Print River Blouse, Stones Print Jeans by Mociun

Bahar Shahpar shorts jumper with fab suspenders

Speckled Layered Tank Dress by Bahar Shahpar

Speckled Cube Sleeve Dress by Bahar Shahpar

Moonshake Tee and Compressor Skirt by Bodkin

Refraction Dress by Bodkin

Andromeda Minidress by Bodkin

Deborah Dress by Sublet

See coverage of the student competition for pix and details about the preceding runway event to the designer’s show. See my Flickr stream for more pix of the show.

All images by Starre Vartan

The above video, filmed by Brian Clark Howard, with Olivia Zaleski as host and Starre Vartan as producer, was recorded the night before the fashion show. Check it out to hear from some of the designers who showed their stuff, as well as learn about the sustainable aspects of the show’s set design.

NEW YORK, Thursday, April 19th – Who knew organic cotton, hemp, and recycled soybean fiber could be so hot? Well, we at Eco Chick had a pretty good idea, but thanks to EGBNY’s Project Earth Day Fashion Show, the rest of the world is catching on. The show featured two sections: a student-design competition, and a local NYC eco-designers showcase, proving once and for all that green is beautiful, sexy, and fashion-forward, not frumpy.

Set & runway designer Amber Nelson
Image by Starre Vartan

Organized by EGBNY (which stands for Emerging Green Builders New York, and is part of the national US Green Building Council), and co-sponsored by Teknion, Green Drinks, and 02NYC, the event pulled out all the green stops by reducing, reusing, and recycling on all levels, including a sustainable runway made from 100% recycled plastics, re-using shipping pallets (which will be returned to the warehouse after the show), and modular carpet samples made from recycled fibers. Even the hardware securing the runway was salvaged.

Project Earth Day fashion show coordinator Molly Garretson says, “EGBNY wanted to host a fun annual event to celebrate Earth Day and to encourage learning, networking, and sharing new ideas about green interior design and eco-fashion.” Mission certainly accomplished!

Part One: The Student Competition

The winning student design, by Xay Xiong
Image by Josh Wiese

Second-place winner from designer Kacie Rushton
Image by Josh Wiese

Rear detail of Rushton’s recycled polyester pants and hemp jacket
Image by Starre Vartan

Third-place winner Jennifer Kim’s futuristic creation
Image by Josh Wiese

Red Dress
Image by Starre Vartan

Back of Red Dress
Image by Starre Vartan

An Honorable Mention went to for this Chanel-print-inspired coat by Caroline Hur.
Image by Josh Wiese

Dress made with recycled fabrics and a bodice woven from a plastic bag

Student designers with their models
Image by Starre Vartan

The judges’ table (from L to R): Jennifer Busch of Contract Magazine, Randy Fahey of Gensler, Christian Larsen from MoMA, Jill Danyelle, of FiftyRX3 (and a designer herself) and Margaret Lydecker of GreenDrinksNYC.
Image by Starre Vartan

Part Two: Local NYC Eco-Fashion Designers

Bahar Sharpar dress

AuH2O reworked top (from men’s pants) and skirt
Image by Josh Wiese

AuH2O restructured/recycled dress
Image by Josh Wiese

Doie dress
Image by Josh Wiese

Dress from Ekhovarhuset
Image by Josh Wiese

Dress from Ekhovarhuset
Image by Josh Wiese

Yellow Loyale frock
Image by Josh Wiese

Image by Josh Wiese

Image by Josh Wiese

Image by Josh Wiese

Men’s organic cotton denim jumpsuit
Image by Josh Wiese

Charcoal Hemp Suit
Image by Josh Wiese

For more pictures, check out the Flickr photostream.
For more coverage, go to Inhabitat

A few weeks back, o2NYC teamed up with Kaight to host a reception in honor of Project Earth Day . It was a great event filled with compelling conversation, surrounded by beautiful clothes, and saturated in Trader Joe’s best three-dollar wine.

The Project Earth Day fashion show, scheduled for this Thursday night, is a “showcase of hot, emerging designers on the green scene, and the future of fashion. The runway show will feature a stunning display of the latest apparel and textile designs in eco-friendly recycled fibers and found materials.” A display anticipated to be so stunning, that every guest seat in the runway showroom is filled.

The lucky few with seats will see some of the latest recycled threads from AuH20 and SDN; vegan shoes from Charmone; sustainable design from Ekovaruhuset, Covet, Doie, accessories by AgainNYC and many more.

See Eco Chick’s coverage of some of Project Earth Day’s participators like AgainNYC, Doie and Terra Plana .

For those of you just hearing about the show now, you can still kick off your Earth Day celebration in style by coming to the after-party at Myst from 9pm-2am (free drinks from 9-10).

The event is organized by USGBC Emerging Green Builders NY