"A natural love story"

Andy Lifschutz Artisan-style jewelry incorporating raw elements such as reclaimed metals, wood, bone and stone (www.andylifschutz.com)

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A.D.O. A line of comfortable clothing designed for the active woman using the Indian tradition of natural herb dyes (www.adoclothing.com)

NOW Showcase Featured Brands

“Last season, NOW Showcase drew over 600 visits from U.S., European and Asian buyers,” says NOW Showcase Co-Founder Raina Blyer. “We’re building on that success to continue to grow and accommodate more brands while nurturing returning designers, demonstrating the green movement’s rising prominence within the fashion industry.”

NOW Showcase Featured Brands Include:

Adie and George Collection of flowing eco knits made from soft color dyes of plants indigenous to California (www.adieandgeorge.blogspot.com)

Eco-Fashion Trade Show NOW Showcase Returns: Gathering Sustainable Fashion, Accessory & Beauty Brands Under One Roof

New York City, February 3, 2011 – NOW Showcase (www.nowshowcase.com), the United States’ premier ethical trade show, is gathering together the most exciting and cutting-edge environmentally focused fashion, accessory and beauty brands at their 6^th semi-annual event in New York City. NOW Showcase creates an intimate and personal platform for designers to collaborate and combine resources, permitting them to collectively forward their sustainable brands through this unique eco-fashion trade show, held February 19-21 at the Terminal Building (651 West 27^th St).

NOW Showcase is the launch pad for new ideas and a new breed of design. All participating designers are aligned for the show’s conscious credo and forward style, employing environmentally conscious practices or sustainable materials. Buyers and retailers will be given the opportunity to see the newest in progressive, independent, environmentally conscious, locally produced, fashion, accessory and lifestyle brands between the hours of 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

To further facilitate interaction and valuable networking, this year’s show will provide breakfast on-site 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. daily for all designers and buyers, as well as cocktail hours from 4 – 6:30 p.m. sponsored by Gypsy Tea and Fair Vodka. Sustainable fashion designer Gretchen Jones, winner of Project Runway season eight and writer for EcoSalon will host the cocktail hour on Saturday. Amy DuFault, Fashion editor for EcoSalon will host the cocktail hour on Sunday, February 20^th at which Default will be interviewing buyers to get their thoughts on the collections for her blog.

The NOW Showcase designers brought a bit of eclectic luxury to SoEthic

Jenifer Miller of Mission Savvy an Eco fashion boutique in WV teamed up with The NOW Showcase and journeyed with the crew to Paris for the So Ethic Pret a Porter Show. Here is what she had to say.

One prediction that was impossible to make prior to arriving in Paris was how exactly US based ethical brands would blend with resident European brands at SoEthic.

I mentioned previously that in speaking with local boutiques in Paris I understood two things: 1) Most (except one) choose to not brand themselves as “green” or any cousin form of the word & 2) do not intentionally seek out ethical designers for their collections.

It's difficult to steer clear of the perpetual comparison to NY market. After touring SoEthic the first day this popped into my mind: maybe their reaction to ethical designs has something to do with what is available to them?

Let me just preface this first by saying that this is merely a personal perspective and a reflection of a personal sense of what my consumers want and in no way is meant to degrade any European label I encountered. Differentiating is not degrading, it's understanding how they all compliment each other under this same ethical brand.

My drafted conclusion is that the NOW Showcase designers brought a bit of eclectic luxury to SoEthic that was missing.


Alex Bell and Shira Entis, the lovely, vibratious designers behind Fleabags, a high end and successful collecion of totes, explained to me that while their collection is

created with organic and reclaimed materials “being environmentally conscious is only part of the story,” says Shira. The concept behind the look and development for a particular market is another part of the story. It is essential that their collection be merchandised with other high end collections. And if the buyers are not going to voluntarily seek out SoEthic they may need to reconsider their future approach to showcasing. “But this is something we could have never known, you always have to give something a shot once and then you learn. Coming as a group with NOW was the right move for us this trip.”

The same can be applied to the other designers that joined NOW in Paris. This is all feedback NOW will consider when traveling abroad next season. How can seemingly more high end, ethical, US based brands integrate internatinoally under the umbrella of the “green” label.

So who were our neighbors? Here's some of the best of!

What was really interesting were the number of fair trade brands such as Samomaya (Andes), L' Herberouge (Madagascar) and Bibico (India and Nepal). All of which work with communities to support artisan craft. It's relatively easy for US based boutiques, like myself, to fill racks with “Made In the USA” mindset. The diversity and quantity is available to us and it's a great marketing statement to use.

However, seeing for the first time these fair trade garments up and close and really listening to how personally invested these labels are with on-the-ground production is comforting that “Made In India” or whatever the country is actually OK. (See interesting article by Amy Dufault on Eco Salon “Is The Made In China Backlash Racist?”)

Overall these fair trade brands bring in collections heavy in wool, alpacha and mohair because their livelihoods revolve around the humane farming of these animals for clothing. Hence the large quantity of sweaters at SoEthic in all styles for the Fall season!

Locally produced brands included the sophisticated label KAMI which has been around for 20 years and Eros & Agape with its very southern France feel. These were my two favorites.

NOW designers enter international market

Taking this first step abroad outside the comforts of NYC, where a collaborative of designers have grown exponentially the past three years, the NOW Showcase begins to clear a new path for ethical designers internationally.

At the moment NOW's select group of six US based designers have joined a Paris showcase called So Ethic within a larger showcase called Prêt à Porter - complimenting an expanding collection of European ethical designers who have supported So Ethic for the past several years.

“Alliances among designers and collaborations with other companies is the foundation of NOW” says co-founder Eileen Moran. “It is how and why we started three years ago.”

Two days in and with a consistent flow of buyers from all over the world, NOW designers are reassured that this trip is the link connecting current success in the US with the potential for growth. A potential obtained by expanding the horizon of sales opportunities internationally.

Heidi of Heidi Roland was anxious to “see what is happening in the fashion pulse of the world. Paris has pushed me to the next level with my collections, to really look at who the brand is, to thoroughly research product sourcement and become an expert.” Heidi has always had plans to travel to Paris when her collection, but she emphasized the appeal of joining the NOW designers and anticipates new discoveries in this journey that will benefit her in the long run.

Dana Ayanna of ARTAYA has been developing the presentation of her jewelry collection since 2004 and now, just in time for Paris has an appearance that she knows works really well. “Keeping it simple using aged and antique wood pieces against the bold colors of the jewelry” is the secret she says. Seven years in, Dana knew she was ready to go international and will continue to benefit from the alliance of ethical designers at NOW.

While the advantages of traveling and showcasing together have played into the designers favor this season, skepticism on the buying end still needs some convincing.

Yesterday I was visiting a number of boutiques in a popular shopping district in Paris and had an extended conversation with one boutique owner about the quality of ethical designs. She said to me that her experience with ethical designers is that they are more concerned with environmental responsibility than design. I'm not entirely sure what her experiences had been in the ethical world to form such an opinion but this is a perfect example of how the presence of multiple designers, independently strong in design can challenge those perceptions. Of course I offered her a personal invitation to So Ethic :)

“We select the designers from the buyers perspective and choosing a diverse and dynamic sampling of accessories, handbags and womenswear”, says Eileen. “For Paris we chose designers that were interesting, offering something different from what other designers are showing, but the designers also had to be prepared to sell abroad and handle all that entails (early production, shipping, taxes, etc).”

Joining forces in this new experience together allows everyone go through the learning curve together and ultimately saves time in the long run.

For Kelly of Kelly Lane Designs this international trip will help her develop her brand and test out the overall reaction to her collection in a new way. “I see this as an opportunity to better understand the ethical market in general,” she says and “the ability to try something new with the safety net of a group is priceless.” Kelly plans to make adjustments in her timetable of production from now on to accommodate an international market. Her designs can now be found in Rome and Paris.

Eileen comments that “we had a vision since the beginning to take our designers and the community to other cities and this opportunity presented itself at the perfect moment. We hope to expand our horizons, be inspired, share information, learn how they do what they do and join forces where possible.”

Stay tuned for more from Paris as we continue to further investigate the international ethical world from a designer and buyer perspective!

Why people love NOW

Suzan Beers, our intern from the Netherlands joined our team last November. Working with NOW opened her eyes: "While I was finishing my Bachelors Communication and Information Studies I thought about how everybody just keeps on going. Students finish their studies and search for a job, just as people expect them to do. For me simply continue and start my Masters would be too easy. Besides, I thought I was too young to really decide what I wanted to study for my Masters and then go to work. That's why I decided to pack my bags and go to New York for half a year to study Fashion & Design. After some struggling I switched to Media & Art and started looking for an internship.

My ideal job would be a combination of marketing, communication, fashion and as international as possible, as I speak a lot of languages. Eileen crossed my path with the NOW SHOWCASE and I started to work in the eco fashionworld. It is fashion, with a little extra. You never know what you can expect and look where I am now: living with five inspiring, ambitious and very interesting ladies in a small apartment in Paris to show Europe how beautiful US eco design is. It's an experience of a lifetime and it changes the way I look at things. I love it."