One of the more interesting developments taking place at the Green Festival over the past couple of years is the phenomenal growth in interest and demand for “green” clothing. The number of booths selling green clothing as steadily grown and for the casual observer attending the festival, it’s obvious the clothing section is one of the most popular among attendees.

So what are these vendors selling that people are clamoring for? Mainly clothes made from renewable resources and natural fibers like hemp and organic cotton, silk, and soy; clothes made from fabrics whose color comes from natural pigments (non-chemical dyes); and clothes that Fair-Trade source.

Most of these clothing companies don’t design clothes that conform to the mass-market notion of what’s fashionable, but instead seek to forge a new notion of fashion that’s built around more casual lifestyles and eco-friendly values.

Here are links to some of the new generation of companies that are creating sustainable clothing and forging a new style and sensibility in this sector:

Avatar Imports
Fair Trade clothing and accessories for Women and Men

Blue Canoe Organic Cotton Clothing
Organic cotton clothing for yoga and nature enthusiasts

Nomads Hemp Wear
Stylish clothes for women made from fabrics of hemp blended with other natural fibers

prAna Sustainable Clothing
Sustainable active wear and accessories for men and women

Sweet Grass Fibers
Eco-friendly and sustainable clothes for women and men from natural fibers

Tinctoria Designs
Tinctoria’s garments for women and men are made in Portland, Oregon from a variety of natural ecologically beneficial fibers such as hemp, bamboo, soy, and organic cotton, and they hand dye exclusively with plant and insect dyes.

Xylem Beauty in Balance
Dedicated to using the finest natural fibers to create earth and community conscious clothing for the dynamic modern woman. Xylem features unique fashionable designs made from Soy “Kashmere”, Organic Cotton, Hemp, silk and Tencel, which create clothing that is both rich in style and environmentally sensitive.

This trend in eco-fashion is all well and good and I predict that gradually over time you will start to see many of these fabrics and even some of these styles begin to permeate the mainstream via popular designers like Eileen Fisher or Donna Karan. But what if this style of clothing doesn’t suit your taste? What can you do to “green” your wardrobe? Be sure to read my next blog post on all the different ways you can recycle your clothing.