Designers from around the world will parade their latest collections in Abu Dhabi’s first-ever Eco Fashion Show, a five-day event featuring couture-with-a-conscience this April. Designed to raise awareness of green practices nationwide, it’s part of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Green Festival 2014, and an offshoot of Berlin-Dubai Designer Exchange 2013, conducted in partnership with the Goethe-Institute Gulf Region.
Linking product lines to the environment is a clever differentiator; hug a tree or two and your frocks immediately stand out in the world’s uber-competitive $400 billion-dollar rag trade. (We’ll take forward strides in sustainability regardless of how they’re dressed up!)
Abaya (the long, black cloak) and hijab (headscarf) are usually made out of rayon, polyester, or nylon. Nasty traps for heat and moisture, these fibers also fall fairly low on the sustainability pyramid.
Pricier pure silk versions are popular in the Gulf states, but often incorporate toxic dyes, synthetic crystals or plastic beads – hardly green embellishments. What’s an eco-Muslimah to do?
Original source:
Arabian eco-fashion show asks: how green is your abaya?
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