By ELLEN LEWIS
Sustainability: what does it really mean?
I took this photograph in the pool at the Clubhouse where I live in Cabo San Lucas. I’ve looked at this scene multiple times, but never appreciated the message it relays. The earth is blessed with water and sunlight, a rare gift in a universe of endless space where, so far, we have not found additional life. We must make critical choices to preserve our planet for future generations. If we don’t, the beauty we observe here will disappear. Sustainability is a loaded word. And, I have been diving into it lately to grasp which brands are serious and not just proffering from a marketing mantra. When I snapped this picture a few days ago, the fishnet hammock is what caught my eye; not because it’s sustainable. In Mexico, which is years behind the USA on this issue, I wouldn’t put money on it. But, hanging as it was, it did inspire me. Fishnet is a big design trend this season.
Fishnet stockings are just one of the fashion hosiery styles offered by Swedish Stockings, a brand I first saw in Paris and then again at CurveNY. This legwear company is the only sustainable hosiery brand in the world. This is really saying something because hosiery, particularly traditional stockings takes decades to decompose, all the while releasing harmful chemicals into the soil. The inability to separate nylon from elastane presents an additional recycling challenge and Swedish Stockings is developing fabrics that will solve this problem. They use recycled yarns, solar power, eco-friendly dyes, and post dying water treatments in their manufacturing process. But, their commitment though, goes way beyond production. They have developed a process to grind down the components into the filler materials in glass fiber tanks which do have a huge lifespan. In order to accomplish this, they have found an excellent way of engaging the consumer to both purchase and give back. You can learn much more on their website.
All this hard core effort does not detract from the fashion element of this legwear collection. Besides the fishnets, there are classics, lace, pointelles and other contemporary patterns. As a result they have designed an accessory which I choose to call “Sustainable Glamour”.
“We Do Not Inherit the Earth From Our Ancestors;
We Borrow It From Our Children” ~Native American Proverb
