Fashion designer Jenny Hwa had a problem.
Committed to living an eco-conscious lifestyle, Hwa wanted to incorporate environmentally friendly clothing items into her wardrobe. But when she tried to find chic, stylish items meeting sustainable standards, she came up a bit short.
"I felt there was no eco-chic clothing," says Hwa, a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology. "A lot of the items out there were unflattering -- they were too basic, ill-fitting, and seemed to be geared toward an older audience."
That realization led Hwa to create her own line of stylish, sustainable clothing: loyale. Founded in 2005, loyale uses organic cottons, factory reclaimed overstock fabrics (unused fabrics that are otherwise thrown out), color grown organic cottons (colored naturally) and other sustainable materials. Pieces include colorful swimwear, flirty sundresses and casually feminine blouses and skirts.
On April 6, she'll take that mission a step further with the {Sustainable} Style WSNC fashion show at Wake Forest University.
"We wanted to do something for the student population and the community that was cutting edge," says Hwa, who lives in Winston-Salem and previously worked at Armani, Kate Spade and Catherine Malandrino. "And we really wanted to bring it to the next level and say you can be super-fashionable and still live this lifestyle."
Wake Forest's Office of Sustainability approached Hwa earlier this year with the idea to do a fashion show to demonstrate to the community how simple it can be to incorporate sustainable practices into their everyday lives. The show will feature clothing, accessories and beauty products from nearly 20 eco-friendly designers from around the country, such as loyale, John Patrick Organic, Lara Miller and Tom's shoes.
"The United States is producing a lot of great designers focusing on the sustainable lifestyle movement," Hwa says. "This country is one of the front runners now regarding design talent within the movement."
Like Hwa's line, these designers and beauty companies use organic, sustainably produced materials, with an emphasis on supporting local farmers and businesses.
"Even if you don't have the capacity to reach out to a local farm, you can support a business that supports them, and still make an impact," Hwa says.
The organizers behind the show wanted to present the concept of eco-conscious living in a fun way, in order to demonstrate to the public how easy it can be to incorporate a few new practices in their daily lives and really make a big difference. And though some of the pieces run a bit on the pricey side, others are comparable to boutique and department store prices.
"We're creating a program where we highlight a few small things; we don't want to overwhelm people," Hwa says. "We want to give choices that are easy to apply. We want the awareness to be about fashion, beauty and food, and that it's something you can do to create change in your own world."
In addition to the show, there will be vendor tables and a pop-up shop where guests can purchase items from the featured designers.
"Looks you see on the runway will be available for purchase, so people will literally be able to take steps that evening to change their wardrobe and get eco-conscious," Hwa says. "We really want to come across in the show that these are really simple choices, and every day when you wake up in the morning, you can do something to change the world."
Contact Jennifer Bringle at jenniferbringle@gmail.com.
