200 years of eco fashion at the fit

The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York opened the Eco-Fashion: Going Green exhibit last month. The collection explores the sometimes friendly, sometimes catastrophic relationship between fashion and the environment.

This six month exhibit has more than 100 garments, accessories, and textiles from the 1800s through today. All of the items will demonstrate one of the exhibit's six themes:

the repurposing and recycling of materials
material origins
textile dyeing and production
quality of craftsmanship
labor practices
the treatment of animals

Some of the pieces speak directly to the harm that's been done by the textile industry. For example, two cotton dresses from the early 1800s "emphasize that cotton growing during this time drained soil of nutrients and depleted water supplies— environmental concerns magnified by the introduction of dangerous pesticides and chemical fertilizers in the 20th century." And then there's the green silk faille and chenille dress, circa 1865. The beautiful green color was achieved thanks to arsenic, a health risk to both the maker and wearer. Talk about dressed to kill!

Dresses from the FIT Eco-Fashion: Going Green Exhibit

On the other hand, as an example of eco-friendly textile dyeing, the exhibit features a dress from Costello Tagliapietra's spring 2010 collection which makes use of our AirDye@ technology. The lush lava color is created using non-toxic dyes, no water, and all the printing materials are recycled.

If you don't think you'll make it to New York by November, Treehugger has a great slide show and we were there this morning and took some candid shots of our own.

The museum is located at Seventh Ave and 27 Street in New York. They are open Tuesday through Friday from noon until 8pm and on Saturdays from 10am to 5pm. Admission is free.

More eco-fashion news at AirDye

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200 years of eco fashion at the fit

photo credit: The Museum at FIT