On The Runway: Spring-Summer 2011

With the fashion month barely over, I wanted to showcase some of the eco-minded designers that have presented their collections. However, since I've been so excited about the arrival of spring, I thought that for right now it would be more appropriate to highlight some of the Spring/Summer 2011 collections. In my search for fabulous green runway shows, I discovered that there are two different eco-focused fashion weeks throughout the year : one in Vancouver and the other in Portland. During both of these weeks, designers are presenting collections made almost exclusively with environmentally-friendly fabrics and an overall philosophy that is mindful of the Earth. Looking through all the collections, I found so many lovely ones, that I decided to split my summary of them into 2; first off, Vancouver!

Prophetik

Prophetik is a clothing line designed by the incredibly talented Jeff Garner. Often inspired by the fashions and aesthetic of the late 1800s, he ably manages to bring the fashion of that era into the modern times and create beautiful, wearable pieces. For this season, he used a very soft colour palette, incorporating many whites, as well as pastel blues and pinks, to create a young, playful collection.

Nicole Bridger

After interning for Vivienne Westwood in the UK, Nicole Bridger returned to her native Canada to launch her namesake socially conscious collection. For this season, the designer presented a slew of solid-coloured basics in soft colours that, in my opinion, are the embodiment of a strong, confident and independent woman. All of the pieces artfully drape in just the right places to create lovely silhouettes and are incredibly versatile so that they work for many occasions and body types.

Lav & Kush

As a label who strives to create feminine and flirty pieces, Lav & Kush definitely delivered this season. The collection included a wide array of short and sweet dresses in eco-friendly fabrics which, paired with teased half updos and rosy cheeks had no trouble raising the flirt factor.

Nixxi

I have featured pieces from Nixxi before on my blog (here) so I was familiar with the line but I loved seeing this season’s runway show. In fact, I was quite pleasantly surprised with the cool rock & roll vibe that it exuded. Frizzy hair with a muted color palette of white, grey, blue and black made for a highly covetable collection.

Lara Miller

Lara Miller’s collection played with both texture and colour and aptly incorporated the season’s transparency and crochet trends into the designs. Odd as it may sound, looking at the collection, I could imagine wearing many of the items during an early morning at the beach while there’s still a chilly breeze in the air. Still, I wouldn't let that keep me from wearing them during any other day, especially since I found the lovely berry shade that often came up to be very refreshing.

• All photos via ecofashion-week •