Photo Of Jian River in Luoyang, China Taken December, 2011The fashion industry is a lot of things—glamorous, big business, global.
The industry has drawn ire from environmental activists for everything from the harm that happens during production, to the fast fashion cycle, which promotes disposable clothing.
Christie’s held its third annual Green Auction: Bid to Save the Earth this week in New York City, which raised approximately $600,000 and counting (the event will continue raising money online until April 19), with a focus on the world’s water.
Four organizations are benefiting from the event—Oceana, Conservation International, the Central Park Conservancy and the Natural Resources Defense Council [NRDC].
Susan Rockefeller, a honorary co chair of the event and longtime conservationist said of the auction, which she has been involved with since 2009, “We wanted to create an innovative fundraiser that not only would raise money, but also would bring awareness to the critical protection needed for our environment.The event showcased that the fashion industry is increasingly rallying together to clean up its act. Vogue editor Anna Wintour said in a video shown at the event discussing fashion’s eco conscious push, “This is something that we have to do together.
One of the auction’s lots, “Clean by Design, supporting NRDCs work, drew attention to the rampant water pollution in China, where 65% of the world’s clothing is produced. NRDC President Frances Beinecke reiterated the saying, “You know the color that’s going to be in fashion next season by the color of the rivers in China.
The overall lot brought in $185,000, with the money going towards outreach to compel apparel companies to clean up their production lines, workshops to help Chinese factories meet environmental efficiency standards and programs to help brands use water more efficiently.
Susan and David Rockefeller at Christies Third Annual Green Auction: BID to Save the Earth Presented by JW Marriott“we think the [fashion] industry is making great progress in terms of going green, and it’s doing it in a way that shows consumers that green doesn’t have to mean unstylish or boring,” Rockefeller said.
Julia Macdonald is a fashion journalist based in Cairns, Australia. Julia has a passion for fashion stories and loves writing about fashion news and fashion opinions that matters most to its audience. Julia spends a lot of time discovering and researching latest fashion industry news stories in order to make sure the latest and greatest stories are brought to you first on Stylerchic.com.
