It seems as if everyone is suddenly jumping on the "Green" bandwagon. Wal-Mart touts its organic offerings from produce to yoga outfits, Google and other IT companies are spending money to produce renewable energy, and now, yes, even the Fashion Industry is promoting its ecologically-friendly stylings.

Organic Cotton and recycled materials are not news to those of us that have Patagonia in our closets. But the fashionable fashion biz is also starting to look into organic cotton and bamboo to produce cute little dresses and jeans.

With the help of name-brand designers and celebrities, environmentally friendly fashions are getting noticed and are poised for mainstream acceptance. Companies like Nike, American Apparel and Eileen Fisher are offering green items. Clothes made from organic cotton and wool, bamboo, and even soybean and corn-based fibers are showing up on the catwalks and in stores across North America.

Last month, Levi’s began selling 100 percent organic cotton jeans. Organic versions of Levi’s signature 501 jeans are dyed with natural indigo. The organic Capital E jeans, which retail for $245, have recycled buttons and rivets. Next year, Levi’s plans to offer organic cotton jeans in more styles.

The use of organic cotton has increased as producers and consumers become more aware of the environmental costs of conventionally grown cotton. According to the Sustainable Cotton Project, a third of a pound of pesticides is used to produce the cotton for one T-shirt, and 25 percent of all pesticides used in U.S. agriculture are used on cotton. - San Jose Mercury News

It is hard not to applaud the growing movement toward all things green, but one must realize that over-consumption is still over-consumption, whatever the color.

Luckily, this Mercury News article does offer a sensible dissenting voice.

Some environmentalists aren't completely sold on the eco-fashion trend. "Green consumerism isn't that different from regular consumerism," said Lynda Grose, who helped design a line of organic cotton clothes for Esprit in the early 1990s. "Producing and selling more garments is part of the problem." - San Jose Mercury News

So "ecofashion" shouldn't mean that you throw out your closet full of synthetic, non-sustainable fibres, and rush out to make sure that everything you wear is the proper "green" label. But hey, if you do need something, why not seek out the earth-friendly? I mean, on top of not being produced in a Southeast Asian sweatshop, right?