FutureFashion: Fashion Week's Green Kickoff

Earth Pledge FutureFashion CollectionCalvin Klein, Givenchy, Ralph Lauren, and Versace aren't names you instinctively associate with eco-couture. But these white-hot superstars of fashion came together with designers such as Diane Von Furstenberg, Stella McCartney, Donna Karan, Michael Kors, Jill Sanders, and Narciso Rodriguez on Thursday to kick off Fashion Week in New York City with a big, green bang.

Organized by Earth Pledge, FutureFashion was a dreamy display of one-of-a-kind creations using sustainable textiles, including organically grown natural fibers (such as hemp, silk, cotton, and wool), as well as newer materials such as bio-plastics and man-made cellulosics. "These materials are all selected because they reduce harmful chemical and energy use, and protect land resources for future generations," wrote Leslie Hoffman, Earth Pledge's executive director, in the event's program—printed on 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper with soy inks, of course.

Sponsored by Barneys New York, Lexus Hybrid, and Pure & Natural, FutureFashion minimized the impact of the event by using low-impact fabrics, Kumbuc wood for the runway (later returned to become furniture), as well as by serving local and organic food backstage. If you're in Manhattan, be sure to check out the looks from the show in the Barneys windows on Madison Avenue (till Feb 21). More photos from the show are below the fold. ::FutureFashionCocktail dress of abaca (manila hemp)/cotton/silk and pinã cobweb, by Rodarte, worn by Stam, for Earth Pledge FutureFashionHemp/slik dress by Rogan, with Monique Pean jewelry of 25,000-year-old fossilized woolly mammoth and walrus ivory with recycled 18 carat gold and fair-trade diamonds, worn by Magdalena Frackowiak, for Earth Pledge FutureFashionBall gown of three vintage wedding dresses draped and stitched onto a vintage bustier by Maison Martin Margiela, worn by Shalom Harlow, for Earth Pledge FutureFashion