Published by Vanessa Brunner under Clothing

An easy way to mark Eco Fashion’s progression in the public’s eye is to simply list the number of celebrities who have joined the Eco Fashion movement and started their own lines in the past several years.

Like anything in consumer culture, it often takes a celebrity to hop on board before the rest of society starts to pay attention.

As frustrating as this can be for designers and environmentalists alike, the thing is, this tends to be pretty effective in spreading the news.

Natalie Portman for Te Casan (image via inhabitat.com)

One of the easiest ways for the public to imitate the lives of celebrities is to dress like they do. The desire to be like the rich and famous has been exploited through various forms of advertising and endorsements since the days of silent films.

According to a Cotton Incorporated study, among all women, 26% cite fashion magazines, 18% cite TV shows, and 12% cite celebrities as their main sources of fashion inspiration.

Survey information via Cotton, Incorporated

The use of celebrity endorsement and design can definitely be seen in a good and a bad light. In some sense, people might say that it takes away from the importance of the movement. There’s also the perspective that many of these lines implement greenwashing and other manipulative techniques.

All of these are definite possibilities.

Emma Watson for People Tree, image via EcoRazzi

But, I do think that the concept of “baby steps” is an important thing to consider (much along the same lines of “Is EcoFashion An Oxymoron?”). Like any great movement, it’s impossible for everyone to jump on the bus all at once. There are a lot of people who need to be eased into the idea of purchasing more expensive, but longer lasting/sustainably made clothes, and eventually reused and recycled clothing.

There is a greater goal in mind, but will celebrities help us get there?

Here are a few sites with information on several celebrity designers with eco fashion aspirations:

Pamela Anderson: A*Muse

Natalie Portman for Te Casan

Heather Mills: Be @ 1

Selena Gomez: Dream Out Loud

Sheryl Crow

Emma Watson with People Tree

Angela Lindvall for EDUN

Alanis Morissette and Woody Harrelson: RECO Jeans