ECO-FASHION GLOSSARY

What is eco-fashion?
Eco-fashion is fashion that uses environmentally friendly sources to create clothing and other pieces such as making products with organic or recycled materials and recycling unsold or used clothes.

Why are fashion designers going green?
Many companies are doing their part in the green movement by reducing their carbon footprints. More and more people have shown interest in living an eco-friendly life, so fashion designers want to serve their consumers with options.

What is the Organic Trade Association (OTA)?
OTA promotes diverse organic trade by inspecting many factors within places that produce organic materials. For eco-fashion, look for an OTA certification to ensure your clothes are from organic materials.

What is organic cotton?
Organic cotton is grown without the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers compared to conventional cotton. Also, it's not grown from genetically modified seeds. Organic cotton is more expensive to use, so it's not widely used as a mainstream fabric yet.

What is recycled cotton? 
Recycled cotton is cotton that was used previously in another form. For example, an old T-shirt could have been used to create a new T-shirt with the same cotton.

What is Tencel®?
Tencel® is the registered name for Lyocell, a biodegradable, man-made fabric produced from wood pulp cellulose.

What is natural rubber?
Natural rubber is made from milky sap or latex, which can be found in some tropical plants. This is considered to be eco-friendly since the plants are not destroyed when collecting the sap.

What is recycled leather?
Recycled leather is leather that was used previously in another form. For example, an old leather coat could have been used to create a new leather coat with the same leather.

What is synthetic leather?
Synthetic leather is made from different fabrics that are usually coated with polyurethane to give off the look and feel of leather. This is considered to be eco-friendly compared to conventional leather, which has to undergo chemical processes to evolve from rawhide to wearable use.

What is hemp?
Hemp is a soft, durable fiber that's cultivated from certain cannabis plants. It has a texture similar to linen and can be three times stronger than cotton. 

What is natural indigo?
Natural indigo is a blue dye extracted from plants. It's mainly used to dye denim. It's considered to be the eco-friendly choice.

What is synthetic indigo?
Synthetic indigo is made from coal or petroleum with a blend of chemicals such as sodium phenylglycinate, chlorobenzene, and ammonia. It is generally used to dye jeans. Most indigo used today is synthetic.

What are vegan clothes/shoes/accessories?
Vegan products do not contain animal by-products such as leather, suede, wool, fur, silk, and other materials. The synthetic versions of these materials or other similar non-animal materials are preferred for people who do not want to wear animal by-products.

What is bamboo?
Bamboo is a treelike tropical and semitropical type of grass. It can produce up to 35% more oxygen than many other trees and grows faster than any other plant. For clothing, it's being used as an alternative to all fabrics since it does not need chemical pesticides or fertilizers. 

What is organic wool? 
Organic wool is wool from a sheep, alpaca, llama, or another animal known to have wool that was not exposed to any chemicals such as pesticides and endured humane conditions. 

What is ahimsa or peace silk?
Ahimsa or peace silk is taken from cocoons without killing the pupae inside, therefore the silkworms have the chance to complete their life cycles.  

What is satin?
Satin is a fabric that could be mixed with some of the following: silk, polyester, acetate, nylon, and rayon.

What is velvet?
Velvet is a fabric that could be mixed with some of the following: polyester, nylon, viscose, acetate, silk, linen, mohair, and wool. 

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