Fashion Week Swim in Miami Beach 2012 Mercedes-Benz
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Designers are showing their 2012 swimwear collection in Miami Beach.
The Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim 2012 runs through Monday. Nearly two dozen runway shows will showcase the latest trends in swimwear.
Designers include Leah Madden, Paola Robba, Mara Hoffman, Norma Kamali, Benny Rosset and Lisa Burke.
The Miami Herald reports that a Friday night show at The Setai was about trying to save the planet - one itty-bitty bikini at a time.
A group of "eco-couture" designers are crafting "sustainable" swimwear out of fabrics made from wood pulp, hemp and bamboo or from recycled plastic bottles, "upcycled" factory scraps of cotton and nylon and "repurposed" material like military parachutes.
The Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim 2012 runs through Monday. Nearly two dozen runway shows will showcase the latest trends in swimwear.
Designers include Leah Madden, Paola Robba, Mara Hoffman, Norma Kamali, Benny Rosset and Lisa Burke.
The Miami Herald reports that a Friday night show at The Setai was about trying to save the planet - one itty-bitty bikini at a time.
A group of "eco-couture" designers are crafting "sustainable" swimwear out of fabrics made from wood pulp, hemp and bamboo or from recycled plastic bottles, "upcycled" factory scraps of cotton and nylon and "repurposed" material like military parachutes.
Designer Linda debuted the world's first fully compostable bathing suit.
Loudermilk said the suit is fashioned from a plant starch that has been turned into a fabric. The suit won't dissolve on a woman's body, but bury it under dirt, like in a landfill, and it will break down within 180 days.
"You can use it again or you can throw it away," said Loudermilk, a pioneer of the eco-fashion movement. "It's very inexpensive so it's something you can give to your guests but it has a fashion forward look."
The show, dubbed "Haute Natured," featured Loudermilk's "Luxury Eco" line as well as environmentally friendly designs from Eco Swim by Aqua Green, Meadow and MAE Couture.
Eco-couture reflects a lifestyle choice and should appeal to women who, for instance, buy organic food and products. Loudermilk said it's an ethic that emphasizes health and balanced, sustainable living, not a return to the hippie era, when the clunky Birkenstock sandal defined environmental fashion.
"This is the new meaning of luxury," said Loudermilk. "How many Gucci glasses and Louis Vuitton bags and products can you have? The luxury eco movement is giving people a way to be proud of what they're choosing to wear."
Loudermilk said the suit is fashioned from a plant starch that has been turned into a fabric. The suit won't dissolve on a woman's body, but bury it under dirt, like in a landfill, and it will break down within 180 days.
"You can use it again or you can throw it away," said Loudermilk, a pioneer of the eco-fashion movement. "It's very inexpensive so it's something you can give to your guests but it has a fashion forward look."
The show, dubbed "Haute Natured," featured Loudermilk's "Luxury Eco" line as well as environmentally friendly designs from Eco Swim by Aqua Green, Meadow and MAE Couture.
Eco-couture reflects a lifestyle choice and should appeal to women who, for instance, buy organic food and products. Loudermilk said it's an ethic that emphasizes health and balanced, sustainable living, not a return to the hippie era, when the clunky Birkenstock sandal defined environmental fashion.
"This is the new meaning of luxury," said Loudermilk. "How many Gucci glasses and Louis Vuitton bags and products can you have? The luxury eco movement is giving people a way to be proud of what they're choosing to wear."
