Fashion

Vancouver Eco Fashion Week Preview

With the Fairmont, Holt Renfrew and Obakki involved in this year's Eco Fashion Week, the event promises to ditch the hippie stigmas

By Laura Collins /

Credit: Byron Dauncey/Natasha Novakovic

Eco Fashion Week held a media preview, pampering insiders with eco-friendly knowledge

On Tuesday, April 22 – Earth Day – Eco Fashion Week teamed up with La Biosthetique beauty products and Value Village to give eight fashion journalists and bloggers a preview of Eco Fashion Week. The three-day fashion event promises to “ditch the hippie stigmas and put fashion, left, right and centre stage.” Click through the slideshow for a behind-the-scenes look at the media day and to find out what’s happening at this year’s Eco Fashion Week.



Credit: Natasha Novakovic

La Biosthetique Hair Treatment

The media event began with a little pampering by La Biosthetique at Black2Blond salon on West 4th Avenue. Each journalist was given a relaxing shampoo followed by a scalp and neck massage using essential oils. Stylists then spruced up each person’s hair, giving them tips and tricks on what products to use.

A company that believes in being environmentally responsible, La Biosthetique uses post-consumer recycled packaging for all their products and uses renewable energy to power their offices and factories, making them the perfect partner for Eco Fashion Week.



Credit: Natasha Novakovic

A Makeover by La Biosthetique

A new look isn’t complete without a fresh face. La Biosthetique had makeup artists on hand to create individual looks for each journalist and blogger. Before putting anything on the face, the makeup artists explained what each product was, what it did and why it worked for the specific person. Everybody left with the know-how to create a fresh spring look for the Eco Fashion Week events.



Credit: Byron Dauncey

Myriam’s Thrift Shopping Tips

After enjoying a delicious salad provided by Culver City Salads, the group was transported in Lexus Hybrids to the massive Value Village store in Coquitlam. Here, Eco Fashion Week Founder and President Myriam ­­­­Laroche gave thrifting advice to both the men and the women of the group.

  1. Wear tight clothing. The fitting rooms can have long lineups, but by wearing form-fitting clothes, you can try items on right in the store.
  2. Women should start in the dress and skirt aisles. Here, you can find name-brand clothing for great prices
  3. Don’t be afraid to look in sections that aren’t your size. Different countries have different sizing charts, so sometimes you’ll find that the clothing has been placed in the wrong section.
  4. Grab a cart. You want your hands to be free while on the hunt, so put your purse and all your finds in a shopping cart. It’s much easier than trying to carry everything in one arm.
  5. Lastly, check the garment tags to see what the clothing is made of. You can find some great silks and wools at places like Value Village for cheap.



Credit: Laura Collins

Creating a Look for Under $100

Thanks to Value Village, everybody was given a $100 gift card to find an outfit to wear to Eco Fashion Week. Using Myriam’s tips, the media representatives set out in search of an outfit they could make their own.

My final look was a little black dress, a fantastic loose red blazer and some edgy black pumps, all for a total of $70. The best steal was the red blazer. It still had the original tags on it with a retail price of $118, but was purchased at Value Village for $35.

A little accessorizing and this outfit is sure to be killer for next week’s fashion shows.



Credit: Natasha Novakovic

Eco Fashion Week’s Eighth Season

This year, Eco Fashion Week kicks off on April 27th with some fantastic seminars at SFU Woodward’s in Gastown. Speakers include fashion designer Jason Matlo; President and Founder of Eco Fashion Week, Myriam Laroche (pictured on the left); keynote speaker Pierre Börjesson, the Senior Sustainability Specialist at H&M and more.

The Fairmont Hotel will host “The Thrift Chic Challenge” and the “68lb Challenge” fashion shows, presented by Value Village on April 28th. Here you’ll see how designers re-purposed used clothing into new and fresh lines. Also, spot the outfits the journalists and bloggers picked out from the Eco Fashion Week Press Day.

The last show takes place at Holt Renfrew on April 29, featuring a charity shopping night and the Obakki fashion show. Rumour has it that Holt Renfrew’s escalators will be used as the runway.

More information, including a detailed schedule and ticket info, can be found at ecofashion-week.com