The Sustainable Style Show will feature hand-selected, eco-friendly fashion and beauty vendors, selling their products to the eco savvy consumer. In place of the traditional pipe and drape to separate booths, this Show will feature large potted trees and greenery courtesy of Amherst Nursery and Fresh. This reduces the amount of off gassing that comes with the chemically treated draping and linen.

Presenting Sponsor Samsung, is committed to environmentally sustainable business practices and will be accepting cell phones at their booth for recycling. Recycling cell phones reduces greenhouse gas emissions, keeps valuable material out of landfills and incinerators, and conserves natural resources.

The second annual Green Gala will once again feature ten of Canada’s top fashion designers, each creating three couture or evening wear garments made from eco-friendly fabrics. The goal is to raise awareness around the potential that these fabrics have to make higher end clothing. For a list of participating designers and celebrity models visit www.fashiontakesaction.com.

The event will once again claim the title of the ‘Greenest Fashion Event in Canada’, as it features many sponsors and suppliers that strive to provide eco-friendly options. The exclusive fabric sponsor is Telio & Cie a leading supplier of conventional and eco-friendly fabrics to the Canadian fashion industry. The Green Gala designers will be working with their hemp, bamboo, tencel and organic cotton fabrics. Each designer will also create an eco-friendly accessory bag for Samsung’s new phone, the Samsung CLEO™. These bags will be featured on the runway and audience members will be invited to text vote for their favourite bag, and then have the opportunity to bid on them afterwards in the silent auction.

The following examples further emphasize the event’s light carbon footprint:

• The events will be powered by Bullfrog Power, which uses clean, emissions-free power sources like Eco-LogoTM Certified wind and low-impact water power instead of carbon-intensive sources like coal and oil;
• Green Beauty, an eco-conscious styling agency, will be using eco-friendly products on the models, and will also follow a zero electricity policy when doing their hair;
• The runway will once again be LED lit, and all ambient lighting will be a combination of LED’s and energy efficient halides provided by Eurolite;
• Organic, local and fair trade floral arrangements will be provided by Eco Flora;
• The bar will be organic and eco-friendly featuring Canadian Brewery of the Year Mill Street Brewery, carbon-positive wine Plantatree, and eco-friendly 360 Eco Luxury Vodka;
• The food served will be vegetarian and either local or organic
• All plates, napkins, cups etc will be biodegradable courtesy of Green Shift.
• No bottled water will be served at either event. Toronto tap water is the greenest choice;
• All printed materials are on FSC certified, high post consumer recycled paper, with eco-friendly inks via CJ Graphics;
• Gift bags are made from tree free paper using Mitz Terraskin’s stone paper which will also be used to make three garments in the runway show;
• Volunteer t-shirts are made from 100% recycled materials from Eco Gear.

Fashion Takes Action is the brainchild of Kelly Drennan, a fashion and lifestyle publicist who felt the need to combine her experience and contacts with her passion for the planet. She has been involved in a number of “green” events in Toronto over the past year: Associate Producer of the Eco Wedding & Lifestyle Show, Sponsor of the “Green Fashion Zone” at the City of Toronto’s Green Toronto Festival; co-organizer of Design Green; and Public Relations Director for the Greenmom Spring Market and Green Enterprise Toronto’s Brewer’s Plate Event.