Sunday, January 2, 2011

Hemperette


When I was introduced to how wild fashion could be with the aid of drugs in the film Party Monster, immediately I dug the designers Heatherette. Eventually, their ready-to-wear club kid collections fell back into the loop like every other fad. It’s been years since I have heard much about the design duo Richie Rich and Traver Rains, just about when they backed out of Fashion Week for financial reasons.  Daily, I find positive connections between cannabis and fashion, and Richie Rich is my most recent discovery.
Incredibly fucked up costumes from Party Monster.
Reading The Emperor Wears No Clothes has really opened up my eyes to the fabric innovations that were possible before prohibition and DuPont stunted the growth and value of hemp. Desperate to find at least a few designers who appreciate the benefits of working with hemp as a textile, I find myself continually searching until I find a line that I am impressed with.

At the beginning of the month, plenty of eco and style conscious celebrities attended the Global Green 11th Annual USA Sustainable Design Awards. Held in New York, this event highlights individuals who have demonstrated a bold and courageous approach to creating an innovation to improve the environment, and social awareness on a variety of topics.
Richie Rich attended the event and told media that, “I love fabrics that are made out of hemp. I mean, I don’t smoke them but I love making things out of them.” Finally, a neon-hued clothing company that recognizes hemp as a valuable textile has mainstream exposure.
Richie Rich of Heatherette
Unfortunately, there is nothing else connecting Heatherette’s clothing to cannabis, yet. Events like the Global Green awards encourage designers to think outside of the box, carrying the message’s influence, thus creating necessary change.

Frequently, I will be checking in with Heatherette’s commitment to hemp fabrics to see if they held up their end of the relationship.


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