Hah, I didn’t even know about this one. It’s amazing and a telling sign that most people in the city aren’t even really aware we have one fashion week. I think this is actually sort of the 4th big annual fashion “week” as well…Vancouver Fashion Week, BC Fashion Week, FMA (“Fashion, Music, Art”, a 4-day show produced by one of the two original founders of VFW, now becoming a tv show: http://www.fmavancouver.com) and now Eco Fashion Week. Quantity over quality for sure.

In the past 10 years, CBC’s Fashion File has covered Vancouver Fashion Week once. I know there isn’t a huge fashion or even arts scene on this coast but you’d think we’d be able to get at least one fashion week right by now!

amen sister. amen!

@Cory: You know, having an arts/music/fashion festival would be a much better idea for Vancouver. If we get all creative types together and create a united front, it will be cohesive and successful. If not, failure is unavoidable.

Agreed! I just moved back to Vancouver after working in Fashion in Paris and London for 12 years, and everyone says things are getting better…but I am not sure I agree! I covered a Vancouver Fashion Week show for my blog (http://searchingforstyle.com/archives/453) and although I though Paul Hardy was great, the show before was a complete and utter disaster. If Vancouver wants to take itself seriously, it needs one fashion week, not three, and needs to vet the brands that show, so that the brands showing are great brands, not just anyone with the cash. Then we can maybe start to be taken seriously.

No comment.

Wow, just read some of the comments in your previous post re: VFW. Heh, only in Canada could the expectation of some degree of quality be furiously dismissed as “arrogance”.

You wouldn’t want to see (or produce!) a music festival full of high school kids playing cover songs, so why put on a fashion week when the talent isn’t there? One or two good designers don’t make up for rest of the “week”, the organizers seem either inept or only interested in money. The attitude of patting people on the head and saying “they did their best” is just accepting mediocrity, it’s just settling and nothing can possibly improve if we all just sit back and say “well it was pretty good for Vancouver”.

I hear lots of people bitching and fingers pointing (which has gone on for years) but still no one is stepping up to the plate to do change a damn thing.

@Leila: I know of a few things going on behind the scenes that won’t be officially announced for a while. Just because the public hasn’t been made aware does not mean people are doing nothing.

As the addicts say, admitting you have the problem is the first step.

You know, having an arts/music/fashion festival would be a much better idea for Vancouver.

I had the high displeasure of being involved, as a sponsor, with VFW last year. I will NEVER again involve myself with this dark and dirty mess. I advise anyone interested to steer clear, unless… it is under completely new management. I was a premium sponsor, paid a lot of money, and got ZERO promotion of my business. BC Fashion Week is an alternative, but I don’t know much about them. By the way, VFW is in it’s 8 or 9th production, not 3rd. It’s unfathomable that they are able to keep it going.

@Kevin: that is truly unfortunate; I’m very sorry to hear you were taken by those twits. Hopefully attention will dissuade other potential sponsors for that sinking ship of an event.

I think some people are confused here: This fashion week is completely new and has no affiliation with the current Vancouver Fashion Week. To my understanding, the name has recently been revised as “Eco Fashion Week Vancouver” to try to avoid these mistakes.

It would be a good idea to first get more information about what exactly the event is about and who is behind it before making any premature judgments. Thinking like that will get us absolutely nowhere.

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting with the organizer yesterday, and having walked away from our meeting enlightened and pleasantly surprised, I would advise you to wait and see before throwing this whole affair to the dogs.

Lending a hand wouldn’t be bad idea either–I expect it will also pleasantly surprise a lot of people.

Eco Fashion Week Vancouver is a brand new entity. It has no connection with the management of either the Vancouver Fashion Week or the BC Fashion week. It’s unfortunate that poorly researched articles, such as this one, garner so much negative attention. Industry insiders who attended the February 19 event night,in the Vancouver Public library atrium, were encouraged and enthused by the imaginative and professional presentations. Local industry would do well to cut this relative newcomer, some slack. EFWV is a privately funded investment in Vancouve eco apparel. Some local community support would not go amiss.

@THREADS: I’d love to be proved wrong; we’ll see how it performs.

Fuck you. You ignorant fuck!

you’ll be sorry.

@Earl: thank you, earloveschips@hotmail.com. I appreciate your constructive argument and valid points.

@Pricilla: well, pricilla4prez@hotmail.com, I doubt that very much. Prove me wrong, I dare you! If you can plan an event half as well as you lip off, then you should be fine.

I’m not planning anything, I just know a lot of eco designers in this city and I strongly believe they can make it, whether they have their own fashion week or not

@Pricilla: it seems like having a Fashion Week cheapens their cause, especially with the horrific job the previous Weeks have been. Let the work speak for itself, I say!

I was at one of the shows at EFW last night and it was excellent – well organized, good sponsorship, cool location and creative designers. I hope we see another one in Vancouver!

@Lloyd Barnes: Yes, I was at the opening event and it seemed like it has hope. I’m going to be at a few shows this week, and I certainly hope the last of my doubts are proved false.

By having proper sponsorship and admin, I believe the event has a future – now if Vancouver can keep up with the design requirements, then we’re set.

This article is so poorly written and supported that its difficult to believe that the author has any notion of the industry at all. Stop bitching and try to see the bigger picture. Eco fashion week is a great way of educating consumers and fashion lovers about the impact that their choices have on the environment. From the labor it took to the materials needed, we all need to be aware of how this may affect our environment. Weather its according to your standards or not , maybe you can toss aside your superficial opinions and see that this is at least a positive step that will allow the fashion industry to evolve in the right direction. At least someone has taken the initiative, and if your not liking it then step in and do something! It is clear to any sensible human being that this cause can do us all good, so why would just sit there and talk shit. Its just weak. There is nothing wrong with a critique, an opinion weather positive or negative is what changes things on this planet, they are always appreciated. Whats not appreciated is the lazy way in which you divulge your opinion. There is no substance, not solution. What are you good for then? There are enough people on the internet who think they’re suddenly a genius because they can criticize something, without any true substance. This is exactly what your doing. If you had something constructive to say I may be able to take your opinion seriously, but all you can do for your readers is bitch. That is some great contribution. Your standing in the way of something that the world needs.

@Sigrid: Before I divulge my response, note the date of posting: two years ago. I was wrong, and I’m glad I was. Imagine where I was coming from when this was written; VFW and BCFW disasters already existed, and another fashion week appears with just as high a potential for disaster as them? The liklihood of failure was great.

Regardless of what event is being criticised, it’s foolish to expect a solution based argument. There is nothing wrong with noting flaws, and not proposing a solution. Perhaps the writer does not think that the solution should be another Fashion Week (which was indeed where I stood at the time). Eco does not get a free pass when it comes to events or movements, no matter what the community is doing and where. I have seen utter garbage regurgitated in the name of ‘eco fashion’, while the designer expected a positive crowd response. You still need to create something of substance, proper design and preparation.

I’d like to know what EFW deems as ‘eco’ for larger brands that have been showing. I hope it’s more than recycled buttons. Either way, I am curious as to your function in the eco scene, as you clearly believe yourself to be something of high authourity when it comes to communicating with critics of the community.