Green Is The New Black: A Sustainable Fashion Story

Sustainable fashion begins long before a photograph and continues long after the clothes leave the frame. For this French Cowboy editorial for IRK Magazine, created by Mia Macfarlane and Julien Crouigneau, that conversation connects with Green Is The New Black and The Conscious Festival, a platform and event series bringing people together around more responsible ways of living.

Beyond the wardrobe, its mission also covers beauty, food, wellbeing and travel. To this end, through editorial content, brand collaborations and live experiences, Green Is The New Black encourages people to consider what they buy, who makes it and the consequences of their choices. In particular, its approach centres on practical steps that give an overwhelming subject a place in everyday life.

Beyond the Label

A wardrobe can hold more than the latest collection. For instance, it can carry the work of an independent maker, a garment’s previous life or a designer’s decision to use materials already in circulation. As a result, these stories make the choices behind a finished piece visible.

Green Is The New Black’s coverage of The Conscious Festival has highlighted approaches including upcycling, vintage, repair and slow fashion. Its 2022 brand selection, for example, featured Âge Paris, which reworks secondhand clothing and accessories, and Manci, which customises vintage garments through embroidery, textile painting and reconstructed fabrics. In both cases, the designers offer a way to reconsider what already exists.

However, sustainable fashion also requires questions. For example, what does a brand mean by responsible production? Where do its materials come from, and what information supports its claims? Therefore, looking beyond a label helps turn an appealing story into a more informed decision.

Green Is The New Black and The Conscious Festival

The Conscious Festival takes these conversations into shared spaces through markets, talks, workshops and interactive art. As a result, visitors can connect with brands and ideas in person. Conscious living gains a social dimension: somewhere to discover, discuss and participate.

Moreover, the organisers have examined their own practices. Their published report on the 2023 Singapore edition describes rented equipment, borrowed furnishings, reusable food-service items and compost collection. Furthermore, it acknowledges the event’s carbon footprint, treating sustainability as work that requires measurement and improvement.

For a sustainable fashion audience, that willingness to look behind the presentation matters. Similarly, the curiosity we bring to a silhouette can extend to its construction, its origins and its future. A compelling image draws us in. Then we can ask what we are looking at.

With this in mind, this Green Is The New Black fashion story places creativity within a wider conversation about care and consumption. After all, fashion can inspire attachment, experimentation and individuality. Consequently, giving clothes a longer, more considered life belongs in that picture.

French Cowboy: Photography and Credits

Photography and creative concept: French Cowboy, a Mia Macfarlane & Julien Crouigneau creation
Models: Cassandre S. & Marine B. at DMG Paris
Stylist: Emy
Makeup & hair: Katiuscia Pezzullo
Special thanks to Green Is The New Black, The Conscious Festival & Laurent Pouteaux

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