Ecomoda

A movement in favor of fashions that are compatible with the environment, from the fabrics and dyes that are used to conditions in the workplace. It is sponsored by Legambiente. The first results came in 1994, when about ten companies at the first Exhibition of Ecologic Clothing and Textiles, held in Milan at the Museum of Science and Technology, showed how it is possible to combine environmental concerns with quality and good design. The influence was soon felt and it created new followers among both consumers and researchers. In 1995, Ecomoda published the research of the Allergology Institute at Florence University. In a sample of 20,000 people, 10% were affected by allergic dermatitis due to contact with textile dyes. In 1996, it offered the Eco-Label brand in Europe for environmentally-friendly products and started a public-awareness campaign calling attention to the exploitation of third-world workers. In 1997, it signed an agreement with the labor union Filtea-Cgil in order to promote healthy conditions in the workplace. In 1998, the movement launched an iridescent fiber, a kind of plant silk, obtained from the urticaceous plant Rami, whose cultivation requires a high degree of manual labor.
As part of an exhibit called In The Mood, conceived by Li Edelkoort for Pitti Immagine Filati 2001, for the first time in Europe, Group Lineapiù launched a thread made of ecologic viscose under the Eco-Label brand. All the production processes comply with ecologic standards. Even the outer packaging is eco-compatible.