Greening New York Fashion Week - Aveda's Eco Efforts (GALLERY)

Beauty company Aveda challenged designers to join their eco initiative during fashion week. They asked participating fashion designers to give out recycled gift cards, offer New York City tap water instead of bottled water, eliminate the use of fur in shows and in stores as well as offer organic, locally sourced food to show participants including models, stylists and production staff.

Designers who took part in the eco-friendly challenge include Rodarte, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Rag and Bone, Thakoon and Edun.

“As a beauty and wellness brand, Aveda is inextricably tied to fashion,” Aveda president Dominique Conseil was quoted in a press release. “The New York shows are a source of inspiration to the Aveda network, so it is extremely gratifying that we have been able to create a Fashion Week platform that embodies the Aveda mission so seamlessly. Aveda is an activist brand at heart, so we are thrilled to be a force of change in helping to reduce the carbon footprint of the Spring/Summer 2008 shows.”

Phillip Lim was enthusiastic of his participation with Aveda.

“The truth is, we can’t reverse the damage that we as a collective whole have already done to the Earth,” the designer said. “But what is important now is lessening our footprint and improving upon what we will leave for the future. We all have to do our part. Aveda’s thoughtfulness in implementing an environmentally friendly fashion initiative is evidence of their deep commitment to the health and welfare of the planet.”

View Phillip Lim’s Fall 2008 collection at Style.com