Fashion Week's Big Splash
Aveda makes consciousness the new chic during the New York City shows.
While the catwalks inside Mercedez-Benz Fashion Week touted the latest looks for fall this month, Aveda worked hard backstage and on the streets of New York City to promote global issues that never go out of style: the need for clean drinking water and the importance of reducing waste.
The earth-friendly skin- and haircare company set up six water fountains throughout Manhattan during Fashion Week that served up New York City tap water, rated among the cleanest in the nation.
The effort was dubbed “Aveda CatWalks for Water.” In partnership with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, it raised awareness about clean water issues and encouraged the use of reusable bottles to reduce plastic waste. “New York City has some of the highest quality drinking in the world,” says Cas Holloway, commissioner for the city’s Environmental Protection department. “It’s important to take advantage of this invaluable resource during Fashion Week and to promote clean, high-quality drinking water and the investment it takes to maintain our system.”
Aveda also provided limited-edition reusable aluminum water bottles to designers, models, makeup artists and others working backstage. Aveda first began providing reusable water bottles at Fashion Week in 2008. Since then, it’s saved more than 7,500 plastic bottles from landfills.
Five fashion labels teamed with the company to make this year’s efforts even greener. The houses of John Patrick Organic, Jason Wu, Christian Siriano (left), Sophie ThĂ©allet and Rodarte advocated recycling, responsible eating and environmental kindness during fashion’s biggest show.
All participating designers replaced bottled water with New York City tap water and handed out the limited-edition EarthLust Aveda reusable bottles (autographed by the designers); eliminated the use of fur in shows and retail sales; served organic or locally-sourced food to models, stylists, makeup artists, and production staff backstage; and printed all show invitations and programs on post-consumer recycled paper.
Aveda’s Catwalks for Water program was a precursor to the company’s 2010 Earth Month initiative, which aims to raise $3.5 million during the month of April to protect clean water. It calls on governments small and large to take strategic local and global action to protect waterways, empower communities and help make clean water accessible to everyone. To date, Aveda has raised more than $14 million for environmental causes through its’ annual Earth Month campaigns.
For more information on any of the company’s green programs, visit aveda.com/aboutaveda.