Waste Not, Wear Not

“Green’ may no longer be a buzz word, but the fashion industry hasn’t abandoned its commitment to environmental friendliness. Instead, young designers are looking at ways to cut out the waste in a business based on consumption with innovative—and quite stylish—results.

Carrie Parry: Carrie Parry honed her design skills at esteemed labels like Marc by Marc Jacobs and Norma Kamali, but perhaps her primary inspiration is the one grounded in sustainability. The Los Angeles-born, New York-based designer is juggling the launch of her eponymous label with obtaining a graduate degree in Socially Responsible and Sustainable Apparel Business. Her debut Fall ’11 collection, which includes fabrics sourced from a women-owned cooperative in India, features interchangeable cuffs, collars, and bows. It’s not a new idea—the collection is named after Mrs. Montague, the 19^th century housewife who invented the detachable collar—but Parry is certainly ushering it into the 21^st century with fashionable aplomb.