What's next in the future of fashion? Is it fabrics? Is it haptics (touch technology) --find out in this column Joyce Schwarz, media futurist, marketing consultant and business development advisor wrote for this respected trade publication. Email: joyceschwarz@gmail.com

2. By Joyce Schwarz, Hollywood fashion columnist
Spring ’05 ushers in the “New Organics”
Organic fabrics are not only great eco-
choices but also great sustainable business
choices, leading a burgeoning “green”
marketplace. According to the Organic Trade
Association, organic-fiber products in the
United States and Canada grew 22 percent
annually between 1999 and 2003 ringing in
$85 million for organic fashions in 2004 and
are set to surpass that in 2005 totals.
The new weaves and textures

3. choices create a myriad of opportunities for
eco-fashionistas for Spring ’05. That’s why
SASS asked designer Linda Loudermilk to
tell us what’s really behind the new terms and
titles you may see on organic fashions and
fabrics:
• Herbal weaves: Loudermilk is in
the avante garde of eco-fashion
leaders working with
manufacturers around the world to
create new textiles, not just
repurpose or update age-old
fibers. For example in Fall ’04 she
featured Silk Hemp designs and in
Spring ’05 is launching Sasawashi
and will even venture into Soy
Cotton in Fall ’05. Sasawashi is
made from a blend of Japanese
paper and herbs. The paper
properties were originally intended
for use in housing, regulating
humidity and to protect rooms
from thermal changes. The
Japanese herbal weave consists
of various fibers, vitamins and
even amino acids. It also is said to
have an anti-bacterial, blood
purification and anti-allergic agent
that is beneficial to the human
skin.
• Reclaimed Lace Blends: a mix of
organic lace and reclaimed lace
and antique lace from top world
manufacturers. Reclaiming these
vintage designs honors a heritage
of weavers and a tradition of detail
almost impossible to recreate in
this modern era. From lace
centers around the globe – from
Belgium to India to Thailand,
reclaimed lace is blended together
to create new textiles for inserts
and decoration.
• Renewable Jerseys: often made
from Bamboo Pointelle and
Bamboo rib. Bamboo fibers are
biodegradable textile material. The
entire production of Bamboo is a
green and does not pollute the
earth. After 50 washes, the textile
still possesses anti-bacterial
functions. Bamboo features the
properties of breathability and
coolness. Because of the weave
bamboo fiber has better moisture
absorption and ventilation.
• Sculpted Textures: Loudermilk is
at the forefront of the industry as
she works with textile mills to
create new 3-d sculpted textures
transforming finishes from flat to
flattering. Haptics is the “techie”
word where feel is as important as
form in an era where high-touch,
complements high tech.
For decades, the terms ‘Eco’ and ‘Luxury’ seldom intertwined in the
fashion world. All too often, the environmentally aware were
confined to wearing shapeless sacks of ill-woven fibers to be true
to sustainable style. Now, a new combo, “Luxury Eco,” promises to
be one of the top three trends for Spring 2005.
“The new season is the perfect time to usher in a new upscale
sector for sustainable style that caters to the demands of
discerning fashion forward leaders in a burgeoning ‘green’
marketplace,” Linda explains. In her own collection, previewed at
the opening event of LA’s Fashion Week, Loudermilk says she
strives to shatter out-dated concepts of eco, recycled, organic and
vintage. She is quick to salute the innovators in fashion, fabrics and
sustainability as a new era of sustainable style blossoms to fruition
this season.