By Nat Mengist

Ecofashion has been both ancient and contemporary; one of the many ways we engage the elements, simultaneously transforming wearer and worn into extravagantly more. By adorning the body with plants and animals, metals and gems, human skins became a canvas; a shrine to the eloquence of an expressive cosmos. The matter underlying these interactions came to be thought of as in-formed by the four classical elements: Earth, Water, Air, and Fire.

Earth, grounding: of fertile ferment; wombs, tombs, growth and decay; the living soil as both productive and poetic

A celebration of change and stability, the elements reflect the tactile qualities of bodily and aesthetic natures. Appealing to archaic materials offers a much needed opportunity to reimagine a disenchanted and disenfranchised human spirit.

Water, fluid: springs and fountains symbolizing new beginnings; titanic floods, and all the rain cleans and more

Conservation can be about more than sustaining resources. Central to affirming a Leopoldian land ethic is rethinking our ecopolitical relationality: relinquishing the dominance of species to cultivate inclusive, transhuman models of citizenship. We are all elements of the wild.

Air, breath: the voice and grace of its movement, of musical skies and whispering tempests, winds so high

No leather, feather, or fur. Aspiring ecofashionistas may boycott the state of animal abuse and environmental degradation, recycle materials, and contribute to the restoration of natural habitat and food systems.

Fire, igneus: the burn of inspiration and destructive creativity; self-devouring heat as immortal Phoenix pyre

We’re passionate about supporting conservation efforts and local sustainability, all while lookin fresh and fierce! Perhaps we can together become that beautiful quintessence: a fifth made of four, transforming life for the betterment of all, wearer and worn!

#conservationcatwalk                           5. 20. 2015.                                Photo credits: Steve Korn and De Carbon Azul