Potatoes, pineapples to dress environmentally-minded fashionistas
Sweet potatoes and pineapples were among the foods to make their way on to the catwalk of the Ethical Fashion Show, which was held here in the world's fashion capital, over the weekend.
Using the sweet spuds, Les Racines du Ciel, a small clothing manufacturer based in the northwestern Brittany region of France, has adapted a traditional Chinese practice to Western clothing styles.
"In southern China and only in southern China, silk is lacquered with a sweet potato paste and then buried in the ground," said Natalie Goyette, the company's development director.
"Then the silk is rinsed up to 30 times, and comes out with a soft off-black color that I find beautiful," she said.
"And the sweet potato dye makes the silk water repellent and able to absorb perspiration very well."
She was among scores of fashion professionals to attend the opening night of the show, now in its third year, and was one of more than 60 designers with stands at the show.
