The silk is shipped to the company in the town of Quimper in Brittany, where it is used to make gowns that are extremely soft to the touch but resemble leather.

Les Racines du Ciel also makes silk scarves dyed with a Japanese fruit called kakishibu, giving them colors ranging from pink to brown, Goyette said.

"Our part of ethical fashion and fair trade is the use of organic materials, such as silk, and cotton for use in denims and knits."

But she said that her work was not simply about clothing.

"Maybe I am too idealistic, but I want to change the world," she added, "to make it a better place, environmentally speaking."

At another stand, Grace Trance, from San Francisco-based Grace Trance Designs, is showing off a skirt made of pineapple fibers, called pina cloth.

The skirts are a yellow colour but do not come from the fruit itself, but rather from the pina leaves.

"The tradition comes from the Philippines," Trance said, "where the leaves are used to make barong shirts. The leaves are softened and the fibers are stripped from them."