Ecouterre

Sustainability in fashion is rarely a black-and-white issue, but for four leading eco-fashion designers on Tuesday, all the news that's fit to print was grist for a bold-faced makeover. Challenged by the makers of Yesterday's News cat litter, Samantha Pleet, Bahar Shahpar, Lara Miller, and Restore Clothing's Anthony Lilore presented a quartet of original garments at the Green Catwalk Event and Workshop in New York City. The kicker? Each piece was composed almost entirely of repurposed newspaper, the same material Yesterday's News is made from. Page through our slideshow for the complete scoop.

Stovepipe or bootcut, obsidian-hued or acid-washed, cuffed or hemmed, the versatile jean is undoubtedly the MVP of our closet. So true blue is our love of denim, in fact, that our affection persists long past its expiration date. Here, we've rounded up seven great ways to recycle your old jeans, leading to a beautiful—and surprising—denim afterlife. Above, recycled-denim couture by It designer Rogan, one of several items that Barneys New York and Elle auctioned off in 2009 to benefit the environmental nonprofit Oceana.

War may be good for absolutely nothing, but the apparatus of violence and mayhem, reclaimed and rehabilitated, can possess a warped beauty of its own. Taken out of context and recast into new forms, shrapnel, bullets, and even firearms can transform from symbols of oppression to tools that incite social commentary. Above, a necklace made from detonated shotgun shells ($45) by Neutra Design.