Ecouterre

Photos by Amanda Coen for Ecouterre

Spring is traditionally the season for new beginnings, so it's only apt that Eileen Fisher—both the designer and the brand—is tweaking its comfort-driven, trend-adverse lineup in time for clearer skies and fairer weather. The forecast? A broader commitment to both environmental and social issues. A lifestyle champion at its core, Eileen Fisher is fueled by a desire to "empower the well-being" of not just its producers and customers, but also that of the community at large. Ecouterre dropped by the Eileen Fisher Creative Center in Manhattan on Tuesday for a tête-à-tête with Fisher and her team, who have helped the brand transcend the sum of its products.

Photos by Amanda Coen for Ecouterre

Fresh from Peru's Sacred Valley, Awamaki Lab returns with a second collection of knitwear that bridges the divide between modern design and Old World craftsmanship. As part of a four-month residency, recent Parsons graduates Courtney Cedarholm and Andria Crescioni uprooted themselves to historic Ollantaytambo, where they worked with a cooperative of Quechua women weavers to develop garments using traditional Andean textiles and techniques. The 13-piece capsule line, which launched at a trunk show in New York City on Friday, will be on view at the Textile Arts Center through Monday.

Photos by Amanda Coen for Ecouterre

Fresh off a critically lauded Spring/Summer 2012 collection, a buzz-worthy collaboration with Manolo Blahnik, and a Council of the Designers of America/Lexus Eco-Fashion Challenge Award, Marcia Patmos doesn't get many opportunities to pause for breath. It was during one of those rare moments of stillness, however, that Ecouterre managed to catch up with the knitwear designer at her New York City studio, where we snuck a peek at her work in progress, talked about her upcoming New York Fashion Week show, and discussed her growing efforts to make the burgeoning M. Patmos label—her first solo effort after Lutz & Patmos shuttered its doors—even more sustainable than it already is.

Photos by Amanda Coen for Ecouterre

Hard to believe, but Carrie Parry launched her eponymous label barely a year ago. (We wrote about her debut collection in April.). The Central Saint Martins graduate isn't luxuriating in her salad days, however. Already, Parry has amassed a number of accolades that belie her youth, including the Ethical Fashion Forum's 2011 Innovation U.S.A. Award, a coveted spot at Designer & Agents' Green Room, and the chance to participate in the Green Fashion Competition at Amsterdam Fashion Week as the sole American finalist. So how does she do it? Ecouterre dropped by Parry's Brooklyn studio, just before she zipped off to the Netherlands, to find out.

Photo by Massimo Sciacca

Even as a child growing up in a small town in Venice, Caterina Bortolussi knew she wanted to be a fashion designer. After watching Wasteland, Vik Muniz's documentary about empowering poverty-stricken youth in Brazil, Bortolussi hunkered down and outlined her business plan. The result? Kinabuti, an ethically driven fashion label that promotes social empowerment and entrepreneurship in Nigerian communities that need it most. Bortolussi, following Muniz's footsteps, even got to play documentarian herself by collaborating with Swedish cinematographer Marcus Werner Hed on In Our Ghetto, a film that captures three weeks in the lives of 21 Port Harcourt women, aged 16 to 25, as they prepare to promote and model designs for Kinabuti's launch.

Waterlogged feet. Frostbitten ankles. Pruny toes. Sometimes walking in a winter wonderland isn't all cracked up to be. Don't reach for your skis just yet, however. If whiteout conditions are in your forecast, mush through the slush with a pair of sturdy yet comfy snow boots that are as easy on the eye as they are the planet. Above, J-41's cruelty-free Mountaineer boot ($77), which features a quilted nylon shaft. soft faux-fur trim, and a non-marking outsole made of partially recycled rubber.

Photos by Amanda Coen for Ecouterre

For a slow-fashion practitioner, Julia Ramsey leads life at a breakneck pace. Coming off a one-year residency at the Textile Arts Center, the Brooklyn designer is packing her bags for Philadelphia, where she'll take up the mantle as Anthropologie's new head sweater designer. Somehow, between gasps for air, Ramsey managed to squeeze in a showstopping installation of crocheted wedding gowns at the Hilton New York, produce a series of dramatically oversized knits, and stage an "experiment in material estrangement" in her Park Slope neighborhood. Ecouterre paid a visit to the Textile Arts Center's Artists in Residence show to catch a glimpse of Ramsey's "Pelt" collection, as well as pick the designer's brain on how clothing relates to shelter.

For anyone who's clamored to do more with less, there's Blessus, a Polish label based on the same modular principles that allow you to mix, match, or swap components at will. By using a series of concealed zippers to add or subtract pieces of fabric, Blessus makes customization a cinch, particularly for hectic lifestyles without a moment to spare. Because each outfit can be worn in multiple ways, a single design offers a wardrobe's worth of options without the bloat, morphing from a classic work sheath one minute to a red-carpet-ready dress the next.

Talk about an extreme makeover. Oxfam's chain of charity shops across the United Kingdom are glamming up with a new fashion-forward image this spring. As part of the overhaul, all 500 locations have been supplied with detailed trend reports, including intelligence on the most covetable fabrics, prints, and silhouettes of the season. Starting February, all vintage and preloved wares on the shop floors will jibe with what tastemakers are flaunting on the high street, but without the social or environmental cost of buying new.

Fonderie 47 is on a mission to turn weapons of mass destruction into implements of mass distraction. The burgeoning enterprise, co-founded by Ethos Water CEO Peter Thum, transforms confiscated AK-47 rifles from the Democratic Republic of Congo into ornate accessories that belie their violent history. By melting down the steel components, and working with jewelers Philip Crangi and Roland Iten to refashion them with gold into rings, earrings, and cuff links, Fonderie 47 has successfully removed more than 6,000 assault rifles from the war-ravaged nation.

In an industry where cookie-cutter mass-manufacturing is the rule, Monisha Raja is on a mission to preserve indigenous Indian craftsmanship. Love is Mighty, her line of vegan, artisanal shoes, fuses Old World textiles and traditions with a modern twist. Driven by her passion for both aesthetics and ethics, Raja marries polyurethane "leather" with rare vintage fabrics, woven recycled plastic, and vegetable-dyed jute and cotton canvas to create her cruelty-free pumps, ballet flats, and ankle booties. "Love Is Mighty exists from a desire to create beauty and a harmonious world without harming any living beings, bridging the world of ancient mastery and modern design," she tells Ecouterre.

Photos by Geordie Wood

The Susan Woo woman may use clothing to express herself, but she's not about to let it define her. Don't be fooled by the sumptuous lines or fine fabrics, either. Woo's utility-inspired Fall/Winter 2011 collection is far from precious. "I wanted a collection that didn't look too fragile, but rather something that you could see and instantly imagine wearing," the New York-born and -bred designer tells Ecouterre. "This collection is about clothing that is beautiful as well as comfortable but also moves and fits into a busy woman's life."

You don't have to brave the hordes on Black Friday to score a great deal, particularly if you're looking to save some green while buying green. By putting a planet-pandering twist on Gilt-like private sales, these seven members-only sites have done all the legwork for you. Above, LovingEco offers a rotating selection of sustainable fashion and beauty picks—brands include Stewart + Brown, GoodSociety, and PeaceMaker Cosmetics—with savings of up to 50 percent off retail. Plus, 3 percent of every sale goes to a social or environmental cause.