At this week's FutureFashion Designer Education Series members of the fashion industry converged to discuss emerging efforts to lighten the industry's footprint.  Hosted by the CFDA and Earth Pledge, topics included sustainable materials and methods, and a need for consumer education, with panelists and attendees ranging from newcomers to notable names such as Behnaz Sarafpour, Zac Posen and EDUN.

At the event we caught up with designer Behnaz Sarafpour to get her perspective on the eco fashion movement.  Christened one of the fashion industry's prestigious 'New Guard', Sarafpour worked with the likes of Anne Klein, Narciso Rodriguez, Louis Dell'Olio, Richard Tyler, and Isaac Mizrahi before launching her eponymous line in 2001 to much acclaim.  Known for her simple sophistication, in Spring 2008 Sarafpour introduced an all-natural, limited edition capsule collection echoing the label's distinctive understated luxury.

As a designer, what do you feel are the most urgent issues in eco fashion?
Fair trade labor, use of organic materials, and keeping a low carbon footprint are all things that we need to think about.  Personally, I also have a special interest in addressing the pollution that is produced over the making of a garment. 

Where do you see the eco fashion movement headed?
The fashion and textile industries are becoming more aware of the impact the materials they work with, however we are still very much in the beginning of the eco fashion movement.  I see the industry moving towards more regulation, however there is still no broad criteria in place for what makes a garment sustainable.  One significant difficulty in the industry is the number of steps involved in the making of a single garment.  Each garment has a chain of custody that goes from farmer to mill, dyer or printer, assembler, distributor and retailer, and that's a lot of steps to keep track of.