With conservation and recycling the ultimate power trend, fashion designers across the globe are stepping up to do their part and Yves Saint Laurent is throwing their hat in the ring.  They have unveiled “New Vintage,” an eco-friendly fashion collection that is made up entirely of remnant fabric from past collections.

Oxymorons aside, the collection is YSL’s first foray into eco-conscious fashion, and fortunately smart is quite recyclable. “We wanted to make still beautiful clothes with intelligence and a conscience,” said Pilati of the new YSL offerings.  The house worked with unused fabrics from previous seasons to design a capsule collection based on some of the label’s most iconic pieces. The result?  Le Smoking tuxedo suit in a distressed moiré cotton twill (mauve or khaki).  The collection also features dip-dyed bustier dresses, embroidered trench coats, separates made in plasticized cotton, a Downtown bag and a sandal.

The limited edition and numbered collection will be sold exclusively at luxury retailer Barney’s New York.

Barneys on Madison Avenue played host to Yves Saint Laurent creative director Stefano Pilati in New York City for the launch of the label’s New Vintage collection.  The event was officially hosted by Barneys’s ringmaster, Simon Doonan, and less officially by Julie Gilhart, the store’s fashion director and eco-catalyst. “We were thrilled to work with Stefano,” Gilhart said. “Not just on an exclusive collection, but promoting sustainable values that the industry needs to move forward.”

And as we move forward we are left with one thought: eco-chic is definitely not shabby any more.  Thanks to YSL for leading the charge for designer eco-friendly fashions and putting them on couture map.

Check out our eco-friendly fashion line here.  Be sure to check back in the fall when we’ll be adding more pieces and designs to our collection.