The Bristol Magazine is Bristol's biggest monthly guide to life and living in the city of BristolmcpublishingWant more stories like these in your inbox?Sign up to Monocle's email newsletters to stay on top of news and opinion, plus the latest from the magazine, radio, film and shop.EmaileSign upThank you, you are now signed up.Home / Professions / Five eco-friendly designers, including Italy’s Valentina Oppezzo, presented their own collections at the recent ‘Elements of Design’ fashion show. Presented by VStyle Productions, the Foundation for a Green Future, Inc., and the Boston GreenFest, the eco-fashion was held on June 21 at the Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston and featured collections inspired by a different element: air, water, fire and earth. The featured designers were Restored by Design by Martha Jackson as Air, Instilla by Valentina Oppezzo and Maryanne Meservey as Water, Savers Thrift Store and Stylist U-Meleni Mhlaba-Adebo of Urban Thriftologee as Fire and Anderson Designs by Emma Anderson as Earth.

Oppezzo’s collection stood out for its playfulness, dynamism, constant movement, pure colors and reflections of water. wku curtains musicalShe designed and made her garments using exclusively eco-friendly fabrics, mainly organic cottons as well as soy and wild nettle.eclipse blackout curtains artichoke “My outfits are designed for young, independent women who are not afraid to experiment with their looks and want be playful but with style, and are aware of the importance to wear sustainable clothes and live a sustainable life,” she said.wku curtains musical Oppezzo incorporated recycled and re-purposed materials using cutouts from old CDs and DVDs as decorations on fabric and for jewels. Some examples are the drops of water on the leggings and the necklaces wore by the models.

Also, she upcycled a shower curtain printed with the periodic table into a fun rain coat. Oppezzo designed and made all the handbags displayed during the show. They are vegan and incorporate organic cottons as well; no leather or any other animal fiber was used. Some of the purses have LED’s and EL panels that make the dresses light up. “I like my bags to look young, fun, rich of details and full of personality, but also practical. My two favorite are “Tour Eiffel” with an LED blinking tower and “@#” with my Twitter account printed on it (@INSTILLAfashion), and a clear pocket, where I can slip in every time a different note with the current hashtag that I’m using on social media.” Valentina said after the show. The appliques are all upcycled: her father Marco, back in Italy, was browsing local flea markets, when he found some French vintage fashion magazine from the ’30s. Oppezzo cut out some of their images — for instance the ladies wearing hats — coated them with sheer plastic and sewed them to the bag along with fabric scraps, organic cotton lace, jewelry findings and a little broach that her father made with recycled pallet wood.