Who’s Who in Green: Bahar Shahpar

When it comes to retro-chic eco fashion, there’s nothing quite as stylish as the designs created by Bahar Shahpar. The New York-based sustainable fashion designer with a special knack for unusual prints and bright pops of color owns one of the most sought-after labels in the business, and is also co-founder and creative director for The Four Hundred, a showroom representing the best in high-end sustainable fashion.

Shahpar, born in Iran and raised between Georgia, New Jersey and California, launched her first eco fashion collection, called agricult, in 2005, following it up with the debut of her self-titled label.

Shahpar had always been interested in art, having tried her hand at make-up artistry, art direction, event production and owning an art gallery in San Francisco. When she dabbled in designing her own line of accessories, her passion for fashion caught fire. Clearly, it was her calling – Shahpar’s luxurious designs have been featured in Lucky, ELLE, NYLON, Vogue an Women’s Wear Daily.

Of her designs, Shahpar told The Persian Mirror,

I love to work with all natural materials that have texture and come from the earth. Not because I am a hippy or anything but because I feel they carry a history with them. I used feather and was also obsessed with vintage leather. My mother doesn’t understand it. She says I like “old and dirty” things. We promote fashion forward items that are organic yet have style I use organic cottons, silks, vintage items and hemp. I like to have sustainable design.

Shapar could certainly be an inspiration for others who are looking to get into sustainable fashion design. She offered some tips to EcoSalon in a January 2009 interview:

Sustainable design takes many factors into account, not just fiber and fabric choices. The first basic steps are to minimize waste and source and produce locally whenever possible. Cutting down on transportation costs and supporting local economies and fair trade goods can have a huge impact, and designers should look at the big picture ““ sustainable design includes all of the choices we make when we design a product, so we really need to start looking at the full life cycle of that product.

When it comes to fabrics, the reality is that our choices can be limited in some categories, but there are some areas in which we have many sustainable alternatives to conventional materials and there is absolutely no compromise. I encourage all designers to just try to find alternatives to what they’d normally use, without feeling like they have to edit their design vision. Of course, if anyone is interested in learning more about sustainable fabrics, viewing our C.L.A.S.S. fabric library, or taking advantage of our consulting services, please contact me.

Bahar Shahpar’s Green Score: 24,981

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