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Now that we have Cameron Diaz proud in her Prius, and Al Gore and his messages of doom are drawing rock-star-sized crowds, what's the last mountain for the eco-movement to climb?

The wardrobe.

Admit it: Despite the buzz around international celeb-endorsed organic lines like Edun and the sudden ubiquity of organic jeans produced by mainstream brands, you're still thinking hippie hemp, aren't you?

“We want to take the image of the grungy people doing environmental clothing and turn it around,” says Rebecca Khouri, of Montreal's On and On clothing label and boutique. “The new eco-friendly fashions are sophisticated and classy and on trend.”

This happy revolution in style is riding two major movements in the apparel world. First, a number of big names, from Roots to Mountain Equipment Co-op to Timberland and Lululemon's organic arm, oqoqo, are putting their size and might behind the movement. Second, their investment is beginning to make it possible for smaller environmentally concerned fashion designers to source materials for reasonable prices.

Take, for instance, the case of Twigg & Hottie, a four-year-old line out of Vancouver (and a boutique of the same name that carries small Canadian labels, with a focus on sustainable product).

Designer Glencora Twigg drives up to Mission, B.C., to one of the country's half-dozen purveyors of environmentally friendly fabrics, Syka Textiles (www.syka.ca).

“I can go up and touch the bolts, and they will sell me as little as a couple of metres for sampling purposes,” Twigg says. “They are as committed as the designers they furnish,” she says. “I can get soys, organic cottons, bamboo, Lyocel and wild silks.”

Not surprisingly, the prices for sustainable fabrics are about 25-per-cent higher than regular commercial products. “The consumer has to be willing to step up,” Twigg says. “But if you are concerned about the environment, you are buying both less and more at the same time. You are buying into your belief system.”

The most important element here is that you needn't scrimp on quality. In fact, “sustainable fabrics perform well, last a long time, they drape on the body well, and they feel great against your skin,” Twigg says.

So the revolution is coming from single sewing machines across the country. Labels like Bueno Style in Vancouver, with its adorable organic cotton underwear. Or Grace & Cello from Montreal, with its sexy separates. Some lines are fun, like Hatley organics shirts (we used the pink guy's tee with a drawing of a wiener dog and a label that says Bitch).

Buying vintage has long been a popular way to exercise the “reuse” portion of the three Rs. From there, it was natural to treat vintage fabrics as raw materials to be recut into new designs. Reworked clothing was also one of the first viable forms of fashion activism, with pioneers like Toronto-based PreLoved creating patterns that make each piece individual, yet sized and graded like a regular designer line.

Now, there are literally hundreds of people across Canada reworking vintage clothing, Khouri says. “When we started, we knew we weren't reinventing the wheel,” she says. “But the range now of what people are doing is amazing!”

On and On takes the whole thing a step further, cutting pieces so in a way that looks new, as opposed to wearing its component parts with pride. “You would never know our stuff was recut vintage,” says Khouri, who has looked the world over for more environmentally activated peers.

There is an Ethical Fashion Show each year in Paris, but, Khouri says, it has a way to go yet. “Look instead to ethiquette.ca,” she says, “locally, as in this country, there are so many people doing interesting things with ethical fabric. And fair trade. The movements cannot be separated, really.”

As to shoes, there are many more green-conscious options for men than for women. Toronto-based John Fluevog makes shoes out of recycled rubber and recycled leather. And Spain's El Naturalista is sending out some groovy clogs this spring.

In the end, this is still about fashion. We don't want to hear any of you arguing that your dress, or your shorts, are more ethically pure than ours. That's breath being wasted that could be spent doing more important things: like making enviro shoes that look like Blahniks.

Label lingo

Lyocell: The main material is wood-derived cellulose, the building block of plant cell walls. The textile has similar properties to cotton but is manufactured under more environmentally conscious practices. Look for brand name Tencel.

Bamboo: Not just panda food, bamboo can be grown without pesticides and is a renewable resource. Best of all, it's surprisingly soft, which makes it an ideal candidate for

T-shirts and undies.

Soy: Who knew beans could make such beautiful garments? Material produced from soy can substitute

for silk and contains antibacterial properties.

Organic silk: This might seem redundant, since the luxe material is the natural byproduct of the silkworm's cocoon. But new criteria are being developed to certify the industry as sustainable and pesticide-free.

“Considered” production facilities: Much the same way that the banana, chocolate and diamond industries have taken aim at poor working

conditions, clothing companies are taking greater effort to ensure manufacturing practices conform to international labour standards. Waste and environmental impact are also minimized.

Fair trade: Fair-trade companies pay workers above minimum wage and grant such typically overlooked rights as time off and health benefits. Fair trade also implies better relationships among companies, which includes reasonable rates of payment. Many governing bodies exist, but the Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International is the largest.

Reworked vintage: Bragging rights go to those who have reclaimed cast-off clothes to create a grassroots fashion phoenix. While lines such as Toronto-based Preloved have turned recycling into a booming business, anyone can paw through second-hand stores for good quality pieces and head to the tailor (or learn to sew).

— Amy Verner