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Mercedes Benz of Chicago Presents: Vert Couture, Sexy & Sustainable Eco-Conscious Fashion Show and Benefit. As part of Chicago’s commitment to becoming the greenest city in the U.S., Conscious Living TV, Mercedes Benz of Chicago and Chicago Gateway Green are pleased to present the second annual eco-fashion experience, Vert Couture, as a culmination to Chicago Fashion Focus 2010. Vert Couture is an eco-conscious runway show and charity event benefiting Chicago Gateway Green. The catwalk will feature the SS2011 lines of some of Chicago’s top sustainable and fair trade designers, including: Modahnik, 71Jules, Crescendo Apparel, Vintage Style by Bryant McLemore Smith and sustainable jewelry and accessories by Choosy Jewels by Manny B. & Susan Pool, Fanta Celah, and Sophia Forero. Mohop Shoes and Kailia Footwear will equip the runway with conscious, fabulous footwear. Karyn’s on Green, Chicago’s pre-eminent luxury vegan restaurant, will provide the cuisine for the VIP Reception, with sustainable, gluten-free, ultra premium cocktails by Krome Vodka. Kehoe Designs will provide sustainable and fabulous decor. Native Energy will offset all carbon generated from the event. Invited celebrities include: Oprah, Cindy Crawford, Christie Hefner, Anna Getty, Alicia Silverstone, Amy Smart, Vince Vaughn, Ginger Zee (confirmed), Joffrey Ballet's Fabrice, IL Governor Pat Quinn & Chicago Mayor Daley.

The true cost of cheap fashion and the case for Fair Trade. According to the Department of Labor, over half of the garment factories in the United States are sweatshops. The popularity of sweatshops began at the turn of the 20th century, as consumer demand rose for trendy but inexpensive off-the-rack clothing. Given the difficulty of mechanizing the clothing manufacture process, cheap human labor was needed to produce more garments by hand. Manufacturers reacted by outsourcing production globally to countries like Asia for low-wage, union-free “sweatshop” contractors, allowing them to cut costs and increase profits at the expense of human labor.

There is growing consumer demand for organic food--and for good reason. Due to profit-driven practices in the agriculture and livestock industries, the majority of food we eat contains toxic chemicals that are dangerous for our bodies, and for the planet. Conventionally grown crops are sprayed with tons of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, rodenticides, and chemical fertilizers that contaminate our water, air and soil. These chemicals are designed to kill other forms of life, but are harmful to human cells and organs, leading to degenerative diseases like cancer, liver failure and obesity. Although washing food helps, many chemicals are deeply absorbed and cannot be rinsed off. Also, many conventional crops like apples, tomatoes and corn are genetically engineered, or GMO’s (genetically modified organisms) to yield larger, tastier, more resilient crops. GMO’s have been linked to allergies in humans and overgrowth of plant monocultures that wreak havoc on our eco-system.