Photographer: John Ashford
Wardrobe: Berit New York
Shoes: The John Ashford Collection
Location: The Waldorf Astoria

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Berit New York is at it again with some new and interesting creations. We caught up with her to ask her about her latest sustainability piece; this jacket dress that I'm wearing.

To learn more about Berit, read her interview.

The materials used in the piece include: clear vinyl, taffeta, silver vinyl and a polyester blend fabric for the back.

My stance on the going green movement is: I believe very strongly in protecting and preserving the environment. I try my best to reduce and reuse before I recycle. Much of my design and construction comes from a conviction that we can take the “junk” around us and turn it into treasure and works of art – even practical works of art like clothing and accessories. While a great deal of the “going green” movement amounts to little more than corporate greenwashing, I believe firmly that if individuals and companies alike make conscious steps and decisions to reduce waste and produce from what we have, we can make a brighter, healthier world in the future.

How I contribute to the going green is: I have a selection of garments and accessories that are made entirely of recycled, reused and re-purposed materials. I use everything from leftover scrap fabric and trim to recycled paper. I often make hang tags out of recycled postcards and flyers, and I use scrap paper for writing lists and notes on whenever possible. Right now almost all of my bookkeeping is digital, and I re-purpose a lot of the physical materials from my home office for other purposes, instead of just throwing them away. Even outside the office I try to put our waste to good use. Once I made a pillbox hat out of a men's plastic collar insert, a CD case and leftover fabric. It turned out great and got rave reviews!

"Going Green" shoes by John Ashford

The material used in this shoe: Recycled water bottles, wood, recycled paper, found objects, such as nails and rubber.

A green carpet event in Miami inspired the "Going Green" shoe. I realized that the state of Florida doesn’t take recycling serious, which shocked me. I felt that a "going green" shoe would inspire people across the US and all over the world to recycle and save the earth’s resources.

Because the shoe was successful, I decided to make a whole line of “going green” shoes.