Cool in Your Code

Moral Fervor

Even the things you wear can be sustainable. Moral Fervor creates recyclable and biodegradable clothing by using eco-friendly fabrics like bamboo, organic cotton and Ingeo™, which is constructed completely out of corn. “There are alternatives to using petroleum-based fibers,” says Emily Santamore, who co-created MF with her college roommate, Melissa Sack. “Why would you use a fiber that can’t biodegrade in a landfill? You’ll see it 50 years later.” To these forward-thinking designers, being green isn’t just fashionable; it’s socially conscious.

www.moralfervor.com

Shop Moral Fervor at:
Kaight 83 Orchard Street, between Broome Street and Grand Street, Manhattan, 10002

Extra! Extended Interview with Moral Fervor Designer Emily Santamore

CiNYC gets the scoop on Emily Santamore, one-half of Moral Fervor’s design team. She tells us about her background, Moral Fervor’s roots, and why she hopes environmentally friendly fabrics like Ingeo™ are much more than a trend.

Where are you from?
I was born in Seoul, then adopted. I grew up in South Jersey and then went to college in Philadelphia.

What inspired you to start Moral Fervor?
Emily and I really were inspired to see our hand drawn designs on some type of medium. We wanted to make wearable art. It’s functional and it gets out there to the mainstream. And, we’ve always been interested in environmental and social issues. We were going to become missionaries back in the day. Each collection is about a social or environmental issue.

Can you tell us about your latest collection?
It was inspired from the concept of GM organisms, and about the question, “how do you know what’s in your food?” We did 5 styles. Very simple tanks, short sleeve shirts, ¾ sleeve shirts, a razor back dress and lounge pants.

You use a new corn-based fabric called Ingeo™ for your latest designs. Can you tell us a little about why you chose to use Ingeo™?
It’s completely sustainable and biodegradable. These are not petroleum based fibers. They’re good for the environment. It’s the softest, most beautiful fabric. It looks great and feels great.

Do you think eco-friendly fabrics are just a trend?
I don’t think it’s a trend… it can’t be a trend, I think [the cause] is lost then. Not just in fashion design but in design overall, people are thinking about the life cycle. We don’t want to create something that doesn’t add any value. For us, that’s really the motivation.

Filed under: code green, 10002, bamboo, eco-friendl fabrics, eco-friendly fashion, fashion, green fashion, ingeo, LES, Lower East Side, manhattan, organic cotton, recyclable and biodegradable clothing