The third annual Eco Fashion Week kicked off Wednesday in Vancouver, British Columbia, with an impressive lineup of environmentally-friendly runway shows, as well as a number of presentations, educational opportunities and conferences about sustainability as it relates to eco-conscious clothing design, manufacture and distribution.

Image: Logo © Eco Fashion Week

This year's show will run from Wednesday, October 5^th through late Friday, October 7^th when it will wrap up with a closing party hosted by the popular Fortune Soundclub.

The runway shows this season will be held at Gastown's Storeyum and are expected to draw a number of hot local and international participants.

In addition, local designer Anna Kosturova will unveil her latest creations, while womenswear designers Nicole Bridger and Anna Talbot will also put on shows during the event.

In addition, this year's schedule of events and activities includes The Window, which is an eco-boutique that will be open during the show to provide a glimpse of the upcoming Spring/Summer 2012 looks, along a number of Fall/Winter 2011 items, including pieces from the Gastown-based swimwear label Daub + Design and innovative retro items from Gypsy Market Vintage.

The Window will remain open from 5-9pm throughout the show and offers visitors a cutting-edge, DJ-hosted shopping experience.

Many of the designers take a different approach to sustainability, with some opting to re-purpose or upcyle vintage pieces, while others are inspired by the idea of "slow fashion," which requires as much as possible to be made by hand and done in house in order to reduce the impact the pieces ultimately have on the environment.

Since the textiles industry has been called one of the most toxic in existence today, these efforts are important for the future of fashion and they present consumers with a whole new way of thinking about what we wear and why.

Image Credit: © Eco Fashion Week