Jack Mueller is the producer of the eco-fashion show, "Catch the Wave!" The show will be held Oct. 17 from 6-8 p.m. at Cleveland State University’s Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs. Attendees will enjoy gourmet local organic eats and a cash bar while viewing the latest pieces from Cleveland’s green fashion entrepreneurs. (Admission to the show is included in conference registration fee; others can attend for $15.)

BIONEERS CLEVELAND: So, Jack, I understand that the fashion show was your idea.

JACK MUELLER: Yes, and my aunt, Felice Pierce’s—it was both of ours.

BC: Could you tell me why you thought it would be a good idea?

JM: Well, I really wanted to spread the word about green fashion. I think it’s the direction that fashion should head. I don’t think it’s a trend. I think that all fashion could be eco-friendly eventually.

BC: What exactly is green fashion?

JM: There’re all different types of organic fabric. There’s organic cotton, organic bamboo, all different types of recycled fabrics. You can take old fabrics and recycle them into a whole new fabric. Of course, there’s shopping vintage. I consider this green fashion—reusing anything is great.

BC: You can make new fabric from recycled fabric?

JM: Yes. Mostly the synthetic fabrics are recyclable. There’re some methods to recycle rayon, nylon and polyester. You can melt them down. You can also make fabrics out of recycled water bottles. Those would be more for bags.

BC: So, that’s the main idea of green fashion, promoting the use of recyclable material?

JM: There’s also the organic part.

BC: Is the number of organic material manufacturers increasing?

JM: Yes. Recently there’s been a resurgence in the fabric producing communities. It’s really great, because, with the amount of pesticides that the fabric producing communities use—don’t quote me on the statistic, but I’ve heard that it’s four pounds of pesticide for every T-shirt—it’s obvious that organic cotton is the way to go.

BC: How regulated is organic cotton? Do producers of organic cotton have to be licensed and their products certified in order to be labeled “organic”?

JM: I think that they are just starting to do that. I don’t think that there have been [many regulations up to this point]. With imported organic cotton, I don’t think there are as many regulations.

BC: You mentioned bamboo.

JM: Bamboo’s a great fabric. It breathes very well, and is softer than cotton.

BC: You’re a graduate of Virginia Marti College of Art and Design in Lakewood.

JM: Yes, but I don’t actually design. I went for merchandising. I want to open an eco-friendly boutique.

BC: In terms of merchandising, do you see more people looking out for eco-clothes?

JM: Yes, definitely. You know, for me, I definitely look out for green fashions. But it’s hard to find things that fit my fashion sense. There’s a lot of truly basic stuff, but not if I want something that fits an eccentric kind of style—clothes to suit my taste.

BC: So that’s what you want to do with your boutique, provide an outlet for eco-style?

JM: Yes.

BC: Will you tell us a little about the “Catch the Wave” show you’ll be presenting at the Bioneers conference and who the designers involved are?

JM: As of now there are four boutiques participating, as well as some up-and-coming local designers. The boutiques are Revive, Cella Bottega, Gina’s Boutique and Gallery, and Esperanza Threads. Some of the other designers have been asked to play on a theme of water, since that is an overall theme of the Bioneers Cleveland conference this year. Some will use recycled and ‘found’ materials, such as bottle caps, and who knows what others will create? It will be fun to see what they come up with.

BC: Who is the clientele for green fashion?

JM: I think it’s changing all the time. There’s the older environmentalist type, of course, but I think now its way more mainstream. Younger people are starting to find green clothing that suits their tastes. There are a lot of new designers and labels that are producing eco-fashions that are really fun and stylish.