Models present creations of Zix Guan on the catwalk during the 2012 Shanghai Fashion Week in Shanghai, east China, April 11, 2012. Nearly 40 shows will be held at the week-long fashion activity that kicked off in Shanghai on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Zhuang Yi)

Handbags created from discarded candy wrappers, dresses made of yarn produced from old plastic bottles, and upscale designer clothing realized from recycled fabrics.

Such innovations were just a few of the eye-catching creations on display at Vancouver's Eco Fashion Week on Wednesday.

With 17 designers showing their lines at the three-day event, the nascent show, now in its fourth season, is all about what can be achieved in promoting the practices of sustainability in the fashion and clothing sectors.

According to show founder Myriam Laroche, the industry generates massive sales of about 300 billion dollars annually, but is also a heavy polluter and energy consumer.

The Quebec-born Vancouver transplant, looking stunning in clothing purchased from local second-hand shops, one of her particular passions, pointed to the amount of electricity, manpower and water consumption it takes to create the denim for one pair of jeans. The answer was 3.5 liters of water, she said.

"But how many pairs of jeans do you think we produce per year? When I produce my jeans, am I being the most responsible? That's the message we want to give and we want to give the support to the industry to shift and be more responsible."

With a lot of the stylish creations at the show fashioned from materials recycled, re-purposed, up-cycled, organic or purchased from second-hand stores, Laroche said for many people there is still a taboo around wearing someone else's clothes.

So what I say to the people is, 'Okay, if you buy 10 pieces of new clothes per month, try to buy one second-hand, keep the nine others new and just see how you feel.' And most people say, 'It's not that bad and I save money. Let's try it for another piece,'" she said.

"Sometimes we resist change and we don't want to try new stuff. So I'm just saying, 'Hey, try it.' I guarantee you you won't die. You'll be fine if you try second-hand clothing and it might make you feel good."

With shows such as Esthetica at London Fashion Week, the GreenShows at New York Fashion Week and the Ethical Fashion Show in Paris and Berlin also pumping the message of fashion and clothing industry sustainability, Christina Reynolds, managing editor of Elle Canada, said more and more eco fashion shows are popping up because of growing demand, greater innovations and most importantly, as a better use of resources.

"I think it's very interesting to learn that eco fashion can mean very different things to different people. It can be everything from vintage and recycled to locally made, locally produced, people who are using remnants of fabrics and just trying not to waste."

From what she's seen of the Vancouver show that includes runway shows, industry seminars and designer panels, the Toronto-based Reynolds said it is evident there's a lot of talent and innovation, but it is often difficult from the runway to tell what's sustainable and eco friendly about an item.

She suggested consumers do their homework, touch the fabric and ask questions when considering buying something purported to be "eco."

"Consumers want beautiful clothing at an affordable price, things that fit well, that are comfortable. So if designer can do that in a way that is eco friendly and sustainable and good for the environment, I think everybody's happy."

Melissa Ferreira, who promotes her retro-styled daywear creations through her Adhesif Clothing Company, said she became an eco designer by accident. With her love for vintage clothing and the abundance of discarded textiles available, she started using such fabrics in place of new materials to create her pieces.

When she first started selling her pieces a decade ago, she said some people questioned why would they buy clothes with recycled materials. She said now recycled materials were not just a passing trend but the way of the future, especially if an item is handmade.

"It's sexy to be wearing something vintage. Vintage is all over the map, all the celebrities wear vintage. So really it's definitely become more of a chic, more hip thing to do. I think people like it because the pieces end up being one of a kind. It's almost like having something custom made. I think people want that more and more now. They want something more original, more unique and not so generic or mass produced or kind of run of the mill I guess."

On the controversial issue of using animal furs in her creations, Ferreira said she would, but was not interested in using new fur.

"Most of the furs we use are from the 40s, 50s and 60s and stuff like that," she said. "I don't think there's any reason to continue creating new furs. There's such a huge abundance of it out there in terms of even leather and things as well. It's not necessary to kill animals for fur, but if it's already there it's going to end up in the landfill might as well as use it."