Have you heard of soy silk, a man-made fiber that is made from the waste of the tofu manufacturing process? Manufactured in China, it is liquified soy protein that is extruded from tofu and processed mechanically to produce the fibers.

Soy silk has a soft and luxurious feel to it. The fibers are structurally similar to silk fibers, hence the name "soy silk". There are no advantages to using soy silk other than it is considered environmentally friendly because it is made from a recycled product.

And speaking of environmentally friendly fibers, I thought I'd also mention that there is 100% corn fiber, wood pulp fiber, fabrics made from recycled plastic soda bottles, and of course hemp and bamboo fiber spun into clothing.

Soy silk, when made into yarn is often combined with wool to give it more "bounce" or elasticity. Knitters love it and so do many "ecodesigners", fashion designers who use these environmentally friendly fibers in their collections.

Eco-fashions sure have come a long way since the launch of E-collection from Esprit in the early 1990s, haven't they?