I don’t know how I thought a ‘sustainable fashion show’ would look... Certainly not this: An army of doleful stick-like models marching up the catwalk to a backdrop of gritty retropop, all punctuated with paparazzi-style flashes.

‘Sweat shop industry’ rang like an alarm bell in my head. If they’ve got in girls this skinny, I thought, how can it be about sustainable fashion? Aren’t we meant to be promoting healthy bodies, too?

But as the models did their serious, sultry walk, in turquoise hotpants, breathtaking black dresses, and clothes verging on works of art, I was so glad the London College of Fashion had gone for an authentic, hard-nosed event. They gave us exactly what everyone – except us greenies perhaps – expected to see on a catwalk.

Because as much as I love the earthy look of People Tree or Howies catalogues – think ruddy complexions and wholesome prints – I couldn’t think of anything worse than a fashion show along the same lines. Especially not at the heart of the capital’s high street culture.

The best thing about the students’ designs themselves were that they didn’t smack of sustainability. There was chunky jewellery, tassels, layers, those hideous 80s batwing cardigans – basically everything that’s in the magazines at the moment. Only a few pieces looked really ‘recycled’, but most were tongue in cheek anyway; one jacket had a whole load of wallets stitched on the outside as a 'statement'.

It wasn’t until I read the catalogue afterwards that I realised the chainmail-style top that had caught my eye actually was made of Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood (can you believe it?!) and that the collection featuring gorgeous pastel-coloured ruching used 90% reclaimed fabric. Just looking at Manon Flener’s collection, I wouldn’t have known that the edgy-looking brass studs were what made the pieces ‘modular’ (i.e. you can put them together in almost any combination, and not get bored of your clothes), or that Lindsay Weir’s stuff was completely carcinogen-free – so not a trace of phthalates, phenols or heavy metals...

And that’s the point. If these students are one day going to take their ideas to the high street and catch the eye of absent-minded shoppers, they can’t rely on their eco-credentials (some of which would need a pretty big label to spell out) to sell them. It sounds like they’ve got just the right attitude: You want fashion? We can do it. Leave the ethical dilemmas up to us.