Whether sitting front row at fashion week or staying outfitted in the season’s latest pieces, editors of fashion publications from V to Vogue live and breathe fashion. So, it’s seems completely rational when these ultra-informed figures start to venture beyond prepping the glossy pages and get a hand in behind the creative process: consulting, even designing for, fashion brands. Many fashion editors of late have been coming down from their Columbus Circle and Times Square towers and began lending their good taste as a secret weapon to renowned fashion houses, including W editors Alex White and Camilla Nickerson, for Louis Vuitton and Burberry, and YSL and Narciso Rodriguez, respectively, as well as Brana Wolf of Harper's Bazaar for Michael Kors and Versace. Meanwhile, other editors have completely crossed over, such as former Interview contributing editor Victoria Bartlett of VPL and V fashion editor Patrik Ervell of the eponymous menswear line.

Following suit, former Nylon Fashion Features editor and Washington Post “EcoWise” columnist Eviana Hartman also found herself switching to the other side— trading in her pen and paper for a pair of scissors and a sewing kit. Having met co-founding designer Samantha Pleet after being set up on a "blind friend-date," together they developed the eco-friendly line Bodkin, which Hartman now exclusively designs. For having once been called a dilettante, majoring in English at the University of Virginia and dabbling in areas from science and policy to architecture, the winsome brunette has now combined her multi-versed experiences and knowledge of fashion and sustainability to become an Ecco Domani award-winning designer. To boot, Hartman's line is now stocked at boutiques from Jumelle to I Heart and boasts Swedish songstress Lykke Li as the face of Bodkin's most recent collection.

In the midst of preparing her F/W '09 collection for upcoming New York Fashion Week, psychoPEDIA spoke with Hartman about meeting her goals and making the transition:

Why do you think many magazine editors have turned designers lately?
Sifting through and curating the work of other people requires a strong eye and distinct sensibility.

Are you more satisfied designing your own collection than being an editor— being on the other side for once?
I am a lot happier right now. This might not be true for everyone, but it started to feel parasitic. For a while that was a great way to learn about the world and where I might fit into it, but after a while it felt like, as Nora Ephron said about magazine journalism, "being a fly on the wall at someone else's orgy." I wanted to be the one actually creating something. I have a palpable sense of industry now, whereas before I spent way too much time on blogs, over-thinking things.

Do you think editors have a better grasp on consumer needs having seen work from a gamut of designers season after season?
When you see a lot of clothing lines, you learn quickly how to separate the wheat from the chaff. But I'm not making things based on an idea of what I anticipate consumers to want— it's very much about what I want, or wish I could find.

What is your line’s ethos and what you’re hoping to provide consumers with Bodkin?
It's important for businesses to make the products and services people use more sustainable, which is why I am starting one. Being alive requires resources, products, services. No matter how much they're saving the world, people need clothes. And often, they need nice clothes as a part of their jobs. My aunt works in Africa for the UN, helping governments care for the disabled. When she came to a meeting at the New York headquarters, she was told that she needed to buy some nicer clothes at a place like Prada. No joke.

What are some of the sustainable and socially conscious materials you utilize in your line?
Organic cotton and wool, recycled PET plastic, recycled polyester, kapok, and bamboo blends. I have used a seaweed blend, as well.

Do you also employ sustainable practices in your day to day life?
Living in New York— where everything is concentrated, local businesses thrive, and it's easiest to get around on foot and by subway— is already a more sustainable way to live. I try to make good choices, but I also don't get preachy, because the onus also lies with business, government, and the energy industry. The "go green!" zeitgeist can mislead people. I buy organic and local food as much as possible, recycle, drink tap water, don't buy household or personal products made with chemicals, and try to avoid buying things that are disposable. I have my power bill designated for renewable energy development (everyone can do that through Con Ed). But I also take hot baths, travel, and sometimes buy new things.

Do you find it difficult to survive in this economy as an up-and-coming designer?
If it weren't for Ecco Domani, I probably would have gone back to having a normal job. I suppose the advantage of starting now is that expectations won't be unreasonably high. But I'm also trying to make clothes for the Obama era— things that are useful and not putting forth an idea of trends or vapid consumption, and not about creating a different look each season or making people feel insecure. I do find that in this economy, buyers want things that have a bit of a “wow” factor, so it's about trying to strike the balance between utility and special-ness to make things that will make getting dressed easier and fun, and a way to contribute to sustainable economic development.

What are your biggest fears and goals in being a designer?
I hope to be able to support myself, and a family someday, by having a viable business that fosters sustainable economic development and positive change in the world. I hope to have the quality and detail improve as I learn more about the business, and to be able to hire people full-time to help execute that vision. My fear is that I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing!

~Leann Peterson