An organic Nike tank top. You'll be seeing more of these next year.

True, the last thing we’d expect to see in a recession is designers and manufacturers opting for significantly more expensive materials. And yet, that seems to be exactly what some big brand names in mainstream fashion are doing. And not all these forward-thinking moves are being made by typically responsible companies.

Perusing TreeHugger’s listicle of 5 Surprising Fashion Brands Going Organic, you may be surprised to find companies long known for their wasteful marketing strategies and abhorent labor practices. Now that green is good PR, though, is it really that surprising that Nike is moving to have at least some organic cotton in all its clothes next year?