Want to win £100,000? M&S want your green idea! As a part of M&S's ambitious Plan A scheme they are looking for the ultimate green idea. As consumers we are always on the look out for better shopping experiences and if it is beneficial to our planet it is even better. »
Slave Nation: State Sponsored Forced Child Labour in Uzbekistan's Cotton Fields »
Yesterday we posted a link on our Facebook Fan Page on the tragic factory fire in Bangladesh on Feb. 25th that killed 21 workers (mostly women) and injured 31 more. Below is a message today from the National Labor Committee... »
If you happen to be in Dublin this Sunday, go ahead and join a Clothes Swap for Haiti organized by our new friends Re-dress (great to meet you at FEI!!). The ad is below! Go out, have some fun and... »
Here are just two of the videos we took at the conference. We have more videos to come, so stay tuned for those. The first video is of my Pecha Kucha talk. I’ll be posting the slides and my notes... »
Here we are at the beginning of day 2 of the FEI conference. Nadira and I have some tables set up for virtual tours of the site (and we even have candy to offer!) The Art Design Media Subject Centre,... »
One of the headliners at the conference was Otto von Busch (Haute-Couture Heretic – critically hacking and re-forming the operating system of fashion and the industrial modes of production). The presentation “Hacking Fashion” was absolutely fabulous, and when it... »
Panel Discussion at the FEI Conference, Tuesday 2nd 2010. Topic: Moving Forward How can ethical practice be integrated into the design and business of fashion? Participants: Anannya Bhattacharjee (Asia Floor Wage Campaign) Alex Mcintosh (Centre for Sustainable Fashion) Sophie Koers (Fair Wear Foundation) Nieves Ruiz... »
So here we are in London for the Fashioning an Ethical Industry Conference: Fast Forward. Today, Nadira and I will both be presenting at the conference, and with Katrine in attendance, this will mark the first time the SA... »
A message from Maquila Solidarity Network (MSN): Last fall, a high-level International Labour Organization (ILO) mission went to the Philippines to investigate “serious allegations of the murder of trade unionists, death threats, arrests of trade union leaders in connection with... »
Fashion Futures, a new report out of Forum for the Future in partnership with Levis Strauss & Co., has predicted 4 scenarios for the future of the fashion industry (see below). Here is an excerpt from the Executive Summary: “Fashion Futures... »
Join a week of student action against sweatshops starting next Monday, March 1st 2010 in the UK and the US. Description: “Universities and student unions spend tens of millions on clothing for their staff uniforms, sports teams and branded hoodies.... »
A roundup of some of the stories, headlines, and updates you may be interested in from in and around the community of socially responsible fashion design. Commerce with a Conscious World Class: Slowmo by Shopfair Core77 Tire sneakers from Japan, tread intact European design... »
Trash of Your Society (T.O.Y.S.), an art project of theSYNdicate, is on tour investigating the after-life-cycle of products, or artefacts (a.k.a. trash). Do you know what happens to your products once you’ve tossed them? Here is part of ‘The Concept’: The... »
Meet Design Affairs’ ‘Swirl’! Here is the product description: Swirl is a human focused design that simplifies washing in developing countries. The overall design resembles a ball containing a swirled sphere shaped basket and lid, connected to a steel tube handle.... »
In 2009, SA’s Katrine Karlsen reported on CSR Asia’s 7th summit “Sustainable Business as the Road to Recovery” in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Click here to read Katrine’s synopsis of last year’s summit. This year’s summit will take place September 14-15... »
How might ‘social biomimicry’ influence design within the context of socially, culturally, environmentally, and economically responsible systems of fashion? While this conference may not directly focus on fashion at the stage of design conception, it does concentrate on other... »
With the current spotlight on ‘green’ fashion over at Vogue U.K. via Livia Firth and the Green Carpet Challenge, we were surprised to see bamboo as designer Linda Loudermilk’s fibre of choice for Colin Firth’s suit at the premier... »
The Ethical Sourcing Forum is a unique industry event that brings together members of the global sustainability community in order to address emerging sustainability and ethical supply chain challenges. Here is the Agenda (subject to change): Day 1: Thursday, March 18th,... »
This question was answered recently by Banny Banerjee, Director of the Stanford Design Program and Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering. In short, his answer is YES! ““Our behavior is deeply influenced by the norms and frameworks that surround us and... »
“We’ve lost our sense of outrage” (Chris Jordan, TEDtalk, June 23, 2008). How do we change? We change through behaviour, says photographer Chris Jordan. His book, Running the Numbers: An American Self Portrait, is available for direct purchase through his website,... »
If you read our website regularly, you may have seen a post in December about Noko Jeans, a company manufacturing jeans in North Korea (DPRK). At the end of that post I wrote: “To tell you the truth, I don’t... »
Events: 25th February 2010: Fairwear Fashion Show at Bristol Cathedral featuring the premiere of the Emma Watson collection for People Tree as well as many more fair trade fashion brands. Booking essential to avoid disappointment 8th and 9th May... »
Timo Rissanen offers a great post with his notes on ‘The Sustainability Equation: Ethics and Aesthetics in Contemporary Fashion’ and on the ‘Ethics and Aesthetics = Sustainable Fashion’ exhibit at Pratt on his personal blog “Timo Rissanen: Fashion Creation... »
Social Alterations has been following the FIBERcasts out of the University of Delaware, and we are very excited about the upcoming live event tomorrow. Make sure to pre-register! There will be opportunity to email in questions, live. Here... »
“Save the dates for a dynamic line-up of informative lectures and panels, roundtable discussions, educational workshops, presentations, art installations, and fashion shows that will uncover the trends emerging throughout the world of eco-fashion. The majority of ideas featured at... »
“We can’t celebrate good intentions, we have to celebrate beauty” (Dilys Williams, London College of Fashion) We’ve really been enjoying watching Mr. Darcy actor Colin Firth’s wife Livia Firth challenge herself to take on ethical fashion this award season. Livia... »
“The CREATE conference is all about creating innovative interactions, whether digital consumer products, interactive services or interaction paradigms.The event is an opportunity to share and discuss the design opportunities and dilemmas that are currently being addressed by practitioners and... »
To close off 2009, Clothesource released “The World of Apparel Sourcing: 2010-2012”. The report forecasts sourcing trends in over 60 countries. Here is a small summary of what the report covers: “The World of Apparel Sourcing 2010-2012 looks at the... »
If you find yourself in Paris sometime before February 21st, make sure to check out Monumenta 2010: Christian Boltanski’s Personnes at the Grand Palais. In Personnes, Boltanski asserts that relics have become “vestiges of anonymous people, traces of strangers, with... »
“As part of SHIFT from 29 January – 1 February the Centre for Sustainable Fashion will present: The first ever graduate showcase from London College of Fashion’s MA Fashion & the Environment The work on display will explore a range of... »
Looking for ways to get your students more involved with the ethical fashion movement? Check out People & Planet’s Wear Fair fashion show competition: “People and Planet are holding a national competition for student groups who put on a Fairtrade... »
Over at the always great addicteddotcom, Chelsea, a 16 year old from British Columbia (and clearly a fashionista in the making), has posted about a school assignment: “As part of my history class we’ve been looking into the impact that... »
Urgent Appeal: Haiti Earthquake Red Cross: Canada, United States, United Kingdom The United Nations: United Nations Foundation, UNHCR: The UN Refugee Agency, World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF If you a business, please visit the United Nations-Business website, Partnering for a Better World,... »
Presenting at Beyond Green this past November at Amsterdam Fashion Institute, Kate Fletcher, author of Sustainable Textiles: Design Journeys (2008), spoke on the topic of “Fashion and Sustainability,” Adriaan Beukers, a full-time Professor on Composite Materials & Structures at... »
Curb Your Consumption’s Katie Hart, recently asked my opinion on the three most important things consumers need to know, and the difference it would make to the fashion industry if consumers were more educated and conscious about the clothes... »
Clearing the Hurdles challenges sportswear companies Nike, adidas, Pentland, Puma, Lotto, New Balance, Asics and Mizuno on the working conditions within their supply chain, and offers a snapshot of the state of play for these companies, identifying four key... »
In 2009, Cynthia E. Smith, Curator of Socially Responsible Design at the Cooper-Hewitt hosted a discussion on responsible design, with Emily Pilloton, author of Design Revolution and Allan Chochinov, founder of Core77. The discussion was moderated by Susan Szenasy,... »
The Centre for Sustainable Fashion (CSF) has developed a video to showcase the finalists from the Fashioning the Future Awards. I am unable to embed the video here, so just click on the image below and you’re there. Check... »
The United Nations has declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity and the International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures. UN Secretary General Welcome Message for the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity from CBD on Vimeo. EcoChic Geneva is an event... »
“We are delighted to announce the launch of Planet Textiles, a new international event jointly organised by Ecotextile News, Messe Frankfurt and the Society of Dyers and Colourists. Dedicated to improving the environmental and social impact of the global... »
Title: The GreenShows, Eco Fashion Week Location: New York, NY Link out: Click here “The GreenShows is the only premiere fashion event exclusively committed to ecofriendly, ethically-sound, fair-trade fashion in New York City. The GreenShows will produce a comprehensive canvas for full-length runway... »
Title: Ethical Fashion Symposium, Scotland Location: Scotland Link out: Click here Edinburgh College of Art, in collaboration with Fashioning an Ethical Industry and the Scottish Academy, are hosting a two day symposium for students and tutors on fashion related courses in Scotland... »
“The Greener Gadgets Conference tackles all of the issues surrounding energy efficiency and sustainable design, from innovative advances in packaging and product manufacturing to end-of-life recycling solutions. It also highlights ways in which electronics make a major impact by... »
Title: Fast Forward: Fashioning an Ethical Industry International Conference Location: London Link out: Click here “In a time when we are increasingly concerned with the impact of the fashion industry on people and the planet students need to be equipped to design... »
www.DesignBloggingIsChangingEverything.com Title: FRESH DIALOGUE 25 Location: New York Link out: Click here Description: “Every day, if not hour, if not minute, design blogs draw attention to an unprecedented quantity and ever-expanding diversity of design. Join us to hear what four design blog luminaries... »
“It is entirely possible to be well dressed without compromising your morals, or spending beyond your means. All it takes is a little research.” (Commerce with a Conscious) Commerce with a Conscious: Ethical fashion for the fastidious gentleman has developed... »
“Designers think that they are in the artefact business, but they’re not, they’re in the consequence business.” (Allan Chochinov, Compostmodern09) Some readers might recall that I attended Compostmodern09 via webcast back in February. Social Alterations was developed in many ways... »
“Trash Vortex comes from the desire to raise awareness about the impact our waste habits have on our oceans and also the planet as a whole.” (Eleanor Dorrien-Smith, Designer and PARTIMI Creator) Eleanor Dorrien-Smith, designer, PARTIMI Creator, and recent... »
“If a product is not considered, they call it an inconsiderate design” (Lorrie Vogel, on Nike designers creating their own vocabulary, Opportunity Green) A roundup of some of the stories, headlines, and updates you may be interested in from in and... »
There are so many amazing holiday gift guides out this year—we thought we would offer you a roundup of our favorites. Inhabitat’s “Green Holiday Gift Guide” is wonderful gift guide. Our favourite features are Heirloom and Gifts of Time. Core77 has... »
This editorial calling for action from world leaders on climate change is published today by 56 newspapers around the world in 20 languages Copenhagen climate change summit – opening day liveblog Today 56 newspapers in 45 countries take the unprecedented step... »
Yesterday, just before going to bed, I was reading the BBC news website and came across an odd article announcing the release of premium jeans in Sweden. Normally, something like this wouldn’t be big news but, the title of... »
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