Fashion Design

FASHION EVOLUTION

April 13, 2010
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FASHION EVOLUTION

Our friends over at Re-dress in Ireland have been BUSY! In less than one month, Re-dress will present FASHION EVOLUTION, Ireland’s 3rd ethical fashion week: “Fashion Evolution aims to re-vitalise the spirit of the Irish fashion industry, with a schedule of exciting events catering for consumers, producers, retailers and supporters of fashion alike.” (Re-dress) “Our mission is to provide the Irish fashion sector with the tools needed to make more sustainable fashion choices.” (Re-dress) We don’t think they’ll have any trouble accomplishing this goal–just take a look at what they have planned! What: Re-dress ETHICAL FASHION CALENDAR LAUNCH When:...

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Eco Chic – Towards Sustainable Swedish Fashion

April 8, 2010
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Eco Chic – Towards Sustainable Swedish Fashion

“The fashion industry faces major challenges in both resources and labor, but designers featured in the Eco Chic exhibition strive to change the general attitude of fashion and consumption.” (Scandinavian House, on Eco Chic) Will you be in New York sometime this year? If so, you are in luck with so many exhibits, instillations, seminars and talks surrounding responsible design in the fashion industry, including a lecture by Matilda Tham on “Metadesigning Fashion – Scenarios for Sustainable Fashion Futures” (see below). You may remember we have spoken on Matilda Tham before on SA, as she and Nadira presented their...

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Sseko Designs: Social Change through Responsible Business

April 8, 2010
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Sseko Designs: Social Change through Responsible Business

Janette Crawford, who runs one of our favourite blogs, fashion loves people, has shared a wonderful interview she had originally done for KCFreePress.com. The interview is with Liz Bohannon, founder of Sseko Designs, an organization working to provide women with tuition money they need to attend college in Uganda through social enterprise. I encourage you to head over to fashion loves people straight away to check out the full interview. I wanted to share this video clip with you here, as a source of encouragement. Liz Bohannon speaks passionately on the power of social enterprise in creating sustainable change—her...

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drc: Design Research Conference 2010// IIT Institute of Design + Competition

March 30, 2010
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drc: Design Research Conference 2010// IIT Institute of Design + Competition

“The IIT Institute of Design’s 9th Annual Design Research Conference (DRC) will be held at the Spertus Institute in downtown Chicago on May 10-12th 2010. It will feature exceptional international speakers and opportunities to spend time with our brilliant community of designers, planners, researchers, educators, students, managers and executives concerned with understanding people.” (drc) This year’s conference includes a design research competition. The deadline to apply is April 2nd, but hey…you still have 3 days! The winners will get to speak at the conference, and will be included in the program. Click here to apply! Good Luck! Check out...

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READ// the Fair Wear formula

March 26, 2010
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READ// the Fair Wear formula

The Fair Wear Foundation (FWF) has launched a new publication, the Fair Wear formula. “The design by Ruben @ Buro RuSt combines with the more than readable texts by Anne Lally combine to create an innovative, attractive description of the FWF approach to improving labour conditions in garment supply chains. In hardback or paperback.” (FWF) Image: FWF’s focus (image from the Fair Wear formula, (c) Buro RuSt   If you aren’t already familiar with the Fair Wear Foundation, an international verification initiative dedicated to enhancing workers’ lives, take a minute to check out their guiding principles: Supply chain responsibility...

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Community News

March 26, 2010
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Community News

Eco-conscious artist transforms trashed PCBs into stunning sculptures via Ecofriend 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. Become a Fan on Facebook for other news, links and regular updates. Core77 Design and the public good CSR Asia Not for Sale: Exporting products from forced labour camps in China CSR and poverty alleviation CSR Europe ‘Degradable’ plastic not so environmentally fantastic, study reveals Shoppers go green ‘to impress neighbours not to save planet’, study finds UN report reveals financial cost of environmental...

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Scanning the Transdisciplinary

March 24, 2010
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Scanning the Transdisciplinary

“To mark the launch of the new Graduate Program in Transdisciplinary Design, this year’s Stephan Weiss Lecture Series in The School of Design Strategies is dedicated to the theme of transdisciplinary design. The series will explore the shifting of boundaries of design in a complex world. Designers are rethinking their practices as they increasingly confront a world in which the complexity and interconnectedness of its people, infrastructures, networks, and economies challenges traditional, disciplinary responses. Designers are increasingly designing businesses, services, experiences, policies, and even emergent social forms; and along the way they are inventing new methods, new tools, and...

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Responsible Leather

March 19, 2010
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Responsible Leather

Is there such a product?  According to Hare+Hart, there is and they’re using it to make beautifully designed pieces.  Company founders, Jennie Engelhardt and Emily Harrison, tell us on their website: “we believe that the materials and production process are just as important as the aesthetics. We produce our collection in Argentina so that all of our cow leather is sourced from grass-fed, free roaming Argentine cows, providing a better life for the cow as well as preventing marring of the hide. We choose hides from cows that are also being used for beef so that no part of...

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Social Alterations// Slides

March 15, 2010
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Nadira and I both promised to make the slides from our presentations at the FEI conference available online, and here they are, along with a slideshow of some of the images we captured from the event. I’ve reposted the videos of the presentations for convenience. Thanks to everyone who offered feedback, we were so grateful for your considerations. Please, keep let’s keep the conversation going! Be sure to contact us with any questions! Social Alterations: An Education Lab for Socially Responsible Fashion Design View more presentations from socialalterations. Social Alterations @ FEI from Social Alterations on Vimeo. CSR Trends...

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Responsible Design: Why should design students care?

March 15, 2010
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Responsible Design: Why should design students care?

  Earlier this month SA had the pleasure of interviewing David Goldsmith from The Swedish School of Textiles and Parsons, Eleanor Dorrien-Smith from PARTIMI, Kat Ross and Larissa Clark from the Environmental Justice Foundation, Carolina Gomez-Aubert from Lunamano, and Sophie Koers from the Fair Wear Foundation. We asked them for their take on responsible design, and why they think design students should care. Responsible Design: Why should design students care? from Social Alterations on Vimeo. What does responsible design mean to you, and why do you think design students should care?

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