Socially Responsible Design

FEI Conference

January 27, 2009
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FEI Conference

  Fashioning an Ethical Industry: Putting Ethics into Practice March 11th, 2009   This is a one day conference that will bring together experts in ethical fashion, as well as students and tutors, to discuss the current state of the ethical fashion industry, and ways to put ethics into practice. There is no question this will be an excellent conference.   You can read more about this year’s conference and speakers here. To read a report on last year’s event click here, or to listen to a podcast, click here. Source: FEI

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The nature of your garment is to fall apart?

January 26, 2009
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    Another interesting article taken from The Independent today, discussed some frustrations in dealing with products that not only fall apart, but are designed to fall apart.   Thought it might be time for another poll. So, if your garment has a meltdown, what do you do? (polls)

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Fast fashion to blame for female consumer complaints in the UK

January 25, 2009
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  Consumer complaints in the UK surrounding poorly made clothing increased by 22% in 2008, according to this article by The Independent. The article cites a report by Consumer Direct released today. It claims that the biggest consumer complaint amongst females came from ‘defective goods’, at 34%.   According to the article, “n the past five years, with the rise of “value” retailers, the price of clothing has fallen by as much as 25 per cent, while shoppers have bought almost 40 per cent more garments. This suggests fast fashion may be behind the increase in problem items.”  ...

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Compostmodern 09

January 24, 2009
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Compostmodern 09

  If you’re interested in sustainable design, check out the Compostmodern 09 conference. The event will be available as a webcast, so you only have to worry about the long commute to your office, living room, kitchen table, or bed to get there.   Feb 21st is the big day/40$ webcast registration   This years scheduled speakers: Eames Demetrios/Eames Office Saul Griffith/Makani Power Allan Chochinov/Core 77 Nathan Shedroff/MBA Chair, California College of the Arts (CCA) Michel Gelobter, John Bielenberg and Pam Dorr/Project M and HERO Housing Resource, Alabama Emily Pilloton/Project H Design Dawn Danby/Sustainable Design Program Manager, Autodesk  ...

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Objectified

January 19, 2009
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Check out the trailer to Objectified: A DocumentaryFilm by Gary Hustwit… “Objectified is a feature-length independent documentary about industrial design. It’s a look at the creativity at work behind everything from toothbrushes to tech gadgets. It’s about the people who re-examine, re-evaluate and re-invent our manufactured environment on a daily basis. It’s about personal expression, identity, consumerism, and sustainability. It’s about our relationship to mass-produced objects and, by extension, the people who design them. Through vérité footage and in-depth conversations, the film documents the creative processes of some of the world’s most influential designers, and looks at how the things they...

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ZARA and the right to freedom of association

December 17, 2008
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  A recent campaign from UNITE HERE Canada claims that the right to freedom of association is at stake for employees at ZARA, in Montréal, Quebec. According to a recent press release, “ZARA has engaged in conduct which may have violated the Québec Labour Code. This has included demoting two employees who led a union drive at ZARA’s downtown Montreal store, firing four employees who supported the union at ZARA’s Rockland Mall store, and holding anti-union meetings at three Montreal stores, in one case telling employees that joining a union is ‘treason’ against the company.”   Click here to...

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feeling fashionably overweight?

December 17, 2008
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The “Household Textile Environmental Impact Calculator” wants your closet to think about going on a diet. The calculator asseses you based on annual water usage, energy usage, use of non-renewable resources, and pollution. Unfortunately the calculator doesn’t account for non conventional fabrics, such as hemp. What is impressive however, is the fact that the calculator takes you through the lifecycle of your garments: purchasing, care, and disposal. The year is almost up, so Dec. marks a perfect time to start calculating and re-calculating to think about consumption practices for the year ahead. It doesn’t take long to calculate your annual...

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Message from the Asian Human Rights Commission on the 60th Anniversary of UDHR

December 17, 2008
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Many textile and apparel companies boast a commitment to operating within the legal frameworks of the countries in which they manufacture. It would seem only reasonable to expect as much (Congratulations! You didn’t break the law!). Considering the standard of human rights within such countries, should this fact be celebrated? December 10th marked the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In this video, Basil Fernando, CEO of the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), highlights the issue of “non-rule of law”. According to Fernando, the last 60 years of Human Rights has only worked to establish the...

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Green: Sustainability, Significance, and Style Conference

December 9, 2008
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This past week/end  in New York (Dec. 4-6th) ,  the Green: Sustainability, Significance and Style Conference  ran at The Graduate Center, The City University of New York. The conference hoped to highlight everything from dirty gold to Burmese rubies, sustainable fibres and the future of green fashion. I wish I could have made it, and I hope it was a success. Will keep you posted..

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