Events

UPDATE III // The NICE Consumer Project & the Copenhagen Fashion Summit

May 2, 2012
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UPDATE III // The NICE Consumer Project & the Copenhagen Fashion Summit

The initial stage of the NICE consumer project comes to an end this week and the NICE  Framework for Achieving Sustainable Fashion Consumption through Collaboration will receive its final revisions during the Copenhagen Fashion Summit. The framework is designed to inspire action from government, industry and civil society, it also highlights areas where more discussion is needed; for example, how can we create a transparent value chain, or an environment which fosters sustainable business models and supports sustainable behaviors? Since my last update I have attended a workshop in London, and taken part in the final webinar, Stress Testing the...

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UPDATE II // The NICE consumer project

March 27, 2012
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UPDATE II // The NICE consumer project

As promised here is an update of the second NICE consumer consultation webinars, The Art of Sustainable Consumption. At this session we heard from four speakers presenting a range of responses to sustainability. In bringing them together we were able to imagine what  ’sustainable consumption’ might look like and also how some of these approaches could be linked. Giordano Capuano -Vivienne Westwood- presented the model of ethical production behind Westwood’s Ethical Africa collection. The project began as part of an initiative of the International Trade Centre, which aimed to link luxury brands in the West to producers in communities...

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UPDATE // The NICE consumer project

March 19, 2012
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UPDATE // The NICE consumer project

Last Tuesday I took part in the first of three webinars on the sustainable consumption of fashion entitled Introducing the NICE CONSUMER Project and the Draft Framework on Sustainable Consumption of Fashion. The webinar experience was new to me and I was unsure of what to expect, but also enthusiastic about the opportunity to participate in such an important conversation. Over the next month I will keep you updated with this project and its development in the run up to the Copenhagen Fashion Summit in May.     The event began with an introduction by Jonas Eder-Hansen of the Danish Fashion Institute followed...

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GET INVOLVED // A framework for sustainable consumption

March 9, 2012
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GET INVOLVED // A framework for sustainable consumption

“Consumers can play a pivotal role in transitioning the fashion industry toward more sustainable business models.” (BSR) This year the Copenhagen Fashion Summit follows the theme of consumption, and will see the launch of a framework for sustainable consumption, developed by the NICE Consumer project. The framework will also be presented to the EU presidency council, and at the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development later in the year. The NICE consumer is a collaborative project between the Danish Fashion Institute and BSR, which actively engages stakeholders from the industry, civil society and the government. So how can we be involved? As consumers we are...

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Style and Status: Imperial Costumes from Ottoman Turkey

November 23, 2011
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Style and Status: Imperial Costumes from Ottoman Turkey

Some people are adamant that fashion is not art. This online exhibit proves them wrong. The Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery at the Smithsonian Museum of Asian Art have created an online exhibit that features highlights from their 2005 exhibit entitled Style and Status: Imperial Costumes from Ottoman Turkey. The online exhibit is beautifully curated with interactive close ups of the costumes that are so detailed you can actually see the fabric grain. What’s so special about the Ottoman Empire? According to the press release in 2005: “Three weaves were dominant: velvet (kadife), featuring a three-dimensional...

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Fashioning the Future Award winners announced, London

November 23, 2011
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Fashioning the Future Award winners announced, London

On November 10th, the Centre for Sustainable Fashion (CSF), at London College of Fashion, announced the winners of this year’s Fashioning the Future Awards — themed UNIQUE. Congratulations to Ashley Brock (United States), Sara Emilie Terp Hansen (Denmark), Evelyn Lebis (Sweden), Christian Frank Muller (Germany) Alice Payne (Australia), and Lara Torres (Portugal). Here is a taste of just two of the award winning entries (now added to the ‘Projects for Change’ collection on the left): “Man sinking to the floor” from “An impossible wardrobe for the invisible,” by Lara Torres, is “a video installation showcasing water soluble clothing in order...

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ATTEND // Sustain – Fashion/Textile Tutor Conference, Fashioning an Ethical Industry

September 11, 2011
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ATTEND // Sustain – Fashion/Textile Tutor Conference, Fashioning an Ethical Industry

“Ethics are on the agenda. Those involved in fashion education need to be teaching the next generation of industry players – fashion students – about the social and environmental impact of the industry so they can find creative and innovative solutions in the fashion industry of the future.” (Fashioning an Ethical Industry) 28th September 2011  – 10.30 – 3.30 Impact Art’s new Eco-chic Shop, 45 High Street, Glasgow This conference for fashion & textile tutors will feature industry and academic speakers and will provide those involved in fashion education: with background information to ethics in the industry ideas and...

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ATTEND // (sustainable) Fashion’s Night Out, New York

September 8, 2011
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ATTEND // (sustainable) Fashion’s Night Out, New York

If you’re in New York, check out (sustainable) Fashion’s Night Out, hosted by EcoSalon, Of Rags, NYC Fair Trade Coalition and Textile Arts Center. Not just for an evening of shopping and celebrating, but also education! FREE education! “(sustainable) Fashion’s Night Out is a collaboration that celebrates sustainability’s place in the fashion world and in the global economy. The term sustainable is in parenthesis for the event title because this word itself is not the focal point of the event, rather, the evening aims to show that anything fashionable should simply make a positive impact and not need a qualifier to differentiate...

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Co-design with Jen Ballie at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London

August 24, 2011
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Co-design with Jen Ballie at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Join Jen Ballie, PhD Candidate with Chelsea College of Art and Design at the University of the Arts London, in London on August 26th and 27th for a workshop on co-design at V&A. DRESS UP/DOWNload Workshop  Sackler Centre Reception Friday 18.30–19.30 & 20.00–21.30 Saturday 13.00–16.30 DRESS UP/DOWNload is an open source fashion concept, which invites you to be part of the design process: produce a series of prints using simple garments as a canvas. Designed and delivered by textile designer and Ph.D. student Jen Ballie, the co-design workshop allows you to create a design for a garment using collage...

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From Understanding to Design and Back Again // Denver Cumulus

August 4, 2011
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From Understanding to Design and Back Again // Denver Cumulus

The Cumulus conference will be held in Denver from Sept. 29 – Oct.2, under the theme From Understanding to Design and Back Again. “Designers can no longer be spectators. The boundaries we are used to have disappeared and as human beings we ‘play’ a real role in designing the world around us.” (Cumulus) Cumulus is a global association serving art and design education and research. The Paper Lectures and Discussion Sessions look very interesting. Here are just some that caught my eye: Ethics Matters! Re-Thinking the Moral Discourse in Design: Lorenzo Imbesi, Carleton University Canada Visions of Environmental Art...

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