Aid

Refugees & Clothing

June 22, 2010
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Refugees & Clothing

Along with father’s day, June 20th also marked World Refugee Day.  The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) along with its partners ran week-long awareness raising activities world wide centered around this year’s theme: Home.  The day was commemorated in different ways from a simulated refugee experience in Kuala Lumpur to free concerts and entertainment in Canada as part of Luminato, an annual festival of arts, culture and creativity. In Syria, which hosts the largest number of Iraqi refugees, UNHCR chief António Guterres stated: “I appeal to the international community to do more to host refugees.” UN Secretary General Ban...

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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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Social Alterations @ FEI

March 2, 2010
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Social Alterations @ FEI

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 team is all together in the same place at the same time!   We will be doing lots of blogging and twitter (ing?) from the event, and will have our presentations uploaded later tonight for you to check out, so be sure to tune in. Follow on twitter via @maryhanlon for that feed. Wish us luck!

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Washing Machine + Soccer Ball + Hippo Roller + Storage Unit = ‘Swirl’

February 16, 2010
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Washing Machine + Soccer Ball + Hippo Roller + Storage Unit = ‘Swirl’

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. Washing is accomplished through the rotation of the “washing ball” – using long distance travelling to and from water supply to wash the clothes. The user can also wash by just rolling it back and forth in slow rotation cycles. At home, after the basket is filled with clothes, the lid should be screwed and the handle locked...

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CSR Asia Summit 2010

February 14, 2010
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CSR Asia Summit 2010

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 in Hong Kong, and will offer cutting edge workshops on the following topics: -Community investment and cross-cultural engagement -Measuring and reporting your carbon emissions -Business strategies for adapting to a changing climate -Water risks down your supply chain -Asian companies going transnational -What investors are looking for: Environmental, social, governance (ESG) issues -A new agenda for human rights: Engaging...

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Community News

January 17, 2010
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Community News

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, and learn more about what your organization can do to offer much needed humanitarian relief and assistance both in Haiti and elsewhere. Both Gildan and Hanesbrands were quick to pacify their shareholders this week, announcing how they would handle the situation. How will the earthquake impact workers? Here is what Michael Flanagan at Clothesource had to say:...

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A New Approach to the Issue of Living Wages

November 17, 2009
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A New Approach to the Issue of Living Wages

One of the root causes of poverty wages in the industry is the power of global buyers to constantly relocate production in search of ever lower prices and better terms of trade. This power is used to exert a downward pressure on wages and conditions – labour being one of the few ‘production costs’ or ‘inputs’ that can be squeezed.  The solution The basic idea of the Asia Floor Wage is to put a ‘floor’ under this, thereby preventing this competition from forcing wages below poverty levels...

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An October to Remember// Upcoming Events

September 30, 2009
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An October to Remember// Upcoming Events

October will have you wishing you could be in more than one city at the same time. If you find yourself in Paris, Chicago, Providence, Portland, Hong Kong, London or Seattle this October, be sure to check out these amazing events. Click on the event you are interested in on the Events Calendar and we should link you straight into the events homepage. Also, if you are near London in Oct. Nov. or Dec., be sure to stay tuned into the London College of Fashion, for Clash! Creative Collisions in Fashion and Science.   Last but not least, if...

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Social Alterations is now on Ning!

September 1, 2009
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Social Alterations is now on Ning!

  You can use this space to share and upload curricula ideas, lesson plans, visual aids, research and projects, or to just discuss the current happenings in the industry with respect to social issues and environmental concerns, as well as the latest trends in socially responsible design.     “See” you in the Forum! Oh…and don’t forget to pick up your Social Alterations Badge!   Visit Social Alterations

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An Ecofashion Parody for a Good Cause

August 26, 2009
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An Ecofashion Parody for a Good Cause

Riding the ecofashion craze  wave, actress Julia Stiles and The Vacationers have created a parody that draws attention to a great cause. Since all styles are unfortunately ‘sold out,’ they have asked potential consumers to make a donation to The Lunchbox Fund. The Lunchbox Fund was founded in 2004 to address the needs of impoverished students at Meadowlands High School in Soweto, South Africa. The organization has since expanded to include two additional high schools in Soweto, and most recently Alexandra High School in Alexandra Township. The simple intervention of providing a free and healthy lunch, makes a substantial...

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