Yearly Archives: 2011

Vancouver Fashion Bistro: Visioning a better future

In Celebration of Fashion // Fashion Bistro from Social Alterations on Vimeo.

On April 16th, fashion marketers, students, educators, consumers, business owners, designers and media attended Vancouver’s Fashion Bistro, presented by Social Alterations and Slow Fashion Forward, in celebration of fashion. The four-hour interactive workshop focused on sustainability challenges and principles, slow fashion values, hidden narratives, value chains, transparency and accountability.

We’d like to thank our special guests, Hélène Day Fraser, Faculty of Design & Dynamic Media, Emily Carr University of Art & Design and Katherine Soucie Sans Soucie & (zero.O.lab). We’d also like to thank TRIUMF for graciously donating their auditorium for this special event.

The Vancouver event was the first held in a workshop series, with upcoming workshops in Barcelona, Chicago and London. Once the other cities have closed, we will share outcomes from the events, cross-pollinate ideas and present a report.

The workshop closed with a World Café visioning exercises. Participants were divided into groups and had lively conversations around one key question:

In the year 2025, what does a sustainable and socially responsible fashion industry look like?

To build a sustainable and socially responsible fashion industry in Vancouver, we need both a vision of where we want to be in the future and a plan for getting there. The World Cafe exercise was one step in this process as participants co-created a shared vision. Participants were asked to let go of any current barriers or assumptions about the future, and to brainstorm creative and thoughtful ideas for what a sustainable and socially responsible industry looks like.

Here is a raw account of just some of the conversations that took place in Vancouver.

Table 1

The New Consumer:

-asks questions and utilizes consumer reviews to normalize responsible fashion

-an increased demand for sustainable & responsible fashion

-government and industry leaders are encouraging (consumers) to change behaviour
Responsibility:

-informed consumers

-informed communities

-informed dialogue

Local:

-community & education

-relationship building and teamwork

-economies & job creation

-garment production

-sourcing raw materials locally (desire for fibre rotation systems, materials that preserve biodiversity)
Sharing:

-basics (sharing basic wearable items)

-’pants on demand’ – moving away from mass production and placing garment orders only when a customer demands a new item

-new/innovative technologies – for example Air Dye

Table 2

Sustainable and socially responsible fashion industry will have:

-faith

-small clothing cooperatives

-small cooperative development

-traditional practices

-open design – collective design

-design as social and environmental action

-clothing lines designed to decompose

-wearables

-language

-local presence – political and environmental

-conversations

-garment makers provoke new ways of living

-SustainABLE

In 2025 there will be more:

-recycling and education

-transparency in business

-responsible us of social media
Use of Hactivism – will have revised the sustainABLE and social responsible industry

Table 3

2025 will see ideas in action:

-continuous understanding of social and environmental issues

-continuous growing and continuous learning

-both top down and bottom up approach is used to create a sustainable industry

-responsible media and marketing

-communication – through social media there will be transparent communication within the industry and to consumers

-life cycle analysis = core

Table 4

Now

2025

No trust
-reactive stance towards responsibility
-transparency is still “new”
-values and modes of production in question
-There is a need for:

-skill development

-education

-dialogue

-sharing resources

-knowledge transfer

– consumers have low to no garment making skills

Trust
-proactive stance within the industry
-social and environmental transparency is the norm
-quality vs. quantity
-people love their garments
-people are skilled and knowledgeable in creating their clothing
-bartering and skill trading
-royalties on brand names/designer clothing, similar to the music industry – second hand sales, royalties are given to
-sales people are knowledgeable about clothing production and process and can share that info when you are in the store
-clear government support for local/sustainable fashion
-there will be significantly less choice in new materials, companies/designers will HAVE to use more sustainable materials
-rebuilding community through fashion
-developed skills
-from consumerism to creative culture
-skill sharing
-participation
-customization
-responsible governance

VOICES // Sourcing Change — Charlie Ross, Offset Warehouse

This post was written by Charlie Ross, Founder of Offset Warehouse and tells the story of one woman’s determination and drive for change. VOICES // a feature space on SA where community members are invited to share their journey in responsible design. What’s your story?

The first time ethical design came onto my radar was whilst I was studying for my BA in Fashion and it immediately struck a chord. Inspired by a friend to find out more about the social and environmental horrors underlying much of the fashion industry, I made an early decision to do everything I could to avoid contributing to it myself, with my own designs.

Having made the decision to ensure that everything I produced was as ethical as possible, I quickly discovered first hand how problematic this can be. I was desperate to ensure that my graduate collection was both environmentally and socially responsible, but I soon found that trying to find ethical suiting fabric light enough, let alone affordable, was impossible. Even hours of pleading with suppliers for sponsorship was to no avail (which, incidentally, is why I’m so keen to begin our sponsorship scheme, and have started a mailing list for all those interested!).

The closest I came to fulfilling my ambition of being truly ethical, was when I was given an opportunity to work with Reiko Sudo, founder of Nuno in Japan. She supplied me with recycled polyester for my shirts, and a recycled content fabric that could be manipulated with heat. The collaboration also came with a free ticket to Tokyo, so I attended the opening night of the exhibition where all the pieces were on display. The whole experience was inspirational and made me realise that my dream of a world of ethical fashion could become a reality.

The second part of my studies was a Masters in menswear design at the Royal College of Art. As wonderful as the opportunity was (and we all know how many famous designers started their careers there) I found myself constantly swimming against a strong current of professors and peers who didn’t agree with or understand my “green” thinking. It certainly didn’t correspond to their idea of “fashion”, but undeterred, I set to work creating a collection that would challenge their preconceptions: I would create a collection that was ethical and beautiful and fashion forward. And according to most, I succeeded.

But my commitment to being ethical meant I doubled my workload. As most of the fabrics I chose were organic, and therefore only came in neutral tones, I spent hours dyeing them to match my colourways, whilst at the same time ensuring I had used the minimum quantities I needed, to limit the amount that would be put back into the “cycle”. I also ended up spending hours sifting through recycle banks to reclaim textiles – not to mention, the weeks of research it took to source the fabrics and services I needed. I had to find leathers that were by-products and vegetan, spray paint old tarpaulins to make into jackets, source vintage buttons and pieces I could use for clasps … and all this before I even started the pattern cutting!

I realised very quickly that there needed to be a central source to go to for materials and information, if there was any chance of convincing those less committed than myself to take the ethical route in fashion. Yes, there were plenty of forums, but no solid solutions.

So, when I graduated from the RCA, I set about finding solutions to all the problems I had been faced with and Offset Warehouse was born. My idea was to make a wide range of ethical textiles available to buy in one place and also to offer the resources needed for research, as well as access to the ethical services and businesses needed to be able to manipulate the textiles – ethical dye labs, embroiderers, fair trade manufacturers, laser cutters, pattern cutters… you name it!

And of course, as proof that ethical fashion can be fashion forward and affordable, I also decided to include a boutique. It’s also proving a great solution for ethical students who want to sell their graduate collections!

I had a few struggles initially. Funding, of course, was a particular concern, but I finally decided that given the global nature of both my suppliers and potential users of the service, the most sensible place to set up the business was online. So that’s what I did and in turn, lowered the overheads of the business considerably.

Has it been an easy road? No, by no means. Surprisingly perhaps, in this day and age, I have found being a woman and only 26 has caused problems. It probably doesn’t help that I look younger than I am, but it makes me mad when I am patronised by individuals who assume that I am naive about the business. More fool them! Attending the RCA allowed me experiences far beyond those one might expect of someone of my age. I’ve had exposure working alongside and pitching to companies including Umbro, Brioni, Thierry Mugler, Zandra Rhodes and Vogue. Not to mention one to ones with the head designers of Versace, Givenchy and Valentino, and styling the rather difficult, Jonny Borrell (Razorlight) amongst other musical talents. Of course, it’s also part of my nature – I approach life with not just a “can do” attitude, but an “I can do it all” attitude. Since I launched Offset Warehouse, I’ve become my own buyer, a journalist, a web designer and developer, law copyrighter, marketeer, PR person (including making my own promotional videos), and SEO writer… it’s amazing the things you can learn from a few books, free workshops and youtube!

But this immensely steep learning curve shouldn’t have been necessary – I’m a great believer in passing on knowledge, which is why Offset Warehouse promotes learning and presents its own lectures and workshops. Knowledge is power, and understanding all aspects of being ethical – from the market, to what makes a fibre ethical, is, in my opinion, key to being a successful ethical designer. Passing on knowledge is central to our ethos, and we don’t just lecture about ethical issues, but also present workshops that will help designers further their careers – we review lots of CVs and portfolios of designers who want to be part of the Ethical Directory, and you wouldn’t believe how many applications could be improved with simple tricks!

Since our launch, we’ve had a huge response. It’s clear that we’re filling a gap in the market.

One unexpected development has been the demand for Offset Warehouse to provide consultancy. In response to the many requests we have had, I decided to establish a pool of consultants, all experts in their fields, who we can call upon to provide support to our clients. Ranging from referring a fair trade manufacturer (which we don’t charge for), to developing a range of ethical accessories. It’s been a fantastic addition to the business – and has left me wondering where we might go next… watch this space!

So here we are. Looking back, we have come farther than I could have dreamed at this point. It has not been an easy ride by any means and, looking forward, there is a long way to go for the industry to truly make a difference to the way it operates and the way it is perceived. I personally am very proud of how far we have come but Offset Warehouse still has much to do and I suspect the challenges will be different but no less demanding. Bring it on!

Fashion Bistro | A workshop hosted by Social Alterations and Slow Fashion Forward

Will you be in Vancouver on April 16th?

With Special Guests Hélène Day Fraser, Faculty of Design & Dynamic Media, Emily Carr University of Art & Design and Katherine Soucie Sans Soucie & (zero.O.lab)

Click here to purchase your ticket to this intimate international workshop! Space is limited so be sure to register!

Stay tuned for details on Chicago, Barcelona and London events! For those of you who are unable to join us in these cities, look for a final research report once the workshops have closed; we will be sharing ideas & discoveries from these cities after the workshops – sparking a larger movement for a socially responsible & sustainable fashion industry.

We’re thrilled to have partnered with Slow Fashion Forward for this international project!

Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.

Kindly,

Your Vancouver hosts,

Mary Hanlon & Nadira Lamrad | Social Alterations

Maureen Dickson | slowfashionfwd@gmail.com

Triangle // A Call for Remembrance, A Call for Action

Let this 100^th anniversary of Triangle be both a call for remembrance and a call to action.

“This is the most necessary social movement of our generation” (Charles Kernaghan, NLC)

This important documentary from the National Labor Committee connects the fire of 1911 to the Hameem group factory fire in Bangladesh that took place just a few short months ago.

In 2010 alone, nearly 50 Bangladeshi garment workers lost their lives in factory fires. While the labour movement in America grew in large part from the Triangle fire, the situation for these workers in Bangladesh has not changed— in fact it is worse.

Join our campaign to raise awareness. That no worker—under any circumstance, in any country—find themselves trapped without an exit (literally or figuratively) is not too much to ask of our global economy.

Fashioning an Ethical Industry Conference 2011—The One Constant in Fashion is Change

Join Fashioning and Ethical Industry (FEI) on March 23rd in Edinburgh as they bring together key industry leaders to discuss the future of fashion through responsible production, consumption and marketing. This exciting event will introduce new approaches to “equip Scotland’s fashion & textile tutors and students with ideas for engaging in this emerging area” (FEI).

THE ONE CONSTANT IN FASHION IS CHANGE

FEI CONFERENCE // AN EVENT FOR FASHION & TEXTILE TUTORS AND STUDENTS

OUT OF THE BLUE // 36 DALMENY STREET // EDINBURGH // EH6 8RG
23RD MARCH 2011 // 10.00 – 17.00

A day of presentations, workshops and discussions with contributions from:

High Street Retailer // New Look
Victoria McQuillan // Online Ethical Store – Think Boutique
Kate Fletcher // Slow Fashion Pioneer
Kate and Fi Mackay // Edinburgh-based Design Duo
Tania Pramschufer // PR Company – Handupmedia
Nuran Gulenc // Garment Worker Advocate

TO BOOK YOUR PLACE, please email: info@fashioninganethicalindustry.org with your full contact details. For group bookings contact us at the same email. Places are free for fashion & textile tutors and students and £25 for other interested parties.

(Source: FEI)

The Call of Juarez // Profit in Violence

Since 1993, more than 1,400 women have been violently murdered in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico (Maquila Solidarity Network). Thousands more remain missing. These femicides have gone unsolved since the murders have not been properly investigated by local and/or international authorities. While the found bodies of women rest buried in mass graves, the killers roam free. Ciudad Juarez is a war-zone— no one is protected from the systemic violence and corruption that plagues its citizens.

In 2010 MAC cosmetics and American design house Rodarte partnered to deliver a limited edition line of cosmetics inspired by the plight of the Juarez woman. Products in the line were given names like “Factory” and “Ghost Town” and advertisements featured a young model looking…well, dead.

Despite being well received by industry, outcry from within the fashion blogosphere resulted in the cancelation of the line. As one commentator stated in response to the collection, “in a sweep of total insouciance, for chic U.S. women, ‘Factory’ is an abstract consumable concept, a shade of mint frost, whereas for Mexican women in maquiladoras, it’s a sweaty, oppressive place where they’re frequently harassed, threatened, raped, and killed.” (Sarah Menkedick) Both MAC and Rodarte have since issued apologies, with the cosmetics company promising to donate profits from the line (once it has been renamed) to a legitimate organization working within the region. There is still no word on these details, however.

Of course, women are not the only victims in Juarez. The city is home to one of the largest drug turf wars in the world. In the last four years, more than 8,000 people have been killed (averaging 8 murders per day). Last week alone, between Thursday and Saturday, 53 people were gunned down (NPR).

Set to profit from the violence this summer through the release of their new game Call of Juarez: The Cartel is the French video game company Ubisoft, There has already been outcry over the game, with critics claiming it dehumanizes victims. No apology from Ubisoft; they claim the game is purely fictional—take a look at the trailer and see for yourself.

Despite the violence and controversy surrounding this socially devastated region, some companies have decided to (re)invest in the maquiladoras there. According to Bob Cook, president of the Regional Economic Commission in El Paso, Texas, one of the draws to manufacturing in Juarez is that the violence has seemingly not targeted industry.

The violence has not targeted industry? Are factory workers not included in this category?

On October 28^th of last year four people were killed when “gunmen opened fire on a trio of buses carrying nightshift maquiladora workers to communities outside the city.”

When the mass killings of women (it is estimated that over 1/3 of these women were working in maquiladoras) first surfaced over a decade ago, industry did little to protect workers, claiming it was not their responsibility because the attacks did not take place on their property.

“Maquila owners provide little help to resolve the infrastructure and social services crisis in Juárez that they helped create. In 2001 at the height of the factories’ prosperity, their owners gave Juárez only $1.5 million in a voluntary tax, according to the New Mexico State University-based research publication Frontera Norte-Sur. At the same time, according to the Canadian organization Maquila Solidarity Network, maquila exports from the Juárez region totaled more than $10 billion.” (Amnesty International USA)

To say that industry needs to step it up when dealing with Juarez would be an understatement.

The 100^th anniversary of International Women’s Day (IWD) has come and gone (March 8^th). With this year’s theme, equal access to education, training and science and technology: pathway to decent work for women, we remember the women and men of Juarez.

An excerpt from the controversial corrido “Las mujeres de Juaréz” by popular Mexican band Los Tigres del Norte:

Que hay varias miles de muertas en panteones
clandestinos muchas desaparecidas que me resisto
a creer… (es el reclamo del pueblo
que lo averigüe la ley….)

English translation: There are several thousand dead women, in secret cemeteries. So many women have disappeared, it is hard to believe. These people demand that the law must investigate. (Mariana Rodriguez, “¡SOMOS MÁS AMERICANOS!”: The music of Los Tigres del Norte as Grass Roots Activism)

Emily Carr to host Allan Chochinov through TD Guest Speaker/ Designer in Residence Program

Allan Chochinov of Core77 will be in Vancouver on March 15^th to present his featured talk, Almost, at Emily Carr, University of Art and Design. We’ve showcased his work and research before on SA; his manifesto, 1000 Words: A Manifesto for Sustainability in Design, challenges and empowers students to work against apathetic design.

“In graphics, communication, interaction, architecture, product, service, you name it—if it doesn’t take context into account, it’s crap.” (Allan Chochinov)

While Chochinov does not specialize in fashion systems, and does not necessarily/directly address the human impact/cost within the supply chain of artifacts before they reach the consumer, focusing more on the end user(s) and designer(s), there are key takeaways for responsible fashion in his work. We’re looking forward to his talk!

WHAT: Allan Chochinov: featured talk, Almost.

WHEN: Tuesday, March 15, 2011 – 7:00pm

WHERE: Lecture Theatre, Room 301, Emily Carr, University of Art and Design

Source: Emily Carr

Fashion Supply Chain: Special Focus // Uzbekistan + Bangladesh

As a returning supporting sponsor for ECO Fashion Week—Vancouver, we once again contributed an educational/informational card to the SWAG (gift) bags. For the September event, our card focused on the life-cycle of a regular T-shirt, taking the learner on a contextual journey through nine countries: Uzbekistan, Dubai, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Canada (Vancouver), USA (New York), Japan, and Tanzania. Information on this journey is available in [Lesson 2] Connect // Key Players. For this past event, we centered our attention on providing ‘fast facts’ for two special focus touch points: Uzbekistan and Bangladesh. If you would like information on how to deliver these educational/informational cards in your classroom or business, please contact us for templates.

[Images below depict the front, inside and back of the card, printed on recycled hemp]

Front of card:

Fashion Supply Chain: Special Focus // Uzbekistan + Bangladesh

Inside of card:

LEARN // www.SocialAlterations.com

Back of card:

LEARN // Greenpeace targets Dove for use of Palm Oil: The true cost of real beauty

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of stepping in to teach responsible fashion consumption to an amazing group of grade 6 and 7 students in Vancouver.

Part of the SA workshop asks students to ‘talk back’ to the industry. Generation Z, as they are called (ages 8-12), is a 2 billion $ industry. It seems that companies targeting this generation believe they have to incorporate environmental responsibility into their platforms―this target market would expect no less.*

What we discussed in class, were ways for students to harness their purchasing power to not only support environmental responsibility, but to also demand systems for social compliance that protect human rights along any/all aspects of a product’s supply chain.

When addressing unrealistic definitions of external beauty in the workshop, we show a video clip from Dove’s real beauty campaign. Before and after showing the clip, however, we take note that Dove is a corporation, and that they are, in the end, working only toward their real responsibility, the bottom line (see Lesson 3, here, and Lesson 4, here). Nonetheless, we watch the video clip with this in mind and focus in on images reflecting the consequence of irresponsible beauty campaigns.

The educator that brought me into the class is very involved in social issues which affect her community. Before I came in, she had already engaged her students in conversations surrounding child labour in the apparel supply chain, with the article “Your Shirt off their Backs,” from Free the Children founders, Craig and Marc Kielburger. The article doesn’t take the supply chain past the point of purchase, but that is where the SA workshop comes in handy; we follow garments through the entire supply chain past the consumer, down through its bitter end.

With her background knowledge, she has added to the workshop by introducing us to a video campaign by Greenpeace in reaction to Dove’s use of Palm Oil in their products― a great reminder that even when the bottom-line tries to be responsible, profit alone must drive the corporate conscious of a publicly traded company. **

Stay tuned for our elementary and kindergarten workshops, going live in March. The elementary workshop will include both videos, along with notes on how to engage youth in the issues surrounding responsible advertising versus responsible business.

*Proof of this came recently in the form of ‘environmentally friendly’ packaging for Walmart’s new make-up line, GeoGirl (click here for an interesting read on the controversy surrounding the line).

** For more on Corporate Social Responsibility, check out Lesson 3 and Lesson 4. While you’re at it, pop on over to The Corporation website to hear (or read) it from the ringleader himself: Milton Frieman. And be sure to read his infamous article “The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits” (September 13, 1970, The New York Times Magazine) if you haven’t already.

EcoChic Design Award | Hong Kong

Young designers, recent graduates, and design students! Redress Hong Kong has released a design brief for the first EcoChic Design Award held in Hong Kong S.A.R. To participate, you must be a Hong Kong resident, between 18-30 years old, in your final year of school or recently graduated with less than 5 years work experience. Register online at www.ecochicdesignaward.com

The deadline for the first round is February 28th on which you must submit 4 marketable outfits designed with an 18-25 year old Hong Kong chic in mind. There are 3 rounds. Finalists will compete for:

An internship with Orsola de Castro designer of From Somewhere based in London
Design a recycled textile capsule collection for Esprit
Featured in EcoChic fashion shows and exhibitions in 2011

Good luck!

If you’re interested in the events that go along with this competition like the EcoChic Design Academy and Reform: The Exhibition, be sure to check out the calendar page.

***The responsible fashion scene in Asia isn’t ‘huge’. Thank you Redress Hong Kong for building up awareness, and opportunities for those passionate about sustainable fashion. Special thanks to Christina Dean from Redress Hong Kong for letting us know about this amazing opportunity!!!