Author Archives: Mary Hanlon

Social Alterations: Fibre Analysis

We’re working on developing some ready-to-use curricula for fashion/textile/apparel instructors and designers.

First up, is the Social Alterations “Fibre Analysis: Possible Social and Environmental Impacts.” Data for this document was aggregated from resources you will find in the “Works Cited” section, on the last page of the PDF. This document is licensed and protected through the Creative Commons, which basically means that you can use it wherever/whenever you want, assuming you do so within the guidelines outlined in the Creative Commons licensing for which this document is registered (see below).

This is only the beginning folks; Social Alterations has mandated itself to deliver online curriculum to aid in the development of socially responsible fashion design education.

You can get involved by joining the Social Alterations Forum to share your experience in socially responsible fashion design education.

If you have any questions, comments, concerns or requests please contact us.

Fibre Analysis by Mary Hanlon is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Canada License.

Click here to download the resource: Fibre Analysis, Social Alterations

Watch//Read: Thinking Design w/ IDEO’s Tim Brown through Living Climate Change

Social Alterations is happy to report that Tim Brown’s new book, “Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and inspires innovation” is now available.

Tim Brown is CEO at IDEO, and is responsible for promoting the participatory design theory “design thinking.” Design thinking requires the designer participate in the process, to move “beyond the latest high street products” (Brown, TED: Sep, 09) He believes that designers need to focus “less on object, and more on design thinking as an approach” (Brown, TED: Sep, 09). In this way, the human centred component of design thinking asks designers to consider the design brief outside of pure aesthetics, image and fashion (Brown, TED: Sep, 09).

IDEO has also just launched a new site called Living Climate Change to expand the conversation on climate change through design thinking:

“One of the most important ideas about design thinking is that it creates new ideas that provide new choices for business and society. As we move toward December and the climate change negotiations in Copenhagen I worry that we have far too few ideas to talk about. It is all too easy to argue over what we will have to give up in the search for significant reductions in carbon and yet there is very little discussion about what we might create as we try to resolve the most significant challenge humanity has yet faced.” (Tim Brown, Design Thinking)

Our Invitation To You from IDEO on Vimeo.

For a list of other books related to socially responsible design, be sure to check out our Reading Section.

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 you have an upcoming event you think are readers would be interested in, be sure to drop us a line.

avoiding dirty cotton//resources

Retailers have a responsibility to understand the social and environmental impacts of the products they sell. Unfortunately, “the cotton supply chain is fragmented, complex and not very transparent.” (CREM, 7) Although CREM’s new handbook, “Sustainable cotton on the shelves,” was developed with mainstream retailers to in mind, it can also be used as a tool for apparel / textile/ fashion (etc.) designers to turn to for help on getting more educated on the fibre.

Designers have a responsibility to understand the true social and environmental consequences of their designs. “While efforts are being made to have full traceability of conventional cotton, at present such a system does not exist (to date only certified cotton is fully traceable).” (7) The use of conventional cotton is an irresponsible design choice. While fully sustainable cotton is not an option, this handbook will guide you through the in’s and out’s of initiatives, certification, third-parties, retailers and the better cotton initiative. The guide also breaks down industry definitions and categories.

*If you are a design educator, the guide contains excellent visual aids. For example, “How Clean is my Cotton?” (pg.5) could be useful when explaining the social, environmental, and economic impact of cotton production to your design students.

*If you are a designer, please be sure to also read this report by Urs Heierli “Where Farmer and Fashion Designer Meet: Globalization with a Human Face in an Organic Cotton Value Chain.”

*If you are a design enthusiast, please, spread the word.

About the report:

“Using the perspective of new-comers in the world of sustainable cotton, the handbook attempts to explain complex issues in an accessible manner, answering the key questions that textile retail managers, buyers or marketers may face: What type of sustainable cotton is the most suitable for my business? Can I source it from my own supply chain, at what conditions? Is there a consumer demand for sustainable cotton? What are my options if I am a small or medium sized retailer?

Through concrete questions and straightforward answers, the handbook provides an overview of issues and trends in the production and marketing of sustainable cotton. The handbook ”Sustainable cotton on the shelves” is the outcome of a project run in the Netherlands by the retailers HEMA and de Bijenkorf, the Dutch association for large textile retailers (VGT), the NGOs Oxfam Novib and WWF, and the consultancy CREM.

Pascale Guillou, senior consultant at CREM, says “We are extremely pleased that the result of this two-year research and consultation process with numerous stakeholders can be widely shared with mainstream retailers. We hope that this handbook will help textile retailers making strategic decisions and operational choices at a time when they experience the will or the need to better perform on a triple bottom line”

Click here to download the handbook.

Source: EcoTextile News and CREM

Watch: The Green Fashion Shows//Bahar Shahpar and Lara Miller

Check out this video of ethical fashion designers Lara Miller and Bahar Shahpar at the Green Fashion Shows interviewed by Chloé Jo (GirlieGirl Army) and Joshua Katcher (The Discerning Brute). This is only the first video in a series of 5, so stay tuned here for the next installments.

In the first segment, Bahar Shahpar’s explains how design can be utilized to preserve culture and history-without sacrificing the integrity of the garment. She also discussed the role of the designer in communicating such preservation.

DBTV: Girlie Girl & The Brute at The Green Shows, Pt 1 from The Discerning Brute on Vimeo.

Source: GirlieGirl Army

New Again Coalition- Change Clothing Care Regulations

New Again Coalition

Project Laundry List, Permacouture Institute and Make Do & Mend have joined forced for an exciting new partnership: The New Again Coalition.

“We want to make the clothesline and some time-tested ways of doing laundry new again. We want to make natural dyes and some traditional fabrics and fashions new again. We want to start a trend of patching clothes and upcycling that will make our wardrobes new again.”

First order of business? A petition to change clothing care regulations:

“Our first letter is a push for manufacturers and importers to provide consumers with a label that encourages optimal green behavior in the cleaning and care of an article of clothing. This could be as simple as “cold water, hang dry” or more complex with specific conscious care instructions. We know that many manufacturers currently print the minimum requirements for garment care, not realizing the environmental consequences of these vague instructions.”

Social Alterations has signed the petition, and encourages you to get involved and spread the word on this important matter. Click here to sign.

The New Again Coalition will be celebrating with a Mixer, and everyone is welcome. Here are the details:

When: 5:30pm – 7:00pm, Thursday, October 1, 2009

Where: Orchard Garden Hotel, 466 Bush St, Arrabal de San Francisco, Spain.

Tel: 4157868510

Email: info@permacouture.org

For more info on this event, click here.

the Shoelace Rug

These beautifully unique rugs were created and designed by artists Nate Siverstein and Andrea Paustenbaugh. Each Shoelace Rug is a one of a kind design. All have been created through the upcycling of 100% resused materials (laces), by a fourth generation family owned manufacturer local to the artists, in the USA. The designers view their designs as “multifunctional earth friendly sculptures,” and are passionate about creating responsible designs.

“The shoelace rug is a sculpture that evolves beneath your feet. Shape, size, and depth are determined by the user. Machine washable.”

Since they are machine washable, they can also be washed by hand (no dry-cleaning necessary).

Source: Core77 and Shoelace Rug

MADE-BY + EDUN = Improved living conditions in Africa through clean cotton

MADE-BY is celebrating 5 years by partnering with ethical fashion company EDUN for a design competition. The contest will run in October, with the winning design (presented December 16^th) will have created a limited edition T-shirt, sold online and through selected retailers throughout Europe. Partial proceeds will be donated to the Conservation Cotton Initiative (CCI), an initiative dedicated to helping farmers in Africa make the move away from conventional cotton, and toward pesticide-free organic cultivation.

Source: Centre for Sustainable Fashion

Fashion & Ethics: Hadley Freeman, Wayne Hemmingway & Safia Minney

Title: Fashion & Ethics: Hadley Freeman, Wayne Hemmingway & Safia Minney
Location: V&A, London
Link out: Click here
Description:

“Join Observer journalist Lucy Siegle, Professor Reina Lewis and guests to discuss the impact of ethics on fashion.” (V&A)

Centre for Sustainable Fashion:
“LCF Professor Reina Lewis and guest Lucy Siegle and Christian Kemp-Griffin disucss the impact of ethics on matters of style. Is green still the new black or will the credit crunch make cheap clothes a renewed priority for hard-pressed consumers? As fur makes a return to some catwalks, we consider whether new smart fabrics will redefine luxury, and explore how technological advances in the design and delivery of fashion open up the bespoke experience to new consumers. Also, the politics of pleasure.”

To register, click here.
Start Time: 7:00pm
Date: 2009-10-27

Source: Centre for Sustainable Fashion and V&A