Category Archives: fashion

Planet Textiles

“We are delighted to announce the launch of Planet Textiles, a new international event jointly organised by Ecotextile News, Messe Frankfurt and the Society of Dyers and Colourists. Dedicated to improving the environmental and social impact of the global textile and clothing supply chain, it is supported by leading industry organisations and international clothing retailers.

What makes Planet Textiles unique? Planet Textiles runs alongside Interstoff Asia Essential (17–19 March 2010), the leading trade show for eco-textiles and functional fabrics in Asia. Delegates can listen to the presentations, join in the discussion, and see round 200 textile manufacturers, most of them offering ‘real’ sustainable textiles. No other sustainability conference offers that.

Highlights include:

-Keynote presentations about corporate social responsibility and sustainability
-Case studies from manufacturers and retailers – what are the realities of implementing sustainability?
-Followed by a networking reception – your chance to meet the other delegates

Planet Textiles offers:

-Fantastic line-up of speakers who will give real examples of their work
-Opportunity to learn from best practice and pick up practical advice
-Focus on the positive developments and changes
-Great networking and a platform for the exchange of ideas” (Planet Textiles)

Below is an update from EcoTextile News, one of the event’s joint organizers:

Executives from Wal-Mart, KIK and IKEA have confirmed that they will speak at the new Planet Textiles event on sustainability which will take place at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in March 2010.

Eleanor Wright, Wal-Mart, raw materials director, based in Shenzen, China has agreed to update textile manufacturers at the event about the latest on the US retail giant’s sustainability index. Petra Katzenberger, Head of CSR at KIK, Germany’s largest discounter will reveal a new carbon footprinting initiative and IKEA’s Anurag Priyadarshi will share the results of an IKEA study on the environmental impact of pigment versus reactive dyes during textile production.

Other confirmed speakers include Simon Weston of Hong Kong-based Fountain Set who will talk about the company’s latest regenerated cotton project which will see the first commercially available products launched by retail partners in March 2010.

Phil Patterson, Chairman, of the RITE Group (Reducing the Impact of Textiles on the Environment) will speak about how the big brands in Europe and the States can engage more effectively with textile manufacturers in Asia.

Pat Nie Woo from the Sustainable Fashion Business Consortium – a group of leading Hong Kong-based textile manufacturers will look at current and future challenges to implementing sustainable change in the textile sector – and ask what are the realities?

Other leading brands are yet to finally confirm their participation in what is sure to be a ground-breaking, new event on eco-textiles in the Hong Kong/China region. (EcoTextile News)

Title: Planet Textiles
Location: Hong Kong
Link out: Click here
Date: 2010-03-18

The GreenShows, Eco Fashion Week

Title: The GreenShows, Eco Fashion Week
Location: New York, NY
Link out: Click here

“The GreenShows is the only premiere fashion event exclusively committed to ecofriendly, ethically-sound, fair-trade fashion in New York City.

The GreenShows will produce a comprehensive canvas for full-length runway shows that feature an edited selection of 11 designers. Each designer will be given the opportunity to show their entire Fall 2010 collection before an audience of influential editors, buyers, and VIPs.

The GreenShows will host an opening night runway show and event on Febuary 15, 2010 followed by two days of shows. An entirely green venue will house this eco extravaganza in downtown Manhattan. The GreenShows will coincide with New York City’s world-renowned Fashion Week and beyond the shows, Eco Fashion Week will be an immersive green experience for all attendees.

We believe beautiful fashion can be considerate of the earth, animals and mankind. The mission of The GreenShows is to share this vision.” (GreenShows, Media Kit)

Start Date: 2010-02-15
End Date: 2010-02-17

Ethical Fashion Symposium, Scotland

Title: Ethical Fashion Symposium, Scotland
Location: Scotland
Link out: Click here

Edinburgh College of Art, in collaboration with Fashioning an Ethical Industry and the Scottish Academy, are hosting a two day symposium for students and tutors on fashion related courses in Scotland on ethics in fashion.

Day 1
The fashion cycle: Interactive introduction to the symposium and to the social and environmental issues in the fashion industry
Liz Parker, Fashioning an Ethical Industry

Communicating sustainability
Helen Spoor from sustainability communications company Futerra.

Sustainable Design
Jessica Hemmings, Associate Director, Centre for Visual & Cultural Studies

Bringing responsiblity into fashion business
Speaker to be confirmed

Fashion Future: What can you do at university, as consumers and once in business?
Liz Parker, Fashioning an Ethical IndustrySpeakers include

Day 2 – putting ideas into practice
Students and tutors will work together in multi-disciplinary, multi-university teams on the brief: ‘Universities and colleges in Scotland are working together to promote ethics and sustainability in fashion. In teams, develop a product, idea or strategy for engaging students with fashion ethics and sustainability’.

Students will present their work in a format of their choice, for example, a poster, visualisation board, campaign idea, presentation or garment design.

The event will take place on Monday 18th January and Tuesday 19th January 2010 from 10.00am – 4.00 in Lecture Theatre E22 at Edinburgh College of Art.

18th and 19th January 2010: 10.00am – 4.00pm

For more information and to register please click here.
Start Date: 2010-01-18
End Date: 2010-01-19

Fast Forward: Fashioning an Ethical Industry International Conference

Title: Fast Forward: Fashioning an Ethical Industry International Conference
Location: London
Link out: Click here

“In a time when we are increasingly concerned with the impact of the fashion industry on people and the planet students need to be equipped to design the way we make and consume fashion differently.

This two day international conference will bring together educators, industry experts, academics and selected students to explore how fashion can be taught to inspire responsibility for the rights of workers making our clothes.” (FEI)

SPEAKERS confirmed include:
Otto Von Busch – Haute-Couture Heretic
Alex Mcintosh – Centre for Sustainable Fashion
Nieves Ruiz Ramos – Bibico
Sophie Koers – Fair Wear Foundation
Academics and students will present papers peer reviewed by a panel
chaired by Doug Miller Professor in Ethical
Fashion at Northumbria University

SPECIAL EXHIBITION
Local Wisdom by Kate Fletcher, Reader in Sustainable Fashion at London
College of Fashion

This event is by invitation only. Invites have now been sent out by
post. If you have received at invite please RSVP by 13th January. If you have not received an invitation but would like to join us at this event please register your interest online.
Start Date: 2010-03-02
End Date: 2010-03-03

Roundup II //Holiday Gift Guide

“It is entirely possible to be well dressed without compromising your morals, or spending beyond your means. All it takes is a little research.” (Commerce with a Conscious)

Commerce with a Conscious: Ethical fashion for the fastidious gentleman has developed beautiful guides to Good Giving:

On Their Person// Belts and Ties// Wallets and Cases// Hats, Scarves and Gloves

CwaC has even selected some Editor’s Picks, just in time for you to add them to your holiday wish list.

At Social Alterations, our favourite pick this season for wo/men is Vancouver based Red Flag Design. Here is a snapshot of the company’s design ethos, in the context of Abandoned Materials:

“Textile innovation in the industrial world has created fabrics that surpass our expectations of performance. The desire to be stronger, lighter, faster, etc. drives a continual reinvention of materials. This constant growth leaves a trail of obsolescence; as each new material is introduced, an old one is left behind. Red Flag Design has created the ALTERNATE USE MATERIAL (AUM) line to take advantage of the abandoned materials generated through this process of evolution. Through the AUM concept, Red Flag has taken upon itself the exploration of the vast potential laying dormant in the unconsidered applications of recycled materials. The first AUM product line is made from recycled sailcloth.” (Red Flag Design, About)

Their last minute holiday sale ends today @7pm. BUT, according to their website, they are open to personal sale extensions based on your busy holiday schedule! So if you can’t make it down today, give them a call.

Also, check out Ethical Style’s blog post Green Gift Guides Galore, were they break down their favourite holiday gift guides. Their holiday issue is out tomorrow (Thursday), so be sure to follow them! AND they have just launched a holiday giveaway in partnership with Brilliant Earth! Beautiful!

Watch// Compostmodern09

“Designers think that they are in the artefact business, but they’re not, they’re in the consequence business.” (Allan Chochinov, Compostmodern09)

Some readers might recall that I attended Compostmodern09 via webcast back in February. Social Alterations was developed in many ways as a response to the call to action presented by the 09 speakers. Without shying away from the im/possible challenges of responsible design, they not only made change seem necessarily tangible and achievable, but did so with immense passion and, of course, sarcasm and wit.

The interdisciplinary nature of this conference—the key to its success— is inspirational. In my eager anticipation for compostmodern10, I have enjoyed revisiting the 09 presentations. I hope you will take the time to get to know these speakers, letting them in to inspire you on your journey toward change.

Click on the image below to view each presentation on the Compostmodern website.

Pop Up Shop ‘Trash Vortex,’ hosted by PARTIMI

“Trash Vortex comes from the desire to raise awareness about the impact our waste habits have on our oceans and also the planet as a whole.” (Eleanor Dorrien-Smith, Designer and PARTIMI Creator)

Eleanor Dorrien-Smith, designer, PARTIMI Creator, and recent prize winner at the Fashioning the Future Awards, is about to launch an Ethical Pop Up Shop in Camden.

The decor for the Pop Up Shop is inspired by the Pacific Trash Vortex and the store will be stocking a range of ethical fashion and accessories designers including Worn Again, Komodo, Kuyuchi, Partimi and Ryan Noon. Here are the details!

LAUNCH PARTY: Friday Dec. 18th 7-10pm

SHORT FILM SHOWCASE: Saturday Dec. 19th 7:30-10pm
HAND KRAFTED FILMS presents a range of short films and animations by professional and up-and-coming filmmakers.

Opening Times:
10am – 10pm Friday 18 and Saturday 19 December
10am – 7pm Sunday 20 – Wednesday 23 December
11am – 3pm Thursday 24 December

Click here, for more information.
partimi-pop-up-poster

Start Date: 2009/12/18
End Date: 2009/12/24

Title: Pop Up Shop ‘Trash Vortex,’ hosted by PARTIMI
Location: Camden
Link out: Click here

Community News

“If a product is not considered, they call it an inconsiderate design” (Lorrie Vogel, on Nike designers creating their own vocabulary, Opportunity Green)

A roundup of some of the stories, headlines, and updates you may be interested in from in and around the community of socially responsible fashion design. This week’s roundup has a ton of videos—there is a lot going on in our community!

Core77

Next: “user centered ecosystems designs”

New production method: Enslaved spiders produce huge tapestry

Ecouterre

Does Greenwashing Exist in the Fashion Industry?

Ecotextile News

Eco-Textile Labelling Guide 2010

Ethical Style

‘18 Degrees of Inspiration’: 6 Degrees of Cool

Roundup//Holiday Gift Guides

There are so many amazing holiday gift guides out this year—we thought we would offer you a roundup of our favorites.

Inhabitat’s “Green Holiday Gift Guide” is wonderful gift guide. Our favourite features are Heirloom and Gifts of Time.

Core77 has compiled their annual gift guide, “77 Righteous Gifts Under $77”. Needless to say, it’s righteous.

Treehugger wants you to have a Slow Holiday this year. They have put together another fantastic gift guide, and even resurrected their 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 guides, so you will have PLENTY to choose from!

Ecofabulous has done a great job putting together Eco Gift Guides:

For the Couch Potato // For the Man About Town //For the Style Maven // For Tiny Tots // For the Rockstar

They have also rounded up their picks for best online shops this season, here.

Also, in Canada, be sure to check out Shop Sustainable (Toronto) and Body Politic (Vancouver)

Searching through Core77’s Righteous Gift Guide, you’ll find Design Revolution: 100 products that Empower People, by Emily Pilloton (forward by Allan Chochinov), and Nathan Shedroff’s book, Design is the Problem: The future of Design Must be Sustainable. These books are a must have for the designers, design enthusiasts, and/or the activists in your life. For more book ideas, check out the SA recommended reading section of the site, here.

You can also “Regift The Fruitcake” in support of Project H and help them meet their fundraising goal of $10,000 this month for their Design for Education Initiatives!

Happy Spending!

Winners Announced! Fashioning the Future

Miriam Rhida

I’ve got some exciting news to share with you! On November 25^th I won the “Systems for a Sustainable Future Award” in the Fashioning the Future international student competition. This competition is run through the Centre for Sustainable Fashion at London College of Fashion. There were 5 winners in total, each representing five separate categories, with forty finalists over all. I’m excited to have had the opportunity to showcase and share my graduate research, and this website.

Emma Rigby

Zoe Fletcher won the Enterprise & Communication Initiative for a Future Fashion Industry Award (Highly Commended: Ruby Hoette and Julia Crew)

Varun Gambhir won the Role of Materials in a Sustainable Fashion Industry Award (Highly Commended: Karina Micheal)

Mary Hanlon won the Systems for a Sustainable Fashion Industry Award

Miriam Rhida won the Design for a Thriving Fashion Industry Award (Highly Commended: Eleanor Dorrien-Smith and On Ying Lai)

Emma Rigby won the Water – The Right for All Citizens of this Planet Award (Highly Commended: Anne Prahl).

International competitions such as the Fashioning the Future awards offer students the chance not only to showcase their work, but to benchmark themselves against other students in their field at the international level.

Please visit the Centre for Sustainable Fashion to check out the details of the competition, and the full list of finalists! For more images, check out this photo gallery from The Guardian.

On Ying

Also, if you are in London, be sure to stop by London’s City Hall and London College of Fashion to check out the highlights from the 2009 awards. Here are the details:

FASHIONING THE FUTURE AT CITY HALL, 19 November – 4 December 2009
Highlights of the 2009 awards to be showcased at London’s City Hall, with thanks to the London Sustainable Development Commission.
Open to the public, free of charge.
Greater London Authority, City Hall, The Queen’s Walk, London SE1 2AA

FASHIONING THE FUTURE AT FASHION SPACE GALLERY, 16 November – 11 December 2009
Highlights of the 2009 awards to be showcased at London College of Fashion.
Open to the public, free of charge.
London College of Fashion, 20 John Princes Street, London W1G 0BJ

Congratulations everyone! And thank you for your support!

Images via The Guardian