Category Archives: Lifecycle Analysis

SHIFT

“As part of SHIFT from 29 January – 1 February the Centre for Sustainable Fashion will present:

The first ever graduate showcase from London College of Fashion’s MA Fashion & the Environment
The work on display will explore a range of opportunities and design challenges where ingenuity and resourcefulness are inspired through living within nature’s limits, putting human wellbeing at the heart of creativity and questioning the current status quo.
On Monday 1 February we are inviting industry representatives, press and prospective students to hear presentations from the students on their work. Contact us if you would like to attend.
More on MA Fashion & the Environment

Highlights from Fashioning the Future 2009 – The international student awards for sustainability in fashion
Fashioning the Future brings together a global community of creative thinkers and doers, designers, innovators and entrepreneurs with many different skills, locations and perspectives on the many facets of fashion. The winners of the 2009 awards will be profiled alongside information on how to apply for the 2010 awards.
More on Fashioning the Future

Local Wisdom by Kate Fletcher
Local Wisdom seeks to recognise and honour sustainability activities in fashion that exist at the level of the user. This project captures and celebrates personal stories relating to garments, giving fashion a platform to flourish and inspire. Reader in Sustainable Fashion Kate Fletcher will be leading a live session on 30 January from 12.00 – 17.00 where members of the public are invited to share the story of their clothes with the project team and be photographed wearing them.
More on Local Wisdom” (CSF)

Title: SHIFT
Location: London
Link out: Click here

Friday 29 January 17.00 – 22.30
Saturday 30 January 12.00 – 22.30
Sunday 31 January 12.00 – 22.30
Monday 1 February 12.00 – 17.00

Start Date: 2010-01-29
End Date: 2010-02-01

National Design Triennial: Why Design Now?

In 2009, Cynthia E. Smith, Curator of Socially Responsible Design at the Cooper-Hewitt hosted a discussion on responsible design, with Emily Pilloton, author of Design Revolution and Allan Chochinov, founder of Core77. The discussion was moderated by Susan Szenasy, Editor in Chief of Metropolis Magazine. Take a look!

If you find yourself in New York sometime between May 14, 2010–January 11, 2011, be sure to check out “Why Design Now” at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum.

“Inaugurated in 2000, the Triennial program seeks out and presents the most innovative designs at the center of contemporary culture. In this fourth exhibition in the series, the National Design Triennial will explore the work of designers addressing human and environmental problems across many fields of the design practice, from architecture and products to fashion, graphics, new media, and landscapes. Cooper-Hewitt curators Ellen Lupton, Cara McCarty, Matilda McQuaid, and Cynthia Smith will present the experimental projects and emerging ideas for the period between 2006 and 2009.” (Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum)

Title: National Design Triennial: Why Design Now?
Location: New York
Link out: Click here
Description: On view May 14, 2010–January 11, 2011

EcoChic Geneva

The United Nations has declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity and the International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures.

UN Secretary General Welcome Message for the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity from CBD on Vimeo.

EcoChic Geneva is an event that strives to redefine both sustainability and fashion in this context:

Title: EcoChic Geneva
Location: Geneva, Switzerland
Link out: Click here

“As the 2009 International Year for Natural Fibres draws to a close and the focus begins to shift to 2010, the International Year of Biodiversity, Green2greener is delighted to announce its collaboration with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on a series of activities that will highlight the importance of natural fibres and biodiversity in sustainable development strategies.

EcoChic Geneva will take place on January 20-21, 2010 at the Palais des Nations, the UN headquarters in Geneva. The event will commence with a 1.5 day seminar which will look at “Redefining Sustainability in the International Agenda” from the perspective of the fashion and cosmetics industries.

[EcoChic Fashions Documentary, Hong Kong 2008]

The seminar will be followed by a high-profile gala evening on Thursday 21 January. Highlights include the launch of a Sustainable Fashion Exhibition and dramatic EcoChic Fashion Show featuring sustainable and ethical ready-to-wear and couture looks by fashion designers from around the globe. The Exhibition will be subsequently opened to the public free of charge until February 4, 2010.

This series of activities will bring together senior representatives from the private sector with key decision-makers from government, civil society and other public sector organisations. For more information or to find out how you can get involved, please contact us at ecochic@green2greener.com.” (EcoChic Geneva)

Start Date: 2010-01-20
End Date: 2010-01-21

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

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

Greener Gadgets

Greener Gadgets Design Competition

“The Greener Gadgets Conference tackles all of the issues surrounding energy efficiency and sustainable design, from innovative advances in packaging and product manufacturing to end-of-life recycling solutions. It also highlights ways in which electronics make a major impact by utilizing renewable energy in developing nations.

The conference closes out with the incredibly popular Greener Gadgets Design Competition, highlighting a new class of sustainable product concepts, from those that create their own energy to those that minimize the need for any electricity at all.” (Greener Gadgets)

Click here for a list of this year’s presenters and here for the conference schedule.

Title: Greener Gadgets
Location: New York
Link out: Click here
Date: 2010-02-25

Below is the video footage of the 2009 Conference:

Source: Greener Gadgets

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

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