This is my new motto...
http://www.threadless.com/slogans/2346372/As_long_as_fashion_is_trend_based_it_can_never_be_sustainable
(Sorry, not so tech savvy, you'll have to copy and paste the link. I promise it'll be worth it, or your money back.)
Take it on board, try it out, feel it, love it, and maybe even wear it...
If you want to be part of my revolution, go to the link and vote for my slogan. Think collective conscience. The will of the people. For the people to have spoken, the people need to speak.
This is about the revolution. What do clothes mean to you? Why do you wear what you wear? Do you shop "on trend" like most of the world? In a time where technology and textiles are integrating, allowing for individual creativity never before seen, we have the opportunity to express our individualism through our personal style. The truth is that you don't need new clothes every season. Nor do you need to buy from popular designers to fit in. What you "need" is to find designers that "fit" you - help you to express exactly who you are, not who they tell you to be.
Now try an experiment: The next time you find yourself saying: (and we all do) "it's only -- dollars, even if I only wear it -- times, it's okay". Well, it's not okay. The lower the price tag, the more someone else is paying for the garment. Whether it be the factory textile workers in unsafe conditions delivering mutant babies due to illegally high levels of chemical exposure, or unnecessarily high CO2 emissions as a result of cost-cutting, the true cost of clothing is not often considered. And if companies are working to get trends from the runway to high street consumers within months, someone, somewhere, is paying the difference. And it's not the consumer...
So please, agree with me, disagree, vehemently hate my ideas, but at least THINK FOR YOURSELF! Find out what all of this means to you, not what they told you it means. If we all took a little more time to examine this world and our actual place in it, I believe we'd all be much better off. It's what I like to call:
Paying Attention!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Saturday, November 13, 2010
It has begun...
Hello to all -
Welcome to the new stage of our evolution...This is where we take what we know back to the beginning. It's about finding a way for technology to coincide with nature. It's about working towards our own survival. And it's also about treating everyone with respect - whether or not you ever come face to face with them.
The Free Fashion Challenge has begun. We are sacrificing ourselves for the good of the message...and we're really fucking stoked about it!
So I thought this would be a good place to lay some of the pertinent info on you...
First of all - fabric. Fabric is basically evil. Unless you are upcycling (taking something old and making it into something else new), there are not a lot of good options for fabric. Technology may have made things cheaper and easier - but in the bottom line, true world cost is not factored in.
1. Animal fibres. Fabrics like wool, alpaca, mohair, cashmere, and fur. Like all natural fabrics (as in, not synthetic or regenerated), these are still probably your best option. They breath well, which means they're comfortable to wear, and with proper care (sorry dad, mostly they require hand-washing), they last for years but still break down in landfills. However, usually the animals are not treated well, and there are often issues with the farmers getting a fair wage. In all honesty, fur is probably the best choice, as it has been the centre of attention for so long that regulations across Europe and Canada (where a lot of the fur farms are) have really improved the lives of the animals. Of course there's always China, which has no regulations and is known for extreme animal cruelty (I could tell you stories, but I won't), so unless you can source the pelt, it can be hard to tell. I recommend, before buying a garment, contacting the brand directlye.
2. Cellulose fibres. This is any plant derived fabric and includes things like cotton, hemp, some bamboo, linen, jute, etc. Again, like animal fibres, cellulose is considered natural and is therefore your best option (in my opinion). However, these all use chemicals in production which damage the environment, and more immediately, the factory workers. A closed-loop system (where the chemicals are kept in the factory and re-used instead of becoming run-off), is cost-effective and keeps most of the chemicals (about 95%) from entering waterways, but it doesn't help the workers who still face exposure. This results in respiratory conditions, cancers, rashes and other skin issues, and birth defects. The best way to combat this is through the purchase of garments made of organic fabric. This is a huge selling point and will usually be marketed and visible. However, (there's always a but) the organic industry is new and there are still many words that don't have legal definition. Again, contact the company directly for more info. The more often they receive feedback and questions from customers, the more likely they are to do something about it.
A special note on bamboo...This is my personal favourite fabric - it breathes well, yields about 3 times more per acre than cotton while using half as much water, it doesn't require replanting every year, and it's naturally anti-bacterial so it doesn't need pesticides. However, most bamboo fibre is processed like regenerated fibres (think acetate and tencel) and therefore uses a lot of really nasty chemicals to process. The new way to get yarn is to process it like linen, which uses the raw bamboo fibre, and can be chemical free. The result is called bamboo linen, however, this is not a labeling requirement and you may still need to contact the company for further info.
3. Regenerated fibres. This includes acetate, tencel, rayon, modal, ingeo, and some bamboo. The source of these fabrics is wood chips that have been broken down into something soft and pliable. I, personally, would also include fabrics made from recycled bottles in this catagory, though some people might list them under synthetics. Stuff like Eco Spun takes old PET bottles and processes them like other regenerated fabrics to make a yarn similar to polyester. For a much better explanation go to:
4. Synthetic fibres. Polyester, polyamide, elastane (i.e. spandex and lycra), etc. Some people swear by synthetics because they're easy to clean and maintain, are dyed in the spinning stage and therefore do not fade, and are very wrinkle resistant. I say, it's all oil so shut up and stop placating people! That's right - synthetics are made of oil. Like what you put in your car. Just like what you put in your car. You're wearing that. Do I need to say any more than that?
This is obviously very simple, surface information. The rest is up to you. I'm not asking you to go out on a crusade against polyester (that's my job!), I'm simply asking you to ask...Ask what your clothing is made of and what that may mean to the world around you. I find that clothing companies will often write you back when you request info - so do that. Arm yourself with information and ask the questions that get noticed. And most importantly...PAY ATTENTION!
Fashion will never be sustainable as long as it is trend-based...
Welcome to the new stage of our evolution...This is where we take what we know back to the beginning. It's about finding a way for technology to coincide with nature. It's about working towards our own survival. And it's also about treating everyone with respect - whether or not you ever come face to face with them.
The Free Fashion Challenge has begun. We are sacrificing ourselves for the good of the message...and we're really fucking stoked about it!
So I thought this would be a good place to lay some of the pertinent info on you...
First of all - fabric. Fabric is basically evil. Unless you are upcycling (taking something old and making it into something else new), there are not a lot of good options for fabric. Technology may have made things cheaper and easier - but in the bottom line, true world cost is not factored in.
1. Animal fibres. Fabrics like wool, alpaca, mohair, cashmere, and fur. Like all natural fabrics (as in, not synthetic or regenerated), these are still probably your best option. They breath well, which means they're comfortable to wear, and with proper care (sorry dad, mostly they require hand-washing), they last for years but still break down in landfills. However, usually the animals are not treated well, and there are often issues with the farmers getting a fair wage. In all honesty, fur is probably the best choice, as it has been the centre of attention for so long that regulations across Europe and Canada (where a lot of the fur farms are) have really improved the lives of the animals. Of course there's always China, which has no regulations and is known for extreme animal cruelty (I could tell you stories, but I won't), so unless you can source the pelt, it can be hard to tell. I recommend, before buying a garment, contacting the brand directlye.
2. Cellulose fibres. This is any plant derived fabric and includes things like cotton, hemp, some bamboo, linen, jute, etc. Again, like animal fibres, cellulose is considered natural and is therefore your best option (in my opinion). However, these all use chemicals in production which damage the environment, and more immediately, the factory workers. A closed-loop system (where the chemicals are kept in the factory and re-used instead of becoming run-off), is cost-effective and keeps most of the chemicals (about 95%) from entering waterways, but it doesn't help the workers who still face exposure. This results in respiratory conditions, cancers, rashes and other skin issues, and birth defects. The best way to combat this is through the purchase of garments made of organic fabric. This is a huge selling point and will usually be marketed and visible. However, (there's always a but) the organic industry is new and there are still many words that don't have legal definition. Again, contact the company directly for more info. The more often they receive feedback and questions from customers, the more likely they are to do something about it.
A special note on bamboo...This is my personal favourite fabric - it breathes well, yields about 3 times more per acre than cotton while using half as much water, it doesn't require replanting every year, and it's naturally anti-bacterial so it doesn't need pesticides. However, most bamboo fibre is processed like regenerated fibres (think acetate and tencel) and therefore uses a lot of really nasty chemicals to process. The new way to get yarn is to process it like linen, which uses the raw bamboo fibre, and can be chemical free. The result is called bamboo linen, however, this is not a labeling requirement and you may still need to contact the company for further info.
3. Regenerated fibres. This includes acetate, tencel, rayon, modal, ingeo, and some bamboo. The source of these fabrics is wood chips that have been broken down into something soft and pliable. I, personally, would also include fabrics made from recycled bottles in this catagory, though some people might list them under synthetics. Stuff like Eco Spun takes old PET bottles and processes them like other regenerated fabrics to make a yarn similar to polyester. For a much better explanation go to:
4. Synthetic fibres. Polyester, polyamide, elastane (i.e. spandex and lycra), etc. Some people swear by synthetics because they're easy to clean and maintain, are dyed in the spinning stage and therefore do not fade, and are very wrinkle resistant. I say, it's all oil so shut up and stop placating people! That's right - synthetics are made of oil. Like what you put in your car. Just like what you put in your car. You're wearing that. Do I need to say any more than that?
This is obviously very simple, surface information. The rest is up to you. I'm not asking you to go out on a crusade against polyester (that's my job!), I'm simply asking you to ask...Ask what your clothing is made of and what that may mean to the world around you. I find that clothing companies will often write you back when you request info - so do that. Arm yourself with information and ask the questions that get noticed. And most importantly...PAY ATTENTION!
Fashion will never be sustainable as long as it is trend-based...
Sunday, September 26, 2010
The Revolution Has Begun...And I'm On Board!
Just a quick announcement to all my potential people:
Laura de Jong from the Amsterdam Fashion Institute is heading a project intended to promote sustainability called Free Fashion.
As a participant I will be giving up shopping for one year. As of November 9th, I have agreed not to buy any clothing or fabric, or to receive gifts of the same. Every 10 days I will be given an assignment to complete which is related to the project. The assignments will be released on the dedicated website which I will link to this page.
I hope that people get on board with this as we are loosing our battles and the current fashion industry is largely to blame. To win the war we need to switch from a trend-based industry to an industry designed to promote self-expression. It's about awareness and appreciation.
But mostly it's about...
PAYING ATTENTION!
Hope to see you all in our shiny new future.
Laura de Jong from the Amsterdam Fashion Institute is heading a project intended to promote sustainability called Free Fashion.
As a participant I will be giving up shopping for one year. As of November 9th, I have agreed not to buy any clothing or fabric, or to receive gifts of the same. Every 10 days I will be given an assignment to complete which is related to the project. The assignments will be released on the dedicated website which I will link to this page.
I hope that people get on board with this as we are loosing our battles and the current fashion industry is largely to blame. To win the war we need to switch from a trend-based industry to an industry designed to promote self-expression. It's about awareness and appreciation.
But mostly it's about...
PAYING ATTENTION!
Hope to see you all in our shiny new future.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
For starters...A manifesto...
As this is to be my first ever, Optimus Prime, numero uno, beginning blog, I thought I'd start with a concept:
Everyone can see that this world is struggling. And in some respects, it always has been. It could be bias, or hindsight, or intuition, but it feels like we're entering territories of fear at levels never before experienced. And it saddens me. And inspires me. And frustrates, annoys, and confuses me.
Because I know the answer. The way to solve all the solvable problems of the world. This very simple concept that would free us all; move us from fear to love. Tilt the scale of the duality. It would be so easy that sometimes I actually want to stand on rooftops and shout it out:
PAY ATTENTION!
See what I mean? So simple yet so deceptively complex.
If we taught it to our children in schools, they'd learn to think for themselves. If we enveloped this concept in our daily lives, we could abolish all the stupid little things that cause all the stupid big things.
Of course I realize that this Utopian idea may not immediately follow for all involved, but I guess that's what this blog is about. Daily musings, or theories, or observations that will all (in some way) contribute to this theory.
And while I'm slowly but steadily ramping this up, have a think to yourself...the next time someone pisses you off, how differently would it have gone if they or both of you had been paying attention...
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