Saturday, 5 May 2012
pictures of recycled fashion
Recycling and sustainability is gaining popularity and people are becoming day by day more aware of it. Many popular fashion designers and fashion students have come up with some truly innovative, unusual and incredible ideas and created amazing garments using waste and discarded materials such as cloth, cans, plastic, and paper.
The designs inspire eco-friendliness.
The future of fashion: ethical, sustainable, online
The future of fashion is set to be more sustainable, ethical, inclusive and all about the internet.
In this section we explore how the way we buy, choose and expect our clothes to be designed is changing dramatically and give an insight into a career in fashion design so you can plan your future in fashion.For more on how technology is affecting fashion design read an article on The future of fashion
Sustainable and ethical fashion
Anti waste
Mark Liu launched Zero Waste, a range of women’s fashion that didn’t cut off an waste any materials, at London Fashion Week in 2007. By using a cutting technique designed to save the fabric typically wasted in pattern cutting (approximately 15% of the material) and sewing each garment to make waste into interesting details, Liu reduces waste and manufacturing costs.www.stique.com
Recycled materials
From Somewhere re-thinks the fashion industry's rubbish, reclaiming and up-cycling as a design solution to an environmental problem. It's a sustainable fashion label run by Orsola de Castro and Filippo Ricci that makes womenswear collections with luxury designer pre-consumer waste - such as proofs, swatches, production off-cuts and end of rolls.The operating principle behind the label is simple: what happens to the fashion’s industry’s production surplus and leftovers at the end of each season?
They call what they do “up-cycling” rather than recycling, and design is the way they turn scraps into beautiful clothes that take into account the balance between consumption and disposal.
In October 2008 From Somewhere won the Designer of the Year and Innovation RE:Use award at the RE:Fashion awards.
www.fromsomewhere.co.uk
Organic materials
John Patrick ORGANIC designs tailored, inspired eco fashion collections for men and women. Inhabitat describes Patrick’s work as the “next bold step for sustainable style and future-forward design”.Patrick was one of the first designers to develop a direct relationship with organic farm collectives in Peru, where he travelled early in his career to learn more about the production of cotton and handspun alpaca wool. Since then, Patrick has helped increase the use of botanical dyes, recycled fabrics, and organic wool yarns, while revitalizing traditional techniques such as hand-weaving and whole-animal leather production.
www.johnpatrickorganic.com
Fairtrade
The Fairtrade Foundation, which awards the Fairtrade mark, defines fair trade as being “about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world”. It strives to ensure companies pay sustainable prices and operate in a fair and just manner when in business with those who are often the most put upon in society.People Tree is one fashion designer / retailer that takes fair trade seriously. Most of the brand’s organic cotton carries the Fairtrade mark and is working towards getting approval for its remaining producers.
“Fair Trade enables producers in the poorest communities of the world to work their way out of poverty, and look forward to a more positive future for themselves, their families and their communities,” says People Tree spokesman Antony Waller.
“For consumers they know that buying Fair Trade products means that they are an active part of the solution of world poverty, and are helping to send a strong message to multinational companies to rethink their trading policies in the developing world.”
People Tree has experienced growth across its online and wholesale business during the recession as people look for quality garments that they feel good about and can wear from season to season.
“Distrust in the financial markets has led people to question business practice and we have seen great support for companies like People Tree who are 100% fair trade,” says Waller. The company has recently collaborated with Harry Potter star Emma Watson on a line, which has helped the brand reach a younger audience.
www.peopletree.co.uk
Thrift
Taking a thrifty approach to the fashion you buy and wear can be a consuming pastime. Hunting through racks of clothes in a charity shop and coming up with a designer find is not unheard of. There is also the added bonus of knowing that your purchase has helped put money towards a good cause. In these recessionary times, the low prices are another appealing trait of charity shop shopping.Oxfam is a prime example of a charity shop that has explored the nation’s passion for a bargain. Oxfam opened its first charity shop in 1947 on Broad Street, Oxford. It was the brainchild of the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief (later Oxfam) and was set up to help Greek civilian victims of World War II. The charity now has more than 700 stores across the UK, stocking everything from clothes to cutlery donated by the public and organisations.
In September 2007, Oxfam launched its first online shop, which now makes more each week than any of the charity’s individual high street stores. It followed this in 2008 with a collaboration with High Street behemoth Marks & Spencer. Under the clothes exchange scheme the public can donate unwanted M&S clothing to Oxfam and receive £5 M&S vouchers in return. So far the scheme has raised £2m for Oxfam.
Oxfam opened three boutiques in 2008 across London featuring selected vintage pieces alongside Fair Trade labels and pieces redesigned by fashion students. Jane Shepherdson, chief executive of Whistles and former brand director at Topshop, consulted on the scheme on a pro bono basis. A further four stores have since been opened across the UK.
In keeping with the trend towards online shopping, the charity plans to open a section dedicated to vintage clothing, supported by blogs and advice, in April 2010.
www.oxfam.org.uk/fashion
Inclusive fashion
Sitting on a hospital ward in a gown can often heightens a patient’s feeling of vulnerability. The Department of Health and the Design Council have teamed up to overcome this issue with their Design for Dignity scheme. Patient gowns are just one aspect of hospitals that are being addressed by selected design teams under the scheme, which will tackle ward layouts, toilet and washing experiences in hospitals and more.American fashion designer Ben de Lisi won the chance to redesign the traditional hospital patient gowns so that they significantly reduce the risk of physical exposure, cater for differences in patient size, cultural and religious preferences and are appropriate for a range of activities including sleeping, resting journeys to and from the toilet/bathroom and leaving the ward.
Prototypes of the new gowns were revealed in Spring 2010. Find out more about the project at www.designcouncil.org.uk/dignity
Online fashion
Fashion shows are evolving. The rise and rise of social media has meant that images from catwalk shows are now sent out minutes after a show finishes via Twitter so the public no longer has for magazines to hit the shelves months later. Comment swirls around the internet on blogs, forums and fashion websites about the collections well in advance of the clothes hitting the shelves.“By streaming their shows online, brands take ownership of this real-time fashion communication, in an environment which they can influence, instead of letting others do it for them,” says the Business of Fashion founder Imran Ahmed.
According to Ahmed , the amount of brands streaming their collections online is growing from season to season. Some have even experimented with the process for A/W 2010.
“However this implies significant change for the fashion system as a whole; when shows happen, when clothes are sold, and how they reach the consumer. We are only at the beginning of the internet revolution in fashion.”
Whether this means brands will abandon live shows is unclear. Replicating the experience of watching a show live and the energy they emit suggests that for the moment the show will go on.
Fashion retail has already been a huge success online. Whether it’s maternity wear and baby clothing on offer from Jojo Maman Bebe or upmarket designer clobber from Net-a-Porter, the quality of the fashion designs they sell must be complemented with an efficient transaction process, and a bit of brand sparkle for a fashion retailer to stand out online. Read more about how Net-a-Porter survived the dotcom bust thanks to its approach to service design. Amanda hunt..
what fair trade means
“Fairtrade is a strategy for poverty alleviation and sustainable development. Its purpose is to create opportunities for producers and workers who have been economically disadvantaged or marginalized by the conventional trading system. If fair access to markets under better trade conditions would help them to overcome barriers to development, they can join Fairtrade.”
Fairtrade is a tool for development that ensures disadvantaged farmers and workers in developing countries get a better deal through the use of the international FAIRTRADE Mark.
Fairtrade Labelling was created in the Netherlands in the late 1980s. The Max Havelaar Foundation launched the first Fairtrade consumer guarantee label in 1988 on coffee sourced from Mexico. Here in the UK, the Fairtrade Foundation was established in 1992, with the first products to carry the FAIRTRADE Mark launched in 1994. Read the history of Fairtrade labelling internationally .
fair tade cotton facts.
Picking cotton, India ©
"I did not get any education but I want my children to. Because of the Fairtrade price, I can send them to school." - Laljibhai Narranbhai, cotton farmer, Agroocel Pure & Fair Cotton Growers' Assiciation
Agrocel Pure & Fair Cotton Growers’ Association was formed in 2005 with the guidance of the Agri-Service Division of Agrocel Industries Ltd. Based at Bangalore, Agrocel’s Agri-Service division currently works with more than 20,000 farmers across India. It aims to improve the livelihoods of small-scale and marginalised Indian farmers by enabling them to participate in organic and Fairtrade production and by marketing with added value their production of cotton, rice, nuts and other crops.
In spite of the huge importance of cotton to the global textile industry, world market prices have been in long- term decline in real terms since the 1970s, notwithstanding a recent upturn in cotton and other commodity prices linked to the global financial crisis and to Pakistan’s cotton production being hit by severe flooding. While some of this decline can be explained by reductions in production costs and strong competition from synthetic fibres, the major downward pressure on prices is caused by the payment of huge subsidies by rich cotton producing countries – notably, the US, China and the EU – to protect the domestic production of cotton and related industries.
As a result cotton farmers in Africa, Asia and Latin America are struggling to survive, while developing countries which rely on cotton exports are losing out on vital foreign exchange earnings that could be allocated to health, education and other social development projects.
The industry’s high use of chemical pesticides is harming agricultural communities and the environment. And traditional flood irrigation is depleting rivers, lakes and water tables, making water a scarce commodity for many cotton growing communities.
One of Agrocel’s major current projects is the Organic & Fairtrade Cotton Project, located in southern India. The project involves organising small-scale farmers into functioning farmers associations to help them meet organic and Fairtrade certification standards, improve farming techniques and reduce production costs. With marketing support from Agrocel, the farmers are able to access higher value markets and increase their incomes and profits. This long-term partnership also includes spreading the Fairtrade philosophy and encouraging pride in farming, particularly among younger farmers, many of whom drift to the cities, disillusioned with the status and financial prospects of farming.
Five Fairtrade certified organic cotton farmers’ groups in the states of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, and Karnataka are currently participating in this project.
Agrocel Pure & Fair Cotton Growers’ Association from Kutch in Gujarat was one of the earliest participants in the project and typifies the scheme. With guidance from Agrocel, this previously unorganised group of 50 farmers was formalised into a legal entity in 2005. This was the first step in successfully gaining Fairtrade certification, which enabled the farmers to supply the UK market when Fairtrade certified cotton products were launched in November 2005. Products made with Agrocel Fairtrade cotton are available from Marks & Spencer, Bishopston Trading, Debenhams, Monsoon Accessorize, People Tree, Traidcraft, Tesco and many more retailers.
The success of the group has enabled them to extend membership to farmers in neighbouring Surendranagar district. Membership now stands at 1,930 farmers, including 77 women farmers, and extending to more than 6,000 hectares of cotton production.
The Fairtrade Minimum Price for seed cotton from India is $0.46/kg (Rs29.70) for organic and $0.38/kg (Rs28.50) for conventional. The additional Fairtrade Premium of $0.05/kg is for investment in projects that benefit the members and their communities. Projects are discussed and approved by members and managed by an elected committee.
Around 20% of production by members of the Agrocel Pure & Fair Cotton Growers’ Association is certified organic, with nearly all the remaining production in conversion to organic. In the December 2008 – April 2009 season, members produced 4,408 tonnes of seed cotton, of which 3,000 tonnes were sold to the conventional export market, 886 tonnes to the local market and 538 tonnes (12% of the total) to the Fairtrade market, including 92 tonnes certified organic.
Amanda hunt
Fairtrade is a tool for development that ensures disadvantaged farmers and workers in developing countries get a better deal through the use of the international FAIRTRADE Mark.
Fairtrade Labelling was created in the Netherlands in the late 1980s. The Max Havelaar Foundation launched the first Fairtrade consumer guarantee label in 1988 on coffee sourced from Mexico. Here in the UK, the Fairtrade Foundation was established in 1992, with the first products to carry the FAIRTRADE Mark launched in 1994. Read the history of Fairtrade labelling internationally .
fair tade cotton facts.
About the co-operative
| Location: | Kutch region, Gujarat State, Western India |
| Members: | 1,930 |
| Area under cotton: | 6,000 hectares |
| Farm size: | 4-8 hectares |
| Production: | 4,408 tonnes (2008/09 season) |
| Fairtrade sales: | 12% of production (2008/09 season) |
| Certified organic: | 20% of production, remainder under conversion |
| Harvest: | November - February |
Picking cotton, India ©
"I did not get any education but I want my children to. Because of the Fairtrade price, I can send them to school." - Laljibhai Narranbhai, cotton farmer, Agroocel Pure & Fair Cotton Growers' Assiciation
Introduction
Agrocel Pure & Fair Cotton Growers’ Association was formed in 2005 with the guidance of the Agri-Service Division of Agrocel Industries Ltd. Based at Bangalore, Agrocel’s Agri-Service division currently works with more than 20,000 farmers across India. It aims to improve the livelihoods of small-scale and marginalised Indian farmers by enabling them to participate in organic and Fairtrade production and by marketing with added value their production of cotton, rice, nuts and other crops.
Tough times for cotton growers
In spite of the huge importance of cotton to the global textile industry, world market prices have been in long- term decline in real terms since the 1970s, notwithstanding a recent upturn in cotton and other commodity prices linked to the global financial crisis and to Pakistan’s cotton production being hit by severe flooding. While some of this decline can be explained by reductions in production costs and strong competition from synthetic fibres, the major downward pressure on prices is caused by the payment of huge subsidies by rich cotton producing countries – notably, the US, China and the EU – to protect the domestic production of cotton and related industries.
As a result cotton farmers in Africa, Asia and Latin America are struggling to survive, while developing countries which rely on cotton exports are losing out on vital foreign exchange earnings that could be allocated to health, education and other social development projects.
The industry’s high use of chemical pesticides is harming agricultural communities and the environment. And traditional flood irrigation is depleting rivers, lakes and water tables, making water a scarce commodity for many cotton growing communities.
Agrocel Organic & Fairtrade cotton project
One of Agrocel’s major current projects is the Organic & Fairtrade Cotton Project, located in southern India. The project involves organising small-scale farmers into functioning farmers associations to help them meet organic and Fairtrade certification standards, improve farming techniques and reduce production costs. With marketing support from Agrocel, the farmers are able to access higher value markets and increase their incomes and profits. This long-term partnership also includes spreading the Fairtrade philosophy and encouraging pride in farming, particularly among younger farmers, many of whom drift to the cities, disillusioned with the status and financial prospects of farming.
Five Fairtrade certified organic cotton farmers’ groups in the states of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, and Karnataka are currently participating in this project.
Agrocel Pure & Fair Cotton Growers’ Association from Kutch in Gujarat was one of the earliest participants in the project and typifies the scheme. With guidance from Agrocel, this previously unorganised group of 50 farmers was formalised into a legal entity in 2005. This was the first step in successfully gaining Fairtrade certification, which enabled the farmers to supply the UK market when Fairtrade certified cotton products were launched in November 2005. Products made with Agrocel Fairtrade cotton are available from Marks & Spencer, Bishopston Trading, Debenhams, Monsoon Accessorize, People Tree, Traidcraft, Tesco and many more retailers.
The success of the group has enabled them to extend membership to farmers in neighbouring Surendranagar district. Membership now stands at 1,930 farmers, including 77 women farmers, and extending to more than 6,000 hectares of cotton production.
Fairtrade Minimum Price & Premium
The Fairtrade Minimum Price for seed cotton from India is $0.46/kg (Rs29.70) for organic and $0.38/kg (Rs28.50) for conventional. The additional Fairtrade Premium of $0.05/kg is for investment in projects that benefit the members and their communities. Projects are discussed and approved by members and managed by an elected committee.
Around 20% of production by members of the Agrocel Pure & Fair Cotton Growers’ Association is certified organic, with nearly all the remaining production in conversion to organic. In the December 2008 – April 2009 season, members produced 4,408 tonnes of seed cotton, of which 3,000 tonnes were sold to the conventional export market, 886 tonnes to the local market and 538 tonnes (12% of the total) to the Fairtrade market, including 92 tonnes certified organic.
Amanda hunt
Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Alternative materials. (by Kylie)
We have been looking at alternative materials that can be used in stitching, etc.
Well look at this!
A guy used human hair, he stitched and knotted it to make leaves.
Click this link more info and pictures.
Well look at this!
A guy used human hair, he stitched and knotted it to make leaves.
Click this link more info and pictures.
The fairtrade mark
The FAIRTRADE Mark is the original fair trade consumer label
For most Fairtrade products, buyers must pay at least the Fairtrade minimum price. This price aims to cover the costs of sustainable production for the producer. It’s a safety net for farmers when market prices fall below a sustainable level. Without it, farmers are at the mercy of sudden drops in value for their crops.
The number of ethical labels is growing, but Fairtrade remains unique. While other schemes aim to ‘protect the environment’ or ‘enable companies to trace their coffee’, Fairtrade’s focus is on helping farmers and workers improve the quality of their lives and take more control over their futures. Fairtrade is the only certification scheme whose purpose is to tackle poverty and empower producers in developing countries. Fairtrade delivers unique benefits to producers, businesses and consumers.
Our mission: to connect disadvantaged producers and consumers, promote fairer trading conditions and empower producers to combat poverty, strengthen their position in world markets and take more control over their lives.
Our mission: to connect disadvantaged producers and consumers, promote fairer trading conditions and empower producers to combat poverty, strengthen their position in world markets and take more control over their lives.
Whether the minimum price has been activated or not, producer organisations are always paid a Fairtrade premium – this is a mandatory amount above the cost of the goods that producers themselves decide how to spend, according to their needs. The premium is most often invested in farm improvements to increase yield and quality, processing facilities to increase income, and education and healthcare projects. These projects can bring change to the whole community.
Fairtrade standards protect workers basic rights according to the International Labour Organisation conventions. This means health and safety standards, freedom of association, collective bargaining , no discrimination and no bonded or illegal child labour.
segments from http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/what_is_fairtrade/fairtrade_is_unique.aspx posted by Alice
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