Week 8 by Jo Gruszka
GOOD NEWS
Boutique of the week from MagnifEco: NEST. Founder and Executive Director of Nest, Rebecca Kousky, established the non-profit organization in 2006, and has been working with female artisans and craftswomen across the globe to help them and their families move successfully from poverty to self-sufficiency. Nest helps these women develop and sustain a means of income for their families by participating in a system called “microbartering.” The system is cyclical, and begins with a loan provided to a needy woman in a developing country. The interest-free loans can range anywhere from approximately $50-$2,000, and provide the women with the training, supplies or bazaar space to produce their particular crafts. Instead of repayment in cash, however, the women reciprocate the loan by selling their crafts back in the United States. Read more at MagnifEco.
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Week 6 by Jo Gruszka
GREAT IDEAS
Clothes That Encourage Infrequent Washing Emma Rigby’s idea was to create clothing that doesn’t have to be washed and dried as often, and in doing so, whittle its water and energy consumption. As her final year thesis at the London Collage of Fashion she developed Energy Water Fashion(UK). Some of the pieces included in her collection are a weatherproof pinafore, made from waxed organic cotton that naturally repels dirt and water and its dark navy wash camouflages the occasional spill or stain (minimum 30 wears per wash), hand-knit an aran cable vest from 100 percent Wensleydale wool, a fiber that resists grease and grime (minimum 20 wears per wash), and wrinkle-resistant relaxed trouser, stitched together from merino wool that keeps odors freely at bay by wicking perspiration (minimum 20 wears per wash). Read more at Ecoture Continue reading
Week 4 by Jo Gruszka
SHOWCASES and EXHIBITIONS
Directory of Leeds invites you to FASHION NORTH // NORTHERN CREATE on June 2-4. The show will act as a platform and a tool for career development and progression, as well as acting as a focal point and catalyst for creative circles and industry networks in the region. The show wants to reinvent how we present new talent, reflecting the wishes of those who are sharing their works and collections. Read more here.
The Museum at FIT presents Eco-Fashion: Going Green, an exhibition exploring fashion’s relationship with the environment. Generally, “eco-fashion” refers to the work of designers who use, produce, and/or promote sustainable, ethical, and environmentally-conscious products. Although eco-fashion is one of contemporary fashion’s most compelling practices, fashion and the environment have had a longstanding, multifaceted, and complex connection that is rarely explored. Read more here. Continue reading
Week 3 by Jo Gruszka
BEST OF
Global Action Through Fashion is featured in June issue of San Francisco’s 7×7 magazine as one of the “Best of the City 2010: Fashion + Beauty” with theClearest Conscience. Continue reading
By Laura Russell
On the 6th of October I attended the Ethical Fashion Forum’s Sourcing Expo in London to represent Global Action Through Fashion. The event has really grown since last year, boasting a seminar program and over 60 organisations being represented. It was nice to be able to connect with old faces and meet new ones in the ever changing arena of ethical fashion. I would like to tell you about a few of the interesting companies that were showing at the event.
Knock on the Door
Knock on the Door is a unique new fashion brand which head hunts emerging designers, often recent graduates, and commissions them to develop a capsule collection exclusively for Knock on the Door. They then produce the collection using ethical fabrics and UK manufacturers. The designer’s name is fully visible on all branding along side Knock on the Door. The business has received recognition from the British Fashion Council, and is set to be a brand to watch out for at Estethica next season.
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Artisan Life
I first met Artisan Life last year at the EFF event. I was instantly amazed at the distinctive product on offer, and have since been able to appreciate the history of the product. Artisan Life produces jewellery in Columbia from the Tagua Nut. “Tagua, also known as vegetable ivory, is a seed from a palm tree that grows in tropical regions of South America. When ripe nuts fall to the ground, they are gathered and dried naturally for a period of up to 2 years, after which they become extremely hard (ivory like). The tagua seed is cut into different shapes and dyed in a variety of natural colors, revealing the veins of the pure cellulose material giving each piece an individual and natural look. Most importantly, tagua is replacing the slaughter of mammal ivory in the textile and fashion industries.” Artisan Life are part of the WFTO and BAFTS. I even spotted a Tagua Nut necklace on Kestrel’s Make Fashion Fair blog this September.
Natural Cotton Color
Naturally grown colored cotton is cotton which is grown in various neutral earth tones. The shade achieved is dependent upon various factors including climate and soil quality. Naturally grown colored cotton eliminates the need for the dyeing process, thus reducing water consumption by up to 70% compared to conventional cotton.
Whilst you might not want to convert your whole wardrobe to these neutral tones, ‘Natural Cotton Color’ has produced a sophisticated collection which incorporates beautiful handmade embroidery and lace. This intricate needlework is completed by local artisans in the Northeast area of Brazil and by female prison inmates who are employed through their scheme which works to reduce their sentences by 1 day for every 3 days worked. My personal favourite are their shoes with recycled silk.
Natural Cotton Color Shoes
Further details about the brands and the event can be found on the Ethical Fashion Forum’s website.
Kestrel Jenkins PR and Research Associate at GATF talks to Laura Russell about her personal challenge to shop ethically.
Please tell us more about what motivated you to take this pledge.
On Earth Day this past April, I was pondering my next blog. I had already started “MAKE FASHION FAIR” on Valentine’s Day a few months before, but something was making me think, “I need to really make my statements, efforts, and passions concrete in some way”.
To be honest, I believe that many outside contributors influenced this thought: I am an obsessed fashion blog follower, and had been recently anticipating each day’s new outfit on Sheena for the Uniform Project, while following The Sartorialist, Facehunter, and Fashiontoast intently. Also, I had been to the vintage-style, local theatre with my Mom to see Julie & Julia. All these inspirations converged that Earth Day in my vow for the next 365 days. Continue reading
