Green at the Seams, August 12 Friday, September 25, 2009

Sustainable Fashion

Columnist Whitney Kessler
Posted on Wednesday 12th August 2009

Sometimes it is hard to see how our choices affect our world. This statement is especially true of our addiction to fashion. How can we justify overflowing landfills and polluted air? How do we disregard sweatshops and child labor? Clothing has been produced for ages in ways that we would rather not mention, but we claim to know no better.

A huge proponent of sustainable fashion, the organization Earth Pledge notes: “Fashion uses more water than any industry other than agriculture. At least 8,000 chemicals are used to turn raw materials into textiles and 25 percent of the world’s pesticides are used to grow non-organic cotton. This causes irreversible damage to people and the environment, and still two thirds of a garment’s carbon footprint will occur after it is purchased.”

However, the movement toward affordable and responsibly-produced clothing is already visible in fashion today. Consumers have begun to seek greener options and the fashion industry has no choice but to deliver. On one hand, this increased demand forces supply to inevitably follow. On the other hand, the rate and price at which the supply can actually be delivered is debatable. The issue is complicated, but more discussion leads to more interest, which leads to new and improved methods of fashion production. No one can say we have found the optimal system yet, but it is apparent that green fashion doesn’t have to be a contradiction.

Many myths have been distributed on the topic of green fashion, either by the industry itself or by misunderstood fashion forecasting. Meanwhile, not enough information has been publicized on the environmental woes within the industry. Even if the world sometimes feels saturated with information on the environment, the terms used to describe eco-friendly options are easily skewed and twisted.

Read the full story >

Möbius strip blog post Monday, September 14, 2009

September 13, 2009

So when life gave her tape, she made a cowl. The sculpted scarf, which Sheena wore to the ARS festival on Sept 6th, was created from reclaimed materials Scully found or happened upon. She used a saffron-hued caution tape from Con Edison (dangerously fabulous) and Geämi’s sustainable packaging material (not oil-based) to create the electric piece.

To read more…

Party in Ireland! Sunday, September 13, 2009

The international push for The U.P has begun. Eliza and Sheena have been in London/UK for the past couple weeks promoting and partying with supporters we’ve already gained over there. The press is picking up too! Glamour just did a spread on us for its October 2009 issue. Woot!

As the editorial/research intern, I’m spending all of my Mondays/Fridays/weekends putting together press shorts for the blog and writing posts about our progress. It is incredibly opportune to work for something like this and be at the base level where I can glean knowledge on running a foundation.

Here is my first blog post published on the foundation’s blog. It was a shout out for the party hosted for us in Ireland last night.

http://theuniformprojectblog.com/annoucements/the-uniform-party-in-ireland

the new columnist in green town Sunday, September 6, 2009

For the past month or so, I’ve been working with a team of very talented writers to produce weekly columns for GreenandSave.com. The resource Web site invited writers to pitch ideas and become a part of the project. I decided to go with the green fashion idea as it is something I am interested in exploring. They loved it! Now I’m researching and writing — two of my favorite things — again.

So far I’ve had three columns:

Sustainable Fashion

Green, The New Red

Back to School or Back to Bank

Check them all out and make comments!

The Radical Approach Monday, July 13, 2009

When I call them radical, I mean it in the best, most complimentary way possible. The gals at lifeiscarbon® blow my mind!

The group of mix-matched mind-globetrotters founded lifeiscarbon® to not only change their lives, but to change in an impressively self-less direction. They have vowed that within their prospective careers and outlets and lives the environment, other human beings and the world will no longer be negatively affected. The Web site also is done without any financial support as of now, and thus, directly out of the contributors hearts in their spare time.

The list of writers?

Birgitte Lund – Copenhagen, Denmark
Anu Maijala – Helsinki, Finland
Soffía Gísladóttir – Reykjavik, Iceland
Sara Bunting – Oslo, Norway
Mikæl Marticki – Stockholm, Sweden
Amanda Herman – Berlin, Germany
Francis Anderson – New York, USA
Tomoko Higuchi – Tokyo, Japan
Nils Andersson – Beijing, China

Pretty sweet origins, right?

They explore topics in my immediate interest like art, music, fashion and design, making it an encouraging and exciting read every time. Although there hasn’t been a recent post in a while, the site is worth perusing and even supporting with your own words of encouragement.

Pioneers are SO now Friday, June 26, 2009

The fashion PR firm I’m interning at is amazing, but the best part is our eco-friendly line Stewart + Brown. The line has been around since 2002 when a couple who connected in love used their mutual interests in fashion and nature to produce clothing. And the match was goooooood.

The rack in the Industry Publicity show room brims with comfortable and fashionable pieces that obviously stand out from the crowd of other designers in the room. It isn’t one of those nothing-fits-quite-right/one-size-fits-all experiences; in fact, the pieces look like they would be so perfect you would feel almost naked — stylishly.

And that’s fitting because the majority of the clothing is made from organic cotton = grown from seeds not genetically engineered and from soil guaranteed to lack pesticides, herbicides, etc. The cashmere is just as environmentally safe as it is combed straight off the bellies of goats in Mongolia. Stewart + Brown doesn’t test the ethical waters either. It’s cashmere is made in Mongolia where the art has been practiced for hundreds of years. Cozy, huh?

The couple even proudly boasts that the clothing is biodegradable. Bury it six feet under without a care in the world. But wait! There’s more, there’s more. Stewart + Brown gathers a large amount of fabric from factory surplus. The extra fabric is already manufactured and doomed to the dumpster, but won’t go to waste in these aesthetically pleasing designs.

These pioneers sum it up like so: “Stewart+Brown believes in optimizing their designs and lives to attain the highest standards of quality and functional style while extracting the bare minimum from Earth’s precious capital. Stewart+Brown practices and promotes a symbiotic and harmonious relationship between business, community, and nature. We aspire to apply the wisdom of sustainability to everything we do while inspiring others, just as we have been inspired, to do the same.”

A crocheted mini-dress caught my eye one of the first days I worked. It’s the best eco-chic I’ve ever seen and would look fabulous on Cameron Diaz (a well-known eco-line advocate.) By buying such a cute little number the consumer is assured that at least 1 percent of the proceeds will be given to “non-profit, non-governmental environmental and social welfare organizations.” That’s right, Diaz. Go for it! Use your power for good!

Here are some photos of artwork done by Karen Stewart, a trained artist, from which she gains inspiration for clothing.

You can also check out the Stewart + Brown Web site by clicking here.

Madagascar is in the bag Friday, June 19, 2009

Think fashion is ruining the world? Think again! BTC Elements (which sells only environmentally sound and socially just products) coupled with Mad Imports to bring fair trade products all the way from exotic Madagascar, making this bag not only a steal, but a statement.

Mad Imports was founded by Laurel Brandstetter and Jamila Hubbard. The progressive duo’s company “brings together local and international artists to design and create high fashion purses made from renewable raw materials. The sale of the bags enables families to gain economic independence and earn fair compensation for their talent and hard work.” And “BTC” is an acronym for “Be The Change,” borrowed from Gandhi’s famous quote, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Together the two companies are a phenomenal nod toward conscientious fashion.

The handmade bags have been featured in several big publications like Glamour and Lucky as well as featured on CNN and E! News. Awesome. For more bag styles and info on Mad Imports click here. For more on BTC Elements, here.

Uh, I mean, come on. These are adorable!