Can Fashion Make Even The Environment Into A Trend?

It’s hard to believe that can be a view to me. As a student of fashion, it makes me wonder about where my place will be in an industry that can bring the craft of clothing to the highest levels of art or bring it down to the lowest levels of bargain bin sartorial wastelands. In my first Design Aware meeting, this viewpoint came up and shocked me. Eco-fashion as it is now, sleekly packaged, and rather niche does seem like just a phase, but sustainability cannot be just a phase and we’re seeing the consequences of that all the time.

Fashion is not an industry that can be accused of having a very big heart or a very big conscience. The meaning of fashion does not really have a use for such things. Fashion is fast, fleeting, living for the moment, a capsule of its time. And yet it cannot escape its own processes. Clothes, accessories, what have you have to be designed, made, sold, worn, cared for, and eventually done away with. Nowadays it seems relatively easy to get through that set of processes. Fads change in a matter of months, the product out in no time, but at what cost? Without the heart and the conscience clothes get made in sweatshops, sold at bargain prices, and thrown away without a thought.

It’s pretty easy to feel like as one person, what difference does it make to care and make the effort to break out of the conventional fashion cycle. However I don’t think I could love fashion as much as I do and keep with it if I felt as though what fashion is presently is my only option. There are definitely little things that can go a long way.

In my contribution to Design Aware, I would like to save a spot to share my discoveries on how people in fashion are making changes, how being “design aware” is important to fashion people big or small.

 

Felicia Chen is a second year fashion design student at Ryerson University.

Welcome to the 2011/2012 School Year!

September is already half over and there’s tonnes of programs and events happening on and off campus. We at Design Aware have some plans to unfold but were not quite ready to divulge just yet. Until then, here’s some things Fashion Takes Action’s got going on that we think you should get involved with:

The organization is teaming up the the Planet in Focus Film Festival to bring some action to their redcarpet. They are looking for students from different Fashion Schools in Toronto to participate in an eco challenge during the event. Each team will create a design out of sponsor packaging to remain on display. I participated in a similar challenge a couple years ago at the FTA Earth Day launch party and it was a super fun experience. Here’s a photo of the ‘Warrior Princess’ outfit created from Mill Street Breweries packaging (Ryerson students check your inbox from fashionnews to find out how to involved).

 

FTA is also hosting a Fashion Biz Camp. This is a great opportunity for recent grads and those looking to start there own fashion business. Check out fashiontakesaction.com for more info. All applications are due by September 22nd.

I’d also like to remind you all of the annual Design Forward Award that the FTA put’s on. Each year designers are chosen based on certain eco-criteria to shop in the Vancouver Eco Fashion Week. The top competitor receives $5000 and tonnes of invaluable exposure. As a non profit organization FTA is appealing to supporters to help fund the award. Even if you have no cash, ‘like’ them on facebook to help them recieve further funding from Telus!

 

 

Fashioning the Future Awards

I first heard about ‘Fashioning the Future’ from Jade a few years ago. It is an initiative through London’s College of Fashion’s Centre for Sustainable Fashion. The Centre for Sustainable Fashion has a mandate for “supporting industry transformation through sustainable business development.”

Every year the Fashioning the Future Awards calls upon students to share their innovations relating to fashion design, and communication. The theme for this years FTFA’s is Unique.  From the website:

“Now in its third year, Fashioning the Future Awards 2011 invites you to provoke and nurture ‘Unique’ responses to our collective desire for a thriving world. The 2011 awards are a showcase for exceptional work that celebrates ‘Unique’ ways to create our futures.”

The competition is open to students and recent grads in five different categories and submissions are due June 15th. For more info see the flyer below or go to http://www.sustainable-fashion.com/fashioning-the-future/

Da Store en Peru!

So I thought I would add a few visual images of the beautiful store I get to work in!  Since it is the rainy season, and it has been pretty quiet here, I spend a lot of time staring at the beautiful textiles and new knitwear from the knitter’s co-op.

We are currently working on an online store, which should be up very shortly!  So if you feel like purchasing some unique Christmas gifts, that support a community of weavers in Peru… the online store would be the place to look.  I will be posting a link when it goes live!!

Love Forever,

Jade

Buenos dias fashionistas!

After spending three wonderful weeks travelling around Peru with my father, I have settled down for a wonderful two months in Ollantaytambo.  I will be living here and volunteering with the non-profit organization, Awamaki.  If you haven’t heard of them, check out their site!  The group, or what seems more like a family, is made up of some extremely driven young people working with the community and surrounding communities of Ollantaytambo.

Awamaki , started in 2009, has several different facets; health, education, and the textile program.  I am going to be mostly involving myself with the textile program, but hope to help out in different areas as well.  The textile program works with Quechuan women from the villages of Patacancha and, more recently, Kelcancha.  Awamaki buys hand-made textiles such as chumpis (multi-purpose belts), ponchos, bolsas (purses), pasadizos (table runners), and much more from 37 different weavers.  These textiles are priced higher than many textiles found in markets because they are made by hand, they are super high quality, and the women are being paid a fair wage.

Internet is difficult to find, and slow when I do come by it.  But I am going to do my bestest to keep you posted on the happenings here in Ollantaytambo.

Love Forever,

Jade

Eco Fashion Week

So Vancouver just held its first Eco Fashion Week! It went from September 27 to 30 and provided a stage for great designers that work to design sustainably.  Even the ol’ premier, Gordon Campbell, sent a letter of support.

As a B.C. girl, I would have loved to been able to attend, but I was in the big smog (Toronto).  But I am going to go ahead and say that this is a huge step in the right direction. I say this based on the variety of coverage it received, the fact that it was held in beautiful Vancouver, and anything to do with protecting the environment from the evil talons of the fashion world can’t be bad.

Designers such as Britain-based Emesha flaunted a women’s contemporary collection is large shouldered architectural blazers and subdued colours.  Lara Miller, from Chicago, took to the runway with flowing harem pants and wrap sweaters. Kdon designer, Kim Cathers, brought it with her women’s collection from recycled fabric and playful draping.  Other amazing designers such as Lav & Kush, Nixxi, and Eden Organic were featured on the runway.

The week included keynote speakers, seminars and ended with a trade show.  For more information check out their site!

Now the next step is for every fashion week to work towards being sustainable.   So that one day sustainability is ingrained in every aspect of design.  But at the rate we are going, it seems that in the near future, we won’t have a choice but to design that way.

Just because I ended that posting on a dark note – here is a funny video!

Love Forever,

Jade xo

New Website

Hi !

For those of you sourcing sustainable fabrics, there is a new website to make it easier for you. Its called Source 4 Style and it launched to the public about a week ago. You can search from hundreds of fabrics according to material type (bast fibers, cotton, leather, wool ect.). It also makes it easy to request swatches.

http://www.source4style.com/

That’s all for now!

<3 Alice