Category: fast fashion

upcoming FEI events

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Image Source: Fashioning an Ethical Industry (FEI)
Image Source: Fashioning an Ethical Industry (FEI)

 7th July 2009

Teaching Ethical Fashion

“A Fashioning an Ethical Industry tutor training day and official launch of Sustainable Fashion: A Handbook for Educators edited by Liz Parker for Fashioning an Ethical Industry, UK, and Dr Marsha A. Dickson for Educators for Socially Responsible Apparel Business, USA.

This event will bring together educators from fashion-related courses and organisations around the country to share ideas and resources, and support tutors in teaching about ethical fashion. The day is aimed at tutors on any fashion-related further or higher education course who are looking to be inspired and share best practice with other tutors.

The event will also launch the HEA funded research, being coordinated by the Centre For Sustainable Fashion at London College of Fashion, into the needs and expectations of fashion industry employers in relation to sustainable education within fashion related courses at HE.

The event will take place at London College of Fashion between 9.30 – 4.30.” (FEI)

Direct Source: Fashioning an Ethical Industry (FEI)

women exploiting women

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The National Labor Committee released a report last week citing sweatshop conditions in a Guatemalan factory manufacturing clothing for Briggs New York (80%) and Lane Bryant (remaining 20%) clothing.

 

If you don’t want to read the full article, here is the abstract:

 

“Young Mayan women sew Briggs New York and Lane Bryant clothing under abusive and illegal sweatshop conditions at the Nicotex factory outside Guatemala City.  Women in the U.S. are unknowingly purchasing clothing made by other women who are being exploited.

All overtime at the Nicotex factory is mandatory, and 14 2/3-hour shifts, from 7:00 a.m. to 9:40 p.m. including six hours of overtime, are uncommon.  The women are routinely at the factory up to 72 hours, forced to toil 20 to 25 hours of overtime.  Women unable to remain for overtime work, even if they have family emergencies, are fired.  The workers are allowed just 10.2 minutes to sew each Briggs New York blouse for which they are paid 19 ½ cents.  The women and their families are trapped in extreme poverty, earning just 76 cents to $1.15 an hour, which comes nowhere close to meeting even their most basic subsistence level needs.

Workers and their children are cheated of health and maternity care, including paid maternity leave, which they paid for and is supposed to be guaranteed under Guatemalan law.  Workers are also robbed of their vacation and severance pay and are shortchanged of their legal bonuses.

 

  • The Nicotex garment workers have no rights.  U.S. company audits are a sham, and the workers have never even heard of a “corporate code of conduct.”
  • At least some officials of the government-run Social Security Institute appear to be involved in a widespread corruption scam, along with factories such as Nicotex, to defraud the workers and their children of the healthcare they pay for.  This scam is an open secret in Guatemala, and it has devastating consequences for the workers.
  • The Nicotex sweatshop is just another example of how the U.S.-Central America Free Trade Agreement has badly failed to enforce even Guatemala’s most minimal labor laws.   US-CAFTA has certainly not empowered workers through respect for their legal rights, nor has it helped raise them out of extreme poverty.”

                                                                                                                                    Source: NLC

For those of you who don’t know who Charles Kernaghan is, he is “The Man Who Made Kathy Lee Cry”. He also heads the National Labor Committee. Here’s a video of him discussing the science of exploitation and his work with the NLC from the film The Corporation.

slogan t-shirts: what do you think?

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Katharine Hamnett, Slogan T-Shirt "No More Fashion Victims"
Katharine Hamnett, Slogan T-Shirt "No More Fashion Victims"

 

I have been obsessed with U.K. designer Katharine Hamnett for a long time. In fact, it was her slogan t-shirts that first showed me that there was opportunity to transform this industry; she is the quintessential example of a pissed off designer who refuses to stand for the high human cost of fashion. She is dedicated to the promotion of organic cotton, and runs a strong campaign against the conventional ‘white gold’:

“Conventional cotton represents 10% of world agriculture and uses 25% of the world’s pesticides.

100 million conventional cotton farmers, from Russia to South Africa, are living in conditions of abject poverty and near starvation.

Conventional cotton subsidies funded by American taxpayers are causing poverty in the developing world as they lower the world price for cotton. (Americans are the only ones that can change this by writing to their Congress people and telling them they insist on organic cotton clothing.)

20,000 people die every year from accidental pesticide poisoning in conventional cotton agriculture (World Health Organisation). Death by starvation is alarmingly prevalent and 200,000 cotton farmers commit suicide annually due to spiralling debts incurred from buying pesticides. A further 1,000,000 people a year suffer from long-term pesticide poisoning (Pesticide Action Network).

However, if farmers grow cotton organically and can sell it as such, this dire situation is reversed.

By growing organically, farmers get a 50% increase in their income – due to a 40% reduction in costs – and the 20% premium they receive for producing organic cotton allows them to feed, clothe, educate and provide healthcare for their children.

Organic cotton helps farmers trade their way out of poverty. It’s the only formula for survival in the cotton sector in the developing world.”

                                                            (Katharine Hamnett, Campaigns: Organic Cotton)

 

Another company that offers slogan t-shirts is American Apparel. I have been familiar with their ‘Legalize L.A.’ campaign shirt, but only recently came across their ‘Legalize Gay’ slogan t-shirt. The American Apparel slogan t-shirt wants you to promote and support the repeal of prop 8. 

It got me thinking. For me, these slogan shirts represent the convergence of fashion and politics in a clear and positive way; they offer the consumer a sense of empowerment, and send a clear message of support. But what do you think?

Two very different questions….

 

 

 

the science of design

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'Wonderland' movie still
'Wonderland' movie still

 

‘Wonderland’ is an amazing example of a fashion designer and a scientist working together in search of sustainable fashion design solutions. The interdisciplinary nature of this project draws attention to the fact that a designer is not limited to work only in the confines of traditional fashion. Textile science can help designers think outside the strictly aesthetic context of their design, taking it to another level. The Helen Storey Foundation is dedicated to the promotion of creativity and innovation through collaboration. ‘Wonderland’ is a design project that explores the design potential of biodegradable materials. I suggest watching the Reuters video first for some background context. Then move on to watch the project finale video.

 

 

Source: Center for Sustainable Fashion and The Helen Story Foundation

 

Compostmodern09 tweet along

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Below is my tweet along for Compostmodern09, which took place on Sat. Feb 21st 09. This event was greatly inspiring, and I will be writing a post soon on the over all themes of the conference and where the convergence into sustainable fashion design comes into play. Stay tuned for that post (and some images as well).

 

·  excited to be at #cm09 8:19 AM Feb 21st

·  #cm09 only 5000 days left. take it as fact. 9:55 AM Feb 21st

·  #cm09 Allan Chochinov ten rules applicable to fashion design. 10:23 AM Feb 21st

·  Michel Gelobler: design through the lens of soul and policy coming up, #cm09 10:26 AM Feb 21st

·  wonderment being made plain/plain being made wonderment cm#09 10:28 AM Feb 21st

·  Michel Gelobler certainty/worry/sorrow/hope #cm09 10:30 AM Feb 21st

·  need to bend the Al Gore curve #cm09 10:32 AM Feb 21st

·  Michel Gelobter: what we have, what we are using, need to establish equilibrium looking to connect product to solution. #cm09 10:40 AM Feb 21st

·  #cm09 we own the solution not the problem, Michel Gelobter 10:43 AM Feb 21st

·  Michel Gelobter #cm09 further mention of the design acccord http://tinyurl.com/b5yzl4 10:47 AM Feb 21st    

·  Saul Griffith howtoons http://www.howtoons.com/ #cm09 10:52 AM Feb 21st

·  Saul Griffith: 2008, the year of ‘peak waste’ #cm09 11:03 AM Feb 21st

·  Saul Griffith: need to re-design everything. make it small, fish shaped,slow. need a new soundtrack, font, aesthetic. need a bob dylan.#cm09 11:14 AM Feb 21st

·  Saul Griffith: we need an heirloom culture #cm09 11:17 AM Feb 21st

·  Saul Griffith: I’m an earth fucker and so are you, #cm09 11:19 AM Feb 21st

·  Saul Griffith: http://www.wattzon.com/ #cm09 11:20 AM Feb 21st

·  Saul Griffith: soon to be born child going to kick ninja ass #cm09 11:23 AM Feb 21st

·  Saul Griffith: the planet is the new design client. #cm09 11:25 AM Feb 21st

·  HR + PR does not equal CSR 11:55 AM Feb 21st    

·  Emily Pilloton #cm09 1. what>how (sustainability=human+environment) 1:59 PM Feb 21st

·  Emily Pilloton #cm09 2. the other 90% is next door (local+global) 2:00 PM Feb 21st

·  Emily Pilloton #cm09 3. always bring pom-poms (and a picket signs) 2:00 PM Feb 21st

·  Emily Pilloton #cm09 4. scalable systems, not stuff (take the product out of product design) 2:01 PM Feb 21st

·  Emily Pilloton #cm09 5. 2 (thousand) heads are better than one (the more the merrier) 2:02 PM Feb 21st

·  Emily Pilloton #cm09 6. more cattle, less hat (stop talking and just do it) 2:03 PM Feb 21st

·  whats the opportunity for graphic design, asks Makower..needs to play a bigger role. 2:05 PM Feb 21st

·  Emily Pilloton #cm09 started project H with 400$ in her bank 2:08 PM Feb 21st

·  take the poll http://tinyurl.com/coebq5 2:10 PM Feb 21st

·  Watching Pam Dorr short film “Housing Hope” 2:15 PM Feb 21st

·  John Bielenberg and Pam Dorr #cm09 spoke on Project M, and some amazing housing projects. 2:17 PM Feb 21st        

·  John Bielenberg wants you to think “wrong” so you can find solutions. Inspired by Sambo rural studios and a beautiful mind. 2:19 PM Feb 21st

·  John Bielenberg #cm09, breakthroughs happen in your late 20’s-he is inspired by grad/students. 2:22 PM Feb 21st     

·  #cm09 project M: think wrong http://www.projectmlab.com/ 2:23 PM Feb 21st

·  #cm09 project H http://www.projecthdesign.com/ 2:25 PM Feb 21st

·  all speakers at #cm09 stress the importance of serendipity in the process 2:30 PM Feb 21st

·  Dawn Danby #cm09 takes an interdisciplinary perspective on responsible design 2:38 PM Feb 21st

·  Dawn Danby #cm09 concerned with the small size of sustainable design social network 2:41 PM Feb 21st

·  Dawn Danby #cm09 asks “are we not educating our designers correctly?” this is my research question (fashion designers) 2:45 PM Feb 21st

·  Dawn Danby #cm09 “1. be cool w/ paradox 2. learn the local language 3. reconsider work worth doing 4. YOUR CLIENT IS THE PLANET” 2:46 PM Feb 21st

·  Dawn Danby #cm09 talking: sustainability is not a communist plot…semantics are crucial here. **YES!** 2:54 PM Feb 21st

·  Dawn Danby #cm09 designers are looking for direction-but they still need to understand the numbers in product lifecycle analysis 3:01 PM Feb 21st

·  Dawn Danby-if your client is the planet…then it’s on you to figure out how to solve the problems that weve got and how to pay for it 3:03 PM Feb 21st

·  Dawn Danby #cm09 “we need to get rid of our specialness” and open it up to others, interdisciplinary partnerships 3:04 PM Feb 21st

·  Nathan Shedroff #cm09 is about to tell us what we can do Monday morning, when we wake up at work with all of this. 3:08 PM Feb 21st

·  Nathan Shedroff #cm09 conservative = conservation start the ‘conservative’ movement with the actual definition 3:15 PM Feb 21st

·  Nathan Shedroff #cm09 don’t use green… use blue… it comes off more effective in business (without being too ‘environmental’) 3:17 PM Feb 21st

·  Nathan Shedroff #cm09 OH… and use the work capital *this business advice is awesome* 3:18 PM Feb 21st

·  Nathan Shedroff #cm09 use some sustainable frameworks: 1. lifecycle analysis 3:19 PM Feb 21st

·  2. natural capitalism (eco- efficiency).. 3:20 PM Feb 21st

·  3. cradle to cradle 3:20 PM Feb 21st    

·  4. “natural step” (trademarked) 3:21 PM Feb 21st

·  5. biomimicry 3:21 PM Feb 21st

·  (the point here is that these frameworks are all incomplete…they do not cover social, financial and environmental) 3:22 PM Feb 21st

·  6. Datschefski’s “Total Beauty” 3:23 PM Feb 21st

·  7. social return on investment (SROI)*very difficult to quantify* 3:24 PM Feb 21st

·  8. (last one) sustainability helix 3:24 PM Feb 21st     

·  Nathan Shedroff #cm09 wants you to bring the frameworks together for a good place to start..overlap them to cover all ground 3:25 PM Feb 21st

·  Nathan Shedroff #cm09 wants you to design for use be the ‘apple’ and lead the way the challenge is on your compeditor will do it if you dont 3:27 PM Feb 21st

·  Nathan Shedroff #cm09 wants you to design for dematerialization (all the way back) the whole lifecycle 3:29 PM Feb 21st

·  Nathan Shedroff #cm09 wants you to think about material substitution. **in the context of fibre (textiles) diversify and substitute** 3:31 PM Feb 21st

·  Nathan Shedroff #cm09 wants you to think local, to decrease transport. not always a good idea though. 3:32 PM Feb 21st

·  transmaterialization, Nathan Shedroff #cm09, and informationalization, are more sustainable (still have impact) 3:33 PM Feb 21st

·  Nathan Shedroff #cm09: next, design for durability (did i miss one? oops) 3:35 PM Feb 21st

·  design with multifuction in mind, design for reuse: Nathan Shedroff #cm09 3:36 PM Feb 21st

·  design for disassembly (Rickshaw zero bag example) http://www.rickshawbags.com/# 3:38 PM Feb 21st

·  Nathan Shedroff #cm09: redesign the system (Curitiba, Brazil, example) 3:39 PM Feb 21st

·  Nathan Shedroff #cm09 wants us to find new models, economic models suck (ex. GDP and GPI measurements) 3:41 PM Feb 21st

·  Nathan Shedroff #cm09 said DONT USE PVC!!!!!! YES!!!! http://tinyurl.com/bftk4d *thank you!!* 3:42 PM Feb 21st

·  How is this a debate, again? why are these shoes being sold as “sustainable” http://tinyurl.com/b4tnaf I wish i new more about PVC 3:46 PM Feb 21st

·  Joel Makower asks about green marketing #cm09 3:47 PM Feb 21st

·  #cm09 Joel Makower wants gree to equal better. work around the dogma. remember the business case, here. 3:51 PM Feb 21st

·  #cm09 question asked “the planet is your client” is an internal conversation? Ans. sometimes. sometimes we have to talk around the subject. 3:55 PM Feb 21st

·  Joel Makower #cm09 stories through design can/should/will integrate head and heart in the discussion 4:02 PM Feb 21st

·  AIGA #cm09 http://sustainability.aiga…. 4:04 PM Feb 21st

Emily Pilloton talks responsible design

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I just wondered onto this site from David Muro II ‘s blog, and wanted to post the link here. It is a video of Emily Pilloton speaking on ‘social minded product design’ at the Metropolis Conference. Pilloton was one of the quest speakers presenting this past  Saturday at Compostmodern09 on her work as founder of Project H. Check out the video; these are product design concepts that need to be discussed in fashion design courses. They are interdisciplinary and the cross-over to fashion students is a necessary step toward sustainable fashion design.

emilypillotonlecture

The video link is embedded in the photo.

Or, follow this link to listen to Emily Pilloton talk about her work at Project H

FIBERcast tweet along

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The first FIBERcast, featuring Dr. Marsha Dickson and Mr. Doug Cahn, took place today, February 23, 2008. The broadcast was hosted by Dr. Hye-Shin Kim, of the University of Delaware, and focused on “Social Responsibility in the Apparel Industry”.

 

For those not following on Twitter, here are my live tweets of the event: searchable under #fibercast, #csr and #sr

 

·  Dr. Marsha Dickson # fibercast: monitoring become the standard, but often does not provide solutions. new book http://tinyurl.com/aqb85w about 2 hours ago

·  #fibercast problems are complex and widespread/freedom of association/forced labour/discrimination/child labour about 2 hours ago

·  Environmental responsibility does not just have to do with fiber choice. remember the whole life cycle analysis/ #fibercast about 2 hours ago

·  CSR to Mr. Doug Cahn# fibercast is about looking at the impact, to mitigate the negative, and augment the possitive about 2 hours ago

·  Doug Cahn #fibercast http://thecahngroup.com/ about 2 hours ago

·  #csr is not an add-on, its a core issue, supplychain for an apparel company..pay your workers the legal limit, at least make up short fall about 2 hours ago

·  disctinction between compliant and non-compliant/the industry is aflling short. yes there is cost, but also have a business case (save$)#csr about 2 hours ago

·  #csr #fibercast Dr. Marsha Dickson Answers Q. on WRAP factory certification is important but not the answer http://tinyurl.com/bjckwu about 1 hour ago

·  limitations of factory monitoring asks “what?” not “why?” and quality of auditing can be lacking…provides only ‘snapshop’ #csr #fibercast about 1 hour ago

·  # fibercast #csr #recession: Cahn finds opportunity in downturn for better integration/restructuring interdepartmental thinking opportunity about 1 hour ago

·  #csr #fibercast Dickson: consumer difference perceptions from behaviour. no real ‘no sweat’ label, cannot ensure compliance about 1 hour ago

·  #csr #fibercast Dickson believes to look for honest companies working toward real change #nike #adidas (ex) about 1 hour ago

·  # fibercast #csr Cahn: government can play a voluntary role, also use trade agreement..ensure internationally approved standards on imports about 1 hour ago

·  # fibercast #csr Cahn check out fairlabor.org for opperations and http://www.sa-intl.org/ about 1 hour ago

·  # fibercast #csr Cahn, small/med. company: ask questions again and again, collaboration fairfactories.org about 1 hour ago

·  #csr #fibercast Dickson stresses importance of multi-stakeholder initiatives and also ngo’s light the fire under companies about 1 hour ago

·  #csr #fibercast Dickson to students: we need to educate students on #sr in graduate program, but also integrated into undergrad class about 1 hour ago

·  #csr #fibercast #sr Dickson http://tinyurl.com/b3ep9u about 1 hour ago

 

Weekly Round-up…

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New edition of fibre, this edition is focused on China.

Treehugger rounds up the eco fashion scene at New York Fashion Week, here.

An article from The MailOnline talks more about the horrible quality of fast fashion….hey, have you taken the poll from a few weeks back? Don’t tell me your clothes have never malfunctioned!

Greenloop offers a promotional sale up to 75% off (they really just mean an additional 25%).

 

Now it’s time to move on to much greener pastures: London Fashion Week.

 

The British Fashion Council (BFC) launches 6th season of estethica today, Feb 20th. Care to read the press release? The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is set to launch a Sustainable Clothing Action Plan off of London Fashion Week. This post from the guardian provided that spoiler alert. Furthermore, it turns out that actor Colin Firth owns an eco shop in London, Eco Age (it’s linked, but the site doesn’t seem to be working). It is launching 12 Degrees pop-up shop, collaboration between Lucy Siegle (the guardian), fashion designer Orsola de Castro (estethica) and Jocelyn Whipple. Exciting stuff.

 

Getting Back to Mr. Darcy…

FEI and EFF upcoming events

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I wrote earlier on the upcoming Fashioning an Ethical Industry Conference: Putting ethics into practice. It is an event that I am really looking forward to, as this year’s theme is well aligned with my research question (thesis due March 31st, Yikes!). There are lots of events going on at this time through both FEI and the Ethical Fashion Forum (EFF). Please check out these other three events:

 

Fashion+
Fashion+

 

Fashion plus workshops and masterclasses 

The Ethical Fashion Forum is running a seminar series called “Spotlight on Sourcing”, as part of their Fashion+ project, focused on how fashion can change lives.  The series includes:

Ongoing from 20th January 2009

1. Evening seminars on the 3rd Tuesday of every month (excluding fashion weeks) featuring presentations by leading practitioners and experts, updates from suppliers, and structured networking.

2. Masterclasses for smaller groups, going into more depth on each of the issues raised by seminars. Run by experts and practitioners. Masterclasses allow you to focus and work through sourcing challenges faced by your business.

 

This event information was taken directly from the FEI Events page, here.

 

Garment factory worker in Bangladesh, FEI, Credit Clean Clothes Campaign
Garment factory worker in Bangladesh, FEI, Credit Clean Clothes Campaign

 

9th March 2009

Open FEI workshops and staff training in Scotland

Staff Training 10.30am – 1.00pm and Student Workshop 2.00 – 4.00pm at Edinburgh College of Art.

Staff Training: This session is a unique opportunity for tutors and support staff at higher or further education instiutions to explore poor working conditions in the garment industry and learn how to integrate ethical issues into course curricula and student’s projects. This session will include presentations from Bangladeshi speakers about their work improving conditions for garment workers in Bangladesh and Liz Parker, FEI project coordinator and a co-editor of ‘Sustainable Fashion: A Handbook for Educators’, discussing different approaches to teaching ethical issues for a wide range of disciplines from design to fashion business and marketing. 

Student Workshop: This session will give students the opportunity to hear about working conditions in the garment industry and explore how the lives of workers could be positively transformed by changing the way the fashion industry currently operates.   

 

This event information was taken directly from this FEI Events page, here.

Ethical and Eco Fashion Show
Ethical and Eco Fashion Show
 
 
3rd April 2009

Ethical and Eco Fashion Show

Come and see some of the best in ‘eco’ and ‘ethical’ design including Howies, Enamore, Myella, SI:SU and Gringo at the National Waterfront Museum, Swansea on the 3rd April 2009 from 6 to 9.30pm. Tickets cost £4.50 for adults and £3.00 for concessions and can be purchased from Swansea Environmental Centre, Pier Street, Swansea, SA1 1RY or call 01792480200. All proceeds from this event will go to Fashioning an Ethical Industry and Swansea Environmental Centre. 

 

Source: Posters and information from CSF, FEI and FEI, EFF