A sustainable approach to fashion is a growing design philosophy that involves creating systems of production that are underpinned by environmental and social responsibility.
In India, where sweatshops and child labour are widespread, local start-ups like Upsana Studio, No Nasties and Metaphor Racha, are adopting an eco-philosophy and creating forward-thinking fashion brands based on these values.
More: 3 Indian clothing brands spearheading sustainable fashion | Design Indaba
Could High Tech Fabrics Transform Fashion’s Impact on Climate Change? | Kristie Wang
In response to the staggering amount of global clothing waste, tech is starting to catch up on the fabric recycling front. While only 20 percent of cotton is typically re-usable from old clothing (due to the length and quality of the fibers degrading through reclamation processes), companies like Re:newcell and Pure Waste Textiles are developing ways to improve the quality of recycled cotton. A recent startup, Evrnu, claims that it has created a recycled fabric that is as soft as silk and about the same price as organic cotton.
More here.
Outerknown, created by Kelly Slater,
eleven-time World Surf League champion, uses reclaimed fishing nets and other ocean waste materials to create nylon yarn, called ECONYL, that is then transformed into surf trunks and outerwear.
Kelly says:
I created Outerknown to smash the formula. To lift the lid on the traditional supply chain and prove that you can actually produce great looking menswear in a sustainable way…the last two years have been a huge eye-opener for me. It’s clear now just how challenging it is for any brand to put sustainability at the forefront of their business and I’m proud that we’re one of the few taking the lead.
Roots to Retail features the makers behind local fashion labels such as Ballo eyewear, Lalesso and The Joinery talking about the value of making clothes locally and the benefit for the consumer.
In 19th-Century Italy, the brothers Calamai began collecting secondhand wool garments, shredding them into strips, and selling them to factories to be re-spun into yarn. But as the boys became men, they began amassing mechanical equipment that they could use to re-process the wool themselves, and eventually opened their own reprocessing factory. Decades before anyone even knew what environmentalism was, the Calamais were pioneering the art and science of reclaiming materials.
Here in 2014 the successful Figli di Michelangelo Calamai is now run by the fourth generation of Calamais, and while factory technology has advanced, they still stick to the old principles: They reclaim the wool from old garments and scraps mechanically, not chemically, and minimize the need to re-dye by carefully sorting colors.
More: Recycling Wool the Hard Way, Since the 19th Century - Core77
Sadly, we missed this party — but the idea is still worth spreading! Whether it’s Patagonia or something else, why not celebrate what you already own?
This year from Patagonia comes Worn Wear initiative, launched just before the notorious Black Friday. The title of the campaign is “The Stories We Wear,” which is meant to remind us that clothes we already own become only more valuable with time, as they become part of the narrative of our life.
The campaign [took] place in 14 US cities (and at two places in New York City) and features a movie “Worn Wear,” a repair clinic, limited-edition beer, life music and food.
Elisabeth Lecourt recycles old maps and turns them into beautiful dresses and shirts. I don’t imagine they’re wearable, but they’d look lovely on the wall nevertheless.
I’m starting to feel bad for maps. But at least there are plenty of efforts to reuse them creatively: here are a bunch we’ve highlighted in the past.
Elisabeth Lecourt | Les robes géographiques: (via Dresses made from old maps - Boing Boing)
We’ve spotted an example of seat cushions upholstered with old belts, and have seen old suits turned into tote bags (here and here), and, now, there’s this:
Suits used as upholstery.
(photo via Good Ideas For You)
What do you think of this upcycling example?
Amy Twigger Holroyd approaches fashion with sharing in mind. In one project, she created garments that could be shared by friends with different body types. By making clothes that don’t constrict in places where people vary the most, a size six could potentially share her sweater with a size 16.
…
But Holroyd’s projects go beyond one-size-fits-all couture. Her PhD research on “fashion as a commons” is an exploration of how to democratize and disrupt the clothing industry. “If you’re not able to make, you’re dependent on buying,” she says. “And if you’re dependent on buying, you’re dependent on what those people [in the fashion industry] have chosen — the quality of it, the design of it, the aesthetic of it.”
And so, under the umbrella label Keep & Share, she teaches folks how to fix and knit their own clothing, creates and sells long-lasting, sharable clothing, and hacks into cheap knitwear to send a message about the industry.
An interesting, slow-fashion, collaborative consumption-type of idea, for sure.
Don’t Buy Those Expensive Jeans – Lease Them Instead
A new program in the Netherlands helps you eliminate wasteful spending on clothes. Instead of owning a pair of jeans for life, you can now just keep them for a year before you send them back to be recycled so you can try something new.
Companies normally use a leasing model for durable goods, such as cars or heavy machinery. But Dutch entrepreneur Bert van Son thinks it could have a role for other products, too–like jeans.
A few weeks ago, Van Son, who owns a small line called Mud Jeans, launched a new service allowing people to rent, rather than buy, his products. He figured that he might not make much money up-front. But it might allow him to gather valuable fabric after use, and perhaps cement loyalty with his customers.
More: Fast Company Co.Exist
Momo Wang’s Third-Hand UpCycle Collection is a brilliantly colorful example of what can be achieved with reusing found materials in fashion. Inspired by the “third hand” idea of French philosopher Derrida, Wang told Texprint of the 12-piece collection, “They were all made in my hometown Jinzhou in China. I bought all the clothes and materials from local second-hand markets there. The market is very cool.”
…
Wang finds upcycling to be a creative challenge: “The basic idea is to do what I can to refresh, renew, re-animate precious second-hand materials, and eventually deliver the beauty in them by my realization, and eventually have more and more people doing the same, or at least thinking similarly,” she says.
(via Momo Wang’s Third Hand Upcycled Collection: Inspired by Derrida · Eco-Chick)
H&M to encourage shoppers to recycle unwanted clothes … while rewarding them with discounts on purchases of new clothing?
From the Los Angeles Times:
Fast fashion retailer H&M wants your old clothes.
The Swedish clothier is rolling out a global initiative to encourage its shoppers to recycle unwanted outfits instead of throwing them in the trash, H&M said in a statement Thursday.
“Every year, tons of textiles are thrown out with domestic waste and end up in landfill. As much as 95% of these clothes could be used again; re-worn, reused or recycled — depending on the state of the garment,” H&M said.
H&M will accept clothing from any brand in any condition (now might be a good time to bring out the stained sweatshirts and dozens of cotton T-shirts). In return, the retailer will give shoppers vouchers for future H&M purchases (thereby providing fodder for future recycling trips). All H&M stores will start accepting used clothing in February.
This may help the retail giant to counter criticism that the rise of H&M and other fast fashion retailers such as Forever 21 has fueled shoppers, especially young ones, to treat clothing as disposable goods that can be chucked after wearing an outfit two or three times.
H&M is partnering with recycling company I:Collect, which will take the clothes to a sorting facility in Germany. There, the clothes will either be separated for re-use as apparel or sent on its way for a second life as rags, stuffing, padding and other purposes.
The retailer said its long-term goal is to “reduce the environmental impact of garments throughout the lifecycle.”
More in H&M’s press release here.
[Side note: Many of you might recall that H&M came under fire a couple of years ago for destroying and discarding unworn/unsold clothing.]
Related: Earlier this year, UK retailer Marks & Spencer launched a recycled clothing initiative, a.k.a. “shwopping,” meant to reduce the amount of clothing going to landfill. Items – any brands’ merchandise – dropped in M&S in-store drop boxes either get resold through Oxfam, or are repurposed or recycled. M&S recently announced the program will expand beyond its stores: clothing collection boxes will be available at some workplaces. M&S gives customers vouchers redeemable for discounts on future purchases.
Also: Clothing manufacturer Patagonia also accepts worn clothing – its own products – and provides drop boxes in stores. Through the company’s “Common Threads” program, some used Patagonia merchandise can be resold via eBay; items that are no longer wearable are recycled or repurposed.
What do you think about such clothing-collection initiatives? As a part of these programs, should customers be offered incentives, e.g., vouchers, to buy new clothes, or should they even be offered anything in return for their participation?
