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From Time magazine
http://www.time.com/time/2004/innovators/200401/kim.html
The Organic Designer
Wearing of the Green
By SORA SONG
Posted Tuesday, February 17, 2003
A lot of environmentalists work in bold strokes, saving a species
or blocking a dam, but Christina Kim operates in a more subtle way. The
fashion designer weaves an eco-friendly philosophy into all her
creations. "I am less interested in some really grandiose idea of how
I'm going to save the environment," says Kim. "Ultimately, we have to
look at how we spend one day." Kim and her clothing-and-housewares
company, Dosa, do a lot of little green things that add up. She will
make fleece jackets and recycle the remnant material—even collecting
other companies' leftovers—as stuffing for poufs in her
home-furnishings line. She has made a mission of promoting the
"imperfect white"—keeping cotton its natural color, a creamy off-white,
instead of using harmful chemical bleaches. "It's more beautiful to
wear different shades of white," she says. When she colors her fabrics,
she often dips them in natural dyes, such as indigo, cochineal (a
scarlet pigment produced by a parasite that lives on cacti) and fustic
(a yellow dye drawn from a tropical tree). She employs cream of tartar
instead of toxic chemical binders to fuse pigments to textiles. It's
more expensive, but "I deal with a high-end market," says Kim, "so I
can choose to use things that are environmentally much friendlier."
Dosa, with a store in New York City and galleries in Los Angeles and
London, sells goods that are good-hearted but not cheap: its
hand-embroidered Bali blouse costs $680.
The designer also uses organically grown wools in addition to
handloomed cottons. "In fashion, we're much more interested in the end
product, the few moments of glory on the runway," Kim says. "For me, it
is the making of one garment [that's important]—it goes through so many
hands, I feel responsible for those people." Last year she provided the
livelihood for some 500 women in the Assam region of India who spun eri
silk by hand for Dosa. Eri silk comes from cocoons in the wild and is
harvested only after the silk moth has broken free. Kim uses it undyed
and buys only what's available naturally. "As our modern society grows,
we're losing human touches," she says. "I want the wearer of my clothes
to feel someone's energy, someone's hand, someone's warmth."
From Time magazine
http://www.time.com/time/2004/innovators/200401/kim.html
The Organic Designer
Wearing of the Green
By SORA SONG
Posted Tuesday, February 17, 2003
A lot of environmentalists work in bold strokes, saving a species
or blocking a dam, but Christina Kim operates in a more subtle way. The
fashion designer weaves an eco-friendly philosophy into all her
creations. "I am less interested in some really grandiose idea of how
I'm going to save the environment," says Kim. "Ultimately, we have to
look at how we spend one day." Kim and her clothing-and-housewares
company, Dosa, do a lot of little green things that add up. She will
make fleece jackets and recycle the remnant material—even collecting
other companies' leftovers—as stuffing for poufs in her
home-furnishings line. She has made a mission of promoting the
"imperfect white"—keeping cotton its natural color, a creamy off-white,
instead of using harmful chemical bleaches. "It's more beautiful to
wear different shades of white," she says. When she colors her fabrics,
she often dips them in natural dyes, such as indigo, cochineal (a
scarlet pigment produced by a parasite that lives on cacti) and fustic
(a yellow dye drawn from a tropical tree). She employs cream of tartar
instead of toxic chemical binders to fuse pigments to textiles. It's
more expensive, but "I deal with a high-end market," says Kim, "so I
can choose to use things that are environmentally much friendlier."
Dosa, with a store in New York City and galleries in Los Angeles and
London, sells goods that are good-hearted but not cheap: its
hand-embroidered Bali blouse costs $680.
The designer also uses organically grown wools in addition to
handloomed cottons. "In fashion, we're much more interested in the end
product, the few moments of glory on the runway," Kim says. "For me, it
is the making of one garment [that's important]—it goes through so many
hands, I feel responsible for those people." Last year she provided the
livelihood for some 500 women in the Assam region of India who spun eri
silk by hand for Dosa. Eri silk comes from cocoons in the wild and is
harvested only after the silk moth has broken free. Kim uses it undyed
and buys only what's available naturally. "As our modern society grows,
we're losing human touches," she says. "I want the wearer of my clothes
to feel someone's energy, someone's hand, someone's warmth."
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