Sustainable fashion

[Ahimsa]

Bodkin

"At Bodkin, we begin each collection by sourcing materials as mindfully as possible. This can mean certified organic fibers—virtually all of our cotton is organic. We employ innovative new fibers such as Tencel (a closed-loop textile from renewable eucalyptus pulp) and post-consumer recycled fibers. However, some materials, such as wool and cashmere, are difficult to find with organic certification, but are inherently more sustainable than agriculturally grown, water-intensive fibers. Other material suppliers focus on fair and owner-operated labor throughout the supply chain, and to Bodkin this qualifies as a better way of doing things. A mill may work with polyester but have instituted systems to dramatically reduce their carbon footprint. Dyeing is a lesser-known area in which the fashion industry is responsible for environmental degradation; we actively seek out and promote materials that use vegetable-based or zero-effluent dye processes. Each textile Bodkin uses is in some way produced more thoughtfully than today's norm. No fashion line can be perfect (and we avoid the terms "eco-friendly" and "green"), but we support people and businesses that are actively trying to be nice."


And yes, that is Lykke Li modeling.

[Ahimsa]

i have this one salvaged cotton sweater from Bodkin (i posted it somewhere at the very beginning of this thread) and it's a really great piece, so comfortable and well made. bought it from here - a very nice little web shop with incredibly friendly and kind seller!

I knew I heard of them somewhere before...XD
Sorry for the repost!
Thanks for the link though! Now if only I were a girl...=P

By the way, have you seen the new Jean Claude Van Damme anti-fur ad for GAIA? It will be on display in Brussels, Liege, Antwerp, Hasselt, Willebroek, and Maldegem and also the film festivals of Namur and Ghent.

[Ahimsa]

Mother of London by Mildred von Hildegard
Her stuff isn't organic as far as I know, but she uses vegan leather unless otherwise requested by a client.





(the rest of this particular set is here.)

[tg76]

curious, do the vegans wear silk, poor little worms, and shorn fibres that are from animals but do not harm them?

I am an advocate of sustainable fashion... I am also a textiles technology teacher so I get to taint my lessons with my social agenda.

Loving this thread will be back to actually contribute soon



this book is good

http://www.laurenceking.com/product/Eco+Fashion.htm

[tg76]

way down here every second designer claims to be sustainable or eco something, most of it is just sales pitching. However, some have made significant changes to their practice, usually taking a holistic view of all aspects of their business model as opposed to token gestures like putting out an organic cotton range while continuing to down bottled water and eat endangered fish. If you havent read a press release on them you wouldnt know they were greenies as their aesthetics have remained fundamentally the same. The most publicized lately is Kate Sylvester, found this blah blah about her at some aussie fashion thing with a couple of other eco aware labels... most of it looks like what you expect from an aus or nz fashion show not from greenies

http://www.thevine.com.au/fashion/rafw2011/rafw-and-sustainability-_-the-brave-three20110510.aspx

[tg76]

Rilu, youll be happy to know im putting most of my lovely students off ever wanting to wear silk because of the process, thats about 300 year 9 - 13 girls per year that might carry a conscious through to their shopping habits

[Ahimsa]

curious, do the vegans wear silk, poor little worms, and shorn fibres that are from animals but do not harm them?

I am an advocate of sustainable fashion... I am also a textiles technology teacher so I get to taint my lessons with my social agenda.

Loving this thread will be back to actually contribute soon



this book is good
http://www.laurenceking.com/product/Eco+Fashion.htm

Are you referring to the Peace Silk mentioned in Sass Brown's book? I personally have never encountered vegans using Peace Silk nor generally mentioning it, but I would not be surprised if there were those who used it as there are those who eat honey. (some people are more lenient about insects).

tg76: vegans usually don't use any products that are based on animal exploitation, so they don't use silk or wool (the removal of wool from sheep can be very painful for them, there is a lot of information about that process online).
i personally sometimes buy secondhand wool products, but not newly produced ones. silk as a product made of cooked worms especially disgusts me, so i'm usually not inclined to buy it secondhand either... i've heard though there is artificial slik production (and i don't mean cupra, but fibers that should be identical to slik, just not made of cooked worms), but i've never encountered it on the market. and there's also recycled silk.

I've dealt with it...I think I have some from...Korea maybe? It feels like silk but I'd really like to see what it looks like sheer.

Merz, (or anyone else with this knowledge) would you perchance know if Damir Doma's Silent line is still organic? I've been attempting to find the organic part mentioned as of late but with no luck =/
As rilu said, thanks for the Marvielab info! Shows how much I know XD

[Ahimsa]

I would like to note that Song for the Mute has been featured on How Big is You Eco? Stating, "Most pieces in the collection are made from all natural fabrics like silk, linen and tencel. Elsewhere, the business uses only recycled paper for everything from look books to order forms, which benefits the environment and fits in with Song For The Mute’s raw aesthetic."
As well as Chronicles of Never and Bassike.

[Ahimsa]

^Shoes eh? Well allow me to share some men's then =P.
NoHarm

I have a pair of their's...fits like a glove.

[Ahimsa]

I came across Bourgeois Bohème today, they have the classics and whatnot, but I found these to be quite interesting in how much they stood out compared to everything else.
(vegan as well)



sorry for the tiny image size

[ErnstLudwig]

(some people are more lenient about insects)

it's the brain, that makes a difference! ok normally worms are just not cute at all so why care...

I personally aren't found of silk because of other reasons: not durable/robust & the cleaning process is inefficient (in fact I only buy wool products which survive the washing machine)

[Ahimsa]

it's the brain, that makes a difference! ok normally worms are just not cute at all so why care...

I personally aren't found of silk because of other reasons: not durable/robust & the cleaning process is inefficient (in fact I only buy wool products which survive the washing machine)

There are actually "vegans" who eat oysters based on that they have no central nervous system, hence feel no pain.(They're also pretty environmentally sound).
I think some worms are pretty cute though...

I would lump velvet in there with silk as hard to maintain, but I mean who really wears velvet nowadays?

But I do like that prevailing logic of yours: will the washing machine destroy this?

[Ahimsa]

I give you, Ultra 10
"A ten piece wardrobe for 365 days.

The ULTRA 10 is made of modular and interchangable pieces like a 4-in-1 Coat/Dress/Jacket/Skirt and a 2-in-1 Jacket/Vest.

Made of recycled and natural-blend materials, you may return the ULTRA 10 at the end of each year for upcycling – and in return receive a fresh supply at discounted rates."


The collection can be purchased here. It's quite affordable actually.
I will say though that it reminds me a bit of Rad Hourani with the zipper idea.

[Ahimsa]

Just so no one can say he wasn't mentioned here, Geoffrey B. Small, and a link to his thread here, because hey, why not?

Though I would like to raise a somewhat unrelated question. Why is organic cotton not used by the higher end designers as opposed to traditional cotton? Such a large amount of insecticides and pesticides surely impair the quality thereof. All of the chemicals and lack of rotational cycles weaken the soil and the cotton as a whole thus producing an inferior product.
I could also ask why bamboo isn't used as widely as it should be as well but that's a story for another day.

[ErnstLudwig]

Such a large amount of insecticides and pesticides surely impair the quality thereof. All of the chemicals and lack of rotational cycles weaken the soil and the cotton as a whole thus producing an inferior product.

From a biological point of view: no. pesticides only have no effect on plants itself, therefore no effect on the quality of the cotton. However it can happen that you select for insects or other plants that are resistant against the substance and then get contamination/pests that might get difficult to get rid of...

About bamboo, I have no experience about the longevity of the derived products. But generally I think the requirements of the bamboo plant (climate and nutrient wise) is limiting the widespread cultivation (they grow so slow that it isn't cost-effective).