getting out of Dodge

Musing on nonprofits; it occurred to me that my credit union ( i left WaMu about a year before the failure as i didn't like what i was hearing) was a good use of a nonprofit and should be enhanced to support local start ups for ethical economics. Insurance could also be in the form of a nonprofit "pool " as both are part of the basic infrastructure for economics based on human values and not the old corporation focus where money is all that rules the bottom line.

In this existing (soon to be archaic) pattern, taking advantage of resources soon becomes exploiting for that equals power and power equals growth and growth means to gobble up other corporations. The bigger they get, the better they can exploit and so it goes, a virtual malignant tumor on the planet, degrading resources (humans included -think HR dept!) better and faster and ......

pouf!

Or we can decide to value clean water, air that is breathable, the natural beauty and myriad forms of life that enable this world to be our "home." Perhaps the wisdom to try and understand the whole of nature is the drug that will enable the cure that will help us realize what it is to be healthy. Healthy critters make better choices, are more creative, loving , forgiving, learn more and faster and.....

At least it would make for a great experiment!

trouble in Dodge

Love the look but hate the waste maker under drama
in this old Photoshop class assignment.

Does anyone else wonder why there are so many non-profits out there? All trying to bandage, clean up, cater to the symptoms and otherwise make for a patch up of the very thing that created most of the problems.
They are in fact dependent on the problem makers for that is where the money is, money they need to operate and so they beg. Another case of trickle down toxicity.
This is twisted.
To not address the fundamental disease of a bad system is to never cure the disease. The disease in this case mimics cancer and the host is the planet.
Stupid humans!

charming degrade

the more she wears it the better it gets
- notice the threads and tears that give this skirt personality

dressing for yourself, jewelry artist style
PS i lost your name, please email me if you see this
as credits are important!

last weekend i was selling my vintage clothing and textile collection out of a couple of dedicated rooms in my parent's house. This sales approach started with collectibles, went on to the textiles and the next one is records, cds, books and crafts.

the surprise has been that it feels more like a house party than a store and we are meeting the greatest people.

i highly recommend this way of promoting the re-use of goods. Also it is a boost to the local economy and in this case, the fashionRIP Project.

PS i am losing capital letters purposefully, just for the fun and balancing of it. ( gaining sustainable capital on one side which is offset by losing unnecessary capital on the other...hmmmm)

Memorial Day

at the Seattle Folklife Festival i ran into my friend Michael. We met at the Sanctuary Art Center.
Ever the stylist he shows how first hand imagination can rework second hand duds. Michael you are fabulous!

Ethical Fashions Twist

i have a friend getting his masters in Occupational Therapy and we got to talking about designing for physical issues. I was wondering how many designers thought about it and today came across Chris Ambraisse founder and designer of A&K Classics in the Eco Fashion World e-letter.

About 15 years ago my mother made a dress for a young girl with an enlarged heart that caused a hump in her little back and expanded her chest. The mother just wanted her daughter to have a pretty dress. I never thought i would revisit this memory under these circumstances but in the new definition of fashion, it certainly has a place.

i am taking on a new challenge. This one is to do a presentation/lecture for SCCC that will be delivered Fall Quarter. The theme for the class that quarter is body and spirit and i was asked to develop my talk on sustainable fashion with that in mind. The topic is larger than the umbrella issues i was planning to talk about, but accepting the path as it unfolds enlightens in surprising ways.

recycle that Styrofoam

In a Bergdorf window last March. The styrofoam chandelier is similar to the tea cup and saucer one hanging at MOMA...coincidence or repurposeful repurposing of a recycle idea. It gets so confusing....but looks good!

Coca Cola and Eco fashion

Earth Day at North Seattle Community College

Wow, just saw the ads Google put up on this blog. Eco Fashion from recycled plastic Coke bottles is not eco friendly and not sustainable and not endorsed by this blog!!

That the Coca Cola company is jumping to the green ethos is a little late (forgivable) and absurdly unjustifiable (not forgivable!) No amount of recycling compensates for using plastics in the volume we have been conditioned to accept. Making these bottles and then recycling them uses a lot of energy and i just heard (from my dad) that the emissions from the recycling process are big on airborne toxins. Add this up and in the end you have a shirt that will not break down when worn out, thereby adding zero value back to our soils as organic matter would.

In fact that tee shirt will possibly outlast all of us if we continue in this insanity - greenwashing business as usual is obscene!

Earth day GRRRRRRRilla Marketing

against vending machines. Please visit the fashionRIP blog for the story.

Frou Frou sucks!

Aw yes,
as Nicola Woods a former student of the London College of Fashion responded to our international face off with olde fashionality

"We are fighting the same battle and from the same corner it would seem. As a designer, my aim is to prove that ethical can be sexy and you do not have to compromise on style, just because you are looking out for the environment and the people who have made what you are wearing.

...We will get there and I can see a definite movement happening in London, which has removed the Frou Frou and *air kissing* ( sweetie darling style) and replaced it with innovation and like minded designers and individuals, who look out for each other as they share a long term vision. It’s very exciting."

Her Beautiful Soul label suits her.

across the waves

Update on Euro Eco fashion from a talented designer who participated in the Fashioning the Future Summit 08 discussions.

Elena Garcia's Autumn/Winter Collection was inspired by Queen Victoria and socialite Daphne Guinness and has a Victorian Punk 'tude.

I had a lot going on this winter so i am apologizing for not posting this in a more timely manner. However these clothes are seasonless, as black is always tasteful when made in a sustainable manner.

FIT

This large mural of mixed mediums was in front of the Fashion Institute of Technology.....reUse theme and vintage display inside.....wonder how deep the green goes in the interior?

Green Festival

I volunteered for BALLE a local indy/entrepreneurial business support group. This gave me time to traipse through the fashion and fiber stalls. I found a really great interior textile design shop called LIVE Textiles. The work was contemporary, stylish and offers a dye to match service.

The largest fiber segment was about the knits in dirt dyed tones with silk screening ... a plus from no details (well sometimes!) Clothes for yoga and clothes for casual wear were nice but hemp, bamboo and organic cotton tee wear is a small slice of the fashion orb.

After being excited by Euro design, this was quite a letdown.

Actually one group had some altered knit sweaters that were fairly interesting and Revival Inks had a great post card and some nice screen designson their their tees and hoodies. They use water soluble inks which are earth friendly according to current think (all concepts are subject to change as information is added- so now these open endings are my faves)