Tokyo Fashion

vintage kimono print

The re-sell of kimonos was hot 400 years ago and today street wear is all over vintage and reclaimed "American" clothing.

The Spank girls are liking pink hair, 80's disco and punk splashed with cute.

Fashion is about self expression and Tokyo style that's pulled from the used markets is vibrant with personality, current and chic....making fashion as usual vapid and declasse.

Ragamuffin Wreath

First step is to locate a wire coat hanger and pull it out of shape to form a circle of sorts.

This is great as the hanger has that natural hook to hang the wreath when you are done, just squinch it a bit .

I used old sheets though any old fabric can work. (I used sheets for muslins so clients saved them for me)

Rip it into strips aproximately 1.5 inches by 7" then tie each strip onto the hanger base, starting next to the hook. If you want less flop - make the strips shorter etc. Okay now just keep going until you cover the hanger. Make sure you push the ties up tight against the one that went before.

I forget how many strips it took, suffice to say it takes plenty.

Then tie on a few ornaments. i used old metal ones from a rummage sale. The wire edged bow covers up the hook.

When you are satisfied with the look of your wreath, it is time to stop.

Happy Winter Solstice to You and the Ones You Hold Dear

fashion waste

equals lost carbons...ie carbons spewed into the atmosphere with negative values attached.

The production of the garment takes energy - the manufacturing plants where weaving, dyeing cutting, assembling and sewing the fabric take place are energy suckers. The fiber crops as well as synthetic fiber production all take energy before and after the processing. Getting all the pieces together via various transpotation means before it even gets to that manufacturer takes lots of energy!

I am not going to bring up the slave labor conditions in much of this nor the callous abuse of resources like water and soils because it is huge mongous; and deserves its own headlines.

If the garment is part of an over run then carbons are emitted getting rid of the thing and there is absolutely zero real value added. (this gets tricky as labor/pay needs factoring in as a plus but then the game of illusions enters the scene)

OK Lets face it; our economic model is a spoilt brat. The brat has survived by tossing the majority a few crumbs as it plays the game of victory and spoils. NO MORE!!! We are wiser, techier, more communicative and full of spirit. We are going a different route. The curtain is down and the brat is visible.

Co-op anyone?

Please take a few minutes for Cap and Trade a great short on the Global Warming Summit

Thanks to

at SCCC lecture on sustainable fashion

- change is in our hands

on screen-Kimmi Designs at Sustainable Ballard Festival Sept. '09

everyone working to make earth the home we feel welcome in.

Montana 1 for fashionRIP

Re-use and renmnant skirt. The perk of having been in custom biz means i have a lot of left over fabrics. The pain of being in custom is those bits and pieces are stacked in crates everywhere!

Collective UK

Tammam website

-Bespoke collection

Jane dress

Have been learning about the Conscious Design Collective which was founded by Lucy Tammam. She is an eco aware designer that saw the best way to boost sustainable fashion was to organize. The collective started in 2008 and has 8 members that really get involved with putting on the shows (striving for 2 a year) though other sustainable designers are invited to participate.

" being part of the CDC allows us to share costs for Fashion Shows etc. Its also a good way for combining contacts." says Nicola of Beautiful Soul.

Lucy started Tamman her own label in 2007 and sees the collective as a good thing but says it needs a full time director to be really effective.

Well Seattle i am ready to try it here. Contact Kimmi Designs or email me,

x

the Victoria and Albert Museum

lecture oct 28th at SCCC -mom needs a tripod

along with people from the London College of Fashion joined forces to talk about ethical fashion October 27th..
Designers Sarah Ratty of Ciel, Christian Kemp-Griffin from Edun and Matilda Lee from the Ecologist were the guest speakers and the question of the day was “is green still the new black?”
The discussion was pointed towards trade and labor practices in the industry. The full house showed that people are aware and concerned.

However right now cheap clothing sales are rising. Quality and personal style are lost in the propaganda of a throw away world. Trouble is that when we throw away this world we pretty much go with it!

ignorance isn't bliss- its now just tacky denial.

Lecture -Free Fun

Feathered friends

The Lacey Act of 1900 was passed to stop the killing of 1oos of thousands of birds, including entire breeding colonies of over 10,000 as the feather fad boomed into the 1850s. Marie Antionette puportedly wore a feather plumed headdress during the reign of Louis the XVI which ignited the trend.

However she never said "let then eat cake."

Fast Fact

Success is not excess!
Every year there is $100 billion to $1.5 trillion in over supply of goods- the worst being non-perishable foods, seasonal clothing, consumer electronics and other consumer packaged goods. (that's a lot of packaging waste as well)

Excess inventory represents 7% of annual revenues in the apparel segment.

This results in corporation losses as well as extra environmental impact as this overstock must still be transported and warehoused. Add this to the initial manufacturing costs, its a big price to pay for garbage!

Words to Sentences

Monster Shop Shoot at the SB Fest

Kim and i started on the path to organize the reFashionists, the recycouturiers, upcyklers, altClothiers and the slew of eco and green designers....in order to help each other with information, do shows, buy bulk (great for the tee trade) and generally get the word out that we are the leaders in fashionable change. (and to get some language down )

Sustainable fashion is a treasure chest of possibilities. Our choices in spending and earning, in work and play influence the larger picture. As we educate each other about the connective reality of life and forgive the lack of knowledge that got us to the edge of disasters, we will participate less and less in the old madness. If we see the alt path clearly, we will follow it.

Sustainable Clothing is a choice that can be independent of the wastemaking cult right now! The new designers and the new textiles are making it easier every day. As we enable research and economic viability for the changes to continue and grow, they will.

And that is a very good thing.

fast fact

Between 8-10 million tons of textile waste goes to landfills every year. That's a lot of material garbage.