Repainting old wooden furniture must be deeply satisfying...

Yarn maker opens facility in Yadkinville

RICHARD CRAVER, JOURNAL REPORTER, Winston-Salem Journal
Winston-Salem Journal (North Carolina)
May 5, 2011


Unifi Inc. hopes that its new $8 million Repreve recycling center will not only help sustain the company's return to profitability, but also set the standard for the textile industry.

On Monday, the Greensboro-based yarn manufacturer began running two extrusion lines around-the-clock at the 50,000-square-foot facility on its Yadkinville complex.

"Sustainability is a conscious commitment, and this center is a perfect example of how research and development and reinvestment can work for this industry in this country," Bill Jasper, the chairman and chief executive of Unifi, said Wednesday at the grand opening of the center.

At full production, the center expects to convert about 42 million pounds of recycled products a year -- 31 million pounds of post-consumer plastic bottles and 11 million pounds of post-industrial fiber and fabric waste -- into chips for use in its Repreve polyester yarn.

Reaching that level would result in 900 million plastic bottles being recycled and the equivalent of 16 million gallons of gasoline not being required to make virgin polyester and nylon, the company said.


Read the rest of the article: http://www.waste-management-world.com/index/from-the-wires/wire-news-display/1412371595.html

Persuasive Design + Branding vs. Conversion in Online Fashion Retail

Persuasive design - Usability is a commodity

View more presentations from Pieter Jongerius

 

Persuasive design - Flirt met je klanten from Pieter Jongerius on Vimeo.

 

Branding vs conversion in online Fashion retail

View more presentations from Pieter Jongerius

Between the Threads: Jamie talks Eco Index

Between the Threads: Jamie talks Eco Index

Plastic = Doom

 

From: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/travel-outdoors/the-pacific-garbage-patch-explained.html

Also see: http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/addicted-plastic/

(Even the preview will totally set alarms bells off in your head.)

Are we doomed? What can be done? Can we ever be free of plastic?
HOW can Generation X and Y fix this disgusting legacy of the Baby Boomers and their elders?

Is it even possible?

“I’m inspired. Now what?” – A Beginner’s Guide to Social Change

The Creative Activist Toolkit

View more presentations from Charles Tsai

Six Habits of SOCIAL Entrepreneurs

View more presentations from Charles Tsai

From: http://socialcreatives.org/2011/04/im-inspired-now-what/

Author: Charles Tsai 

Charles Tsai is a journalist, writer, speaker and consultant for social entrepreneurs. He's also the creator of SOCIAL Creatives, a new framework to understand and practice social entrepreneurship through six key best practices.

Suzanne Lee @TED

Where will you get your organic cotton from? | The Ethical Fashion Source

"Organic cotton production rises, but supply is still tight. Textile Exchange reports a 15% rise: India, Syria and Turkey lead.

Designers wishing to align their work with increasing consumer demand for the quality and luxury feel of organic cotton have to re-think their buying strategy – supplies of organic cotton are getting tight, and the leading sustainable textile organization is urging designers, brands and retailers to get closer to the growers. Textile Exchange says that working direct is the best way to ensure continued supplies with an ethical, organic growing and production chain..."


Continue reading: Where will you get your organic cotton from? | The Ethical Fashion Source

Gorgeous Jacinta

Jacinta wears the upcycled electric violet tunic made from a second-hand 100% polyester tank top and ombre-dyed Thai silk scarf (also second-hand), trimmed with finger-knitted acrylic yarn cording...

FUEL: the documentary

From: http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/fuel/#disqus_thread

Greed is Not a Virtue by David Korten | Common Dreams

"We humans are living out an epic morality play. For millennia humanity’s most celebrated spiritual teachers have taught that society works best and we all enjoy our greatest joy and fulfillment when we share, cooperate, and are honest in our dealings with one another.

But for the past few decades, this truth has been aggressively challenged by a faith called market fundamentalism - an immoral and counter-factual economic ideology that has assumed the status of a modern state religion. Its believers worship the God of money. Stock exchanges and global banks are their temples. They proclaim that everyone does best when we each seek to maximize our individual financial gain without regard to the consequences for others.

In the eyes of a market fundamentalist, to sacrifice profit for some presumed social or environmental good is immoral. The result is a public culture that proclaims greed is a virtue and sharing is a sin..."

Continue reading...http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/04/06-0

New Life for the Art of Lace-Making - WSJ.com

New Life for the Art of Lace-Making - WSJ.com

Lace is certainly a specialty fabrication where perhaps the less mass-produced, the more precious it is. In this case, handcrafting in the production process has not yet been adequately replicated/replaced by the machine.

There is also a marked difference between the authentic French/Swiss-produced versions and the stuff produced elsewhere, but perhaps only fabrication nuts would spot this? Perhaps one day Chinese manufacturers will catch up?

When such intricacies are designed into product, do potential consumers realise, or even want to know, about the painstaking labour that has produced this object (be it a garment or accessory) that they have purchased?

Is there a degradation of authenticity and therefore perceived value, when something so trendy/trend-driven explodes into the mass market, or trickles down-market?

How can sustainable fashion designers deal with this barrier of perception and create genuine understanding of the products' value?

As a consumer, would you choose to chase after the real stuff, and pay more? Or just be content with the cheaper and less beautifully-made copy/substitute?

From a design perspective, would you incorporate lace into your product? Is it a sustainable fabrication, and does it have longevity? Or is it simply too difficult to work with/care for? How could we possibly innovate and use newer technologies to produce an alternative that fulfills more sustainability criteria? Laser-cutting, or 3D printing, perhaps?

I have been chasing after vintage Victorian hand-made lace blouses for a while now...no doubt, inspired by the current explosion of lace in fashion, and wanting to acquire for myself, something truly vintage/authentically  handmade, so as to see the difference between the old and the new...

Molted Feathers gain New Life as Art

From: http://www.yatzer.com/The-feather-explosions-of-Kate-MccGwire

The Artist: http://www.katemccgwire.com/

ADVANCED GORGEOUSNESS: Age & Style, Love & Joy, FUN & FASHION

Advanced Style: Age and Beauty on Nowness.com.

from: 

http://www.nowness.com/day/2011/3/23/advanced-style-fashion-film

film-maker's site: http://www.teenagepeanut.com/

http://www.teenagepeanut.com/index.php?/project/stylish-ladies/

also: http://advancedstyle.blogspot.com/

Making and Re-making: a somewhat Photo-fanatical post

Pin-cushion with built-in pockets for bobbins, bobbin-cases, and feet, made from a shrunken beanie

Yes. Lots and lots of pictures. And an embarrassing confession: I keep my trusty little Panasonic camera on hand at all times, but am probably not as trigger-happy as an "aspiring blogger" should be.

And processing/editing/uploading/actual blogging takes a while too (held up by procrastination, of course).

Anyway, a little history of what went down not too long ago...

We did attempt to hold crafting/making sessions at the Richmond Library meeting/function room several times in February 2011, but sadly, the turn-out was rather low. Let's imagine a little tear rolling slowly down my cheek...was it bad timing, short notice, or Facebook being not quite the best way to organise events?

Ms. Bell the beading maestro in action

Even so, many thanks to Allison and Jackie (and Charani, for those few short moments) for coming by to keep me company while some of these projects were underway...perhaps one day Restructors will be able to hold crafting/upcycling/making jam sessions in real style...we can only hope!!!

Complete: little girl's multi-functional reversible pinafore/skirt with strap/sash options, made from remnents & scraps

Incomplete: reversible and dual-direction convertible hooded shrug-jacket with adjustable cuffs, turns into a scarf, also made from remnents and scraps

On a side note, documentation can be such a tiring process, isn't it? The creative working process needs to be evidenced in order to be exhibited, and the creation of evidence is another layer of labour unto itself. Thank goodness for this tree-saving online channel which renders the need for hard-copy printing unnecessary.

What is crucial about this documentation of processes is being able to show in a tangible form all the labour, diligence and thought that contribute to end-product creation.

Second-hand bright purple polyester tank top, approx. size 16, before destruction

Especially in the case of upcycling old/second-hand/discarded garments, where personally I feel a strong need to justify the act of destruction (cutting it up) and reconstruction, through the evidence. And this evidence must not only show experimentation and exploration, but also project a thoughtful and considered process which effectively involves eco-design and sustainability concerns.

Reconstruction stage: ombre-dyed second-hand Thai Silk scarf attached to tank, followed by attachment of finger-knitted acrylic yarn cording as trim, sewn on by hand...

I have to stress that by no means is this a perfect or flawless process, and honestly there is a huge amount of stress to produce an end-result with certain levels of wearability and aesthetic quality. Already, considering cradle-to-cradle fabrication standards, attaching silk to polyester/acrylic could be a big mistake. However, the deterioration of the silk fabric with wear and tear, contrasting in texture and sheen against the polyester over time, would be an intriguing process in itself...

Jackie models the reconstructed but incomplete tunic

The result is an asymmetrical garment that appears to have a different weight on the left and right side, resulting in one sleeve seeming longer than the other. Not having a discernible front or back (which was the intention) could make for an interesting, albeit disorienting, experience for the wearer...and the drape effect was a pleasant surprise.

Does it work? Is it too bulky? Is it ugly? Should more be done?

Another question: was this truly zero-waste? Not exactly. More like "minimal waste"; as in the process of unpicking the side seams and sewing on the silk scarf, some bits had to get trimmed off.

The doubts (one of many) lingering with this garment at present is when to stop; whether or not to insert drawstrings into both the sleeves so as to be able to adjust their length and the overall proportions of the garment itself.

What do you think?

Another line of exploration I have been trying out is arguably a process of "re-fabrication", which is essentially geometrically organised collaging of cut-up fabric scraps from sample books and remnents to form a whole new piece of material to work from, largely inspired by quilting, which was one of my late paternal grandmother's greatest skills.

Good collage or bad collage?

The issues here, outside of colour coordination headaches: combining synthetics with naturals (potential care/maintenance problems galore), construction (lots of bulky seams), and TIME. This process is experimental, excruciatingly slow/tedious and gets increasingly difficult as the size of the composite expands.

I am not even sure this is the best possible configuration of shapes, and probably never will be. The possibilities at this stage are already endless. And then, after these 2D shapes are sewn together, what 3D garment can be sculpted from this quilted piece? More possibilities...

Janine Benyus: Biomimicry in action

http://www.ted.com/speakers/janine_benyus.html
http://www.biomimicryinstitute.org/
http://asknature.org/

Techno Naturology by Elaine Ng Yan Ling

From: http://vimeo.com/user4544869

Techno Naturology from Elaine Ng Yan Ling on Vimeo.



Check out:
http://www.elaineyanlingng.com/

Three Trend Sites to ward off March Madness

http://www.faithpopcorn.com/ContentFiles/PDF/FPBR_2011Predictions.pdf

http://www.trendwatching.com/trends/citysumers

http://tribalinsight.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/harrison-2009-evaluating-artistic-work.pdf

Smart material to generate energy from the elements | University of Bolton

Smart material to generate energy from the elements | University of Bolton

Gotta go watch: WASTE LAND

looks like an astounding documentary...how exciting! :)

Sustinability and Business Strategy

Sustainability is not mutually exclusive with profitable business strategy and productive industry, yes, but the examples raised in this video of huge multi-national companies joining the sustainability movement (well, the interviewee is an ad-man speaking of his clients' "success stories", after all) are certainly worth more objective study. Hmmmmm.

Victorinox & Christopher Raeburn

From: http://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/9592/1/victorinox--christopher-raeburn?utm_source=MadMimi&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Barbara+Kruger+|+Royksopp+|+Marc+Jacobs&utm_campaign=Barbara+Kruger+|+Royksopp+|+Marc+Jacobs&utm_term=Victorinox+_26+Christopher+Raeburn

Red Onion Solar Dyeing

Last year I was very interested in exploring solar dyeing techniques using natural dyes. Solar dyeing, as you can probably guess from the name, uses the sun to assist in the dye process, instead of energy wasting techniques that involve boiling the dye. One of the down sides however, is that it takes many months and therefore patience.

I had actually forgotten about this project, hence why I left it for so long with out looking at it. The jar had been sitting outside for 6 months before I came across it while doing some gardening. It contained red onion and a silk scarf I was wishing to colour. Over the six months the onionskins had dissolved completely, making the water a soft ruby colour. This is what the scarf looked like when I took it out:

I have rewrapped the scarf so that other areas of it are exposed and can absorb some of the dye. I may need to add some more onionskins for a stronger colour. I will leave it until I stumble across it again in a few months. As you can see this is a long process, but I think it will be totally worth it.

Greentailing: the books of change

By Justin Doak
October 12, 2010
From DDIOnline


If you’re like me, when fall comes around, it’s back to the books.  Ever since Rachel Carson’s classic release of “Silent Spring” in 1962, the environmental movement has continued to build momentum—birthing new thought leaders and innovations in 
sustainability. With this movement comes some provocative books, many of which have been the root of change for many of the sustainability icons in the industry today.  

If you are looking to enhance your sustainability knowledge or are ready to take a dive into some books that might change the way you think, just as they did for me, I’m here to make your search easy.  

I’ve created a list of the sustainability classics, as well as some of the more recent titles that are retail-focused, capturing best practices in our industry over the past few years.

As you travel home this fall, bear the cold or watch the first snow, hunker down with one of these in book, nook or iPad form. Enjoy!

Classic books that have shaped the sustainability movement:

“Silent Spring” by Rachel Carson, 1962 (Read online)
(Amazon link)

“The Ecology of Commerce: A Declaration of Sustainability” by Paul Hawken, 1994

“Mid-Course Correction - Toward a Sustainable Enterprise: The Interface Model” by Ray C. Anderson, 1999

“Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature” by Janine M. Benyus, 2002

“Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things” by William McDonough and Michael Braungart, 2002

“Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution” by Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, L. Hunter Lovins, 2008

“Confessions of a Radical Industrialist: Profits, People, Purpose—Doing Business by Respecting the Earth” by Ray C. Anderson, 2009
 
Retail- and business-focused sustainability books:

“The Next Sustainability Wave: Building Boardroom Buy-in” by Bob Willard, 2005

“The Retail Green Agenda: Sustainable Practices for Retailers and Shopping Centers” by Rudolph E. Milian, 2008

“Sustainable Retail Development: New Success Strategies” by Jerry Yudelson, 2009

Cheers,

Justin Doak
Founder, Ecoxera – Green Business Strategy for Retail
Send green retail questions to justindoak@ecoxera.com.