CREATING and preserving FASHION as an ART stretches the arc of time, asserting its freedom from historical “trend” justification. There is power through AUTONOMY, through independence of a materialistic fashion system. We never tire of GREAT fashion; it can SUSTAIN time. We quickly tire of trendy, frivolous, unmeaningful pieces.
-RP Hill
Rescued Rubbish is ReIMAGINED, and it’s not just clothes | EDGE Talks to Sayoko Kojima
If you are walking down a street in a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York and its trash day, or it’s any normal day, you’ll see piles of unwanted clothes for the taking – people put out their unwanted clothes for people to take. Taking she did. Sayoko Kojima literally rescued rubbish from her neighborhood, Park […]
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The State of FASHION 2022: GAINS, Pains, CIRCULARITY, and the Metaverse
If you look at fashion as a big corporate machine, well this is the report that comes out every year to forecast what the corporate industry will be up to in the coming year. The sixth report produced by BoF and McKinsey & Company’s The State of Fashion 2022 forecasts a year of recovery, challenge, and […]
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“Generation Chance”: A Look at designs by Sophia Mazenauer
Leaders and Laggards: The Toxic Chemical Scorecard of Fashion’s Supply Chain
How often, when you are shopping or have purchased clothing or shoes, do you come across a chemical smell? Who’s keeping score? Green America. Green America published The “Toxic Textiles” report that tells what companies are doing to address the use of toxic chemicals in their supply chains. The report found that top U.S. clothing […]
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How Destructive Are We? The Fashion Industry’s Shocking Truth.
If the average life of clothes could be extended by just nine months it could reduce carbon, water and waste footprints by 20-30%. –Leigh Mapledoram , Program Area Manager, Wrap UK
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“On The Mend”: A Look at designs by Sirima Ehmke
“Sorry” in sync with Sinnfluencers: A Look at designs by Eva Viola Emmermann
“Value”: A Look at designs by Flora Taubner
Fashion’s GHG Emissions: It’s Not Pretty in Pink
It’s more brazen in brown and here’s why: The fashion industry is one of the largest polluters in the world. According to United Nations Climate Change, the industry contributes 10% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions due to its long supply chains and energy intensive production. Quantis reports that over 90% of emissions for apparel […]
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Green: Editor’s Prediction for the Future of Fashion
Exactly a year ago, within the first few months of the pandemic, I wrote a profound and comprehensive piece on what effect the COVID-19 virus would have on the fashion industry, Correction, Contraction, and Cessation. COVID-19 Calls to Action a Sustainable Fashion System. Here is what I had to say at that time and it still […]
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Green Guilt: How Fast is Fashion Becoming Sustainable? Not Fast Enough!
Over 90% of the emissions for apparel come from four activities: dyeing and finishing, fabric preparation, yarn preparation, and fiber production. – Quantis At the rate we consume fashion, we buy clothes to throw away! Today’s fashion industry is plagued by over-consumption, all driven by speed and disposability – fast fashion. In the last two […]
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The Green Effect: Are Consumer Buying Habits Shifting? Are They Aware of Sustainable Fashion?
Ignorance is a handicap. There is a shift towards buying more sustainable fashion, but on a small scale. Those that are educated, arm themselves with information on the industry’s negative impact on the environment and are asking the right questions, demanding transparency from brands. But there needs to be a massive campaign strategy to the […]
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15%. The Waste on the Cutting Room Floor. Go Green, Here’s How
Are development and production samples considered waste? Product development and pre-production samples are of multiple sets: a set for the designers, a set for a subgroup of the design team – the specification package team, a set for media photo shoots, and a set for the sales team. What should happen is at least one […]
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A Fashion Story Honors Women in Combat | EDGE Talks to Isabella Diorio
With over 2.5 million United States women veterans strong, women have been fighting and sacrificing for their country much longer than you may think — even going as far as disguising themselves as a man in order to serve.
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Who’s On Point? Ukrainian Fashion Week. What’s on Point? Circular Fashion.
Ukraine’s BE SUSTAINABLE! Fashion Summit is in its third year of presenting an international event aimed at increasing the level of expertise of Ukrainian professionals working in the field of design and production of clothing. The Summit took place during Ukrainian Fashion Week No Season 2021 [UFWNS]. Did you notice “no season”? One of the […]
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Metamorphosis: A Look at DZHUS
Cycle: A Look at POSTUSHNA Re-Fashion for DHL
Eternity: A Look at LITKOVSKAYA
Tactile: A Look at CHERESHNIVSKA
The Power of Cloth and Why We Should Care | EDGE Talks to Abiola Onabule
In an age of socioeconomic inequalities, climate crisis, and a pandemic, characterized by accelerated technological advances and new working models, design plays a crucial role in supporting the ways we care for ourselves, each other and the planet. Managing resources equitably and sustainably is vital for ecological resilience. The Design Museum, United Kingdom, Designers in […]
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Fashion’s Playbook for Climate Action – A Pathway to Net-Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050
Despite the efforts of governments and other actors, anthropogenic GHG emissions continue to increase. Under current trajectories, global mean temperatures are projected to increase by 2.2°C to 4.4°C by the end of this century. – Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action | Climate Action Playbook
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Buy Less, But Better | Study Shows Notable Shift to Sustainable Consumption
As part of the IFM – Première Vision Chair, Français de la Mode conducted a study that surveyed 5,000 consumers in France, Germany, Italy and the United States about their consumption habits of Eco-friendly fashion.
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Let’s Talk About the Unmentionables: Can Lingerie Be Sustainable?
Without a doubt, the ongoing global health crisis has shaken industries in more ways than one. From record low revenues and great losses to missed partnership opportunities and canceled events, the negative effects of the pandemic on businesses are endless. However, if there is one good thing that has sprung from the decade’s greatest economic […]
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COVID Update: Reset, Recover Responsibly with Radical Change
Is the industry doing that? Lady Gaga has said ‘fashion doesn’t need to go together; it just needs to be upsetting’. She was referencing her dismissal of wearing designer clothing from head to toe. That’s just one aspect of the control culture or out-of-control culture that the fashion industry emits.
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NO EXIT, NO WAY OUT: close the loop on fashion
Textiles [clothing] have no way out of a circular fashion system. In a circular system, they are designed with no exit strategy.
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Circle By Design: EDGE Talks to Ophir El-Boher – a circular Design System and strategies for a sustainable future
What I hope to accomplish is basically a diversion of the practices we use to satisfy our materialistic needs. I personally believe that the urge for something new is something not worth trying to change, what I focus on changing is the reaction to that urge. – Ophir El-Boher
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Down to Earth: EDGE talks circular fashion with Ophir El-Boher
What I find fascinating about the subject of sustainable fashion is that many in the industry don’t truly understand, or let’s say embrace, the benefit of a complete supply system that conserves and values our resources.
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Imagine a Future. . .not too far in the future: you can’t hide from a sustainable world
This is a re-post from October 2014, Sustainable Fashion Never Goes Out of Style. This future scenario was published in February 2010 report, Fashion Futures 2025, by Levi Strauss & Co. We are 10 years into their 15 year forecast. Not too far from a future like this?
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Correction, Contraction, and Cessation. COVID-19 calls to action a sustainable fashion system
The carnage of closures from the impact of COVID-19 throughout the supply chain is forcing the industry to pause and re-set. According to Mckinsey & Co., if stores remain closed for two months, 80 percent of publicly listed fashion companies in Europe and North America will be in financial distress. Revenues for the global fashion industry […]
Read moreWhat will the future look like after COVID-19? It will seismically shift societal behavior – in what we appreciate, what we prioritize as important, and how we consume.
RP Hill
Columbia designer re-fashions futbol jerseys and it’s not what you think | EDGE talks to Juan Pablo Martinez
Did you know that futbol team, aka soccer, t-shirts are considered fast fashion and negatively impact the environment? Sustainable fashion designer Juan Pablo Martinez thinks so. He says, “the top 10 futbol teams alone, sell 17,500,000 100% polyester t-shirts every year”.
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Ukraine’s BE SUSTAINABLE! – a platform making noise
Fashion is universally cited as being one of the most polluting industries in the world. Thank you to conscious consumers and to environmental activists such as Greta Thunberg for their demands on attacking the environmental crisis. Putting sustainability at the forefront of business models, strategic plans, supply chain infrastructure, etc., is long overdue.
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What’s In Style? Responsible Fashion and 20 EDGE designers making the case
What is responsible fashion? When you. . .
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Fashion Unknown Fact | 10,000 liters of water. . .grow one kilo of cotton
10,000 liters of water is required to grow one kilo of cotton needed to make just one pair of denim jeans. In comparison, one person would take 10 years to drink 10,000 liters of water. Cumulatively, the fashion industry produces about 20% of global waste water. Source: UN Helps Fashion Industry Shift to Low Carbon […]
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Forest and Fashion | United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal
“Made in Forests” – a short story about sustainable fashion. Malaysian-born film star and UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Michelle Yeoh put the spotlight on the role that clothing manufacture and consumer fashion can have for a better planet with a new video, called “Made in Forests.”
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Preserving The Art of Shibori | EDGE Talks to Jun Nakamura
The Japanese shibori industry now has serious issues: aging artisans without next generation to pass this heritage on, and decreasing demand partly caused by globalization. – Jun Nakamura
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Transparency | 79% of Consumers Want It
Four in five (79%) think clothing brands should provide information on their environmental commitments. Spanish and Italian consumers are more likely than average to think this.
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Fashion giants sign UN charter to fight climate change. Will it work?
Can the biggest players in the fashion industry unite to stop global warming? The United Nations thinks so.
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Fashion Artifacts: a Sustainable Path to Circular Fashion | EDGE Talks to Karen Glass
I began seeing the clothes I had been accountable for making as post-consumer waste: in thrift stores, jammed into markdown racks, and on the streets as rags. From an organic farm to procurement of fashion artifacts to a zero waste product development operation, Karen Glass, founder of Ø [zerøwaste] GLASS, walks the talk of a circular fashion […]
Read moreWith 25.5 billion pounds of USE-ABLE textiles thrown away each year (70 pounds per American), there is a lot of waste that can be prevented.
Fashion for Good, the world’s first museum for sustainable fashion opens in Amsterdam
Join the movement! With the focus on fashion consumerism and the circular economy, Fashion for Good museum is the first interactive museum dedicated for sustainable fashion. Amsterdam — Fashion for Good, the global initiative for sustainable fashion, has opened the doors of its museum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, today. The space aims to show visitors […]
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[Fashion United] The End of Plastic: Eco-fashion becomes catwalk reality
It may have been a long time coming, but Eco-fashion is no longer a hippie pipe dream. Biker jackets made from pineapple leaves and leather tanned with olive extract rather than hugely polluting chemicals are now within reach, experts say. Read the article at Fashion United: The End of Plastic: Eco-fashion becomes catwalk reality
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Art and Its Magical Therapy | EDGE Talks to Susan Tancer
Brain cancer survivor, Susan Tancer, creates one-of-a-kind functional art. Painting became a therapeutic escape from cancer treatment. After being diagnosed with brain cancer in 2004, this former marketing and public relations professional developed a passion for painting. Suffering from the effects of chemotherapy, painting seemed the one thing to take her mind off of it. This […]
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Creative Power Disrupts the System | EDGE Talks to Peivand Mirzaie
Breaking the rules, disrupting the fashion system is easier than you think. Fashion designer, Peivand Mirzaie has made a mark on breaking the rules, disrupting the system, while embracing the power of fashion. She has gone beyond the ‘system’ in her designs, pushing concept over saleability; in her choice of education, wanting more freedom and […]
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A Collection Fit for a Museum | EDGE Talks to Victoire Laffineur
A water-pollution-inspired collection gets the attention of a museum.
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A Harmonious Union – Fashion, Earth, and Tradition | EDGE Talks to Purvi Doshi
The Fashion industry has contributed to the earth’s pollution, and my endeavor is to show the world that we can have high-fashion in co-existence with nature and other living beings. – Purvi Doshi
Read moreWe need to shift our consumption values so that the entire fashion system can shift along with it.
– RP Hill –
Sustainable Textiles? The Textile Community Talks
An industry in transition. How advanced is the textile industry in reducing the carbon footprint while implementing ethical business practices?
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Did You Know? Non-Biodegradable Clothes Take 20 to 200 Years to Biodegrade
Non-biodegradable clothes are manufactured synthetic textiles including polyester, spandex, nylon, and rayon[*]. It may take between 20 to 200 years to fully biodegrade these textiles.
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What is Responsible Fashion? | EDGE Talks to Juan Pablo Martinez
I saw Al Gore’s documentary and felt that what I was doing in fashion didn’t have real meaning or impact. Juan Pablo Martinez What is responsible fashion? When you watch Al Gore’s documentary on global warming, An Inconvenient Truth, and decide as a fashion designer to be environmentally responsible; When you learn that between 300-600 […]
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Hemp Textiles, An Environmental Game Changer | EDGE Talks to Hemp Traders
The biggest challenge for hemp has been its legality. It has been illegal to grow for the last 80 years. Lawrence Serbin, President Hemp Traders Hemp, the cousin crop to marijuana, is a textile wonder that many consumers and industry professionals know little about. Although hemp has been around for thousands of years, today it is making head way as […]
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Good People do good deeds | EDGE Talks to Clémence Goudard
We want to bring back the essence from all over the world, with handmade, fine ARTISANal collections that are made by local artisans in their traditions. We will not disguise those communities; we give them access to the windows of the world while they give us their most precious gift: their talent. – Clémence Goudard, Good People […]
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Why Fair Trade Fashion? 78% of Slavery Victims Are In Labor Slavery
Did you know that slavery generates $150 billion for traffickers each year? There are tens of millions of people in slavery today. Researches estimate 21 million are enslaved. 78% of slavery victims today are in labor slavery – Free The Slaves Do you know who made your clothes? Fair Trade Fashion Show shines the light […]
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Unbound, Undaunted, and Unexpected | EDGE Talks To VanElse
Most people in the fashion industry told me I was too old, and without an education and the experience I would fail as a designer in the industry. I am glad I proved them wrong. – Else Hardjopawiro I am glad you proved them wrong, as well! There is no age or education limit […]
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It’s Standard Practice To Be Sustainable | An Interview with Standard Issue
Throw away fashion, this is NOT. On the opposite end of the [fast and cheap] spectrum of fashion is Standard Issue.
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Fast & Cheap Fashion Consumption Leads to R.A.G.S.
Skip the landfill and discard your unwanted R.A.G.S. – Recycle Accessories Garments Shoes – responsibly. Americans discard more than 28 billion pounds of unwanted clothing, shoes, and other textiles. Charitable organizations and others collect roughly 15 percent of these items, while the remaining 85 percent — 24 billion pounds — end up in landfills. – […]
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Zero Waste Design Technique | Are You Part of the Conscious Design Movement?
A how-to guide from Redress and EcoChic Design Award.
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The Power of The Designer To Create Sustainable Change
Up to 80% of a garment’s environmental impact is decided in the design phase. Only a few designers and product developers realize their potential to create sustainable change through their decision. – Jonas Eder-Hansen, vice president & development director at the Danish Fashion Institute | Recycling International Designers should recognize that true innovation is best achieved by […]
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5 Innovative Fabrics to Use Now | The Ethical Fashion Source
Ethical Fashion Forum: From recycled fibres to food waste to disposable textiles, Dr Kate Goldsworthy shares some of her top picks for the most exciting and innovative textiles that we could soon be seeing on runways.
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Skip The Landfill, Create The Art
Up to 95% of the textiles that are LAND-FILLED each year could be reused or recycled, according to Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles [SMART] One day you will have no use for what you wear. It could be in a few months or a few years. Where will you dispose of it? You say you […]
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Sustainable Denim Manufacturing | Sustainable Denim Processing
Jeans, a global trend, sells approximately 6 billion pairs around the world every year. Sustainable denim manufacturing is helpful to tackle environmental issues. Sustainable denim processing has become essential to reduce environmental consequences.
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The Redemption of Fashion | EDGE Talks to Silvia Giovanardi
The future of fashion is simple: it has to be the redemption of itself, it has to demonstrate that it took awareness about the bad situation it caused with superficiality, carelessness and lack of synergy (the key of everything), and it has to be the first educator of a new consumer that won’t “consume” fashion […]
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