March 31, 2009 by amucklow
An exhibition starts today about the future of packaging at the Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising.
Packaging has become one of the hottest environmental issues in recent years. From being an apparently
innocuous and functional part of a product, with nostalgic associations for many of us, it has been
transformed into a controversial component of the marketing process – one which is increasingly required to
justify its existence.
Few would deny the need for packaging. It protects and preserves, facilitates the transport of goods, provides
information and is visually attractive.
We have all started to wonder if products have too much packagingthe exhibition showcases some brilliant examples of
what manufacturers are doing about it. The nation’s favourite brands have risen to the challenge, rethinking
and revolutionising the way products are presented.
PACKAGING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE will be at the Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising,
2 Colville Mews, Lonsdale Road, Notting Hill, London W11 2AR, tel: 020 7908 0880. 31st March 2009 -29th November 2009
by amucklow
Sunday 12th April – Easter day, will offer the chance to grab some free new clothes and give to charity at the same time.
The Frock Exchange Party is the ultimate fashionista’s day out to clothes shop for free! Join us at the fabulous trendy venue Vibe Bar on London’s famous Brick Lane on Sun 12th April 2009. You can look forward to lots of makeup and fashion tips, makeover opportunities, celebrity appearances, live music, fashion showcase, opportunity to purchase one off exclusive items, clothes auction, prize giveaways and much more….
A bit about the charity:
Cancer Research UK is the world’s leading independent organisation dedicated to cancer research. We support research into all aspects of cancer through the work of more than 4,250 scientists, doctors and nurses. Over the past 10 years alone, thousands of lives have been saved through earlier detection and improved treatments. But, much work remains to be done if we are to achieve our aim of beating cancer.
Event Details:
DATE: Sun 12th April 2009
TIME: 12 – 6PM
VENUE: Vibe Bar
The Old Truman Brewery
91-95 Brick Lane
Brick Lane
London
E1 6QL
March 29, 2009 by amucklow
ECCA – The Enterprise Centre for the Creative Arts is offering, students, graduates (upto 3 years) and university staff, the chance to apply for the Creative Seed Fund (upto £5000) which provides loans for creative ideas that have the potention to become commerically successful.
Date: 24 April 2009
Time: 11.00am-1.00pm
Location:
DS303, Student Hub, 65 Davies Street, W1K
There are regular deadlines to apply. See the University of the Arts London ‘Starting your Business’ page (http://www.arts.ac.uk/business/36466.htm) for more information on dates.
Attend this workshop to find out more about the process, see case studies of successful applicants and get advice on completing your application.
March 27, 2009 by swin
Last July I presented the paper, “Upcycling & Long Life Design – From Straw to Gold, ” at the Ever & Again conference, Chelsea College of Art.
This is to let you know that I am soon to present a course of workshops on the theme of Slow Textile Techniques.
The course will be both practical and theoretical and you are invited to attend!
The course is the first of several and each will have a theme around which to work. The spring theme is “Chinoiserie: Practise the Skills, Understand the Symbols.”
Each workshop will be a space in which to learn new skills, develop textile techniques, explore key issues within Textiles & the Environment, practise sustainable thinking and experience creative-working in a group.
March 26, 2009 by swin
The Affluenza Exhibition is a multi-disciplinary visual arts exhibition and series of talks and events taking place in Clerkenwell, London from the 19th – 28th March 2009. The term affluenza refers to ‘the disease of affluence’ as detailed in Oliver James’ book on the subject. He describes it as a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more. By placing a high value on money, possessions, physical and social appearances, and fame, we fail to distinguish between what we need and what we want.
March 25, 2009 by swin
***VALUE***
The 1st exhibition in a series of 12 informal monthly exhibitions looking at strategies of environmentally friendly textile and fashion design.
26th of March to the 29th May
Wednesday to Saturday 12 noon to 6pm
Unit 1:10 OXO Tower Wharf, Bargehouse Street, London SE1 9PH
We have created a space at the back of the shop called ’The back of the shop gallery.’
Starting on the last Thursday of every month with drinks from 5 to 7, will be a different exhibition focussing on environmental themes within textiles.
This month’s exhibition will be called VALUE.
On show during VALUE will be pieces where the reason that they were made, in terms of time and expertise, bears little resemblance to the amount of money they cost to make per hour that could be legally paid in the UK today.
Pieces in VALUE conform to different environmentally important concepts including:
slow design
Loved design
Custodianship of skills
Virtuosity and artistry
Local expertise
Skills which have been handed down over generations.
Fair trade.
What are the implications for diversity and options to make fine handwork in the UK and make a living, for preserving those skills for their own sake, for giving skilled workers a fair wage? Why are we more interested in the end product than in the process which made it?
What pleasure and value is there in being allowed to make something oneself?
If the Peruvian knitters have no money but can knit, and if we have money but no time for the reverie and enjoyment of making textiles, or to make things which involve handwork, who is impoverished by the system?
But what is REALLY happening in the lives of the 2 people at either end of the transaction? The person who made it, and the person who bought it.
What value does the money paid have to each person, and what value does the object exchanged have to each person.
The pieces in this show have been chosen because of the integrity of their inception, construction and relationship to the lives of the people who made them. But, they will also, importantly, being because they are beautiful.
We thoroughly look forward to seeing you at VALUE!
anniesherburneoxoshop@live.co.uk
March 23, 2009 by swin
The Age of Stupid is the new four-year epic from McLibel director Franny Armstrong. Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite stars as a man living alone in the devastated world of 2055, looking at old footage from 2008 and asking: why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance!
The Age of Stupid (formerly known as Crude) is a documentary produced by Spanner Films, an independent TV production company from London, UK. It is a film about oil, five human stories weaving themselves around all sides of a complicated issue.
The ultimate goal of the film is to help bring about the exponential change in global awareness needed to force governments to introduce legislation that cuts global carbon emissions by 60% and allows life to continue on this planet. Gotta aim high, right?
The Age of Stupid launched at a big documentary festival, The Sunny Side of the Doc, in France at the end of May 2008. It was awarded Best Green Documentary and Film Most Likely to Succeed in Cinema. Hopefully the shape of things to come!
March 20, 2009 by swin
The Environmental Justice Foundation are looking for some help. Two opportunities below.
1) EJF is a very small team and the shows are just a small part of what goes on in making this worthwhile campaign happen. Now they’re over we have a huge amount to do – from organising our successful petition against the deadly pesticide Endosulfan to member communications and managing commercial relationships with buyers such as ASOS.com and Ethical Superstore – and we can’t do it without some help. If you’re interested in helping on these areas (based at our offices in Angel Islington) we need a commitment of for a minimum of 2 days from you and need help between now and the beginning of April. Please reply to this email to let me know if you want to be considered for this. We are looking for people who are confident using computers, in particular Microsoft excel to support the marketing and PR team. If you are interested please email me let me know which days you are available.
2) Also, EJF is opening up a volunteer internship as an Events Co-ordinator for September’s ‘The Great Fashion Cycle’ event. We are seeking an energetic, enthusiastic and organised volunteer with strong face-to-face, email and telephone communication skills and experience in event organising, media, marketing, PR and/or fundraising to come into the office two days a week over the period of the next 3 months. Key tasks will be to get people signed onto the ride and to provide support to those already signed up, guiding and enthusing them with fundraising ideas. The successful candidate should be a self-starter, able to work effectively as part of a team but confidently on their own coming up with creative ideas to make this event a huge success. If you are interested in organising events and applying for this position please forward to me (katharine.ross@ejfoundation.org) a short covering letter and CV. For more information about the ride please visit www.ejfoundation.org/londontoparis. Deadline for application is 6pm Monday 16th March 2009.
March 17, 2009 by swin
Goodone targets breast cancer
with a twist on the traditional charity T-shirt
This April, award-winning fashion design company Goodone will launch an exclusive black and white dress made from recycled Fashion Targets Breast Cancer T-shirts, in support of this leading charity fashion campaign from Breakthrough Breast Cancer.
Previewed at London Fashion Week ‘Spring/Summer ’09′, the limited edition Fashion Targets Breast Cancer dress, an on-trend body con dress with bold black and white panels and stitch detailing, is part of a collection from Goodone, the sustainable design company with an edge, known for producing innovative, one-off clothing made from hand-picked, locally-sourced, recycled fabrics.
Each of the dresses will be handmade in the Goodone studios and by social enterprise projects in Cape Town and London. Not only will profits go back to the social enterprises, but the dress also carries a 30% donation to Breakthrough Breast Cancer, the UK’s leading charity committed to fighting breast cancer through research, campaigning and education work
.
Nin Castle, Creative Director at Goodone, says, “The dress we’ve created in support of Fashion Targets Breast Cancer embodies Goodone’s signature style of creating new, unique clothing from the old. Not only is the dress sexy but also incredibly wearable and will flatter a range of body shapes. We’re thrilled to not only be reusing past T-shirts from this fashion campaign in an innovative, fresh way but at the same time to be helping raise vital funds for the crucial work of Breakthrough Breast Cancer.”
The limited edition dress will be available to buy online from early April to coincide with the launch of the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer (FTBC) 09 campaign. This year the FTBC collection is made up of bespoke fashion items from retailers including M&S, River Island, Topshop, Warehouse, my-wardrobe.com, Coast and Laura Ashley who have also created ranges inspired by this year’s campaign colours of black and white.
- Ends -
For more information about Goodone:
contact Nin Castle on 0207 249 01 99 or email info@goodone.co.uk
For more information about Fashion Targets Breast Cancer contact Jessica Armstrong on 020 7280 4297 or email jessicaa@breakthrough.org.uk
March 9, 2009 by swin
Social Responsibility in the Global Apparel Industry
I saw this book on FEI Bulltin and thought it was worthing posting on its own.
“Globalization dramatically changed the way business is conducted in the apparel manufacturing industry. In many cases, these changes came with little regard to social responsibility in the design, production, and sourcing of products. Social Responsibility in the Global Apparel Industry combines a broad analysis of apparel manufacturing with a discussion of how social responsibility can influence corporate strategy and decisions made throughout the global supply chain. Students learn how leading apparel and footwear manufacturers attempt to solve complex problems at all stages of the apparel manufacturing process, including child labor, harassment and abuse, discrimination, excessive hours of work, low wages, and poor factory health and safety. Drawing on their experience in industry and research, the authors provide the tools to change the apparel industry from the inside out by preparing the next generation and current industry professionals with the awareness, knowledge, and passion to make it more socially responsible.”
Eco Textile labeling guide
Produced by the team at Eco Textile News this an excellent resource that i thought I better post up. I got a copy recently and forgot to tell you all how great it is.
“A new textile labelling guide which is set to cut through the confusion surrounding organic and eco-textiles standards and certification will be published in September 2008 by Mowbray Communications Ltd in partnership with the global textile exhibition organiser Messe Frankfurt.”
