It’s our third year of running the Better Lives lecture series and this time we’ve paired up with LCF resident psychology Dr Carolyn Mair to devise four sessions exploring Psychology’s links with Fashion.
Our focus will be on Judgment and Wellbeing.
Speakers taking part will include Cosmopolitan’s Woman of the Year 2012: Natasha Devon (Body Gossip), Dilys Williams (Director at CSF), Dr Kate Fletcher (Researcher, CSF), Frances Corner (Head of College, LCF) and Caryn Franklin MBE (Fashion Commentator).
More information is available at the following link where you can also sign up to attend any or all of the free sessions: http://betterliveslectures.eventbrite.co.uk
The Local Wisdom project will be in Melbourne this Saturday, 23 March to gather more tales and images of the creative and ingenious practices associated with using garments. This will be the final shoot of a year of touring that has included Kolding, San Francisco, London, Vancouver, New York City and Wellington and will kick start our design collaboration with students and researchers at RMIT University of Technology. More information can be found at http://localwisdom.info
Let anyone in Melbourne or Victoria know to come and share their insights with us!
We’ll be at:
The Melbourne GPO
350 Bourke Street
11am until 4pm.
What should you bring to be photographed?
Perhaps you have a garment that…
• Is easily repairable
• Is worn regularly and has never been washed (and isn’t leather!)
• Is enjoying a third, fourth or fifth life
• Surprises you each time you wear it
• Shows or tells the story of how it’s been used
• Is worn in ways that defy the producer’s values
• Is adapted over and again in order to meet changing needs
• Has interchangeable parts that can be worn in different ways
• Is shared between people
• Connects you to others
• Is worn in response to changing economic and environmental concerns
• Is made up of interchangeable pieces that can be worn in different ways
On 3rd March 2013, Dilys Williams, Director Centre for Sustainable Fashion, and Lainey Sheridan-Young, Natalie Theo, Rosanna Falconer and Lou Stoppard met to discuss the Kenzo Womenswear AW13 catwalk show in London.
The brand, launched in 1970 by Japanese-born designer Kenzo Takada, has undergone a complete transformation in the last two years since Opening Ceremony founders Humberto Leon and Carol Lim were appointed as the new creative directors in 2011. As Rosanna Falconer, Head of Digital at Matthew Williamson said, this has given a unique opportunity to revive the brand through developing successful collections from a buyer’s perspective.
Dilys was able to bring a unique viewpoint to the discussion, sharing ideas about the relationship between designer, product, and wearer, and the new role of the designer.
“The role of the designer in communicating something that has often been very personal has really changed, and a lot of new designers are really understanding the importance of communicating as part of the creativity… it’s part of the creative process and I think you see that with these guys [Kenzo].”
When asked about the culture of the ‘It’ piece, Dilys observed that “people aim to create an identity to their work which is something that goes beyond just the cut and the make of it, the whole ethos of their brand.”
Dilys perfectly summed up the show when she said “fashion is an intuitive thing, it’s not a mathematical process.”
“They’ve brought together great people working with them and hopefully that’s what will keep it looking fresh all the time.”
You can find out out more about the show and the day here.
Last night the first ever Guardian University Award winners were announced in a London ceremony hosted by BBC education correspondent Reeta Chakrabarti, and we are extremely pleased to congratulate University of Wales, Trinity St David for winning in the Sustainability project category. The awards ‘celebrate the best of Britain’s universities and act as a benchmark for excellence across the higher education sector’.
The Institute for Sustainable Practice, Innovation and Resource Effectiveness (INSPIRE) was launched in 2012 to embed sustainability through the curriculum, campus, community and culture of the university. Judges said that it showed a powerful vision that went right through the curriculum and highly commended the university on their creativity.
Centre for Sustainable Fashion has been working with the support of Jane Davidson, Director of INSPIRE, on the development of the Green Academy programme, through which we aim to develop long-term transformational change for sustainability across the London College of Fashion and University of the Arts London. We are proud to be embarking on this programme to explore strategic and holistic ways to embed sustainable development throughout the student experience, and to be working with other exemplary institutions such as University of Wales, Trinity St. David.
University of the Arts London Green Week 2013 Film
As we are in the middle of Green People and Planet Green Week watch the short film below to see some of the most exciting, creative practice exploring sustainability at the University of the Arts London. Focusing on the impact of ecological issues, it highlights the vital role creatives have to play in sustainability and features Dilys Williams, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Fashion:
UAL’s Green Week takes place 4-8 March during which the Centre for Sustainable Fashion will be running a full timetable of events, to be released next week.
On 24th January 2013, LCF hosted a ‘Dinner of Ideas’ that staff at CSF had dreamt up and organised.
This was an event intentionally without agenda and over a meal, allowing the invited research community from across University of the Arts London to steer their own conversations. They were asked only to consider one thing: what can we as researchers offer the world?
The dining tables were decorated with spot and cross pattern paper on which elements of the ensuing conversation could be documented. The event opened up opportunities to shape future projects by connecting like minded individuals.
Thank you to everyone that took an evening out of their time to road test this novel way to choreograph interactions across UAL! Its success has led to talk of making such informal discussions a regular occurrence within the research calendar.
Marks & Spencer and Oxfam are opening a two-day pop-up charity store in the M&S flagship store at Marble Arch, for 24-25 January. The pop-up shop will offer the public a chance to buy rare vintage M&S pieces as well as clothing donated by celebrities simple by ‘shwopping’ an item of their own. ‘Shwopping’ is a concept derived by M&S and Oxfam to encourage people to donate or ‘gift’ unwanted clothing that will go on to be re-used, transformed or recycled. Sarah Farquhar, Head of Retail Brand for Oxfam, said:
“Oxfam shops are full of hidden treasures and we have regular shoppers who turn up week in week out to get their hands on the latest donations. But this time we are doing the rummaging for them; bringing the best of the shwopped items we have received over the last few months plus exciting celebrity donations straight to the public instead. It will be really exciting to see people browsing Oxfam clothing in the middle of an M&S store.”
CSF and M&S installation ‘Beautiful Layers’
In support of the ‘Gift Away, Don’t Throw Away’ campaign the Centre for Sustainable Fashion has created three installations for the M&S Shwop Shop which can be found on display inside the Marble Arch store now. The three installations; ‘Transformation’, ‘Beautiful Layers’ and ‘Gift it Away’ are designed to encourage a new culture of ‘gifting away’ instead of throwing away, to draw on existing resources instead of wasting limited ones. You can see these installations in the Marble Arch store from today until January 25. Donators who visit the Shwop Shop will be able to tell the story around their gifted item and throughout the two days a tweeter in residence will be capturing the stories behind the clothes and broadcasting them via @shwopping.
The Local Wisdom project arrives in Canada and New York this month kicking off our projects with The Emily Carr University of Art and Design and Parsons The New School for Design. If you are in either of these locations please do take this opportunity to contribute to the project by telling the story of how you use your clothes and be photographed wearing your garment. See below for dates, times and locations.
Vancouver
Saturday 19 January 2013
10:00am – 4:00pm
1399 Johnston Street, Vancouver, BC V6H 3RN
New York
Saturday 26 January 2013
10:00am – 4:00pm
2 West 13th Street (Corner of 5th Avenue)
New York, NY 10011
What should you bring to be photographed? Perhaps you have a garment that is…• Is easily repairable
• Is worn regularly and has never been washed (and isn’t leather!)
• Is enjoying a third, fourth or fifth life
• Surprises you each time you wear it
• Shows or tells the story of how it’s been used
• Is worn in ways that defy the producer’s values
• Is adapted over and again in order to meet changing needs
• Has interchangeable parts that can be worn in different ways
• Is shared between people
• Connects you to others
• Is worn in response to changing economic and environmental concerns
• Is made up of interchangeable pieces that can be worn in different ways
We are delighted to invite you to UAL’s Research Degrees Open Evening 2013!
Hosted by University of the Arts London, this is taking place at London College of Fashion on the 29th of January 2013 from 18:15 – 20:15.
It is an opportunity to find out more about the degrees offered across the six colleges whilst meeting staff and students involved with the research degree programme.
Cross-discipline collaborations, people and ecology centred thinking, design practice and artistic communication underpin CSF’s thinking and are inherent in our innovative working methods.
Current PhD students cross a number of boundaries including working in relation to design for lower impact in clothes maintenance, design for longevity and clothing with embedded technology related to wellbeing.
Location: Rootstein Hopkins Space (Centre + East), London College of Fashion, 20 John Princes Street, London W1G 0BJ
If you would like to attend to find out more, please RSVP to: researchdegrees@arts.ac.uk
Mantis World is an awarded supplier of ethically made garments, primarily targeting the imprintables market and brands that need production support. They source from East Africa and South Asia and supply worldwide. They are currently expanding their team due to exceptional growth in 2012.
Job description: This busy Merchandiser role involves keeping production on time, on budget and customers happy while working to the company’s core value of “Well Made”.
Responsibilities: This multi-faceted role includes scheduling production of our blank apparel line (in-house development/design) as well as customers’ own-label branded garments. Monitoring the critical path, communicating with customers, suppliers and manufacturers, costing, QC, approvals and new business development are all part of the job. Managing UK and export distribution as well as looking after occasional interns to ensure smooth production while supporting Sales and Merchandising divisions.
Profile: A self-starter with at least 2 years relevant production / merchandising experience, you will be a super-efficient organiser with excellent, fast communication and a can-do attitude. You possess an analytical mind, creative flair and attention to detail. You are computer literate and additionally, a good knowledge of Photoshop/CAD/Illustrator and design capabilities will help you develop the division further. Above all you keep calm under pressure and focus on the end result like all superheroes.
Please send your CV and covering letterexplaining why you are right for the role and what your special powers can bring to Mantis World by 20th January to Matt Peters, Sales Director matt@mantisworld.com
