Thursday, October 23, 2008

Think Global, Act Local


That is a pull quote from the early days of sustainability. Maybe it's still batting about, in which case I'm giving it a vicey-versey plus.

I was invited to take part in the Fashioning the Future Summit 2008 (10/27 & 28) at the London College of Fashion (GB) to consider the question; can fashion bring about a long term lifecycle change to move us towards a more sustainable economy and better lives? Key industry informers and decision makers are attending and will lead seminar groups. At the end of the day we will meet together and pool outcomes. This is the collective information I am eager to bring back home and share, so we can get out from under this "olde think" pall.

In sharing infomation we expand our capacity to act for the better good, as no one person, group or culture has 360 degree vision. Which is why fashionRIP is becoming a product of its own collaborative process. Explaination later! I have learned to edit my interconnetive rambles.

P.S. The fast fashion ads quoted in the Hall of Shame entry on Fashion Ethos are indicators of the "olde" market we are in.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Blog Lag and Synopsis

I promised a synopsis and its only right to deliver on promises.

Mourning Glories for Species on the Verge of Extinction
This is a story about a funeral. The recyCouture dresses worn in this video are inspired by the Victorian penchant for full scale mourning. There are 7 dresses representing 7 species that are on the brink of extinction or are only "alive" in zoos because their habitats are destroyed.

The fashion runway strut becomes somber as the recyCouture model is handed the portrait of a doomed one which is carried to the coffin. A blurb of that species will go to the screen as in silent films.
This is repeated for all 7. A name and date scroll at the side of the coffin reiterates the poignancy and the rate of current era die offs -as opposed to natural evolution.

A couple models will illustrate how this impacts human life.

The end is a beginning, as the coffin opens and a phoenix arises. The symbol of transformation starts the death scroll rewinding and it becomes apparent that we are still in time to be intelligent designers of our own evolution.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

reHopeTee


The original stencil only refashion of the hope Tee was too ...boring. See for yourself -it's a few entries down. I wore it for the shoot because when a photographer is around I try to max the experience. (Thank you Donna Marie for the great photos.)
As in a lot of design the first take isn't the last. Modifiers, edits, changes keep the process fun and at times -frustrating.
This is the latest version and I think it sticks.
Like the storyline of the Verge it has been altered and modified.
Synopsis soon.