Green Patchwork

New York City remains one of the world’s leading fashion centers which is why you will see more and more fashion shows in the future highlighting green design. One such show that happened earlier this year was Project Earth Day, a fashion show staged in NYC that is dedicated to the promotion of green design and builds a platform for leaders and future leaders in the design industry to bridge their environmentally-conscious ideas and developments together. Presented by the Emerging Green Builders, a committee of the United States Building Council, Project Earth Day advocates values of sustainability, innovation and environmental responsibility. 

For a who’s who of leading green designers and future green designers click on the “Designers” link.

Last semester I took a course called History of Textiles where we studied civilizations’ earliest textiles from around the world. By the end of the semester we were looking at textile technologies and how textiles are being used in medicine, architecture, and contemporary art. We watched a video on these technologies where scientists in Europe were working on encapsulating fragrances, body lotions, or medicines into clothing fabrics. The capsules would be activated by the body’s heat and wear and the wearer would receive whatever was encapsulated. Read the rest of this entry »

The other day I wrote a post on fair trade businesses that work directly with artisans in communities that need an economic boost, but I forgot to add A Greater Good to that post. When I worked at Whole Foods we started selling A Greater Good products and it was the first time I had seen such a company or such products. The companies mission is to provide a fair economic outlet for otherwise marginalized producers and create market and consumer demand for ethically sourced products and supplies. Artisans from around the world create beautiful textiles, jewelry, and other small gifts while earning a fair wage for their work and you get to shop while supporting them. I love the woven scarves and the chunky beaded jewelry.

Another place in Madison where I have seen A Greater Gift products is the University Bookstore. Let me know if you have seen it anywhere else, I’d like to know.

I love wool, especially merino wool, but the wool industry can be just as questionable as the rest of the textile industry. Through my research online I have found Zque, a New Zealand company that combines high quality merino wool with an accreditation program that ensures high social, economic, environmental, and ethical animal welfare standards.

I love my Smartwool socks and I feel better wearing them knowing they are produced ethically. Other companies that are using Zque wool are Ibex and Icebreaker.

In the early 1800’s flour, sugar, seed, rice, and fertilizer were sold in large woven cloth bags that resourceful farmer’s wives used for dish cloths, diapers, nightgowns and other household uses. Manufacturers started offering these sacks in many different patterns and solid colors to encourage customer loyalty. It took 3 identical feedsacks to make 1 dress and a farmer’s decision to buy from certain manufacturers could be swayed by this one reason.

This is a great example of how people reused utilitarian materials to create new objects that could be used in the home. Read more about the history of feedsacks to learn more about this popular trend.

Fair trade companies are growing at a fast rate and you can find just about anything your heart desires fair trade. Chocolate, coffee, clothes, sugar, tea, or bananas. Co-op America has put together a fair trade resource list for us - I love looking at the crafts and clothing.

Wool sweaters are great! They are warm and durable and last a long time and when they are too far gone to wear anymore you can turn them into new things like bags, blankets, slippers, mittens, or hot pads for the kitchen. You can get wool sweaters from thrift stores and craft them into something new and useful. Or, if you find a wool sweater that is too big you can shrink it in the washer and stretch any part of it before it dries. I found a tutorial some time back on how to make a sweater bag, I haven’t made it yet but it looks fun. Let me know if you try it.

I generally don’t buy my clothes brand new from clothing stores, because I like thrift shopping and the prices are more affordable. Also, I just think there is so much clothing in the world already; most of us have enough clothes that we could wear a different outfit everyday for a month or maybe more. I like the challenge of thrift shopping too, I make a list of things I would like and see if I can get them thrift. Most times I am able to find exactly what I am looking for and I don’t have to go to another store. Thrift stores are a good way to recycle unwanted material objects and give them second, third, or fourth lives. Read the rest of this entry »

I work at Wild Child on Monroe St. and we carry a lot of unique clothing items for children. First of all, the owners, Bill and Renee West, started the store over 20 years because they couldn’t find 100% cotton clothing for their kids. So they found USA made vendors for cotton clothing and started dyeing them with their own custom colors. They are still garment dyeing their clothing to this day and people love it; the clothes are cute, durable, colorful, USA made, and you can’t get them anywhere else. Wild Child hopes to switch to organic cotton someday for their clothing, but in the meantime they are carrying other companies’ organic kid’s clothes. Read the rest of this entry »

It just isn’t fair that our American companies outsource their production and manufacturing of goods in other countries where the people are not paid a fair living wage and their work conditions are very unhealthy. These companies outsource so Americans can buy lots of stuff for the lowest prices and then throw it away so they can buy more stuff. Read the rest of this entry »