0 Cart
Added to Cart
    You have items in your cart
    You have 1 item in your cart
      Total

      Week 11: Lets imagine Regenerative

      image from https://www.gracelillianlee.com/

      This is perhaps one of the most important chapters to dig into so far! So, I've made the decision to focus on just one of the two chapters for this weeks meet up. This way, we can delve deeper into the material and also have the opportunity for another relaxed mending session while we chat. Last week's conversation and mending was truly cathartic - I want a repeat :D.

      Our weekly gathering is scheduled for 2:30 PM at Goldbergs.  Pleas, kindly remember to order a drink and a snack as a gesture of appreciation for utilizing their café facilities.

      These are the questions for this week:

      Q: Do you think that fashion could be based on a Regenerative model? Do you think we could get to a place in where:
      • We would have seasons based on what the earth resources provide
      • Composting and fashion design would become synonymous
      • We would rely on indigenous methods and culture to path the way, as they have already proven wisdom and stewardship when it comes to living in a regenerative way
      • The rights of nature will be in constitutions.
      • Care labels will list garment carbon and water footprints.?


      Q: The sustainability conversation has been about “harm reduction” - But it should be more inspiring! (focusing on the positive impact ) Says Willaim McDonough the Author of Crade to Cradle ? Do you agree with this statement?
      Certification see https://mcdonough.com/cradle-to-cradle/.


      Q: Imagine Regenerative fused with Conscious (from Chapter 1). Linking care for biodiversity and social effects together with spiritual. Discuss.


      “I think the future of fashion will be slower and more considered. [And] it will also draw more strongly on First Nations approaches and ways of seeing the world, because these world views naturally consider the interconnectedness of things , including of Country and community.” P240


      Q How can Indigenous wisdom help us think this way?


       “ According to a 2018 study by researchers at Charles Darwin University in Australia, one quarter of the worlds land is currently managed or used by indigenous people, and of that roughly two -thirds remains ‘ essentially natural’”p239


      Q: How can partnership work in the fashion industry?
      These are a few examples given in the book:

      1. “LVMH has been working with UNESCO in the Amazon to support micro producers, whose cultivation of natural rubber plantations along rainforest borders is helping to stave off deforestation further” p240
      2. “There’s high craft connecting back to Country, with Lillardia Briggs-Houston’s woodcut prints for her label Ngarru Miimi” p241
      3. Paul McManns ball gown that utilizes hand painted gumnuts.
      4. Grace Lillian Lee woven boddy art - Intertwined collection.
      5. “For me its not about putting dots paintings on a dress. We focus on the preservation of stories…..what we are doing at FNF+D (https://firstnationsfashiondesign.com/) is create opportunities for our young people to talk about mental health, sustainability, education and career pathways” – “fashion can be a healing space” – Lee p245


      Q consider this statement – where did weaving come from? Who do you think first worked out how to make yarn? Indigenous artisan techniques are the foundation of everything we wear today.


      Q: The future is in healthy soil. Why should this be a design factor? Think about material composition, composability and chemicals used.


      Q: “While organic farms use no toxic chemicals, biodynamic farms step it up to include no outside input at all” p247


      Q: Regenerative Futures – Its worth understanding this more so let’s discuss it. For more see https://www.thersa.org/regenerative-futures.

      Week 10: Repaired & Shared (pg 211- 235)

      Week 10: Repaired & Shared (pg 211- 235)

      SOOOOOO excited about this weeks topics and meet up. 

      Please note that before our book club meetup we are visiting The Conscious Exchange. They have a business model that is all about swapping clothing. WE LOVE what they do. They are open Sunday 10-2 at 86 Maitland Road Islington. Anyone can go to this. We will be there at around 12. From there we will head to our meetup to discuss this weeks topics Repaired and Shared. 

      Our "Wear Next - Fashioning the Future" book club gathering is at Goldbergs in Newcastle. RSVP is essential for this one as numbers very limited. Remember to bring something to mend and indulge in a coffee and treat while we contemplate and envision a future where repairing becomes a way of life. It's imperative that we embrace this ethos. Conducting our activities in a public setting serves to normalize and advocate for this important practice.

      Please note: In respect for this cafes space, we need to all order something and limit our time for this meet up to 1 1/2 hours.

      Here are the questions we will discuss at our meetup:

      Topic – Repaired

      First, Clare asks us to Imagine…

      • It now costs less to repair than to buy a new item.
      • Brands designed for longevity and can be disassembled easily for repurposing.
      • Brands offer inhouse care and repair services.
      • Alteration and tailoring shops are booming.
      • Membership to artisan guilds has never been so high.
      • Visible mending is a badge of honour.
      • Very little is going into landfill. 

      Q: Do you know a good alteration person or cobbler? “Why is after care so archaic?” P213 was the question asked by the owner of The Restory. Is there a repair service you could specialise in? Look up The Restory: https://www.the-restory.com/ - Do you think it is a service you would use?

       Q: What is a circular economy? And is extending the life of clothes a part of this?. For more information check out the Ellen Mcarthur Foundation - https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy-diagram .

      Q: Do you know of brands doing it?

      Book examples pg215:

      • Nudie Jeans
      • The North Face
      • Patagonia

      Q: Do any of you watch the Repair Shop? Or something similar on youtube?  Lets recommend some to each other 😊.

      Q: In the book it states that it’s become “less of a craft and more of a quick fix… so that’s the problem”. Discuss p215?

      Q: What do you think about the rise of rentable clothing such as Rent the Runway and Vestiare Collective. Would you use it? Why or why not?

      Q: Will designers design with the product’s additional lives? The book suggests if they do – disassembly should be in the designers mind. Will they? How can they be encouraged to do this?

      Q: Will repair be a new fashion graduates career path? Also, “It costs, it should cost. But who will pay”pg218 ?

      Q: The Restory – P218 – Why did it fail? Is it a sign that this type of business isn’t viable or was it just too early for people to embrace it or was it coast?

      Q: TheSneaker Laundary - https://thesneakerlaundry.com.au/ pg 220. Clare asks the owner of The Sneaker Laundary what he would like his business to manifest for, he replied "Freedom.I'd like everyone to have more of a freedom mindset, to realise they don't have to be a slave to consumerism". Discuss.

       

      Topic – Shared

      Here we are asked to imagine:

      • People share what they don’t need to others who need it
      • We share, rent, borrow and swap
      • Wardrobes are split into two: A core wardrobe and fashion highlights (that we share)

      Q: “Globally the fashion rental market is projected top US$6 billionby 2033” pg226.

      Q: Check out the businesses highlighted in the book. Would you use these? Why or Why not?

      Rent the Runway : https://www.renttherunway.com/

      My wardrobe HQ: https://www.mywardrobehq.com/

      Hur Collective: https://www.hurrcollective.com/

      Hirestreet: https://www.hirestreetuk.com/collections/all

      Rntr: https://shop.getrntr.com/

      Q: “You don’t make progress by making people feel guilty. You have to entice them…..It has to be compelling, exciting, curated, something they are desperate to buy into” pg 228 . Discuss

      Q: Study 2021 by LUT suggest that “ renting clothes worse for the planet than just throwing them away” pg228? Discuss this comment.  What are these businesses doing to reduce the carbon footprint?  Examples from book include – Less water and less toxic washing processes and lower emission delivery such as bikes and electric vans. See pg 229.

      Q Smart Works- https://smartworks.org.uk/. Is a Charity that provides second hand suits for people looking for work. “Clothes help us be ourselves, or find ourselves, and present the version of ourselves we want to be. I think that is why we care about fashion in the end isn’t it? Pg 231. Can you think of other renting charity possibilities? Here are some of ours:

      • Formal wear for socially disadvantaged.
      • Clothing for refugees to help integrate.

      Q: “Rental, repair, preloved and restyling will mainstream in the future” p231. How soon? Thoughts on this comment.

      Q Look at By Rotation - https://byrotation.com/ .  They are a peer-to-peer fashion platform that allows users to lend and rent out their designer clothes to each other. “Kind of like Airbnb for fashion but with social content” pg231.

      Q: At 2022  By Rotation had 300,000 users. “We know sustainability isn’t the main reason they come to us, but so what?” p232. What are their reasons then?

      Q: The fashion waste issue ” it’s a racist system, as well as an unsustainable one” pg 233. Discuss 

      Q: Imagine being able to walk down the street and love what someone is wearing and say “hey what’s your By Rotation username?”pg234. Discuss the #whatsismineisyours philosophy. How can this be done in Australia?

      Q: Who has been to a clothes swap? What was successful and unsuccessful about it? Were there black Friday vibes or did politeness prevail ?

      Now - Show us what your mending :) 

      Week Nine... Imagine if all fashion was Traceable

      Week Nine... Imagine  if all fashion was Traceable

      Welcome to week 9 of our Book Club. This week we are focusing on imagining a world were we can trace every stage of production, distribution and reuse.

      Please note: Meet up this Sunday at the 16 Foot sailing club at 2:30pm. Exact location posted on our Insta and Facebook 10 mins prior to meeting. 

      Q: Firstly what does traceability mean?

      It "is the process of making information available to understand how fibers and materials were sourced, processed and produced through the supply chain. Improving the transparency of suppliers, and the traceability of sourced materials, is essential to enable more sustainable decision making. It is an enabling factor to help reduce the negative environmental and social impacts of the textile supply chain." ( Definition from Fashion for Good website)

      Q: Because as Clare says  “We can’t manage what we can’t see.” P. 199

      Discuss what this means when discussing textile waste? 

      Q: “All our clothing can be produced from existing resources”p200.  Do you agree? What if this could be accomplished? Is it realistic?

      The book discusses how the fashion industry must "Get Sorted" if we want clothes to be produced from existing resources. It says that we need to have:

      1. Facilities to collect and grade the source materials
      2. Fiber-to- fiber recycling plants

      Q: Can upcycling old junk into new products make a big enough change? are we just postponing the inevitable landfill? 

      Q: Discuss and look at the initiative -‘Worn Again’ (to expand on what is already discussed in the book..

      Q: Discuss fibre to fibre recycling? What do you know about it? What technology do we have in Australia? What are the negatives currently associated with the technology?


      Q: Discuss chemical and mechanical recycling methods and how they differ?
      What are the considerations with Polyester, nylon, and cellulosics (cotton, wool and linen) recycling?


      Q: What issues are there with sorting garments for recycling? How are some companies dealing with this issue?


      "Less than 1% of used textiles are recycled…" Pg 201


      Q: The book also brings up "Passport Control"   a concept where all products of the future will be able to tell you what they are and where they’ve been! Why is this essential to know? P. 203


      Q:“Connectivity is essential to reshape our relationship with resources” P. 204
      How could EON’s product passports change the fashion industry’s trajectory?


      Q: Fibre passports are also being explored. What might be the benefit of this for producers/buyers and consumers? 

      Q: Consider the Renewcell innovation, something termed by Cavalli -Bjorkman “Industrial Evolution”P. 207. Creative thinking can take what’s already there and find new purpose for it. Maybe transformation is a key way of thinking about the industry when trying to come up with sustainable solutions for the future…. What are your thoughts? (Eg The Pulp industry example in the book, where existing infrastructure from industries that are no longer viable are being refit to power textile recycling).   

      Week 8 - Imagining how ethical fashion could look: Local & Global

      Week 8 - Imagining how ethical fashion could look: Local & Global

      Local

      Q: Local fashion - "In some ways it looks like the past" (p.170)
      In what ways might this be so?


      "...the enormous skill we have in our country towns gets ignored, because it's seen as little old ladies knitting..." (p. 172)


      Q: 2% of clothing sold in Australia is currently being made locally, compared to 97.5% in 1961. What happened? 


      Q: How does the disconnection of products from their origins effect the way consumers view these products - their value/cost and worth?


      Q: Preserving craft tradition and cultural heritage is an important consideration when considering championing local fashion production. To what extent do you agree with this statement and why?

      Q: Reducing transport emissions is also a major consideration with those advocating for local fashion. Discuss the importance of this consideration.


      Q: "We produce our own fiber here...then send it all overseas to be processed" (p.177)
      Processing in Australia may not be financially viable at this point in time, but cooperation and innovative thinking may lead to new solutions...
      What are some examples of this happening in the chapter? Have you seen this happen at some level in your local environment?


      Q: We need to consider cost and efficiency, pooling resources and sharing new technology. Discuss how we can do this.


      Q: Why do we assume that competition is the only way forward economically speaking?


      Q: What might locally made clothes FOR locals mean?


      Global


      "Legislation is the key" (p.188) What does this mean for global fashion?
      "Asia is still the fashion workshop of the world" (p.188)
      "The sector employs approximately 60 million workers" (p.188)

      Q: What are the best and worst scenarios for these workers?


      Q: How can brands reduce their negative impact on the environment, and improve the lives/wellbeing of workers in Asia, within the narrative of de-growth and localism?


      Q: "Africa can't continue acting as a dumping ground" (p. 196).
      Discuss the "Return to Sender" initiative and the issues our textile waste creates for the global south. (p.193-4).


      Q: The global north needs to completely rethink the way it produces, consumes and disposes of clothing, and it needs to consider its colonial legacy which is still effecting its commercial processes... How can we do this?

      Week 7: You Choose ... 6. Community &. 7. Less (pg 137 - 166)

      Week 7: You Choose ... 6. Community &. 7. Less (pg 137 - 166)

      Wow, we are half way through the book! This week we are looking at Community and Less. If you want to come chat about these two topics our meet up is this Sunday at the 16 Footers Belmont 2:30pm - the Blend Café. 

      Lets start with defining the two scenarios: 

      1. Community is imagining that consumers purchase to make a difference and seek out social enterprises. Like we did today on our field trip to the Rag Traders Pop up shop today.
      2. Less imagines that we own fewer and fewer clothing items because consumers want to reduce their ecological footprint.

      Also, before we start with Clare's book, I want to share a quote that I personally love and think fits perfectly here:

        “What business entrepreneurs are to the economy, social entrepreneurs are to social change. They are the driven, creative individuals who question the status quo, exploit new opportunities, refuse to give up, and remake the world for the better.” – David Bornstein, Author, How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas


      This week’s questions:


      Community


      In the book it talks about collaborations such as (if you want to check them out click on the links to their web pages):
      - Making For Change a UK social enterprise that works with women in prisons for more about this go to https://bethany-williams.com/blogs/manufacturing/making-for-change.
      - San Patrignano (Italian) group who use weaving textiles as a way to rehabilitate people out of drug addiction, to read more about this see https://designlab.sanpatrignano.org/en/weaving .
      - Mending For Good based in Millan see https://www.mendingforgood.org/ .
      - Manusa who trains and hires refugees and new immigrants. https://www.manusa.eu/en/homepage/ .
      - The Social Outfit who offer sewing and retail training programs for women from refugee backgrounds and CALD migrant communities - https://thesocialoutfit.org/ .

      Q. Discuss the statement that said that to survive they need to work together with other social enterprises. In the book it is described as “growing the web of connections” p 140.

      Q . Does fashion have the ability to change lives? Before you answer, consider this quote, “ ‘I didn’t have a retirement fund before’ says Fatima. ‘I now know more about my rights and what you need to work in Australia.”


      Q. One of the issues is that social agendas can clash with commercial – How can this be alleviated? “The money has to come from somewhere”pg148. According to the World Economic Forum, “nearly 40% fail in the first year” (social enterprises).

      Here are some ideas we have for survival:
      - Government assistance
      - Extra fundings via charity fundraising
      - Donations
      - Sponsorship
      - Marketing of product explains that cost of product is the “therapy” and “training” and the result of rehabilitation for the producers. You are wearing someone’s reason for hope.
      - Give credit to the maker so that there is a connection to the artisan’s story.
      - Fundraisers . Look at “Wear The Change” example: https://thesocialoutfit.org/pages/wear-the-change .


      Q. Is the answer B Corp for profit driven businesses ? Consider this quote; “ B Corp offers a tangible and transparent framework for keeping businesses accountable and setting industry benchmarks” p 150


      Q. Do you think the cultural zeitgeist is shifting from maximizing profits to maximizing purpose? Is this driven by consumers or businesses?

      Less


      Imagine if “fashion is seen as a vehicle for political activism and personal storytelling. DIY culture makes it creative.” “When we do buy we choose well because we know it’s got to last”


      Q. How much do we really need in our wardrobe?


      Q. How does the idea of less make you feel?


      Q. Degrowth? Is it possible to stop overproduction?


      Quote: “ We must grow out of growth…The only solution is less stuff. There are no other options” – Kate Fletcher pg 156.


      Q. The commons is defined as “a resource + a community + a set of social protocols’. Pg 157. An example of this model in practice is Fashion Act Now https://www.fashionactnow.org/ . Discuss how this is a “vibrant, creative social system” pg 158.


      Q. Can you think of other communing in practices. The book gives these examples; “gift economy; open access journals for scholarship; CSA (community supported agriculture…..repair cafes and crowd funding” pg 159.


      Q. One of the interviewed people in the book says that for fashion to become about “less” to “we will need to redefine status” – It will need to reflect social responsibility somehow. We need to not look at less as a sacrifice rather as more authentic connections. What do you think?


      Q: How can small businesses survive if they can’t sell enough clothes to pay for rent, staff etc p165?


      Q: DIT (Do It Together) will that become a commodity rather than a new outfit. Let’s discuss a date and organize one of these to do together :D.

      My Son's Beautiful Gesture on Valentine's Day

      My Son's Beautiful Gesture on Valentine's Day

      As a parent, there are moments that fill your heart with pride and joy, moments that reaffirm your belief in the goodness of humanity. Yesterday, I had one of those moments, courtesy of my incredible son, Seb.

      Valentine's Day can be a time of love and celebration for many, but for others, it can bring feelings of loneliness and inadequacy. Unfortunately, one of the girls in Seb's friend group experienced just that when she was humiliated by a boy she asked to be her Valentine. She was made to feel undesirable and unworthy, a heartbreaking experience for anyone, let alone a young teenager.

      In the face of his friend's distress, Seb's response was nothing short of extraordinary. Instead of dismissing her feelings or staying silent, he spoke up with words of reassurance and support. "Absolutely nothing is wrong with you," he told her, offering a glimmer of hope in her moment of darkness.

      But Seb didn't stop there. He recognized that Valentine's Day isn't just about romantic love—it's about celebrating all forms of love and spreading kindness to those around us. With this in mind, he suggested we visit a shop to purchase a piece of jewelry that supports the cause of ending human trafficking, a cause close to both our hearts ( I have been telling him about this lately).

      As we browsed through the selection, Seb carefully chose a piece that symbolized hope and empowerment. With a determined look in his eyes, he wrote a heartfelt note to his friend, urging her to "hold onto hope and know your worth—I see it." It was a simple yet profound message, a reminder that she is valued and loved just as she is.

      Witnessing Seb's compassion and empathy in action brought tears to my eyes. In a world that can sometimes feel cold and indifferent, his warmth and kindness is illuminating the darkness around him. He may only be a teenager, but his heart is already so full of love and understanding.

      As a parent, I couldn't be prouder of the young man he is becoming. Seb's beautiful gesture serves as a powerful reminder that even the smallest acts of kindness can make a world of difference to those in need. May we all strive to follow his example and spread love and compassion wherever we go.

      This Valentine's Day, let us remember that love knows no bounds, and kindness has the power to change lives. And to my son Seb, thank you for being the embodiment of love and compassion in this world. You are truly a treasure to behold.

      So I am inspired to say to everyone reading this happy valentines day, have hope and know your worth. 

      Love,

      Yvie