A few months ago I listened to a talk by Barbara Burman on her research into long purses, often referred to as miser purses. These purses date from mid 18th to late 19th century, often handmade as gifts to loved ones and although similar in shape were constructed from several techniques. In painter James Collinson’sContinue reading “Thinking the future through the past”
Tag Archives: fashion
An annotated bibliography
A short list of resources on ecology in textiles. 1. Over-Dressed, The shockingly high cost of cheap fashion Cline, E.L. (2013). Over-Dressed (2nd ed.). New York: Penguin. This is a great book as a first look into the fashion industry and the true cost of clothing manufacture. It breifly touches on alternatives, but is mostlyContinue reading “An annotated bibliography”
Worth and Value – ERIBÉ
How much is a Jumper worth? Primark Autumn/Winter 2015 collection have this rather nice Aran knit for £10. They don’t say what it’s made from but I’m guessing acrylic, probably made on a machine in a factory paying at the most minimum wage. For those buying it, I expect, it’ll end up worn for aContinue reading “Worth and Value – ERIBÉ”
Modern day slavery
As a member of the Salvation Army I am very aware of slavery and trafficking in today’s society. I also work for the joanna project and know many women who are forced to work in terrible situations. Yet, until now, I have never come across a situation where a government has sanctioned forced labour onContinue reading “Modern day slavery”
The role of the Commercial Designer
We have been looking at the role of the commercial designer for the past six weeks. A commercial designer is hired to design new ideas for a customer, but much more than that. Textile design covers a wide range of areas with clothing being just a part of the industry. Everything from seating and carpetsContinue reading “The role of the Commercial Designer”
Comp Shopping
A comp shop is where a designer for one brand does a shopping trip to competitors shops. The hope is that by watching the competition we can keep track of what others are doing and make sure we are on trend with fashion. I decided to do my own comp shop, looking at something IContinue reading “Comp Shopping”
Sustainable textiles and me
I’ve been asked to answer whether I agree or disagree on a few sustainability statements… …here goes… 1. Our society values economic gain over the environment Agree Although, I think people are starting to wake up to the fact that we have no other home. I think many larger companies, the so called fat cats, areContinue reading “Sustainable textiles and me”
Three Artists – In a 3D world
Johan Carpner http://www.johancarpner.se originally trained and worked as a graphic designer before the birth of his son helped guide him towards his current style. He describes his inspiration as “wilderness in nature”, the tangle of plants growing and the eventual beauty that grows from the tangled mess – Bringing order into chaos. His lamps createContinue reading “Three Artists – In a 3D world”
Three Artists – Keeping out the rubbish!
Three textile artists who are pioneers in sustainable materials are: Emily crane, Helen Storey and Reiko Sudo Emily Crane takes a ‘zero resources’ approach to fashion looking towards a future that is both sustainable yet has a quick turnover. She developed her material through a love of food technology and set up a laboratory inContinue reading “Three Artists – Keeping out the rubbish!”
Book Review – Overdressed
Just finished a book that I found in the library. Overdressed – The shockingly high cost of cheap fashion by Elizabeth L. Cline It’s about the fashion industry in America, but much of it applies here. She looks at several issues with clothing: 1, cheap, fast fashion – the samey look of the cheap highContinue reading “Book Review – Overdressed”