San Diego Shop Sets the Pace with Trendsetting Eco Chic Boutique

SAN DIEGO – MAY 1, 2008 – Factory Vintage Store in San Diego, California is an eco friendly boutique that brings a whole new edge to green fashion and art. “We wanted to start out by making it easily accessible to everyone, so this way our eco conscience shoppers can walk or ride their bikes if they want.” say’s owner Sean Leonard. In order to this, they moved their shop to Bay Park right next to San Diego bike paths and just a mile down the road from the Old Town Trolley and Transit Station. It is safe to say that at Factory Vintage, location is only where their revolutionary concepts begin. After a brief look around the store, it becomes apparent that this independent San Diego shop might have a few things that they could teach the big boys.

Factory Vintage is located of Moreno Rd, in a space in that used to be an old warehouse and Dive shop. The store preserved much of the raw vintage warehouse feel yet stepped it up a notch by interlacing it with recycled fixtures, light boxes, organic displays and natural plants. They call it third world surf layout meets urban jungle, like what you may see in a beach town in the tropics, except they turn recycled materials into apparel and accessory displays. “We know that the product is what matters, with that in mind it’s amazing what you can get away with to display things on.”

Factory Vintage’s chic collection of eco-friendly clothing is what matters. They combine a mixture of recycled vintage clothing, re-constructed used clothing, and eco-friendly and responsible clothing brands. Half of their apparel collection is authentic vintage clothing consisting of hard to find vintage t-shirts, dresses, blazers, and a collection of Levis that would make a denim designer blush. Another 35% of the store is reconstructed vintage collections from, Particle Clothing, and Factory Vintage’s in-store label CCVintage. Each piece is a one of kind creation for both the fashion forward and eco conscience shopper alike. With the exception of a couple of other clothing labels uniquely sold at Factory Vintage, the rest of the merchandise in the store is recycled hand bags, boots, jewelry and more. Factory Vintage also features accessories and artwork from local area designers.

Originally coming from a Southern California and spending some time in both Dallas and Central America, when the founders of Factory Vintage were asked why they chose San Diego for their location, one said, “ We wanted to go somewhere where people would understand what we were doing so that we could make a difference.” I took note of an event flyer in Factory Vintage from a clothing drive they are doing for local homeless shelters, “Individuals throw away 67.9 pounds of used clothing and rags each year. Collectively, Americans discard two quadrillion pounds (that's a two with fifteen zeroes) of used clothing and textiles into the landfills each year.” With innovative shops like Factory Vintage mak setting the pace, the concept of recycled fashion might not be that far off from leading trends in the future.

Teens Turn to Thrift as Apparel Prices go Up

Another like-minded friend of ours turned us on to this Article in the Associated Press about Teens Turning to Thrift as Jobs Vanish and Prices Rise. The Article was written by ANNE D'INNOCENZIO, with contributions from Writers Lisa Cornwell and Marcus Kabel of the Associated Press. It touched on the subject of kids having to turn to thrift shopping and DYI projects to adjust to the flailing economy. You can view the article in its entirety at Yahoo Business News.

The Article states that, "The souring job market and rising costs of the usual teenage indulgences — a slice of pizza, a drive to the mall, the hottest new jeans — are causing teens to do something they rarely do: be thrifty.

It's a far cry from the freewheeling spending of recent years, when teens splurged on $100 Coach wristlet handbags, $60 Juicy Couture
T-shirts and $80 skinny jeans from Abercrombie & Fitch.

Now jobs for teens are less plentiful, and parents who supply the allowances are feeling the economic pinch themselves.

The stalwart retailers of teen apparel, such as Abercrombie and American Eagle Outfitters Inc., are reporting sluggish sales, defying the myth that teen spending is recession-proof: It holds up longer, but can eventually fold.

It's even becoming cool to be frugal.

Last week, Ellegirl.com, the teen offshoot of Elle magazine, launched a new video fixture called Self-Made Girl, which shows teens how to make clothes and accessories. The first video offers tips on how to create a prom clutch.

"It's a little tacky in the economic unrest to tote a big logo bag," said Holly Siegel, the site's senior editor. She said it's no longer about teens "one-upping each other," but rather where they can get it cheap.

Teen hiring has slumped by 5 percent since March 2007, with many mom-and-pop stores, which typically hire younger workers, laying off employees. Hiring in the overall job market fell by just 0.1 percent during the same period.

That's still not as bad as the 13 percent drop in teen hiring in the early 1990s. That means that if the larger job market mirrors the last teen hiring slump, "we're not out of the woods," said Michael P. Niemira, chief economist at the International Council of Shopping Centers.

Secondhand clothing chains have seen business surge this year as teens and their parents buy popular brands like Gap, Banana Republic and Juicy Couture at a fraction of the regular price.

"It is way cooler to get a super deal on that shirt rather than being able to spend the most money on something," said Anna D'Agrosa, director of Consumer Insights at The Zandl Group, a market research company focusing on teens. "Kids are becoming really aware of what is happening to their economy and to their families."

Perhaps something good can come out of this, that will stick with he teens in to their adult life.

-MILO

A Pretty N.E.E.T. Magazine

N.E.E.T. Magazine captures the essence of recycled fashion and jewelry as a new form of art. They put eco-garage hipster style artists on the map with their creative and intuitive sense for trash can aristocracy.

Happy New Year From fashion & Recycling

Happy New Year from Fashion & Recycling! Today marks the beginning of a new calendar year, and it’s the perfect opportunity right now to look towards the coming year with new ideas, goals and resolutions. While it’s traditional for us to make personal resolutions, we at Fashion & Recycling feel it’s important to reflect on the environment and the state of the design industry and make some green design resolutions for 2008. What is the future of green design? What important issues, movements, and ideas do we foresee being influential? What do we hope to see in the coming year? Thank you for taking time to read and to hear our thoughts, and from all of us at Fashion & Recycling, here’s to a wonderful 2008!

Purchase Bulk Vintage Clothing on eBay

How about buying bulk vintage clothing for your shop or friends through eBay? Well now you can. Dust Factory vintage just started listing some of their world class DFV12pcks on eBay Auctions.

These DFV12 Packs are

Great for the Ebay Seller looking for new product to increase revenue.

Great for the Individual seeking out a new eco-friendly t-shirt collection for self or friends.

Great for an Event Planner looking to do a sustainable Event t-shirt

Great for the Band looking to do something new with merchandise.

Great for the Boutique looking for a new supplier.

Great for the Store/Business looking for a new shop tee.

As if that is not enough you can now get whatever you purchased form them screen
printed with your shop, band or party logo through their s(eco)nd print service.

check out http://dustfactoryvintage.com for more information.

 

Eco Friendly FASHION trade Show

Pooltradeshow is the original independent tradeshow, established in 2001 for the boutique market and better retailers worldwide.

It is a semi-annual event occurring every February and August in conjunction with the MAGIC Marketplace, when the apparel industry converges on Las Vegas for the most influential week in the business of fashion.

Pooltradeshow showcases the best emerging designers, featuring new product ranging from women’s and men’s apparel, to shoes and accessories, and including a variety of lifestyle products — from art, to music, to home.

Last Season pooltradeshow open their Second Show featuring Green, artists and designers. This platform gave eco-conscience designers and brands the opportunity to showcase their designs in a special environment highlighting their designs as well as tasks and mission. This February will be the second time they open door for their eco- showcase. If you have any desire to see who is up an coming in the world of fashion and recycling check out the pooltradeshow this February in Las Vegas.

Designs You Can Play With

 

The folks over at Particle Reconstruction have come up with another way of reconstructing old ideas to re-introduce into today's urban market. This time they strayed away from fabrics and clothing and tried out their skills on old vintage toys and accessories. PLASTIC MILITIA is a collection of Designs You Can Play With.

Each design is original and handcrafted using recycled objects. Also available Dice Earrings & Domino Earrings, for a quick game of Craps or Bones at your next conventions break.

Available for $8 at http://counterculturestore.com

Go Green This Halloween

GO GREEN: If you are planning on going green this Halloween you couldn't of picked a better year. On-line retailers like CCVINTAGE carry some key vintage pieces that could complete your look. This year the Classics are coming back in High Demand. You don’t have to look like a stripper fairy god mother, or a prostitute princess to have a good time. You also don’t have to spend $100 on a synthetic plastic costume that you will wear only one day then throw into an already bulging land fill. Here are a few Vintage Costume ideas, All recycled and eco-friendly. You can mix and match from your closet or run down to you local Vintage Store to grab needed accessories.

Great Classic Ideas:

Cowboy

Indian

Cheerleader

Security Guard

Flapper

Jock

Cop

70’s guy

60’s girl

50’s Greaser

Vampire

Soldier

Princess

Prisoner

Doctor

Wrestler

Pirate

Nurse

Specific ideas:

Condoleeza Rice

Dracula

Daisy Duke

Big Gay AL

Lieutenant Dangle (Reno 911)

Carmen Miranda

Che

Harry Potter

Caveman (From Geico Commercial)

James Bond

Scarecrow

Barbraella

Luke Duke

Super Hero

Street FighterChun-Li

Jack Sparrow

High School Musical Actors (Any of them)

Hannah Montana

Dwight (the Office)

List provided by the Vintage Factory 2703 Main St. Dallas, TX 75226

Truck Canvas and Tire Tread Shoe

The folks @ Yellow Port have taken the remains of a diesel fume-spewing truck and transformed them into these styling caual shoes designed for low impact, urban transportation.

The Myra Street shoe is made in Brazil in a sweatshop-free environment.

Find at Green is Back

Recycled Cassette Coin Purse

In an age of mp3s, DVDs, and CD-RWs, you may wonder “where have all the cassette tapes gone?” Following the reuse-and-recycle design trend, these clever little coin purses pose one solution, turning old tapes into usable vessels for all your stray pennies. Hand-made and one-of-a-kind, the cassette tapes are available from Marcella Foschi, Italy.
Considering most change purses cost only a few bucks, these are still a bit pricey, but what a great idea.


$39 on Design Boom.

Recycled Swimsuits

Aaron Chang jumps head first into eco-fashion with recycled swim suites. Who is Aarong Chang and how did he get involved in developing womens swim wear? Well-known in the photography world, his work has appeared on over 100 covers, on coffee table books, on countless ads for companies like, Nike, Yamaha, Polaris and Levis, not to mention a number of photos in Surfer and Surfing magazine. As an avid and legendary surfer, nature has always been in the forefront of his mind and he had a desire to incorporate his personal values with his professional work.

Thus, a great concept was formed to merge photography with fashion with swimwear. While the first few suits were not eco-friendly, this spring Aaron Chang will debut two new swimsuit lines that are made from 100% recycled plastic soda bottles. The response has already been so positive that Aaron Chang plans to make all summer swimsuit lines from 100% recycled plastic and eco-friendly.

The swimwear incorporates the direct photographs or small pieces from the photographs are used to design a logo that is used on the swim wear. Themes on the swimsuits incorporate elements of the natural world, such as waves, sunsets, flowers, elephants and indigenous designs from Panama. All swimsuits use bright colors, such as hot pints, greens, reds. The swimsuits are reversible, thus allowing for two suits for the price of one; A great concept.

Currently all cover-ups (shorts, tops and dress covers) are made from 100% organic cotton. Detailing on the clothes and suits is made from wooden beads, thus no plastic parts on the clothing or suits.

But why stop with the swimsuits or the cover-ups – Aaron Chang has made sure that all items related to the clothing are also environmental. Marketing materials and papers are all recycled and certified by the Rain forest Alliance to not come from virgin rain forest trees. Catalogs, hangtags and press kits are all made from recycled paper.

Aaron Chang

Recycled Solar-Power Bag

Here is product that uses both re-usable bags and solar-power. We found a post on on Alternative Consumer and though that it was so cool that we would post it also. This solar beach bag from Reware Solarsistem let’s you plug-in and charge small electronic devices while transporting all your essential suntan products and snacks to the beach or lakeside.

Some features:

• charges a wide variety of small electronic from cell phones to mp3 players
• heavy duty cotton webbing handles
• large roomy inside pocket
• gadget pocket for holding your phone or camera
• natural cotton “duck canvas” frame
• removable interior bottom support
• rugged Cordura® nylon cover for a water-resistant bottom
• each Juice Bag comes with a universal CLA/Car charger female socket

The Reware SolarSistem allows you to remove your solar panel for use separately from the bag, or to allow you to clean your tote.

So be the envy of all your greenish friends and techno geeks with the ultimate in re-usable bag utility.

on sale now for $199.99 @ the http://www.rewarestore.com/product/beachtote.html

Teva Branches Into Recycled Shoes

Teva is branching out in a green way with a new style of recycled shoes. Using post-consumer PET canvas (which makes up the lining) and post-consumer recycled rubber (which makes up the sole) they’ve come up with a cool shoe for today’s sustainable shopper. The uppers are suede and they come in dark brown or sandstone. $74.95 at Amazon

This pair of Tevas has a lining made out of recycled soda bottles, while that big rubber outsole is from recycled rubber. They also come in an Olive color. $69.95 at Amazon

Dallas Boutique Revolutionizes Shopping Experience

For the entire month of August Counter Culture Store at Mockingbird Station is having a donation drive called "PROJECT JUXTAPOSITION". Individuals throw away 67.9 pounds of used clothing and rags each year. Collectively, Americans discard two quadrillion pounds (that's a two with fifteen zeroes) of used clothing and textiles into the landfills each year. Fortunately, they can make sure they reach the people who need them rather than find their way into already-bulging landfills.

They are making it as easy as 1,2,3 to make a difference.

1. You drop off your old clothes in our donation bin

2. They give you a 10% discount on new, vintage or refurbished clothes

3.They make sure your old clothes make it to those in need through local charities.

Take the train, ride a bike, skate or drive a friend. They guarantee that once you revolutionize your shopping experience, you will want to teach others how they can.

Counter Culture Store is located at 5331 E. Mockingbird Ln. Suite 110 Dallas, TX 75226

Vintage T-Shirts 101

"The t-shirt is a symbol of freedom, but also a rebellion to society". Rin Taken. Did you know that the t-shirt is as North American as apple pie and blue jeans.

It wasn't until after the fighter pilots in the South Pacific returned home from WW2, in the 50's, that it was finally acceptable to wear an undershirt as a t-shirt. The first Surf Board Shapers had no idea that screen printing their logo on a t-shirt would change North American fashion forever. In the 80's T-shirt branding evolved from a grass roots marketing tool, to a billion dollar industry. Before a sneaker logo could sell a t-shirt, it had to have a great print or be a billboard and say something only a t-shirt could get away with. From Novelty tee's to brand tees no one could resist the comfort of a cotton tee

The first thing to look for when searching for authenticity of the perfect vintage tee is the tag/label. Before the store brand sold a tee, it was the brand on the blank itself that sold it. Knowing what to look for will save a lot of time during the hunt. Different tags can tell you about the era you tee come from. Current day American Made t-shirt manufactures continuously try to match the one of a kind comfort and feel found only in a 80's Screen star t-shirt blank.

Rock concert tees tell others that not only did you support the art of rocking by purchasing the newest 8 track released by your Rock Mentor, but you attended these ground breaking rock services yourself. Beware these are not to be mistaken as current day overprinted reproductions sold to the squares at urban corporate mall stores; but a genuine rare black market concert tee. Only recognizable traits are in the original print, date, tag and quality of blank. Some concert T-shirts will sell for well over $1000 in the dealer trade. The authenticity and timeless prints set these apart.

Find Vintage Tee's Retail :: CCVINTAGE.COM

Find Vintage Tee's Wholesale :: DUSTFACTORYVINTAGE.COM

 

 

JOIN the REvOLUTiON

Retail Vintage Clothing :: Open A Store Yourself

With an estimated 1 million tons of textiles being thrown away each year, anyone with dedication can start making a difference in their city or town. Weather it be from just wearing vintage or recycled clothing, or by providing the option to find it easier to their friends and neighbors. Our years of retail experience with vintage clothing have led us to a formula that is easily transferable to someone wanting to run their own Counter Culture Store. This combined with our unique ability to provide inventory makes it a very profitable business for the right investor.

Our passion is educating people about sustainable business and lifestyles. Our business is selling vintage clothing, eco conscience brands and accessories; including jeans, T-shirts, corduroys, boots, dresses, sunglasses, jewelry and related items; much of which can be supplied by our wholesale division. The daily operations are easy by comparison with a minimal number of employees and relaxed business hours.

Broad support will be offered in terms of a detailed operations manual, sales and operations training, proactive idea sharing between stores, and 10 years of retail experience just a phone call away. Our experience includes extensive merchandising and buying knowledge, as well as, expertise in public relations, marketing, sales and vintage clothing.

With retail mark ups being the highest in the clothing industry, opening a vintage clothing store is an excellent business venture. If being your own boss and working in this profitable, fun environment appeals to you, this just might be for you.

If opening a store is something you always wanted to do, but never knew where to get started click here to view our Retail Start Up Questioner

Take it Off

Sometimes its easy to make a simple change that could make a huge difference, almost too easy. The Italian government has made an official request that businesses loosen up on the dress code during hot summer months. A statement from the ministry claims that, "Taking your tie off immediately lowers the body temperature by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius. Allowing a more sensible use of air conditioning that yields electricity savings and protects the environment.”

While this may not seem a significant message outside of Italy, by relating dress style to global warming the Italian government may have found a way to get the attention of a blasé public. One of the European Union’s most polluted members, Italy, in spite of various efforts to reduce emissions, is expected to exceed greenhouse gas emission targets. Perhaps by encouraging shabby dress in the workplace the government has tapped a nerve that will lead to other, more significant changes.

At least one tie-maker on the other hand is not impressed with the government’s anti-tie message. Reuters quotes from a letter to the newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore: "Italy confirms that it is a strange country," said Flavio Cima "I, tie maker, am responsible for global warming. We can now happily continue with our lifestyle, using cars, consuming fuel, heating and cooling our homes at leisure. On one condition: we should not wear a tie while we do so." Via ::Yahoo News

Rag & Bone "Textile Recycling 101"

The folks over at Waist Online have a detailed page with allot of useful information about Textile Recycling. They note that textile recycling originated in the Yorkshire Dales about 200 years ago. These days the 'rag and bone' men are textile reclamation businesses, which collect textiles for reuse (often abroad), and send material to the 'wiping' and 'flocking' industry and fibres to be reclaimed to make new garments. Textiles made from both natural and man-made fibres can be recycled.

Why Bother:

It is estimated that more than 1 million tons of textiles are thrown away every year, with most of this coming from household sources. Textiles make up about 3% by weight of a household bin. At least 50% of the textiles we throw away are recyclable, however, the proportion of textile wastes reused or recycled annually in the US is only around 20%.

Although the majority of textile waste originates from household sources, waste textiles also arise during yarn and fabric manufacture, garment-making processes and from the retail industry. These are termed post-industrial waste, as opposed to the post-consumer waste which goes to jumble sales and charity shops. Together they provide a vast potential for recovery and recycling.

 

Recovery and recycling provide both environmental and economic benefits. Textile recovery:

• Reduces the need for landfill space. Textiles present particular problems in landfill as synthetic (man-made fibres) products will not decompose, while woollen garments do decompose and produce methane, which contributes to global warming.
• Reduces pressure on virgin resources.
• Aids the balance of payments as we import fewer materials for our needs.
• Results in less pollution and energy savings, as fibers do not have to be transported from abroad.

Reclaiming fiber avoids many of the polluting and energy intensive processes needed to make textiles from virgin materials, including: -

• Savings on energy consumption when processing, as items do not need to be re-dyed or scoured.
• Less effluent, as unlike raw wool, it does not have to be thoroughly washed using large volumes of water.
• Reduction of demand for dyes and fixing agents and the problems caused by their use and manufacture.

How, what and where of recycling textiles:

The majority of post-consumer textiles are currently collected by charities like The Salvation Army, Good Will and Chalk. Some charities, for example Good Will and The Salvation Army, sort collected material selling it on to merchants in the appropriate sectors.

Some postindustrial waste is recycled 'in-house', usually in the yarn and fabric manufacturing sector. The rest, aside from going to landfill or incineration, is sent to merchants.

Collection Method's:

At present the consumer has the option of putting textiles in 'clothes banks', taking them to charity shops or having them picked up for a donation drive.

The Salvation Army is the largest operator of textile banks in the US. On average, each of these banks is estimated to collect about six tons of textiles per year. Combined with door-to-door collections, The Salvation Army's textile recycling operations account for the processing of in excess of 17,000 tons of clothing a year. Clothes are given to the homeless, sold in charity shops or sold in developing countries in Africa, the Indian sub-continent and parts of Eastern Europe. Nearly 70% of items put into clothing banks are reused as clothes, and any un-wearable items are sold to merchants to be recycled and used as factory wiping cloths.

Processing and Outlets for Waste Textiles

All collected textiles are sorted and graded at a "Rag House" by highly skilled, experienced workers, who are able to recognize the large variety of fiber types resulting from the introduction of synthetics and blended fiber fabrics. Once sorted the items are sent to various destinations as outlined below:

Post industrial waste is often reprocessed in house. Clippings from garment manufacture are also used by fiber reclaimers to make into garments, felt and blankets.

Some selected items will be sold to the "Vintage Market" and reused by designers fashioning garments and bags from recovered items. Companies like Dust Factory Vintage grade the textiles even more to produce mixes that will sell in trendy Vintage Shops in te US, Japan and Europe, however this is a very small sector within the overall destinations of textiles. For more information on what happens with Vintage Clothing click here.

What You Can Do:

• Take your used clothes to a textile bank. Contact the recycling officer in your local authority if there are no banks in your area and ask why; they may collect textiles through other means. Alternatively you can take used clothing to local charity shops.
• Give old clothes/shoes/curtains/handbags etc. to jumble sales. Remember to tie shoes together: part of the 6% of textiles which is wastage for merchants are single shoes.
• Buy second-hand clothes - you can often pick up unusual period pieces! If bought from a charity shop, it will also benefit a charity.
• Buy things you are likely to wear a long time - a dedicated follower of fashion can also be a green one if items are chosen carefully.
• Look for recycled content in the garments you buy. This should be on the label, though at present there is no conventional marking scheme and some companies do not always advertise the recycled content.
• Buy cloth wipers instead of disposable paper products as the product can be used repeatedly.

 

New Eco Friendly Fabrics

There are some new threads in town and it’s exciting to see them on catwalks and sidewalks — organic and sustainable fibers are the only way to go, whether we fashion our own clothes or buy off the rack.

#bamboo - one of the most sustainable fibers made. It can grow like wildfire, without pesticides or fertilizers. Formed from the pulp of the plant, this softy has wonderful anti-bacterial properties, wicking away sweat to keep us dry, we stay cool in summer and warm in winter. The folks at alternative consumer put together this list for us.

#hemp - one of the most durable natural fibers on the planet, and versatile. It requires no pesticides or synthetic fertilizers, is harvested and processed by hand, and produces 2-3 times more fiber per acre than cotton.

# ingeo - a versatile, man-made fiber rom renewable corn.

# jute - a glossy fiber from a plant. Most often used to make: sacks, rope, twine.

# lyocell - from wood-pulp, 100% biodegradable. Look for garments manufactured in US or Europe if you have Multiple Chemical Sensitivities , ref: here.

# nettle - a coarse, wild herb that’s naturally moth-repellent.

# organic cotton - uses no harmful chemicals; supports biodiversity, healthy ecosystems, improves soil quality and often uses less water than conventionally grown cotton. It has a longer growth cycle, requires more skill and costs more than conventionally-grown cotton - but it’s worth it. Organic cotton farming practices are so much healthier for farmers and the planet & organic cotton feels fantastic on our bodies!

# organic linen - extremely durable, made from the flax plant, grown without pesticides or herbicides.

# polar fleece, Polartec and POP - made from recycled soda pop bottles.

# ramie - from a plant, native to eastern Asia. 3 to 5 times stronger than cotton, it’s extremely absorbent and dries quickly, and has been cultivated for the past 6000 years, is often mistaken for linen.

# sasawashi - a blend of Japanese paper and kumazasa herb, resembles linen. Has anti allergen & anti bacterial properties.

# seacell - contains Lyocell. A cellulose- (the natural polymer that makes up the living cells of all vegetation) and seaweed-based fiber, with anti bacterial properties.

# silk - look for cruelty-free silk which allows wild and semi-wild wilkworms to emerge from their cocoons before the silk is harvested, rather than killing them.

# soy - from the residue of soybeans from tofu manufacturing, soy proteins are woven into a light, cashmere-like material that drapes softly over your body and has a bit of stretch.

# Tencel - a brand name for a type of Lyocell, extracted from sustainably harvested wood pulp; lightweight and wrinkle-resistant. Look for garments made in US and Europe if you have Multiple Chemical Sensitivities

eco friendly reminders: DWH —

Donate your pre-loved threads, Wash in eco-friendly cleansers and Hang-dry as you hang with your friends or plants.

Don't Buy It Make It

The innovative people at Wardrobe Refashion, are helping get people involved into the recycled side of fashion by putting together a pledge. "I pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing ... that I shall refashion, renovate, recycle pre-loved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract."

Take the pledge today. Everyone's doing it! Sewing is undergoing a big revival right now, the thrifty desire to recycle, concerns about sweatshop labor and over consumption, as well as a growing online 'craft' community have fueled sites like 'Wardrobe Refashion', a community blog, based in Australia, with participants worldwide. Wardrobe refashion community members have all taken a pledge not to purchase any new manufactured clothing for a set period, instead all clothing must be recycled, renovated, pre-loved, or handmade.

This is a great idea that we applaud, for direction or ideas check out some of our recent stories and DIY fashion recyclers like Particle Reconstrution, Dust Factory Vintage and online boutiques like Counter Culture Store.

The Pledge

I __________________ pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 2 / 4 / 6 months. I pledge that i shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovoated, recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, so that others may share the joy that thy thriftyness brings! Signed__________________.

The Rules

1. No buying new! (handmade is excepted; So this allows for Etsy purchases etc!!) All clothing must be Recycled, Renovated, Preloved or Thrifted, or Handmade only for the term. Employment related and special needs clothing (ie sports, school),
shoes and undies are excepted from the rules, although you are encouraged to have
a go at making these.

2. In extreme circumstances, maybe a special event, or the worlds greatest and most amazing never to be repeated sale that you simply can not pass up, you may use the Get out of Refashionista Jail Free card. You are able to use this card once during the 2 month part of your contract; ie 1 for 2 months, 2 for 4 months etc. Of course you need to fess up on the blog and display the button!

3. You must post on the blog at least once a week to let the community know what you've been up to. This will not only give you brag points, but inspire and encorouge others! Of course you need to display the button on your blog and have copied the pledge in at least one post, and provide a link to your pledge under the button.

4. You need to be honest and admit when you've fallen off the Refashionista Wagon! Go directly to Refashionista Jail, do not pass GO and do not collect $200! Apply for parole once there.

Go to Wardrobe Refashion and sign up for the pledge now.

NO! ECO SHOPPING BAG BRA

This is definitely one of the weirder attempts we’ve seen to make environmentalism more “sexy” to mainstream consumers, but you gotta hand it to the Japanese for creativity. Anyways, we found this article by Tylene Levesque on Inhabitat.

In an effort to raise awareness to the estimated 30 billion plastic shopping bags used by Japanese consumers (30% of which are thrown out without ever being reused), designers at Triumph International Japan have found a way to convert a bra into a shopping bag. Triumph, the same company that created the Eco-globe Bra (2004) and microwavable Warm Biz Bra (2005), has unveiled their newest eco-themed bra, the “No! Shopping Bag Bra” (No! reji-bukuro bra in Japanese). Available to Japanese shoppers, the bra, which comes in red, blue, yellow and pink, is also made of polyester fibers recycled from plastic bottles using the company’s EcoCircle recylcing system.

The bra is transformed into a ready-to-use shopping bag with only a few steps. One simply removes the shopping bag hidden into the padding of the bra, ties the lacey cups and shoulder straps around the bag for decoration and presto—you have a bag! Definitely innovative, but is it practical? We’ll just have to wait and see.

For more information, watch the video

Reconstructed Vintage Clothing

After years of wholesaling and recycling vintage, Dust Factory embraces the next step in the natural evolution of the vintage clothing market with vintage reconstruction. Along with it's ability to meet the growing demands for and popularity of authentic vintage pieces, Dust Factory's fashion team has created a line for both men and women that bridges the gap between old and new and unifies the vintage boutique with the specialty boutique. Particle Reconstruction clothing line combines vintage materials from the past with the creative style of the present. Each piece is formed from recycled clothing which has been deconstructed and refitted together to create a unique and original garment. Every article is cut from a standardized pattern, while simultaneously allowing natural style and wear variation through fabrication, further ensuring that each piece is a one of a kind. The collection, born from the creative minds of artists, designers and vintage enthusiasts alike, captures the artistic and timeless inspiration derived from vintage clothing and utilizes innovative and enthusiastic designs with a high fashion style and green appeal.

Vintage Fashion

Top Five Vintage Trends to look out for this Season

Vintage Suit Vests Vests have been back in style for a couple of seasons. Now everyone from the fashion chic urban girl, to the sassy sorority princes is wearing stylish vintage suit vests.

Spring Dresses Tunic style or strappy style, any flowy cotton dress will do.

Mini Dress or Mini Skirts It's going to get hot this summer and now that showing off as much leg as possible is in, it is only going to get hotter. Sassy cotton mini dresses and skirts will be a big look this summer.

80's Fashion Boots Vintage heels, and 80's fashion boots will fit any occasion this spring. Dressing up dresses to shorts.

Silk Scarves Its nice to have something sexy and pretty to hold that hair out of your face. Now that it is far from cool for girls to wear oversized tacky trucker caps or ball caps in general, it is nice to have something more elegant that will work