Ecouterre

Baroness Lola Young: Uzbek Cotton is Fashion's "Horse-Meat Scandal"

by Jasmin Malik Chua , 05/06/13 filed under: Eco-Fashion News, Worker Rights

The garment industry could learn a thing or two from Europe’s horse-meat scandal, said Baroness Lola Young of Hornsey, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion, at a recent British parliamentary debate. Addressing the House of Lords in March, Young warned about the “unforeseen complications” of globalized processing and trading. “The longer and more dispersed the supply chain, the more difficult it is to ensure transparency and accountability,” she said. She provided the real-world example of cotton from Uzbekistan, where the government forcibly sends upwards of 2 million children—some as young as 7—to work in the fields for 10 hours a day, for two to three months each year, according to the Responsible Sourcing Network.

PREVIOUSLY ON ECOUTERRE: Disturbing Video Reveals Child Laborers Picking Cotton in Uzbekistan

Designers & Agents

10 Emerging Green Brands Appearing at Designers & Agents' Green Room

by Yuka Yoneda , 05/06/13 filed under: Designers & Agents, Eco-Fashion Brands, Events

Is Our Addiction to Fast Fashion Just Another Form of Terrorism?

by Amy DuFault , 05/03/13 filed under: Worker Rights

Photo by Khurshed Rinku for Reuters

As the death toll in the Rana Plaza building collapse outside the Bangladesh capital of Dhaka climbs past 400, the kinship between our purchasing decisions and the loss of life is becoming harder to ignore. This has been the deadliest industrial disaster to hit the beleaguered South Asian nation, resulting in three times the number of fatalities as the devastating Tazreen Fashions fire a mere five months ago. Despite all the hair-rending and chest-thumping back in November, very little has changed about our so-called “race to the bottom” for cheaper, trendier clothes. History keeps repeating itself, all for a $9.99 dress that makes us feel better about ourselves and our place in life. Make that $9.99 plus 446 human lives in this past month alone. Take that, world.

Wool & Prince Claims Its Shirt Stays Fresh for 100 Days Without Washing

by Bridgette Meinhold , 05/03/13 filed under: Eco-Textiles, Men's Eco-Fashion

Green Designer Vivienne Westwood

Vivienne Westwood Gives Virgin Atlantic Crew an Eco-Friendly Makeover

by Jasmin Malik Chua , 05/02/13 filed under: Eco-Fashion News, Green Designers, Vivienne Westwood

Join Ethical Fashion Academy, Ecouterre in a Dialog About Slow Fashion

by Ecouterre , 05/02/13 filed under: Events

Join the Ethical Fashion Academy, author-academic Sass Brown, Centre for Social Innovation’s Carmen Artigas, Helpsy’s Rachel Kibbe, and designers Organic by John Patrick, Titania Inglis, Francisca Pineda, Kameleonik, and Ecoology, as well as Ecouterre managing editor Jasmin Malik Chua in a discussion about “slow fashion” in Williamsburg tomorrow from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. A pop-up shop featuring Spanish ethical fashion labels will run until May 10.

Grippo Art + Design
174 Grand Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211

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Site Seeing

Boston Magazine Uses Runners' Shoes to Illustrate Bombing Tragedy

by Lori Zimmer , 05/01/13 filed under: Site Seeing

Photos by Mitchell Feinberg for Boston

In light of the tragedy at the Boston Marathon last week, Boston Magazine has found a unique, and sensitive, way to tell the story of the victims- through their shoes. May’s issue, which hit newsstands with an overwhelming reception, features a front and back cover memorial- featuring the runners’ sneakers shaped into a heart. The symbolic photograph is accompanied by first-hand stories by the participating runners- very production brought together both Boston Magazine staffers, their families, and runners involved in the marathon, during a very scary, traumatic time.

PREVIOUSLY ON ECOUTERRE: AliveShoes Project Fuses Artistic Expression, Eco-Fashion, Sustainability

Boycotting Brands Linked to Bangaldesh Building Collapse Not the Answer

by Ilana Winterstein, Labour Behind the Label , 05/01/13 filed under: Worker Rights

Photo by Steve Parsons for PA Wire

The recent events in Bangladesh have filled the media with horrific pictures of human tragedy: mothers mourning their lost children, rescue workers covered in dust unearthing more bodies, death and grief mounting under piles of rubble and boxes of unworn clothes. Amongst a growing inbox of heart-wrenching testimony and photos from workers and rescuers on the scene, there is one image in particular that is seared into my mind. That of a man, dust covered and dead, hugging a woman who lies limp in his arms. I cannot help but wonder, again and again, at what point did he reach over to hug, protect, and comfort her? When did they realise they were both going to die? What were their final words to each other? Did they even know each other or did the terror of a collapsing building bring them together?

Fabrictionary

Palm Leather: A Vegan Textile With the Same Properties as Animal Hide

by Lea Stewart , 04/30/13 filed under: Eco-Textiles, Fabrictionary

PALM LEATHER \pä(l)m ˈleT͟Hər\

n 1 a: A sturdy textile created by Studio Tjeerd Veenhoven in the Netherlands using the leaves of the Areca palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens). b: Made by soaking the plant matter in a special biological solution that leaves it supple and pliable. c: A biodegradable, 100 percent vegan material with some of the properties of animal leather and rubber. 2: Natural variations in color provide plenty of design potential. 3 a: Suitable for a wide range of products, including bags, footwear, and journal covers. b: Opens opportunities for artisans in South India, where the leaves and the skills to manipulate them are common.