Swish and Pout

Upcycle Fashion attended the Swish and Pout clothes swapping event at Balham Bowls Club yesterday. It was a fabulous event and it was great to speak with many swappers and vintage buyers. Bringing the upcycling, repairs and 'alteration station' to the event provided an opportunity to give advice to swappers with clothing at home in need of some TLC as well as promoting the idea of upcycling and inspire others to have a go!

Moth eaten vintage dress...

...turned into an almost finished jacket!

SHIFT Festival

This weekend sees the first graduate exhibition of MA Fashion and the Environment students from the London College of Fashion as part of the Shift Festival organised by Cape Farewell.

The Southbank Centre will be the base for this weekend of a:
"Stimulating, provocative and energising programme of climate-focused cultural events"

The Cape Farewell Residency at the Southbank centre is running from August 2007 - July 2010. Taken from the website:

“Nothing is more important than our planet, and we all responsible for its welfare: we are already beginning to experience the catastrophic effects of ignorance. But statistics and constant messages of doom are not necessarily the best way to face these challenges. I asked Cape Farewell to join us as Artists in Residence because of the important and unique work they are doing in bringing together the artistic and scientific communities in order to address issues around climate change, in highly imaginative and thought-provoking ways. Their residency is part of our vision for Southbank Centre to become a place for debate through artistic encounter.”
Jude Kelly, Artistic Director of Southbank Centre
The MA Fashion and the Environment Exhibition will run in the foyer of Queen Elizabeth Hall from:

FRIDAY 29 JANUARY 17.00 – 22.30
SATURDAY 30th Jan & SUNDAY 31st Jan 12.00 – 22.30

Included in the exhibition:

HIGHLIGHTS
From Fashioning the Future 2009, the international student awards for sustainability in fashion

REMADE IN LEEDS - SAT 30 JAN 12.00 – 17.00
Participatory sewing workshop run by MA graduate Lizzie Harrison

LOCAL WISDOM - SAT 30 JAN & SUN 31 JAN 12.00 – 17.00
An opportunity for you to share the story of a favourite garment by Kate Fletcher

ALL EVENTS FREE OF CHARGE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

!!!see you there!!!

QUEEN ELIZABETH HALL FOYER
SOUTHBANK CENTRE
BELVEDERE ROAD
LONDON SE1 8XX

The Wave - Climate Change March December 2009

The UK's biggest ever demonstration in support of action on climate change happened today, 5th December through central London. Organised by the Stop Climate Change Coalition, thousands of people gathered together dressed in blue in the December cold to stand together to show support of climate change policies to be agreed on in Copenhagen next week.

Knit the City .com

The remains of a halloween inspired knitthecity.com display on the Strand. The rise of craft based trends such as knitting are taking on a new role in our culture, and by displaying the work around the city allows it to reach a new audience.

click here for the website

Using traditional craft techniques to decorate/adorn/graffiti our surroundings adds a new dimention to the usually 'safe' and maybe somewhat 'old fashioned' outlets for craft.

Recycling Vans that have been driving round London