Recycling Bins around London

Recycling is something that many people probably know they should be doing, yet the majority are not. I see an increasing amount of recycling bins in public places, yet with continuing contamination. A lot of the work I do currently aims to encourage people to see the benefits of recycling - changing behaviours in favour of recycling, encouraging people to value the process and understand the urgent need to see waste as a resource.

Uxbridge

London Green Fair

Gatwick Airport

Borough Market

Create Centre Bristol

I visited the Create centre a couple of weeks ago on a trip to Bristol with work. It is an amazing place and has a great website . Do check it out online and also whenever you may next be in Bristol. Every town should have one of these! I am definitely going to visit Bristol again, but next time for much longer, I only had a couple of hours to explore and I know there is so much I missed out on. Can't wait to visit again!

Bridal Cupture

A current design project has introduced me to an unusual yet fun and exciting Upcycling process of making fashion/art pieces from industrial waste. The Bridal Cupture dress you see here has been made from around 200 Huhtamaki Bioware cups to be displayed at the Footprint Awards next month. More garments will be constructed - I will update in the run up to the event. I am collaborating with Zoe Fletcher for the awards project and we are both making garments for the awards exhibit.

Upcycle Collective

The newly created Upcycle Collective blog aims to bring together creative upcyclers to share their work and discuss upcycling projects and ideas from all areas of design and manufacture.

I was interviewed for an upcyclecollective blogpost on upcycle fashion.

Do check out the blog and read the interview!

Few and Far

Reading the April issue of Homes and Gardens at work yesterday I found the follow quote.

'Customers are becoming more interested in provenance. They want the story behind how an object is made. This applies to clothes too' 

Priscilla Carluccio, Founder of Few and Far

The Few and Far website

The items and clothing stocked at few and far are 'A surprising mix of carefully made clothing collections from India - France - Morocco - Italy - the Faroe Islands - Mongolia and the UK, sit happily with contemporary and vintage furniture, toys, craft and tabletop, jewellery and exhibitions.' (www.fewandfar.net).

The shop is in South Kensington, London. Check it out if you happen to be passing or online - a fantastic retail experience with the opportunity to buy truly unique and carefully sourced products. 

Semple Secrets

Are you be interested in interning for a great initiative and lovely people in Covent Garden?
Maggie Semple Ltd are looking for interns to commit 2/3 days per week. You would be writing blog posts and managing their blog/facebook/twitter pages, helping organise the events as well as being involved in a potential TV pilot.

If you are unable to intern, but are interested in the work of Maggie Semple Ltd., please do visit the website and submit your Semple Story. Semple Secrets is an initiative to reveal the story associated with the most treasured garments belonging to women.  Semple Secrets are looking for women to send their fashion stories, approximately 200-300 words, with an accompanying photo of the garment.

I took my treasured garment (an upcycled Junky Styling hooded top) along to the Semple Secrets event 'Maggie Semple in conversation with Claire Wilcox' last month. Please check out the Semple Secrets blog here to read more!

The People's Supermarket

Today I finally made a visit to The People's Supermarket on Lambs Conduit Street in central London. I watched the series on 4od and LOVED the concept behind it, the determination of the founders and the way the project has progressed and succeeded despite some pretty tough challenges.

It's such an inspiring idea providing a truly community-focused and unique shopping experience - a welcome alternative to the super-mega-hyper-store market retailers that have the monopoly on the market, collectively turning over billion-figure profits whilst simultaneously pushing down prices of produce - often causing extreme pressure on the farmers, with british dairy farmers in particular experiencing a great deal of pressure and suffering as I write this (read a related article here).

The People's Supermarket has now exceeded their original target of recruiting 500 members, providing enough staff to keep the shop open and many more member customers. The prices are competitive, with many products priced cheaper as there are no wage costs. I love that TPS are able to buy fresh fruit and vegetables that don't look perfect. Imperfections or mis shapen food will often not be bought by the giant supermarket retailers and, as a result, become surplus to requirement for the provider, quickly becoming waste. The People's Supermarket plays a vital role in ensuring this food 'waste' is not thrown 'away' - and is instead thrown into the TPS vans and brought to their store to be sold!

I 100% support the changes this supermarket is making to the way people shop, place themselves within a community and work together to make something happen. Although I don't live in Holborn I am going to become a member as I think it's a fabulous idea. By becoming a member I am able to play a small role in the growing success of a unique alternative retail experience and encourage them to look for another site closer to home in Elephant and Castle!

Upcycle Fashion Website!!

The upcycle-fashion website went live today.
Please check it out and get in touch re: all things fashion and upcycling

Thank you!

Fashion Laid Bare

Happy Fairtrade Fortnight!

To mark another important year of fairtrade fortnight events I will be speaking at the Fashion Laid Bare event at Kingston University this Thursday 10th March from 6pm.

The event has been organised by the Kingston University Sustainability Hub and Kingston Fairtrade and will take place at the Penrhyn Road Kingston Uni site.

Other speakers include Barbara Crowther from the Fairtrade Foundation and Abi Petit from organic cotton label Gossypium. Although the main focus for the event is ethical trading I am keen to also engage the panel and audience in the issues of longevity and reuse and to engage thinking within all areas of the fashion lifecycle about the other stages of the supply chain that could cause environmental or ethical damage.

For more information on the event and other fairtrade events and news in Kingston please visit the Kingston Fairtrade website

A review shall follow next week!

Ethical Fashion in the Age of Austerity

Last Thursday night's event: Ethical Fashion in the Age of Austerity was a great event held at the V&A Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green, East London.

Many crafts people came together to show and sell their work and to meet others who are passionate about the same areas of sustainable fashion.

The Museum was a great venue for the stall spaces, speakers, exhibitions and workshops. I didn't magage to see the main talk earlier in the evening as a steady stream of people wondered past the London College of Fashion stand and interested to talk and learn more about the work.

 

 

The MA Fashion and the Environment showcase included examples of students final work, sketchbook development, information regarding external collaborative projects, film footage and information about the Centre for Sustainable Fashion, based at the London College of Fashion. Many visitors were interested in the work of students and keen to understand the ways in which fashion and the environment is taught to students through the MA programme. Zoe Grace Fletcher's knitwear collection was shown alongside her swatches of naturally dyed yarns (displayed in the glass frame). For more information about Zoe's work please visit her website.

 

  

 

 I displayed the two Upcycle-Fashion books alongside previous sketchbook development and my portfolio including articles I have written for the University of the Arts London newspaper and magazine. Taking the book with me to various events such as this is a great experience as I can see the reactions people have to it first hand, whilst also being available to talk through the ideas behind my work and answer any questions they may have or information regarding stockists (I'm working on that one!). As well as developing the content through the school workshops, it is also really important to get feedback from a different audience with a unique approach, with perhaps also a different angle on the issues.

 

Ethical Fashion in the Age of Austerity TONIGHT!

If you are free this evening between 6pm-9pm please do come to the Ethical Fashion in the Age of Austerity event at the V&A Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green.

MA Fashion and the Environment students will be showing their work, answering questions about the course and future plans of graduating students (!) and giving information about the Centre for Sustainable Fashion at the London College of Fashion.

Other great exhibitors and speakers will be there such as Lucy Siegle, Amisha Ghadiali, Joss Whipple, DIY Couture, Ethical Fashion Forum and the Papered Parlour.

Can't wait!
Report to follow tomorrow...

Green Carpet Challenge 2011- Oscars Success!

An Oscars success in more ways than one for Brits at the Oscars this year - showing the best of british talent in acting and upcycling!

The Gary Harvey Oscars dress Livia Firth wore to the ceremony was absolutely stunning and she looked amazing - see the piece on ITV London News and Livia Firth's Blog on vogue.com about the Green Carpet Challenge

Eco Labelling

At a workshop today it was interesting to find these labels on garments. In order to communicate the origin of materials, processes of manufacture and history of a garment, alongside it's 'eco' qualitites, labelling will play a key role in providing this information. Companies such as Made-by (Track and Trace) and Patagonia (Footprint Chronicles) provide their customer with the opportunity to trace the journey of garments, and find out where our clothing comes from.

Rapanui is an eco fashion label passionate about eco labelling of clothing. You can read more information on their website.

Does your clothing label provide any interesting eco information?

Wash at 30 degrees

Fairtrade certified cotton

Recycled Polyester

UAL Green Week 2011

Green Week 2011 at University of the Arts London incorporated more events and involved more students than any previous Green Week. Events organised by the Students' Union and all colleges brought together many students and staff to raise awareness of campaigns and move forward ideas on all things 'Green' at UAL.

Including a CSM Pants to Poverty walk, the first Students' Union Create Late, Pecha Kucha presentations, sustainable sourcing by Chelsea canteen, the Launch of the new Sustainable Arts website plus an Estates Roadshow, green week was a great success.

The photographs below are taken from the first SU Create Late event  'Smells Like Green Spirit' at the UAL High Holborn Hub. With collaborators from Lush, Wholefoods, Rainforest Alliance, Environmental Justice Foundation and Urban Greenline, the Thursday night event was the highlight of the Green Week calendar.

UAL Green Week 2011

Plant Potting

Urban Green Line

Making facemasks with Lush

EJF Designer T-shirts

Rollapoluzo

Ethical Fashion in the Age of Austerity

Keep your FIRST THURSDAY evening in MARCH free!

For the first time ever, all three years of MA Fashion and the Environment students and graduates will join forces to exhibit work and promote the diversity of ideas and outcomes relating to sustainable fashion at this fantastic event to be held at the V&A Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green.

The event on the evening (6pm-9pm) of Thursday 3rd March is free and brings many Ethical Fashion industry professionals together to communicate the importance of this growing area of fashion. Through workshops and talks, stalls and exhibits, come along to learn more, gain practical advice and develop hands-on skills with a group of lovely people who work hard to change current unethical practices and who really do make a difference.

Official Website HERE

Check Me Out

My very good friend, enthusiastic traveller and and talented designer-weaver Holly Pressdee is offering a new free design service through her blog Check Me Out

Simply email a favourite photograph of yourself  either in a memorable place, wearing a most loved outfit, or both to Holly and she'll create your own personalised check-design based on the colours and proportions in the photograph!

Holly has travelled to India with the Centre for Sustainable Fashion at the London College of Fashion as a designer for the Shared Talent India project.

Combining her love of weaving and sustainable fashion, Holly's work provides unique and personal connections between the wearer and woven cloth. For her final degree collection, Holly created four different woven tartan check designs that responded to four individuals, representing unique information such as birth dates, and using favourite colours and places to inspire the design. You can read more about Holly's final collection through her Chelsea College of Art and Design Showtime Profile - Check Holly Out!

Sustainable Arts at UAL

I have spent the last three weeks working hard on my first freelance project - the new University of the Arts London Sustainability website.

There are lots of great projects taking place throughout the university that focus on many elements relating to sustainability. From carbon emission reduction targets in estates, to research and curriculum development projects, serving local and organic food in the canteens to bee keeping on the balcony of the London College of Fashion, the new website is the first step in providing information about all these great projects to the wider body of staff, students and interested visitors!

The website represents the diversity of interpretations relating to sustainability around the university and highlights the work of staff members working hard to increase the sustainability reputation at UAL. The idea behind the site aims to encourage students and staff to get involved with current projects or set up their own. All projects, events and news will be updated via the site and it is a great first step for UAL to set a new standard in sustainable development within higher education.

All UAL need now is a newly appointed, dedicated member of staff to assume a full time position of Sustainability Project Officer...!

Showtime Profile

Showtime is a website hosting online portfolios of all graduates from all colleges within University of the Arts London.

These are:

London College of Fashion

Camberwell College of Art

Chelsea College of Art and Design

Wimbledon College of Art

London College of Communication

Central St Martins College of Art and Design

Students and their online portfolio can be found by searching for their name, course  or college through Showtime.

The cohort of MA graduates  2011 have just completed their studies and all current profiles are in the process of being updated in the run up to the exhibition and events throughout the first week of February.

http://showtime.arts.ac.uk/juliaroebuck

My research has explored the ways in which young people are educated about sustainable fashion and how they can learn skills and find inspiration to create, mend or alter their own clothing. By producing the student textbook and teacher resource guide I aim to raise awareness of the main environmental and ethical issues relating to the fashion and textiles industry. By connecting young people to how and where their clothing is made and the damage such production can cause, it is hoped our young generation will develop a more responsible, unique and creative approach fashion consumption.

TRAID: Primary School Workshops

Working in primary schools with the Recycle Fashion workshops with TRAID, I have been volunteering to help young people gain hands on experience with textiles and learning techniques to change the shape of the garments. I have included some photographs of the drawings from the workshops here as I find them appealing and quite funny sketches of clothing seen from a  childs point of view.

  

Atmosphere @ the Science Museum

Atmosphere is a new permanent exhibition on the 2nd floor of the WellcomeWing at the Science Museum, London. The exhibition opened in December 2010 and is an interactive and inviting rescource for visitors to learn more about the science behind climate change and greenhouse gases. The exhibition demonstrates a clear and informative approach to the ways in which science and technology are developing in order to document the changes to our planet and atmosphere. By mapping and logging such changes, we are able to more accurately predict the effects an increase in carbon emissions will have on the planet. 

Exhibition Promotion

Science and Technology are also crucial for us to develop solutions and provide opportunities to reduce our impact on the planet - not just through carbon emissions but also by reducing waste and pollution. I would highly recommend this exhibition to everyone as it is a great example of environmental communication. It raises awareness of the issues whilst also inspiring and reminding us of the urgent need to discover and invent new, improved, more responsible ways of living.

Carbon Cycle Installation

Atmosphere Exhibition Introduction

Exhibition Layout

Global Warming Exhibit

The Exhibition