Go explore, and let us know what you think!

Best,
JoC.

Daniel Suelo/ Picture: Mark Heithoff from men.style.com

Daniel Suelo has been living in a Utah cave without touching money since the Fall of 2000. He’s happy, healthy and promoting his lifestyle through his website and blog—which he updates for free at the local library. There’s definitely a lesson to be found in his story for all us ‘hyper-consumers’.

Cool links

A great article about Daniel’s life by Christopher Ketcham in Details Magazine.

Now that the High Street sales are in full swing, and the F/W collections are slowly starting to appear on shelves, I thought now would be a good time to reflect on the past few months of ethical fashion design news that has been on the JoC radar.

UK Ethical Fashion Initiatives

Earlier this year we applauded Defra for its sustainable fashion initiatives which aim to make a difference by attempting to reduce the adverse environmental, social and ethical impacts of the fashion and textile industries.

The UK Sustainable Clothing Action Plan continues to produce results as last month, DFID (Department for International Development)  launched its RAGS program.

RAGS, or Responsible and Accountable Garment Sector, will make available a £3.5 million Challenge Fund which will invite bids from companies who want to make their clothing businesses more ethical through social action.

MP Gareth Thomas with models for: MIA, Pants to Poverty and Bora Aksu

At the unveiling of the RAGS program, MP Gareth Thomas underlined the importance of DFID’s initiative: “The garment sector has for too long been associated with abuse and exploitation of workers in developing countries. Responsible, ethical production should be the norm in the fashion industry, not the exception, and RAGS will help to change the image of the fashion sector.” Although the details of the program have yet to be outlined, you can be sure that a number of top notch designers will be on board.

Keep checking back for updates.

UK Ethical Design Awards

The Ethical Fashion Forum (EFF)  has recently announced its shortlist for the Spring/Summer 2010 Ethical Fashion Competition entitled, Innovation; a bi-annual initiative aimed at raising the profiles of new designers.  Twelve designers made the cut, with five winners to be announced at the end of the month. Each winner will receive mentoring support and the opportunity to show their collections at London Fashion Week and Pure in the Fall.

Dandi Maestre: F/W Collection 09/10

Dandi Maestre

Who: Dandi Maestre. Originally from Colombia, with a background in graphic design Maestre only began creating jewellery in 2006, with her first showing at Holt Renfrew.

Why: Beautiful, handmade, one-of-a-kind statement pieces. Fashion as found art—Maestre only uses natural and found materials such as: shed antlers, drift wood, shell, and horn (from domestic cattle). Maestre also maintains a commitment to sustainability by using recycled packaging and only using natural oils to treat her pieces. We must also pay respect to the Canadian Connection (Dandi currently lives in Toronto and is currently showing at the AGO).

Where in Canada: Holt Renfrew, the AGO,  Boutique Shan (Montreal & Toronto), by request.

Ada Zanditon: F/W Collection 09/10

Ada Zanditon

Who: Ada Zanditon. After graduating from the London College of Fashion in 2007, she worked on a number of projects including creating a recycled line for Oxfam’s boutiques. Her first collection was launched in March 2008, and won the award for creativity during its showing at the Ethical Fashion Show in Paris.

Why: For her strong, yet ultra-modern silhouettes. Zanditon maintains a commitment to supporting traditional skills and UK industries through her textiles (which are locally dyed and woven). Zanditon also uses zero waste technology which saves the fabric residue and shredding accumulated during garment making and uses it to create padding used in her scarves and shoulder pads.

Where: One of One

Lalesso: S/S Collection '09

Lalesso

Who: Olivia Kennaway & Alice Heusser. Launched in Cape Town in 2005, originally inspired by vibrant Kenyan colours and prints.

Why: Amazing Prints, 100% wearable, socially responsible manufacturing which includes: not only fair pay for their tailors in Kenya, but also community involvement. By employing local tradesmen to contribute to their garments (i.e. hand carved buttons, beaded bracelets), Lalesso is helping to bring prosperity to small communities. They also began SOKO, an ethical, sustainable production plant in Kenya which re-invests its profits into the community.

Where in UK: Topshop, Foam, EQUA, Shook!, Lalesso Bazaar

Julia Smith F/W Collection 09/10

Julia Smith

Who: Julia Smith. Graduated from the London College of Fashion in 2006, and went to work with Italian icon Alberta Ferretti. Smith went on to win the Design4Life Ghana competition in 2007,  which led her to collaborate with Top Shop to create an ethical line made by the ‘Made in Africa’ women’s collective in Accra.

Why: Easy to wear, affordable, works to support local economies through fair trade.

Where: Topshop, Potassium, ECO AGE

Other Ethical Fashion Retailers:

Fashion Conscience: Organic,  Fair Trade, Sustainable, Recycled, Vegan clothing and accessories

The Natural Store: One-stop for all things natural

Adili: Green, ethical fashion and accessories for the whole family.

I used to love this NFB short—still do! Danced around my living room dreaming of one day marrying a log driver.
Also loved A Part of Our Heritage films.
Amazing! Check them out on YouTube!

My first memory of Michael Jackson comes from the very early nineties. The British children’s television show Blue Peter broadcast a brief clip of his ‘Black or White’ video, and spoke comfortably and openly about this superstar whose name had only just started ringing faint bells in my head. I remember asking my mother who ‘this Michael Jackson person’ was, as he danced on a platforms surrounded by native Americans with electric guitars strumming in the background. The presenters then spoke of his new album and his famous glove, and thus cemented this figure in my memory of popular culture.

I will admit that this didn’t, however, cement my love for the superstar: that interest germinated about a decade later.  But since that afternoon in front of the grey-bordered TV screen, Michael Jackson has been in my life. Similarly to the way most Brits have an innate knowledge of The Beatles’ lyrics, I cannot imagine a life without Michael Jackson in it. This is even more the case when we remember not just his inimitable presence and persona, but the generations of musicians he influenced: Thriller, Bad and Dangerous set ridiculously important benchmarks in the history of R&B, and without such albums we could pretty much write off Britney, Beyonce, Diddy, and a whole host of other related names.

I was lucky enough to see Michael Jackson live, though not at a sell-out arena for a marathon performance. It was at the 2006 World Music Awards, where his appearance was brief and microphones cut off halfway through ‘We Are the World’. Still, the atmosphere was unforgettable: the second he appeared on the podium, the entire crowd around me plunged forward, as if possessed by some supernatural force. His meek tones of gratitude were drowned out by screams, wails, tears, affirmations of love and yelps of disbelief. It was a surreal collection of moments I still fail to understand.

But Michael Jackson was, in himself, surreal: it is surreal that one person could have that much energy, power and presence, that he could be that capable of entertaining so many people from diverse corners of the globe. Indeed, his lifestyle choices were as surreal as his showmanship was. And, most poignantly, his death remains a surreal experience that I am partly waiting to be corrected of. Whilst I am not surprised by the intense media coverage endowed to the event, making it somewhat of a hyper-reality, it remains a bizarre and unsettling thought to contemplate he will not be around.

It is equally moving that his death came just two weeks before he was due to perform here in London: the excitement surrounding how well he could still moonwalk, possess the crowd and disseminate his unique energy remains an unrealised expectation. And so I attempt to say goodbye to someone who did not say that word to us.

Let us remember Michael for the timeless music and inimitable entertainment he brought us.

Apart from the streets loading at a frustratingly slow speed, as similar to Google Street View, the program used to actually create pieces isn’t much more sophisticated than your basic Microsoft Paint accessory—and we all know how easy that is to navigate.

Technological gripes aside, applications like these are emerging rapidly and have the potential to create new communities of artists, and new forums for citizen engagement. Both of which we think are worthy of consideration. Check it out!

CCTV camera in classroom at Davenant Foundation School (Credit: The Waltham Forest Guardian)

Students at The Davenant Foundation School in Loughton, UK recently participated in a series of protests over the installation of CCTV cameras in their classrooms. Some students, after missing three weeks of classes to voice their opposition returned to lectures only after they were promised that the cameras would be turned off. The school defended its actions by claiming that the cameras would only be used to highlight good teaching practices and would not be used to monitor students’ behavior. Nevertheless, upon their return, many students wore scarves or masks to cover their faces, and the UK privacy watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office, has been notified.

What kind of surveillance society are the kids of the next generation growing into, and being encouraged to accept unquestioningly? There is something very disturbing about an institution treating the children it is meant to educate like criminals. Respect to these kids who stood up for their civil liberties—many adults wouldn’t have had the guts to do the same!

See here for more info…

Cool and Related:

Inspired by these students, this past Friday comment writer Henry Porter launched an essay contest in the Guardian  for students entitled: “What Mr Seward doesn’t know about pupils’ rights,” (Mr. Seward is the headmaster of the Davenant Foundation School). First prize is £50; max. length 250 words. Check it out!

“Do it Yourself” is a series of free installations, films, and performances to be hosted by the Tate Modern throughout the Bank Holiday weekend. Inspired by the Arte Povera and Post-minimalist movements, it’s sure to be something to do—either by yourself or with a few friends!

JoC faves include:

Bodyspacemotionthings, Robert Morris (1971).

This interactive installation located in the Turbine Hall is a recreation of the original, and examines the tension between art and audience. Typical of the Minimalist movement, artists such as Carl Andre, Dan Flavin and Morris, created sculptures that would interact both with their installation spaces and their audiences. Today, in a culture that craves interactivity, the recreation of this major work is all the more relevant. And even if you don’t agree, it’ll still be awesome to finally be allowed to touch—well, jump on—some really expensive art.  (See above film clip).

8 1/2, Federico Fellini (1963).

A classic. A must-see. One of Fellini’s best works. Free. Need we say more?

Walking Sculpture, Michelangelo Pistoletto (1967).

Walking Sculpture (Click for more pics on Pistoletto's site)

Pistoletto, one of the major players in the Arte Povera movement originally took his Newspaper Sphere (1966), on a ‘walk’ through the streets of Turin as part of his Open Studio Projects of 1967. The boulder of pressed newspaper was said to represent “the constantly shifting, newsworthy events of life”, and attracted passers-by and other artists to join in on the walk. Saturday, the artist will recreate both the sculpture and the exhibit using modern newspapers, reflecting a current global context. Go for a walk with them!

For a full listing of the events this weekend @ the Tate Modern click here.

Best,

JoC.