Designing Sustainability as the New Cultural Paradigm

The Fashion Institute of Technology is making further leeways into exploring sustainable solutions to the fashion and design industries--at least at an educational level. A group of professors, students and alumni have started a sustainability group with the aim "to inculcate the concepts of sustainability into all aspects of what we do at FIT. Among other projects they have organized the conference "Designing Sustainability as the New Cultural Paradigm," to take place this Thursday the 17th from 8:00 AM-5:30 PM in The John Reeves Great Hall. For a list of speakers and other events organized concomitantly with the conference, you can visit the sustainability group at FIT site.

Without

Lika Volkova of SANS demonstrates their knit hats with embedded sunglass lenses, perfect for a sunny winter day.

The other night Fashion Projects stopped by the SANS home base to check out their most recent designs. Instead of a full line, for Fall 2008 duo Lika Volkova and Alessandro DeVito offered a precisely edited collection of knit sweaters and hats. The tops were multi-layered, with a finely tuned textile foundation supporting their cerebral shapes. Squares, rectangles and arcs formed the basis for SANS' polymorphic garments – each item (made from supple yarns) can be worn any number of ways, allowing the wearer to claim ownership of their look. The designers mentioned they had actually created many new garments, but had held off on showing them until the time was right. This low-key approach was a restrained, but successful design exercise focusing on the perfection of a single wardrobe element.

After chatting a bit about the gross prevalence of retailers and designers jumping on the green-washing wagon, it became apparent that SANS is not primarily about sustainability. Rather, Volkova and DeVito craft thoughtful and high-quality designs through their own unique synergy – Volkova’s creative eccentricities mesh well with DeVito’s textile knowledge and sourcing skills. SANS should not be considered as eco-design merely because it uses ethical textiles like organic or reclaimed wool, recycled polyester, or peace silk; in practice, SANS is sustainable because it resides outside the trend-driven fashion system, with each garment a conjoined effort of vision and substance.

Sarah Scaturro

Taste and Chintz

Thomas Voorn, "Coming Home, Spring/Summer 2008

I had been meaning to write about Osvomode—the duo of Thomas Voorn and Jeanette Osterrie, that produces organic experimental wear. But the label is currently on hiatus, as the two explore their individual projects. Osterrie is busy producing collections of organic and recycled knits, while Voorn explores the borders of bad taste in his new collection of Hawaiian/chintz inspired shirts, which are photographed against equally “flowery” wallpaper backgrounds. For more information on this collection and his other projects, visit Voorn’s recently launched site.

Francesca

A look from Osvomode most recent collection.

FutureFashion

Jil Sander organic cashmere caftan dress. Photo from Style.com

This review might be a week late (unfortunately due to an episode of food poisoning), yet I still feel that even after a period of rumination, I’m going to stick to my initial reaction on watching the FutureFashion show. Overall, I thought the looks were so successful that I left the show asking myself why aren’t these designers using sustainable/ethical fabrics at least most of the time? The roster of top models and designers, along with a star-studded crowd, combined to create an event that, on the surface, seemed more about the fashion scene than the serious topic of sustainability within the fashion system. Yet, rather than a mere green-washing effort, Earth Pledge and Barneys combined to create a potent opportunity for sustainable fashion to shed its crunchy overtones.

As the models came down the runway in no particular order, it was satisfying to be able to recognize instantly who created each look based on just silhouette and general feel. Twisted, clinging bias gown? Donna Karan, naturally. Pared-down effortless? Jil Sander. Impeccable, almost too-tight construction? Narciso Rodriguez. Flowing powersuit? Calvin Klein. This instant recognition is a significant indicator that a designer with a strong, clear vision can transcend the sustainability factor – just because a fabric is ethical does not mean that it is limiting.

As most of the designers stuck to a natural color palette, it was the few darker looks that I noticed most. The standout look due to its opposition to any preconceived notion of a “natural” aesthetic was the perversely romantic outfit by Boudicca made from PLA (corn polymer). As a color contrast, the ThreeAsFour dress rendered in white with a curved hem was a modern hint of the black shapes that would appear a few days later in their runway show. Martin Margiela’s corseted gown of reclaimed wedding dresses proved just how edgy patchworked lace and flowing skirts could be.

Overall, it is admirable the commitment Barneys has shown for ethical fashion. Earth Pledge (which owns the FutureFashion copyright) was wise to partner with them, not in the least because of the increased access to designers and heightened publicity for sustainable fabrics. Hopefully, each of the designers represented in the show will continue to work ethical fabrics and methods into their garments. As for now, you can see the looks in the Barneys windows at the corner of 61st Street and Madison Avenue.

Sarah Scaturro

garment/research

Recently we came upon the work of Kelly Cobb. At the crosswords of performance art, costume design and social sculpture, it coalesces around the creation of garments and textiles. Based in Philadelphia, Cobb describes her work as a way “to utilize the garment/textile as a tool of connection and communication for re-dreaming creative models of living.” Her work is documented under the heading of garment/research on her website.

Of particular interest is her recent project the 100-Mile Suit, a three month long collaborative project that culminated in the “costuming” of the curator of LURE project as part of the exhibition Localized Locational Gravity at the ICA in Philadelphia. Following the show’s moniker, the project addressed issues of sustainability and tried to provide a symbolic and literal answer to the often-uttered question: “Where does your outfit come from?” Involving 21 regional crafters “working with all locally raised and processed materials,” the project revived arcane processes which ranged from brain-tanning leather and wool to hand-manufacturing buttons and making shoes out of local hide in the process of creating an entirely locally-made outfit.

Ultimately, the 100-Mile Suit seemed to highlight the social interactions which took place throughout the process, particularly among the various crafters, as well as trying to reclaim from anonymity the relation between wearer and garment.

To find out more visit, www.100-milesuit.blogspot.com

Francesca