After emerging from the Eaton Center

i took a deep breath and calmed my pulse. It's a place i try not to visit often. On a good day the underground crowds give me anxiety. Christmas season? Lets just say at 5'1/2" i'm most peoples elbow height and a black eye just in time for the holidays is not my idea of photogenic. But i needed winter boots and sometimes there's just no other option for someone with limited time and limited funds. Which brings me to the point. Where are you doing your Christmas shopping? I know the mall seems like a quick way to cross everyone off your list but i'm here to urge you to shop local this Christmas season. Think of all the local artists and designers (soon to be you) who will appreciate your purchase way more than any sales person in the mall. The money you spend in Kensington Market, Parkdale, or The Beaches will go right back to the local economy and the gifts you find will be original, creative, and good quality. Besides, the snow has yet to fall in our corner of the world and some fresh air between stores will do way more for your mood than the escalators and tacky Christmas decorations. My personal fave place to buy local? Shopgirls Gallery Boutique (its just west of Dufferin on Queen). It's all Canadian small run pieces including work by current and former Ryerson students. The FTA also has a shop sustainable initiative happening this holiday season. So DO IT! You'll be glad you did.

Love Forever,
Jamie

Merry Christmas and labour rights...

If you have ever thought about where your clothing was made, you have probably thought about sweatshops. And if you are like me, this makes you angry because you cannot believe that people can allow other people to work and live under such horrible conditions. And it also makes you angry because you have no idea what to do. Stop shopping? Boycott? Scream? Go naked?

What I usually do is write a letter. (Although screaming feels good sometimes...and nudity...need I say more?) I write a letter to a clothing company that I like to shop at asking if ALL their employees know their code of conduct? If the workers making the clothing in the factories off shore make a living wage as opposed to minimum wage? (minimum wage is most often not enough money to buy food and shelter) I ask if they can guarantee that the T-Shirt I am wearing from their store is made in completely fair conditions?

So this Christmas, when you are doing your Christmas shopping, take a few minutes and send off a friendly strongly worded letter to a store of choice. If you do not get a timely response, follow up. And keep following up until you hear back. Essentially, bother them as much as possible so they know that they have customers that are concerned about the ethics of the product they are purchasing. Demand and hopefully they will supply.

I have included a sample letter you could use below. Feel free to add or change anything according to your personal experience...and you could email it out to everyone you know...I dunno...I am just saying.

Much Love,
Jade xo




(Your Name)
(Your Address)


(Company Name)
(Company Address)

(Date)



Dear ________,



I am writing to ask for information about the working conditions in the factories that produce garments for your company.

I am a customer of your company and I have attached a receipt of a recent purchase to this letter. I am concerned about the working conditions and treatment of the workers that are producing the products that I am purchasing for your stores.

I saw on your website that you do have a code of conduct but I couldn't find any information about how you make sure the code is followed by your suppliers. How do you monitor whether or not this is the case? How do workers find out about your code? What evidence can you send me of working conditions in the factories that produce your products? Are the workers making a living wage?

I would be interested in getting some information on your auditing results or ethical policy. Do you have any long term contracts with your supplying factories? As well, do you make your factory addresses transparent anywhere, as I could not find them on your website.

I enjoy that products that your company sells, but I want to be assured that they are being made under fair and ethical conditions.

I look forward to hearing from you shortly.



Sincerely,


(Your Name)

Wanna hang out?

Just wanted to send a quick note to let everyone know about a round table discussion happening tomorow. (Monday Nov 30th) Its a bit short notice but if your free around @5pm come stop by KHS148. Were all in the labs this time of year so make it your coffee/dinner break, you deserve it. :) Where going to watch a 10min video on free trade & garment manufacturing to get the ball rolling and then see where the conversation takes us. We'd also like to let you guys know what kind of ideas we have for Ryerson in the coming semester and we'd love your input. If you have some time & want a bit of background info check out these articles

http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/fair-trade/
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_48/b4011001.htm

Don't worry if you don't read the articles, you can still come out and talk about the issues.  Bring ideas, comments, and any questions you might have.  We look forward to see you there!


xoxoxo
DesignAWEAR

Eco-Friendly Artists Selling Stuff!

F.Y.I --> From today till Sunday December 6th the One of a Kind Show and Sale is happening here in Toronto at the Direct Energy Center, Exhibition Place. Open Weekdays 11am-10pm, Saturdays 10am-9pm, Sundays 10am-6pm.

Tickets are $10-$12 (but I remember Ryerson having access to student priced tickets last year? ask around!

It’s a fun way to spend a day with friends (the event is HUGE, takes all day) and do some Christmas shopping. They have a Green Living Section at the event where different artisans and crafts-people sell eco-friendly products, many of them made locally. It includes Jack and Marjorie, Toronto designers who make sweet bags from old materials from the military. Fluf which sells prducts made from hand-printed (water-based and biodegradable inks of course) fabrics on hemp and organic cotton. A few others selling eco-friendly children’s wear, also recycled leather goods from Rachel f.. Earth to Body which sells fair trade, eco-friendly, high quality skin products with natural and organic ingredients..plus lots moreeee.

<3>

Buy Nothing Tomorrow!

I came across a blog posting today from planetfriendly.net announcing that tomorrow, Friday Nov. 27 is worldwide Buy Nothing Day. I have heared about this day before but honestly never gave it much thought because a) I never knew what day it was on and b) was just too busy to make an effort.

I don’t think these are very valid excuses, so this year I am going to attempt to resist the urge to spend for 1 day to reduce my consumption…sounds simple enough!

Buy Nothing Day has been happening since 1992 and was started by a Vancouver artist, Ted Dave. The idea is that it is an international day of protest against consumerism and a day for society to examine the issue of over-consumption (65 nations now participate).

It’s a an interesting concept that promotes the idea and practice of consuming less…which is key if we hope to change the current environmental state of the world!

Wish me luck!

<3>

Ryerson has a Telio Account

Finally!

For the past few years most of us have been under the assumption that without a business account, students cannot purchase from the Montreal based wholesaler. Well, when people -*cough* designAWEAR *cough*- get talking, emails get sent, and the right people connect. In case you accidentally deleted the most  recent  Ryerson fashion news email here's the guidelines:

Open mon-fri 9-5 (closed between 12 & 1)
Télio Toronto Showroom
219 Dufferin Suite 106 A
Book appointments a few days in advance - groups of 3-5
usually 10m minimum but they'll allow 3m min for students with $8 cutting fee
$10 delivery
bring credit card
can't cut swatches of everything so bring camera
questions? contact Jessica Bundy @ 416 532 9444


Now all we need is a membership to the FTA & we'll all receive a 10% discount from Telio's variety of  organic fabrics. (tencel, bamboo, cotton, denim, woven and knits)     If you don't have time for a trip to the showroom check out the resource binder in the fashion office for swatches of some of the fabrics available.

Love Forever,
Jamie

Ya, it's happening.

So I am going to have to give a little shout out to Ryerson in this blog, as they seem to be taking some strides in the sustainability movement. This wee Professor Lu Ann Lafrenz celebrated sustainability with a class open to all students and faculty. There was the screening of "The Story of Stuff" (http://www.storyofstuff.com/), Alex Fox from the Ryerson Chapter of Engineers without Borders, and a panel of great speakers. Professor Kimberly Wahl followed the next day, with an awesome lecture on what sustainability really looks like in the fashion industry. And just to toot our own horn, designAWEAR followed Kim's lecture with a kick ass presentation...I'm just sayin'.

And finally, today, in the top floor of the HUB there is a sustainability fair. There will be a bunch of Ryerson student groups focussing on sustainability and more. So come check it out.

So Ryerson, with my cyberspace beer in hand, cheers to you.

Much Love,
Jade xo

Cocktails and Competition

If your looking for something to do this weekend you might want to check out R4 Fashion. The Eco-fashion event starts with a cocktail party, moves to a documentary screening, and ends with a competition. It's happening Friday at the Atlantis Pavilions, on Lakeshore Boulevard. The event is an initiative from Sustainable Technology Education Project (STEP) at Waterloo University. Tickets range from $25-$40 and proceeds go back to STEP to help fund future projects. (see; wind turbine on the Waterloo Campus!) For full event schedule click here or check out the R4 Fashion site for more info.

Love Forever,
Jamie

designAWEAR.... we've just spent the last few hours putting together a board for sustainability in the hub at Ryerson and finishing up our powerpoint for a class presentation.
shout outs to the team! whoot! gettin' er done!
on a more serious note, putting this stuff together has really made me realize that we have accomplished a lot. i never would have thought we'd be doing a presentation to a class as part of the course outline or have a three inch book full of suppliers that offer envrionmentally friendly fabrics... cough* stored in Lorna's office cough* it's pretty cool to be apart of!
and guess what?! you can be apart of it too!
let me count the ways.....do your own research and comment on here, visit the links to the right of this post, add to the resource binder (still looking for info on printing, papers, packaging..the more communications side of things), come to our information session on November 30 at 5pm- location to be announced!
anyways.. it's late.. the final muslin is due this week... no links today.
come stop by our table at the hub this Thursday, November 19 between 11 and 3!
night.
jen

Fashion Sustainability Class!

For those of you interested in sustainable fashion at Ryerson, in Toronto, and sustainability and fair trade in general you should attend the Intro to Fashion Sustainability class happening Tuesday, November 17^th, in LIB72 from 3:00-6:00 at Ryerson. The class is open to all faculty and students.

This special Intro to Fashion class is dedicated to all things sustainable and DesignAWEAR will be presenting info on our organization and important resources. The class will begin with a screening of the short web movie “Story of Stuff”, followed by speakers from EWB Fair Trade, a Fashion Sustainability Panel and Q&A and of course a lovely presentation from DesignAWEAR! Also, Kelly Dennen from Fashion Takes Action will be speaking.

I mean really, what more could you ask for?

Alice

Business Cards

I cant tell you how much time I spent this summer trying to find a Toronto company to print good quality business cards. I had put the search on the back-burner until today, when on the FTA website, I came across this link for the 'worlds greenest business card'. The concept behind 'greening' your business card is that if you 'talk the talk' you better 'walk the walk' meaning any eco designer or communicator should be placing importance on even the smallest detail of running their business sustainably. These cards bear the symbol of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and each batch of 500 is said to save 3 trees, 875gal of water, enough BTUs to power a house for 7 days, 211lbs of carbon emissions, and 112 pounds of solid waste. Now, i haven't placed my order yet so i cant vouch personally for the quality of the cards but they've been featured by Green Living, Metro, The Globe and Mail, Direct Marketing News, and Design Edge Canada Magazine. Plus each order results in one tree being planted by Trees Ontario who remind us to "Take a deep breath...then thank a tree."

Love Forever,
Jamie

Hey gang! I just stumbled on a wicked website that you should check out. http://www.earthpledge.org/ Earth Pledge is an organization that partners with businesses and communities to create and practice sustainability. There a bunch of websites of initiatives they have started, one being FutureFashion. This initiative has a bunch of great resources such as textile certifications and what they mean, fibers classifications, techniques and more. They also have published a book called "Future Fashion White Papers," and guess what?! You can check it out at the RYERSON LIBRARY. Yup, that is a shout out to Ryerson.

Much Love,
Jade

Ecospun Felt at Fabricland!

I popped into Fabricland at today to pick up felt for a winter coat muslin. And what did i find? Felt made from recycled pop bottles (PET)! Poly fibres made from recycled PET generally have the same performance characteristics as those made from unused resources. (wow...i actually retained something from textiles II...thanks S.T-P!) The felt is made by Eco-fi (formerly Eco-spun) and actually comes in quite a few colours. Not sure if its at all fabriclands in the GTA but i saw it at Yonge and Bloor. Thought you should know. ;)

Love Forever,
Jamie

one more time. i figured it out. thank you for your patience.

http://www.allbusiness.com/asia/japan/1097562-1.html

yeah.. that link did not work.. here goes try number 2.

am i blogger? a green one perhaps

this is my first post.
i once had a blog about 5 years ago, back during the first blog craze, but only wrote on it once. that is all. so i cannot promise i will have an obscene amount of input, but i will do my best for the sake of designAWEAR! hoorah!
i discovered something today, among many things. i am currently designing a line of womens technical apparel and let me tell you, it is difficult finding fabrics that do not destroy the world. but i came across an article about a company in japan called teijin and they recently developed an environmentally friendly waterproof and breathable fabric! the first of its kind! it's called athtoma. of course they are in japan, so i won't be able to access it, but still it's in the right direction. teijin has worked closely with patagonia, the leader in wicked awesome outerwear in making their garment recycling possible and other things like that. so it's sweet!

here is the like for the teijin article (if i can make it work) should anyone be interested. it is exciting.. so be interested.
(i will warn you, the site is quite dull, but get passed it and read the words)

thanks all
jeno

"One day we'll wake up...

...and green will not be the new black, it will be the next invisible. Meaning, no longer will sustainable be the exception or something that's considered au courant; instead it will be a matter of course - something that all designers incorporate into their design ethos."

-S.R. Oakes, author of Style, Naturally.

Turns out I be diggin' this blog scene

So I am hoping that more people are reading this blog than just the design AWEAR crew. Especially since I am going to share a relatively new and exciting forum with ya! It is called the Ethical Fashion Network. http://ethicalfashionforum.ning.com/ Otherwise known as the EFF, (I think that is what the cool kids call it). It is a network of awesome people and businesses that focus on social and environmental sustainability in the fashion industry. For those of you who thought that sentence sounded like gibberish; essentially it is a facebook-like social network full of people who care about clothing and mother earth!

It is a great way to connect with people all over the world and see what is going on in regards to sustainability. Lots of people seem to be using it as a method to hold events, though they mostly seem to be from Europe. So I say lets get as many Canadian folks as we can on this forum and hold our own event. Maybe a flannel shirt convention or a maple syrup breakfest, eh?

Much Love,
Jade xo

FTA 2 for 1 membership!

How nice would it be to have info on sustainable businesses, updates on eco-fashion news, and access to workshops and classes all in one place?  Oh wait, you can...how convenient. After two 'Green Gala's' and a Sustainable Style show Fashion Takes Action launched as a members based organization in early 2009. Members can check out the website for an online directory, industry news, member list, b2b offers, and a variety of workshops and classes. Until Oct 30 FTA is offering 2 for 1 memberships. If membership isn't in the cards, you can still check out the directory and read various articles and the FTA blog.

Speaking of FTA, their first e-course is FREE to members and non-members alike. Sign up here for Sustainable Style 1.0 delivered to your email box in 6 parts.

Love Forever,
Jamie

There's a first time for everything...

Well, well, well... I never thought I would be adept enough on the interweb to write a blog. Nor have I ever wanted to consider myself of the "computer nerd" genetic make-up. Yet, here I am, staring through my heavy prescription glasses, embarking on my first blogging journey. All in the name of sustainability I suppose!

As I was casually beginning my research for an school assignment, I stumbled across this article about much loved label YSL. It made me smile for two reasons:
1. Stefano Pilati (Creative Director of YSL) has created a sustainable collection, not from organic fabrics, but from unused fabric from past collections. Sustainability doesn't always mean organic fibres.
2. He proves all the player-haters wrong; sustainable fashion isn't only for the tree-hugging hippies. But then again, what's wrong with being a tree-hugging hippi?

Read more at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/11/ysls-new-vintage-collecti_n_213747.html

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
Much Love,
Jade xo

First Post YAY!!

Well here we go, WELCOME to the Design AWEAR* Blog! Were hoping this thing will make it easier for us to share info with everyone and to keep you guys updated on whats happening with us, with the school, and within the industry.

Check out the links on the right --------->
Were going to be updating this page often with info, articles, links, and videos so be sure to check back regularly.

As for us, we made some pretty good strides which led to a presentation for the faculty at the end of the '09 winter semester. The dialog between staff and students has been open and the brainstorming has commenced, feel free to comment and let us know what kind of changes you would like to see at the school.

Love forever,
Jamie




*For those who don't know us, we are a grassroots student group focused on raising awareness and sharing resources regarding sustainable design within the Ryerson University School of Fashion. Check our our Facebook page for a breakdown of our goals and our accomplishments.