Zero Waste Fashion - Our Definition

Zero Waste Fashion has become a "thing" in the last few years, but what does it mean exactly?  

I first read about one of the US based pioneers in the field, Timo Risannen, in an NYT article several years ago but had been unknowingly practicing a version of the concept with Jag & Nevie for awhile.  Mr. Rissanen has been teaching and writing on the subject for years now and I adore his blog.

Zero Waste dwells at the intersection of many eco friendly practices briefly outlined in a great series of articles on Seamwork Magazine's site.  Some of these concepts are mentioned below;  cutting, scraps as design elements and using previously manufactured items.

If you Google around you'll find fashion designers whom cleverly design patterns so as to cut fabric in ways that don't discard a millimeter of yardage. Holly McQuillan's work is a great example of this: 

Here she shows how to lay out pattern pieces for several garments in a very complex and effective way. 














Another part of the concept is designing with scraps from the fabric & fashion industry - my favorite example of this is Zero Waste Daniel  whom works and manufacturers in Brooklyn.

Zero Waste Fashion also includes up cycling which is where we come in. Finding beauty in a (re)useful piece of fabric from a discarded t shirt, sweater or pair of jeans is the absolute foundation of Jag & Nevie.

After using large chunks of a garment I incorporate the small leftover pieces as appliqués, fringe, patches, ribbons, what have you.  The studio is overwhelmed with bags & tubs of scraps waiting for their new incarnation;-)

APPLIQUÉS; FLAT & 3-D

FRINGE: T SHIRT FABRIC & CASHMERE

I am so excited every time I find a way to salvage a special texture like sleeve ribbing or a waist band.

SLEEVE RIBBING: CASHMERE HATS

JEANS: HEM AND INSEAM; T SHIRTS (made into a tote bag)

WAISTBAND PILFED FROM A PAIR OF SHRUNKEN BOXERS:-0

In summary, Zero Waste Fashion is just as the name applies - an endless array of techniques employed to prevent, or at least delay, the shameful amount of textile refuse accumulation that is rapidly polluting our planet.  If we wear what we already own until it is beyond salvation and buy from zero waste designers we will care for Mother Nature in the most chic and responsible manner imaginable.  Thank you for doing your part.

Custom Cool - T Skirts & a Poncho

I have had the profound pleasure of making three custom garments for two very cool clients lately and I really want to share the results with you!  

A repeat client sent me a box of the most amazing collection of Star Wars T shirts you can ever imagine.  It took a few days before I was brave enough to cut them up.  

Chopping up Chewie???  Couldn't bear it.  And the Jedi mind trick, "These are not the droids you are looking for"!  Gasp.  

Black Skirt Number 1:

Gah!  Vader!    Asymmetrical draping and hemline is key to the flattering fit.

These skirts are going to Comic-Con!!

The back.

And my favorite, the Blue & Grey combo, Skirt #2:

Again, lots of angles and draping. 

In true eco fashion - the waistband was swiped from a pair of boxers:-)

 

 

I do custom skirts in this short 17" mini skirt length and a longer midi length on the Etsy site.  When you have enough skirts, send them a long and we'll collaborate on the perfect eco skirt for you! It usually takes about 14 panels for a mini and about 20 for a midi. (You can alternate solid/graphic as seen in these, or do them with all panels as slices of the graphics). I use the blank backs of shirts for the underskirt and waistbands, thus reducing fabric waste.  

Custom Order Smashing Success #3 - A rockstar Poncho:

This client sent along a stash of awesome concert T's, some of which featured her husband's band.  The "I am Your Tin God" is her own artwork for his band - how cool is that? I studded the appliques as usual and the poncho can be worn asymmetrically off shoulder or with neck line centered. I thought her color choices were brilliant and come on - Amelia Earthart + Johnny Cash - fantastic!

The back when worn symmetrically.

Amelia with studded star appliqué. 

Neckline

Details are EVERYTHING.

Send me your shirts!  

(Your kids' sport shirts, Concert T's, Sports Team T's, Race T's, Travel T's - they make great wearable art - a site more stunning than a memory quilt, eh?!)

YES! Upcyling Car Seats into Couture!

pic from Sustainable Brands blog, thank you.

I am so excited about this year's Redress EcoChic Design Awards competition.  Look what these designers came up with by upcycling car seat covers from the Ford Motor Company!  

Redress founder and CEO Christina Dean commented: “Waste-to-landfill is a big issue our planet faces and we at Redress work to raise awareness about how we can reduce this. The Redress Forum: Ford Design Challenge was a great demonstration of how sustainable design thinking is as relevant for fashion as it is for the automotive industry.”  (Sustainable Brands blog entry)

The winners were Veronica Lee from Malaysia and Amandah Andersson from Sweden with this entry: 

From Ford's website: 

“We scored the foam on the reverse side of the seat fabric, revealing color and texture reminiscent of the stone walls of the legislature,” said Andersson. The award-winning, architecturally inspired outfit was handcrafted in three hours.

Amandah Andersson is definitely a designer to watch.  You can peruse her amazing creations on her website here.

Veronica Lee doesn't appear to have a website yet but you can see her sketches here. 

"Trash" Art cum Fashion

Thanks to Pinterest, I just found the amazing artist and designer, Luis Valenzuela whom has invented a stunning collection of gowns constructed from a vast array of discards which he calls EcoArtFashion®.   

An excerpt from his bio outlines why he's now one of my heroes:

"...It was his love for all natural creations that inspired his“green art philosophy” and led him to found the first “green art community” in Florida, where his primary objective has been to actively engage the community in environmental issues. He is the founder of GreenArt USA©, EarthDayMiami™, EcoArtFashion© and created the first EcoArtFashion Week™** in the world, which has become a platform to express the present state of the ethical and new sustainable fashion world."

plastic bags

discarded soccer balls and flags from around the globe

Luis can be reached at shop@luisvalenzuelausa.com   and on Twitter  @valenzuelausa and http://artsyproductionsusa.com

**EcoArt Fashion Week is now called The Art of Fashion.  The 2014 schedule is not posted but you can see snaps from 2013 here.   'Looks like a smashing time by me!  

Fashion Week '14 - LIBERTINE

see all the pics on Style.com 

I haven't done a fashion show review in some time but today's the day.  Libertine has always been an inspiration since back in the early, up cycled vintage screened jackets day and this FW '14 collection did not let me down.  And really, Libertine was an Eco Fashion pioneer we just didn't realize it at the time, did we?

SO. much. FUN. 

I am in love with the myriad vintage-style coats embellished in crazy ways.  The Marilyn granny punk from Look 16, above, was a stand out - the coat is just perfection.  

Enjoy some more...

 60s style ski jacket shape is an all time favorite silhouette

absolutely gorgeous.  would never get tired of this.

spiderwebs!!

What do Punk Rock, Anatomy & Hawaii have in Common?

What do Punk Rock, Anatomy & Hawaii have in Common?  Probably not much more than the fact that they're represented by 3 new capes up on Etsy today.  Click on captions to see more.

Rock Star

Hawaii, among other fab far flung locales

Science never looked so good

Summer SALE! Flap Happy Skirts Reduced!

It's time for some sale business.  We've reduced the price on the Flap Happy Skirts, don't you want one?

Flap Happy are carefully designed to be very flattering over the hip - the angled panels & asymmetrical hem boast an amazing sleight of hand making you look narrow.  Who couldn't use more of THAT?  The Flap Happys look great year around - with sandals in summer and boots in winter.
Layers, and layers of t-shirt glory.  Available in all black or black/grey combo.

Flap Happy Mini

Flap Happy Midi

WEBSITE!

We have an official website now and you can see it

HERE!

It's nice to be all under one roof:-)

Announcing. . . U Pick U Design

How do you follow up the delicious, smoldering Edward?  How indeed.  Decidedly not possible; but you can wear him at any rate. . . 
We have created a new category in our Custom Order line - the U Pick U Design group.  We show the shirt and you chose whether you want it cut as a Tube Top or a Halter Top.  To your specific measurements, of course.

To begin with... here are a few of the shirts:

Pain & Suffering in Various Countries - back

Summer Dresses

We are featuring the summer dresses this week.  From StrapHappy to FlapHappy, they're all here!  Each one is thoughtfully designed to flatter the body with careful color placement and asymmetry.   You can custom order one in just your size!

StrapHappy

Grafitti Applique

Grafitti Applique & FlapHappy

FlapHappy

Details, details: Studs!