Fashion
Fashion design contest
We just received notice of this great contest for fashion designers. The deadline is coming up – so read now and get sewing! Or send to a friend that may already be making eco-conscious clothing. Pass it on!
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From substance for FASHION CONSCIOUS PEOPLE:
We are looking for designers that share our passion for contemporary fashion and design that demonstrates respect for our magnificent planet.
Each month our in house team produces the Design Lab Collection TM in harmony with our no waste philosophy. Our Design Lab Collection TM is always made from the re-purposed material of our overstocks or discontinued styles.
In March, we are giving an aspirant designer the opportunity to showcase their talent on our monthly Design Lab Collection TM platform. The designer we select will gain tremendous exposure for his/her talent in an upscale boutique setting and on our website, as well as a monetary grant of $1,000.00.
Your goal, should you be selected as one of our three finalists, is to produce a four-piece collection using materials that we provide you with to re-purpose into high quality, wearable design.
All interested applicants should complete the attached application and submit it on or before the deadline of February 14, 2009.
ELIGIBILITY
• Applicants must be 18 years of age or older
• All interested applicants must complete the attached application and submit it on or before the deadline of February 14, 2009
TO APPLY:
• Submit the contest application via mail, email, or in person at our store front location: Substance, 783 North High Street, Columbus, OH 43215 PDF: Substance Contest Application
• Your application must include images of three samples of your most recent work. Include an image of the front, back, and a detail shot that shows the quality of the workmanship of your design. Your samples may include apparel and/or handbags.
RULES AND OBJECTIVES IF CHOSEN AS A FINALIST
• Along with two other finalists, the designer we select will have five weeks to complete a four piece apparel or accessory collection with an innovative visual use of language.
• The theme or inspiration for all four pieces in the finalist collections is “What gives fashion meaning?”
• All designs produced for the judging in this competition will become the property of Substance for
FASHION CONSCIOUS PEOPLE, LLC
• The top three finalists will be competing in the design and sewing of a 4 piece collection of high quality, wearable styles from repurposed materials. At least 80% of each piece in the collection will need to be created with materials from garments and handbags that we provide. The remaining 20% of the materials used in each piece can be purchased new. Although, we do encourage the use of all natural materials or redesign from 100% recycled materials.
• The finalists’ four piece collections make up can be one of the following ways:
A size run (S/M/L/XL) of one garment category (such as a group of four dresses)
A four-piece collection of styles from different categories that work worn together or are just as compelling sold as separates.
Substance Aspiring Designer Application
You can submit this contest application via mail, email, or drop off in person at our store front location on or before the DEADLINE of February 14, 2009.
Please attach images of three samples of your most recent work. Include an image of the front, back, and a detail shot that shows the quality of the workmanship of your design. Your samples may include apparel and/or handbags
Name:________________________________________________________
Address:______________________________________________________
City:_____________ State:________________ Zip:_________
Home Phone Number:_____________________________
Cell Phone Number:_______________________________
Briefly, in 300 words or less, please tell us about yourself.
• Tell us what inspires you to design.
• Include information about how long you have been designing and your aspirations in the field.
• Describe one way you feel the fashion industry could do a better job of preserving the environment.
Applications can be mailed to, dropped off at our location below or emailed to christinag@shopsubstance.com
Our mailing address is:
Substance for FASHION CONSCIOUS PEOPLE
783 North High Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215
614.299.2910
We at Substance would like to hear from other designers who share our passions. To learn more about us, visit our website.
If you have any questions or comments please don’t hesitate to call, send an email or come in and see us!
Miss Vermont sports a gown by Tara Lynn
The gown, designed by Tara Lynn (D2E exhibitor), is made of hemp and silk, the bodice and cascade accented with gold lace from a recycled curtain and then encrusted with recycled beads and sequins.
We were excited to hear that Miss Vermont 2008 wore a gown designed by Tara Lynn, one of our fashion exhibitors at D2E. What a great way to bring sustainable fashion to a wider audience.
Miss Vermont 2008, Ashley Wheeler, is putting the final touches on her preparation for the Miss America pageant in January. She has fine tuned her vocal piece with the help of a local coach; she has been grilled by panels of “mock” interview judges, and has met regularly with a personal trainer. This week she is picking up her custom-made evening gown from eco designer Tara Lynn… and the cool thing is that this gown was not made in New York or California, but rather in Sutton, Vermont. And it’s green – not forest green or sage green, but green the concept – it’s an eco-friendly dress made of hemp and silk, and lined with hemp and organic cotton.
“I was raised as part of a family-run business and I understand how important it is to support locally-owned and operated businesses. So when it came time for me to purchase an evening gown for the Miss America pageant, I decided to keep my business in Vermont and call upon a designer from the Northeast Kingdom. I had heard about Tara Lynn and it was very appealing to go “green” for Miss America. I will be making a significant statement and suspect I will be the only contestant who has chosen to go this route. I think this is the perfect way for me to share my stance on preserving our environment and set myself apart from the other contestants.”
Tara Lynn Scheidet, owner of Tara Lynn, is a talented and innovative designer, and is said to be the poster child for sustainable business in Northern Vermont. Her unique collections are inspired by and dedicated to environmental causes. Tara Lynn’s studio runs off solar electricity. The shelves are stocked with vintage and recycled materials collected over years of yard sale shopping. The ceiling is adored with inspirational pictures hung over a floor of antique sewing machines. Since the company started in 2005 it has become a team of talented women. They all stand behind the same mission to increase awareness of biodiversity, promote sustainability and be proud of what they do and the clothing they make.
The designer of Miss Vermont’s evening gown shares, “Beauty is not artificial. Natural clothing is sexier than lifeless textiles made from hazardous materials. When women wear my clothes I want them to feel exuberant and special rather than objects of desire: strong, smart and powerful. Stylish sexy women set the example for the next generation.”
As a representative of America’s #1 scholarship provider for young women and an organization whose mission is to promote personal and professional development, civic consciousness, service, higher education, and integrity, Ashley Wheeler believes she has found the “perfect fit.”
Meet Shana Yansen: Jute & Jackfruit
“Ask, ‘How can this be done better?’ Then do it better.”
Jute and Jackfruit founder, Shana Yansen, once squeezed a scorpion to death with her bare hands. How could we not interview her?
Okay, first things first. The question we ask everyone: how would you explain your business to a five year old?
We sell clothing, jewelry and gifts that are good for the environment, but we also help the people around the world that make them. I also write two blogs.
Do you think a five year old would know what a blog is?
Depends on the five year old, but some are probably “tweeting” already.
What are your blogs about?
My company blog highlights the designers, products and the mission of Jute & Jackfruit. My other blog Green Cotton is focused on raising awareness about the importance of organic versus conventional agriculture, plus eco-fashion and organic textiles.
OK, before we move on, tell us about this scorpion and could it possibly have any relationship to Jute & Jackfruit?
Well, years ago while I was living in Honduras, I accidentally grabbed (and crushed) a scorpion in my hand. The scorpion happened to be hidden in the mosquito net I was folding. I will never forget that moment, nor the hours of sheer numbness that followed. However, I would also add that while there were many life-changing and memorable moments during my service in the Peace Corps in Honduras (including the scorpion!), that it was working with local women’s groups and artisans that impacted me the most, and that first led to the idea for Jute & Jackfruit.
So, you’re probably a little too familiar with all of the “green washing” out there. As a genuine eco-conscious business owner, what do you do to reduce Jute & Jackfruit’s global footprint?
At Jute & Jackfruit, we source organic and sustainable fabrics for our clothing, and we also place strict environmental (and fair trade) criteria on the jewelry and accessories we carry. For example, one of our core clothing designers is Indigenous, a pioneer in fair trade and certified organic cotton knits. A good environmentally sustainable example in our jewelry collection is AnnaBuilt, which is handmade by Brooklyn-based artist Anna Johansson from unique, recycled metals. We also have Nahui Ollin handbags made from factory over-run and misprinted candy wrappers.
Wow, candy wrappers? How does that work?
Using Mayan weaving techniques, the designer handbags are woven by Mexican artisans using wrappers that would otherwise be burned or sent to a landfill. We have some great photography on our Web site.
Speaking of wrappers, I know packaging is a big issue for eco-conscious retailers. How do you handle it?
We spent months trying to find eco-friendly packaging materials! Our postcards, clothing tags and other materials are all made on recycled paper, most of which are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified. We also source recycled content gift-wrapping, such as tissue paper, boxes and ribbon. We use biodegradable plastic bags for garments (when additional bags are needed to protect from the elements) and recycle our boxes for shipping. We are also developing reusable fabric gift wrap for the holidays made from over-run and unused fabrics. In general, we are constantly looking into ways to reduce our impact. We are currently exploring carbon-offsetting for our shipping among other initiatives.
Impressive! Now, how about as an individual?
I started riding a bicycle last year and ride it almost everywhere now, including trips to the grocery store with my pannier bags. I also gave up water bottles and improved my recycling habits. For the last few years, my husband and I have participated in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). This year, we joined Picadilly Farm, a New Hampshire-based farm that has a local pick-up location. We really make a conscious effort to shop locally.
What habit was surprisingly easy to change … and what was the hardest?
The easiest to change was bringing my own bags to the grocery store and other places; the hardest was giving up water bottles. As someone who has always been an avid water drinker and is frequently on the go, I used to grab a disposable plastic bottle and go. With consistent and conscious effort, I gradually moved away from this practice. I stopped buying bottles and now bring a reusable Sigg or bicycle bottle with me.
I love my Sigg water bottle, too. In fact, I got it at D2E last year. Which segues nicely into our last question: why did you decide to participate in D2E?
My experience with similar green events is that they provide wonderful opportunities to strengthen the local eco-conscious community, and I believe D2E will do that for the Boston area. Plus, my impression is that D2E is going to be a fun-filled weekend with a remarkable line up of speakers, videos and events—including the eco-fashion shows, eco-living seminars, tasty organic marketplace and green-conscious exhibitors.
You are exactly right.
Interview by Anna Goldsmith of The Hired Pens
I’m thankful for conscious fashion
Deborah Lindquist, available at Suneri in Davis Square.
On the week of thanksgiving one might consider it odd to blog about fashion. But I have learned through life that fashion is about more than being trendy. Fashion is an important aspect of our culture. Fashion helps define us as individuals and as a community. Fashion matters.
This past week I attended a fashion show at Simmons College that was titled Fashion with Impact. The theme was sustainability and I loved that they talked about entrepreneurship as well. We can’t expect change to just happen, we have to be a part of it. Each person can figure out what that means to them, but it is important for all of us to be engaged. The simple act of choosing only to buy from responsible companies, to shop locally as much as possible and to be thoughtful about purchases makes a difference.
On a personal note, while in college I did not put any thought into what I wore. I was so concerned with my studies, that I did not want to spend an inkling of time contemplating my wardrobe. I did not see the value in caring about my appearance. That seemed shallow to me. What mattered was what was inside of me.
That all changed when I studied developing countries and I learned about Ghandi. One of the lessons I took directly from Ghandi’s book is the importance of our outward appearance. The morning after I read that passage I decided to wake up a bit early, wash my hair and wear something other than work-out clothes. Since that day I have found that feeling good about my appearance helps me in other aspects of my life. I began to feel more confident socially and this helped me significantly when it came time to look for work in the “real world”. Now fashion is a way for me to cultivate my image as a small business owner, and an individual. I chose styles that reflect my creativity while choosing fabrics and brands that reflect my values.
So on this Thanksgiving holiday I am thankful to Ghandi for setting me straight. When he said “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” he was not just talking about voting and volunteering. The daily decisions we make about the clothes on our back and the food we eat are just as important.
Shannon Glasheen, a local designer, makes the old new again.
Local Fashionistas Unite!
The Somerville Arts Council and Fusion Ethos Fashions are hosting this most excellent event.
Sew What?!?
Saturday, May 31
3pm – 7pm
Central Plaza in Union Square
Sommerville, MA
Sewing machines and notions will be available to alter items on site! So even those of us who have a hard time with the sewing machine can participate. Get out and create!
Image from Vintage Cookie, one of a kind jewelry made with reclaimed or rediscovered items and high quality stones. Vintage Cookie is one of many local artisans that will be at the event.
Re-boot for the New Year
One way a fashionista can conserve rather than consume – the local cobbler.
While taking stock of my wardrobe I noticed that my boots needed some TLC. So rather throwing out the old so I could buy some new, I brought them to my local cobbler. This is one of the little things in life. It sounds silly, but I felt all warm and tingly inside knowing that I was bringing some business to a neighbor and extending the life of my beloved boots that have served me so well over the years.
Some background: I decided when I turned 30 that I would not buy cheap shoes. I have a pair of boots from 1999 and two pair from 2006 (I fell for the “buy one get the second for half price”). They were not cheap, but I wear them often and now they fit like a glove.
Cost: $60.00 for four heel repairs, adding protective rubber and a polish to top it off. That is significantly cheaper than a new pair of leather boots.
Conclusion: I have no intention of hanging up my boots! I am almost officially in the bragging zone – next year my black round-toed boots will be ten years old. That definitely qualifies as bragging rights over a fair-trade shade-grown latte with my girlfriends. At the 1369 Coffee Shop, of course. Buy local!
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