Textiles: New Research Strategies

On March 19th 2011, the Textile Society held its first research symposium. The event aimed to facilitate the exchange of research within textiles and I went along as an audience member. I had hoped to speak about my carbon footprinting research but in the end they were overrun with speakers, so I have written a piece for their journal TEXT instead.

As textiles have become a growing academic area of research, the topics under its umbrella are far and wide. The morning session included papers on textile histories, something I have only little knowledge about but am learning. There was also discussion on the way in which textiles are exhibited in museums, and exciting news about the Clothworkers’ Centre for Textiles and Fashion Study, which will open in 2013 as part of the V&A.

The afternoon looked at more contemporary issues and critical thinking behind fashion and textiles. Although thought provoking, there were times when it felt a little ‘wishy washy’. Nonetheless, there were some great ideas for the future, including the use of concrete on clothing to absorb pollutants in the air. Hopefully the event will happen in future years, it is always great to belong to these societies but the value of community is heightened when you have a chance to meet like minded people and swap ideas.

Oscars Dress

It’s a bit late, but after my post about Livia Firth’s Green Carpet Challenge in Jan (she set herself the challenge of wearing ethical clothes to every red carpet event through award season) I have to comment on the Oscars dress. She chose ethical couture designer Gary Harvey and the results were stunning. A floor length corseted creation in ivory, it was upcycled from 11 vintage frocks!

New Eco Fashion Book

'Eco Fashion' by Sass Brown was published late last year. It joins a quickly expanding topic area of books with vastly varying qualities. This book is great overview of the industry, but is not an academic text. Sass Brown is a Professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, and the book takes an American view, which is a slight downside, just because many of the designers are based in the US.

After a short introduction, the bulk of the book profiles around a hundred designers, including lots I hadn’t heard of! It is split into 5 chapters showcasing brands that are ethical in different ways, such as fair trade and slow design. It’s a lovely shiny book, easy to read and a nice addition to the book shelf.

Survey Results

I got my MPhil survey results back months ago (how time flies!) and I’ve been busy analysing and drawing conclusions from them. The online survey was the second part of my MPhil methodology for the communicating ethical fashion project and I targeted individuals within the age range of 18 to 30 who either work or study at the University. Choosing the sample was hard enough because ideally I would have liked to have had a sample representative of the whole of the UK, but of course that would be near impossible for just myself to complete. The reason for choosing the sample I did was because I had easy access to this group, young people generally shop regularly, and they have a whole lifetime of shopping ahead of them. They can more easily be moulded perhaps . . . the new ‘sustainable’ generation.

I had 89 responses which I was slightly disappointed with, however that changed when I began analysing! I had to get to grips with statistical testing for the first time, something I am keen to get better at if I want a career in research. I coded qualitative answers into themes, worked out means, medians, calculated scores and compared variables. Although I had touched on many of these areas before, it was still a steep learning curve.

As expected, it is difficult to draw significant conclusions from a fairly small sample; there were certainly no statistically significant points to variable changes. However, it was encouraging to see a strong ethical agenda and environmental awareness. When it came to shopping for clothes, the majority were regular and engaged consumers. There is definitely potential there to lead them to greater tools of communication. I was surprised how many respondents had heard of a number of ethical brands, not just People Tree but the smaller brands too. That said, not many had shopped with these ethical brands. A fair number of respondents described ethical fashion as bland, unfashionable, expensive, or hippie-ish, not an unusual connotation but still frustrating as there are so many beautiful/cool ethical garments out there. There was a reasonable awareness of terms like ‘organic’ and ‘fairtrade’ which was great, but a lack of specific responses.

To be honest, consumers shouldn’t have to be the ones making sacrifices, all garments should be ethical.

More LFW

More of my highlights,

Peter Pilotto

Sass & Bide

House of Holland

Betty Jackson

Aminaka Wilmont

LFW A/W '11

Its crazy to think that I was at the last London Fashion Week six months ago! It feels like yesterday. I didn't go this season due to having to get on with my thesis, plus its so much easier to catch up with the shows online! I was a bit tentative about skimming my mind past summer back to winter fashion but here are some of my fave A/W ’11 looks.

First I love everything at Mulberry, everything! Its totally wearable, beautiful textures and autumnal colours.

I also adore everything at Temperley London, much for the same reasons, just look.

Fairtrade Fairmined Gold

People involved in mining gems and metals don’t generally get as much press as the banana or cotton growers, but serious problems exist in these industries. With the world market price of gold soaring, fair treatment of the miners is a particular concern as hundreds of thousands of workers are lured to the industry. An estimated 15 million people work in artisanal and small scale mining, risking disease, serious injury and even death. Six times as many accidents occur in small scale mining as in large scale.

However, there is hope as February 14th saw the launch of the first Fairtrade certified gold. It seems odd that it hasn’t come sooner, but 20 jewellers have embraced Fairtrade gold in their products. This includes the world’s oldest jeweller Garrard, ethical brand CRED and luxury jeweller Harriet Kelsall. The Fairtrade Foundation website has a full list of brands to stock Fairtrade and Fairmined gold, and its not all super expensive (although it makes the perfect choice for engagement and wedding rings). This ring from CRED is made from recycled silver wire, covered in Fairtrade gold, handmade in Nepal, and it costs £85.