The Burden of Too Many Clothes

As the warmer weather gets here in the Northeast,  many of us start our spring cleaning.

Have you ever just looked around your surroundings at home and felt overwhelmed? No, not by our family — who, of course can be demanding at times, and no not by our pets which we must also take care of and love — but by our things.  I am especially concerned about the clothes, handbags, coats, and shoes that go unworn. They are a constant presence in your life that “something is wrong here and something needs to be done.” Clothes become a burden when we don’t wear them.



Earth Day Presentation

Earth Day is coming up on Friday, April 22nd. 


Check out all of the events that will be going on in your communities to help save the earth!


I will be giving a presentation on sustainable fashion at the Honest Weight Food Co-Op in Albany on Saturaday, April 23rd for Earth Day.  I have collaborated with a master tailor, Fatima Bey, who will be doing a workshop after I speak on upcylcing clothing.  Attendees are asked to bring two old items that will be recycled/upcycled into a scarf.  This should be a fun day.  Come, make a scarf, and learn about sustainable fashion.  The workshop starts is from 11:30am to 1pm. 


                  

A Beautfiful Shirt

I love it when someone taps into a need and makes a great business.

Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, a British socialite, goddaughter of Prince Charles, created an elegant women's "bodyshirt" called the Kubbi, made from eco-friendly fabric and is made to last.  She always loved the look of men's shirts with their regal cuffs and stately collars.  She loved the look so much that she used to cut up her father's old shirts to attach to her clothes.  The shirt is basically a snug,  cotton jersey snap bodysuit that has a tailored top with a collar and cuffs.  The Kubbi hugs the body's silhouette, resists wrinkling and is also machine washable. 


                               

The Kubbi Shirt

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month - April 27th Denim Day

Please be aware that April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

One of the big events coming up is Denim Day which is on April 27th.  This day was established to remind people that sexual assault has nothing to do with what a person is wearing.  The day was created as a response to a teenager who was violently raped in 1998 by a 45-year old driving instructor hired to teach her to drive.  The instructor was found guilty, however, the Italian Supreme Court overruled the conviction stating that she was wearing tight jeans and basically caused the rape.   The instructor's defense was referred to as the "denim defense."  Denim Day was created in 1999 to symbolically protest against the erroneous and stereotypical idea that rape is caused by what people wear.

                           
          


"I created Denim Day in LA in 1999. In 2011, the campaign expanded into a national movement: Denim Day USA. Growing to an international level in 2015, the GUESS? Foundation brought the campaign to Canada, as well as to it’s inspirational origins of Italy," says Patti Giggans founder of Denim Day and Executive Director of Peace Over Violence.

Sexual violence is a major public health issue according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and they provide the following facts. 
  • 1 in 5 women (18.3%) in the United States have been raped at some time in their lives
  • 1 in 71 men (1.4%) in the United States have been raped at some time in their lives

We wear denim so much.  Let's definitely wear it on Wednesday, April 27th.







 

From Bottle to Runway

It takes most plastics 450 years to decompose, some even 1,000 years.  Waste2Wear, a Dutch company based in China, is reducing plastic pollution by creating fabric from PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) plastic bottles. Plastic bottles are recycled into safe and certifiable non-toxic polyester yarn. The yarn is created into Waste2Wear® fabric by itself or is blended with other sustainable fabrics to manufacture clothes. Monique Collignon Couture Light uses 70% of Waste2Wear fabrics in her women's clothing line that was recently featured at Mercedes-Benz Amsterdam Fashion Week.


                             

                 Monique Collignon Couture Light