misc.

Today, Cotton USA gets into trouble for claims about cotton and sustainability - please, go after Jag Apparel next. Their 'blog' qualifies as advertising, doesn't it? On a positive note, just after the 29th International Cotton Conference in Bremen, Germany, the Organic Exchange will organise a two-day seminar for business (courtesy of Ecotextile News).

Why I avoid interviews with fashion designers written by fashion journalists (from The Toronto Star, via this blog):

"Using raw silk in jewel tones, organic wools, organic cotton-bamboo blends and organic denim, Biddell has created coats with grand architectural collars, extreme wide-leg jeans and dramatic eveningwear with long trailing trains and full skirts.

“A lot of the silhouettes I am using are egotistical,” Biddell says of the high volume shapes in his collection. “I haven’t seen a lot of really interesting, unique organic clothes … there is a lot of casual wear in organic fabrics but there are only a few luxury designers, like Stella McCartney and Marc Jacobs, who are starting to go sustainable."

There is a video of the collection inspired by eco-warriors and animé here. I have to say, the only thing that caught my eye on that page was the advertisement for Earth Hour. A year ago, Sydney was leading the way with it; now it's global. It's easy to be cynical about it, but as a visualisation tool it was pretty powerful as I recall. My neighbours and I were sitting outside in the darkness; at least 80% of the neighbourhood, normally all lit up, was dark. As for my cynicism regarding the article about the Project Runway Canada winner; it is great he's chosen to use the fabrics he has. I'm just a little bit impatient for there to be more widespread intellectual dialogue on fashion design that goes beyond designers talking about their inspirations.

As a short distraction, the following video from Issey Miyake (from last year) is powerful, too: