Saving the World One Ugly Sweater at a Time

[gius]

This thread is all about articles, objects, fashion, Design surrounding the current pro-environment movement
recycling, reusing, reducing.. old things to new things, etc.
first example...

from fiftyrx3.blogspot.com

My name is Ashley Martineau and I enjoy shocking thrift store cashiers by casually buying the most hideous sweaters they’ve ever seen. I learned how to knit from a widow in Oregon when I was thirteen. As a community service I visited her weekly; she passed down her wisdom as well as her knitting experience. She has also taught my adopted sister how to knit. My mother in law re-taught me in January, and now I can’t stop. I am recently married, and my new hobby was getting a bit expensive, so I decided to find a cheap way to keep my yarn stash full. One day at the thrift store I found the ugliest wool sweater. I thought, “This dog of a sweater would be beautiful as a hat or scarf!” As a beginner at knitting, I considered myself a pro at unraveling knitted items; so the sweater came home with me. After reading how to knit a sweater, I followed the directions backwards and turned the sweater into a pile of Ramen-looking yarn. Through trial and error, I learned what sweaters were easiest to unravel. One day I brought several sweaters to my in-laws house to unravel while my husband did some yard work. My in-laws found unraveling so relaxing that they began buying sweaters and unraveling them for me. Before I knew it, my yarn stash was filled to overflowing. I didn’t need 30 sweaters worth of yarn in my house, so I sold the surplus on eBay. It became so successful that I turned unraveling into a little eBay business. My inbox was soon filled with emails asking, “How do you unravel a sweater?” So I spent an afternoon photographing and writing a detailed online tutorial. As of today over 7000 people have viewed the tutorial. I also started an online community for people to ask questions and share their unraveling projects. Unraveling sweaters is a great way to keep your yarn stash full, and the yarn you don't use can be sold on eBay to make money for other craft projects. I like to think I'm saving the world one ugly sweater at a time by ripping it apart and giving it a chance to be something beautiful.

 

[gius]

fiftyRX3 - project in sustainability and style

from http://50rx3sidebar.blogspot.com/2006/06/project.html
Click link for more

the project

fiftyRX3 is a project in sustainability and style. My goal for 2006 is to have fifty percent of my clothing be sustainable, based on the mantra of the environmental movement:
reuse ...not bought new
reduce ...environmentally friendly production
recycle ...made from a previously existing item

I photograph and define my clothes daily and make monthly apparel pieces from recycled content. Additionally, I attempt to document, explain and understand the emerging movement in sustainability and style and my own relationship to my clothing.

monthly recycled projects...

2005
December
​

I collected the fabric from blown out umbrellas that I found on the streets of Manhattan during a blustery, rainy day. I washed them then cut, draped and patterned them into a dress and a jacket

​

This dress was one of the first things I sewed properly from a pattern that I drafted myself. The jacket is my first draped piece. The dress was supposed to be in line with a theme of a 50's masquerade party (we were supposed to use a cotton weave!) for a class I was taking at FIT. I was inspired by Balenciaga's bubble dresses of that period.

The project has since become an inspiration for a competition to design a more sustainable umbrella and an outfit from broken umbrellas. The competition is being sponsored by treehugger and I.D. More information is available here.

Addendum: The dress was picked as a finalist in the above competition. And there were several other very well done interpretations!

Umbrella Jacket...

​

 

[shop_gal567]

that dress is beautiful! I love the lines, great construction! the other creations on the blog are great too.

 

[kissmesweet]

I'm going to get whacked for this: but the "hideous" sweater isn't so bad...

 

[gius]

Alex Martin and her Little Brown Dress

from littlebrowndress.com

a year-long performance project
365 days. one brown dress. a one-woman show against fashion.

devised, built, and performed by Alex Martin
launch – July 7, 2005
completion – July 7, 2006

So, here's the deal - I made this dress and I wore it every day for a year. I made one small, personal attempt to confront consumerism by refusing to change my dress for 365 days.
In this performance, I challenged myself to reject the economic system that pushes over-consumption, and the bill of goods that has been sold, especially to women, about what makes a person good, attractive and interesting. Clothes are a big part of this image, and the expectation in time, effort, and financial investment is immense.

 

[gius]

A video of her here, produced by Seattle Channel
http://www.seattlechannel.org/videos/video.asp?ID=4010633

And her journal, documenting the project each day...
http://www.littlebrowndress.com/brown_dress_journal.htm

She would alter her look just by how she accessorised, when wearing the dress

 

[gius]

frequently asked questions
What were the "rules"? Every day, from July 7 2005 to July 7 2006, I wore my brown dress.
Did I wash the dress? Of course. About as often as you would wash anything, after two or three wearings usually. Often, I washed it overnight. One good thing about doing this project this year, while my son was an infant - there was ALWAYS a load of laundry ready for the washer . . .
Did I mend the dress?I replaced lots of buttons. And I did walk around with a ripped seam on the right side of the bodice for the last four weeks of the project, it was a badge of honor at that point : ) Didn't need to fix anything else, amazingly enough.
Did I ever take the dress off? Yes, I took it off to sleep every night, and to go swimming. Once, about three months into the project, I flat-out *failed* to wear it out to a public event, that episode is detailed in the journal in September. I appeared onstage in a costume other than my dress in my dance opera project, The Onion Twins, and that episode is detailed in the journal in January.
What about all those layers? The dress was designed and built to layer for warmth, since I knew I had to make it through all four seasons. Whenever temperature allowed, I wore the dress solo. Over the entire brown dress year, I spent under $20 on clothing -- I had one emergency run to Goodwill for sweaters when the weather turned cold. Aside from those two sweaters, all the shoes, hats, jackets, and other layers you see in the photographs were already a part of my wardrobe when the project began, and I estimate 90% of that original wardrobe was second-hand in origin.
What did people think? People almost universally loved it, or at least that's what they keep telling me . . .
Did I look crazy? Most people in my professional circle didn't even notice that I was always wearing the same dress day after day -- my take on that is that we're all too busy with our *own* appearance, family, work, etc. to keep a tally on everyone else's wardrobe rotations! But Most people didn't even notice that I was always wearing the dress day after day -- we're all too busy with our *own* appearance, family, work, etc. to keep a tally on everyone else's wardrobe rotations! But judge for yourself how crazy I looked by checking out the photo journal pages.
Was I bored? The challenge of the brown dress, the resulting media adventures, and all the amazing conversations with brown dress audience members here at home and around the globe created an amazing year for me. It was a broadening, terrifying, extremely creative year for me. Bored? No way. Check the journal for the whole un-edited story.
Was this a feminist thing? Probably. Also an art thing. Also a let's stop wasting time and money thing. But on a feminist note, let's stop agreeing that the best way for women (in particular) to "express themselves" is by purchasing new wardrobe items and putting together daily outfits.
What was the best part? The conversations and comments and stories from the everybody -- see the comments page for some of them! Secondly, I miss the strange, mundane and yet completely revolutionary moment every morning when I reached for the dress and put it on . . . again. The mix of stubborn determination, excitement of what the day would bring, physical familiarity as the dress settled and buttoned over my ribs. As I write this I haven't seen the dress for almost two weeks, and I miss that daily moment of renewed commitment.
The most difficult part? The weather turning cold in the fall was a shock, I admit it sounds silly but I just hadn't prepared at all, and it took me a bit of improvising to figure out my winter layering strategies. Similarly, it was a shock when someone stole the dress after I took it off at the culminating "Un-dressing" party & performance at the end of the year, and started their own project with it. I'm still arranging my mind around that -- it's certainly not a negative development for the story, but it was just so unexpected!
How did it change me? That answer is huge and long -- you will get a sense of the changes if you have time to read the journal. But I know that I'm even more engaged and interested in this whole line of thinking than I was when I started the project. I don't know whether to call it the "intentional wardrobe" or a "fashion de-tox diet" or a "slow clothing movement", but I am swimming deep in this topic and not even considering a return to a normal wardrobe at this point.
What now? The brown dress is gone, and I'm continuing the investigation with my new project for the coming year. I will wear only clothing, shoes, under- and outer-wear, bags, jewelry and accessories I have built myself, and make new pieces only from recycled materials. This piece is a little more pure conceptually, and keeps me completely out of the stream of consumer goods.
Stay with me.

 

[gius]

Here is Alex Martin in her little brown dress, which she wore all year-round and in all climates and seasons.. everyday..
from summer/spring through to fall/winter...

And back to summer again (end of project)...

littlebrowndress.com

 

[bismarck]

Was this a feminist thing? Probably. Also an art thing. Also a let's stop wasting time and money thing. But on a feminist note, let's stop agreeing that the best way for women (in particular) to "express themselves" is by purchasing new wardrobe items and putting together daily outfits.

Love this quote. And I love the idea of it all, but don't think I could do it to the extent that she did. I've always felt that people noticed what I wear (and I'm not that spiffy or exciting of a dresser), and every time when I started to think otherwise, someone came out and said, "Why are you wearing so much red this week?" etc.

Very cool thread. I've been trying to do some "recycling" myself by cutting up childhood clothes to make rags, laundry bags, and eventually some new clothes (or anything remotely cool) as soon as my sewing skills begin to exist.

 

[SomethingElse]

What a great title for this thread!!

I recently read several articles about the quality of cashmere on the market these days. It's not a pretty picture... It makes increasing sense to reuse materials. Sounds like a great cottage industry to me!

 

[gius]

Since Alex Martin had finished her brown dress project,
she has started on a new project on recycling/reinventing her old garments
just like the fiftyRX3 project posted earlier
http://www.littlebrowndress.com/recycling journal.htm

I have to say though her work is not as keen on design
as fiftyRX3's work-- I guess it's more about the action that is important for her

 

[SomethingElse]

^ Ummm, I like that blue/green/brown sweater. It reminds me of my color theory explorations. There will always be a pint of hippie blood in me. Give her an "A for Attitude", I say!

 

[gius]

Gladyou think so, SomethingElse..
I guess it's just on how you wear it


Here's an online magazine...
topics on

• Beauty
• Fashion
• Gourmet
• The Home
• Lifestyle

http://stylewillsaveus.com/

StyleWillSaveUs is an independent digital style magazine magazine (no paper here, we’re saving trees!) that loves all things super-stylish, organic, ethical, fairtrade, eco-friendly, vintage, recycled and sustainable.
It’s easy to get freaked out in our current climate of global warming and toxic overload, especially when hair shirted eco-warriors (or indeed eco-worriers) are continually telling us to give up the little luxuries that make life worth living. Quite frankly, we’d rather not live in a tipi! In fact we don’t think there’s any need – by making a few smart choices we can live lovely lives safe in the knowledge that what’s good for us can also be good for the planet.
Small things make a big difference when we do them together – all we need to do is stop for a moment, think about things and change a habit or two. That’s where StyleWillSaveUs comes in. We’re desperate to tell you about all the cool things you can do and buy so your hard earned cash goes on something you truly believe in.
All products and services reviewed on StyleWillSaveUs match our criteria and philosophy for good living. Here’s an outline of where our goal posts are...
Holidays in far away lands and regular weekend jaunts abroad are sold to us as one of life’s luxuries. Unfortunately, flying is one of the most threatening, not to mention fastest growing contributions to climate change. About 40 million tonnes a year comes from plane travel alone (up by 20 million tonnes since 1990) and it’s estimated to become the single biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. With this in mind, we have chosen to mainly feature stylish hotels and eco-luxe retreats a little closer to home (London), some of which can even be reached by Eurostar, train and car. They've been chosen for their organic restaurants, recycling policies, inbuilt power supplies from sustainable energy sources such as solar panels or ground source heating and eco-friendly / vintage furnishings. Or simply because they're only an hour or two's drive or train journey from home thus saving on all those carbon emissions!
We only feature new fashion items that are fairtrade or made from organic cotton, cashmere, wool, silk, hemp, bamboo or other natural and sustainable materials which are produced in an environmentally friendly way. And because recycling is great for sustainability, we also inform you about designers who produce customised second hand pieces and of course vintage clothing boutiques and swap shops.

Our gourmet section features only products and services that are organic, biodynamic (or at least follow these principles) and brands who conduct themselves in an environmentally friendly, sustainable and ethical manner.

All featured beauty items are made with an extremely high percentage of natural or organic ingredients. We avoid products containing parabens and other dangerous preservatives, sodium laurel (and laureth) sulphate, artificial perfumes, artificial colourings, PEGs, DEA, MEA and TEA to name but a few. We truly believe in luxury skincare that doesn't contaminate our bodies and our world with numerous toxic chemicals. To find out more about these harmful ingredients please visit our Dictionary of Eco Jargon in the About section on this site.

We all know how bad gas guzzlers are for global warming, so we only report on cars and scooters that are either electric, hybrid or vehicles that perform using bio fuel and reduced co2 emissions.

In our home and lifestyle features, we support cool products and services that enable reduced energy consumption, and items that are made from sustainable, ethical, fairtrade, organic, biodegradable, recycled or recyclable materials. Antique and vintage items also get the thumbs up!

 

[gius]

Some examples of articles in the magazine...

Eco Dilemma! Recycled Fur, Would You?

Call us bigheaded but we’ve always prided ourselves on knowing the difference between good taste and bad taste, ethical and...

VIEW

Itsy Eco Interview - Katharine Hamnett

Known as the serious face of fashion, one might assume that Katharine Hamnett would be a bit of an eco-bore. But the original rebel...


VIEW

DesignSpy

Trawling around the Sunday markets is definitely the preserve of the young and trendy and there’s none better than Sunday Upmarket...
VIEW

Bid To Buy....

The countdown has begun to Christie’s week long 20th Century Design extravaganza… We’ll be there, bidding paddle to the ready,...

VIEW

 

[kissmesweet]

^^ Thanks! I love the Itsy Eco interview.

 

[tigerrouge]

Respect to Alex Martin for her experiment. Coming from a part of the UK that's politely described as "deprived", I grew up with parents who always found a way to make the most of the resources they had, long before being green became a lifestyle choice.

But these days, with commercialism all around us, even with the best will in the world, it can be hard. Each season I try to get a lot of wear out of items, yet thanks to the media bombarding us with possible purchases on a daily basis, I can't help becoming paranoid that "everyone notices that I'm wearing the same thing again" - as if that should be a source of shame.

The antidote to this is, as Ms Messy Jumper has found, is to start making your own stuff. A variation on a theme. It's trial and error, but satisying in its own way - and when it works, you can be assured that no-one else is going to wearing the same thing. It's yours, all yours.

 

[mesmeri]

Aww I love the umbrella dress! It's very creative, and looks so cute!

Alex Martin's projects really throw a new light onto what we see and experience in the world around us. I admire her commitment!

 

[softgrey]

i love the idea of re-using and recycling...
the umbrella pieces really turned out well...


and while i admire the whole concept of the brown dress project...
it's not really a great example of how to do that in a stylish way...
she looks really awful most of the time...mostly becuase the dress the whole thing is based on was awful to begin with...

too bad.....

i'd like to see this attempted more successfully...

 

[SomethingElse]

...let's stop agreeing that the best way for women (in particular) to "express themselves" is by purchasing new wardrobe items and putting together daily outfits.

I had to revisit this thread to read it all again because there is so much that is incredibly thought provoking. I must agree with this concept of standing up to the kind of consumerism that is propounded by the media in most cultures. If people spent a year (everyone at the same time) doing nothing but taking care of the planet, imagine how much we could learn and accomplish.

 

[gius]

This is one of the best I have seen
in terms of aesthetics & design with recycled materials...

SECCO

Tie made from an old car safety belt, Päivi Niemi

Secco got its start from a need to invent a use for waste: computer keyboards, washing machine drums, circuit boards, and car tyres. “Treasures of Wasteland” was born: design that inventively makes use of recycled raw materials. A car tyre inner tube is transformed into a purse; a washing machine drum into a fruit bowl. Computer keys become refrigerator magnets, hair clips, and key chains. Secco is also the Secco Shop and design network and an infinite supply of almost-free raw material. You just need to
know how to look.

http://www.designforum.fi/designtalents_5