1. This competition starts on 11 May 2012 and closes on 28 June 2012.

2. Entries must be sent to YOU, PO Box 7167, Roggebaai 8012, to reach us by 28 June 2012. Ensure you complete all the submission requirements.

3.1 Eligibility for entrance: you have to be a South African citizen in possession of a valid South African ID book; you must be over 18 or will turn 18 before the end of 2013; you have to be in possession of a National Senior Certificate (NSC), National Vocational Certificate (NCV), FET Level 4 certificate, Grade 12 or recognised equivalent qualification certified by Umalusi, or international equivalent examination board qualification. On your school-leaving qualification you must have achieved (1) a minimum achievement rating code of three in four recognised NSC 20-credit subjects; (2) a minimum achievement rating code of three in English Home Language or English First Additional Language or English Second Additional Language.

3.2 You must submit a certified copy of your SA ID book, a certified copy of your National Senior Certificate, National Vocational Certificate, FET Level 4 certificate, Grade 12 or recognised equivalent qualification certified by Umalusi, or international equivalent examination board qualification; a letter of motivation written according to the brief stipulated and in English; and a portfolio of creative evidence stipulated according to the brief.

4. Entrants may NOT be currently enrolled in a fashion qualification on NQF level 5 or higher (formal post-matric fashion design qualification).

5. Entrants may not be concurrently enrolled in any other study programme from 2013-2015.

6. Entrants must be able to enrol for the full-time diploma programme from 2013-2015.

7. The prize includes registration and class fees towards the Diploma in Fashion Design programme for the 2013, 2014 and 2015 academic years. Should the student discontinue, be unsuccessful in progressing to the next level of study or change course of study at any time the prize will be fully forfeited.

8. Materials and studio equipment costs, transport, living expenses and any additional costs incurred are excluded from the prize.

9. A representative of Elizabeth Galloway Academy of Fashion Design, a media partner and fashion designer will decide which eligible entrant to award the prize to no later than 16 July 2012.

10. The winner will be notified telephonically by no later than 16 July 2012.

11. The winner will be announced in the 2 August 2012 issue of YOU.

12. The winner has to present him/herself on an agreed day over the weekend of 21-22 July 2012 at the Elizabeth Galloway Academy of Fashion Design campus in Stellenbosch to claim the prize.

13. The winner agrees to adhere to the student code of conduct at the academy during the three years of study (obtainable from the student liaison officer at the academy).

14. The winner agrees to avail him/herself for events arranged by the academy during the three years of study.

15. The prize is not transferrable, may not be deferred and cannot be exchanged for cash or any other item.

16. Registration dates are subject to change without prior notification.

17. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

18. The judges reserve the right to ask for proof of authenticity or to test the entrant in order to be sure the work was indeed done by the entrant.

19. Elizabeth Galloway Academy of Fashion Design (Pty) Ltd (hereafter referred to as Elizabeth Galloway) reserves the right to keep the details of all entrants.

20. Elizabeth Galloway reserves the right to use entrants’ portfolios or part thereof for academy promotional materials.

21. Elizabeth Galloway reserves the right to rescind the award if it’s found, at any time before or after the announcement of the award, that the winner does not meet all the minimum requirements for entry into the three-year diploma programme.

22. Elizabeth Galloway further reserves the right to rescind the award if there’s reasonable suspicion there has been misrepresentation of the entrant at any point in the process or duration of the course.

23. Elizabeth Galloway reserves the right to not award this prize if no deserving eligible candidates enter or if the winner is disqualified such as in the cases stipulated in points 21 and 22.

24. Financial need and having the obstacle of financial constraints may also serve as part motivation but this prize will not be awarded solely based on financial need.

Before the industrial era, skilled artisans spun, wove and dyed fabric from their homes. They had the freedom to work when they chose and often the land to grow their own food as well.

The advent of the Industrial Revolution brought a change in the nature of work.  Employment was now centred in factories, which were located in urban areas. People moved from the country into towns and cities for jobs. Workers, mostly women and children, worked in appalling conditions, slaving 12 – 14 hours a day for a few pence. They were ill-fed, and housed, entire families to a single room, in unsanitary, crowded slums without access to running water. A single pump typically serviced a whole street.

General healthcare was unknown, and the mortality rate high. These sweatshops taint the image of the fashion industry to this day.

A London slum

The sewing room in the department store of A.T. Stewart, Manhattan

Child labour was widely used in the cotton mills

Unionisation and labour laws have greatly improved the lot of workers in the West, but wages in the clothing industry are still comparatively low. Furthermore it has become common practise for companies in developed countries such as the United States of America to have their product manufactured in developing countries where labour costs are lower, and workers have fewer rights. These (mostly Asian) countries include Indonesia, China, Taiwan, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Pakistan, Philippines, and Malaysia, and well-known brands Levi-Strauss, Guess? Clothing Co., Jantzen Inc., the Gap, and Nike, count among the outsourcing companies in the apparel industry.

Nike, in particular, have in the past been heavily criticized for unscrupulous labour practices in their overseas factories, inter alia the violation of minimum wage and overtime laws (in Vietnam, 1996), the use of child labour (Cambodia, 2001 ), forced labour (Malaysia, July 2008), and constant abuse by overseers (Indonesia, 2011).

The good news is that pressure groups are being formed to make these companies, and Nike is by no means the only guilty party, accountable for the welfare of these workers.While critics of the outsourcing system decry the loss of jobs in post-industrial countries, its advocates say that it in fact allows inhumane working conditions in developing countries to be exposed, and so eradicated.

A girl stitches pants in a factory in Burma

This 9 year old Indian boy sews beads to tops destined for sale in a Primark store in Britain

Two more young Primark garment embroiderers. They are paid about 60p (~R7) per day

In South Africa the clothing industry is facing difficulties due in large part to cheap imports from China and other Eastern countries. In October 2011 the unprecedented step was taken by SACTWU (the South African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union), to agree to the minimum wage for new entrants in the industry being lowered by around 30%, in an attempt to try and preserve jobs.
Another form of exploitation is underpaying for a product. A number of groups have sprung up to try and ensure fair trade for all, eventually culminating in the establishment of the international Fairtrade organization.

Next week: Fairtrade

Sources

Global action through fashion. (n.d.) Retrieved March 26, 2012 from http://globalactionthroughfashion.org/

Images

Child labourer in cotton mill [image]. (n.d.). Retrieved March 26, 2012 from  http://www.liberalslikechrist.org/liberalrecord.html

Photograph of Victorian slum housing [image]. (n.d.). Retrieved March 26, 2012, from                http://www.dur.ac.uk/4schools/victoriandurham/home4.html

The sewing-room at A.T. Stewart’s, between Ninth and Tenth Streets, Broadway and Fourth Avenue [image]. (1875). Retrieved

March 26, 2012 from http://www.encore-editions.com/new-york-city-the-sewing-room-at-a-t-stewart-s-between-ninth-and-tenth-streets-broadway-and-fourth-avenue-hyde/canvas

MATERIALS FROM CELLULOSE FIBRES (PLANT MATERIALS)

This category includes rayon, cotton, linen, ramie, hemp, jute, bamboo, soy, and Tencel^®.

Rayon

Really a synthetic fibre, but made from wood pulp, a sustainable resource. Regrettably, old forests are often cleared to plant faster growing pulpwood plantations of species such as Eucalyptus, which draw enormous amounts of water from the ground. Hazardous chemicals such as caustic soda and sulphuric acid are used to treat the pulp.

Cotton boll

Cotton

Although cotton is the most widely used textile in the clothing industry, its cultivation certainly has an adverse effect on the planet. It requires a lot of water, pesticides as well as herbicides, and takes up large tracts of land that could be used for food production. Organic cotton is grown with the use of organic fertilizer (of plant or animal origin), and no pesticides or herbicides. Only natural dyes are used to colour the fabric. An exciting development is the cultivation of coloured cotton. This is only available in shades of green and brown, however.

Flax stem cross-section, showing locations of underlying tissues. Ep = epidermis; C = cortex; BF = bast fibres; P = phloem; X = xylem; Pi = pith

Linen

Made from the flax plant. The fibres must be loosened from the stalk through retting, a process which uses bacteria to decompose the pectin binding them together. Natural retting methods take place in tanks and pools, or directly in the fields. There are also chemical methods which are faster, but typically more harmful to the environment and the fibres themselves. The plant requires less fertilizer and fewer pesticides than cotton.

Ramie

Like flax, ramie is a bast fibre plant, which requires retting. The fibre is difficult to spin because of its brittle quality and low elasticity and weaving is complicated by the hairy surface of the yarn. It is frequently blended with other textiles e.g. wool.

Hemp

Hemp

Also of the bast fibre family, industrial hemp (cannabis sativa sativa as opposed to cannabis sativa indica, the narcotic variety) is arguably the most versatile eco-friendly crop from which fabric can be manufactured. The plants grow quickly and densely enough to discourage the intrusion of weeds, so herbicides and pesticides are not necessary. It does not need to be fertilized either; in fact the deep roots of hemp bind and enrich the soil in which it grows. Irrigation is superfluous, as hemp survives on natural rainfall. In addition, it provides oil, hemp seeds have a high nutritional value, the plant can be used to manufacture biodegradable plastic, some fuels, and ever building materials. The long fibres are suitable for spinning with minimum processing, the only problem being the fact that the length of the fibres necessitate the use of specialized machinery.

Jute

Used to make sacks and coarse cloth, and also woven into curtains, chair coverings, carpets, rugs, hessian cloth, and backing for linoleum. Also a bast fibre crop.

Bamboo

Bamboo produces a lustrous textile with beautiful draping qualities, which has anti-bacterial properties and is biodegradable. It is a highly renewable resource; the grass grows quickly and does not need to be replanted as the shoots spontaneously sprout from the root system. Refining the bamboo pulp from bamboo, however, requires a number of chemical processes, rendering the product less environmentally friendly.

Soy

Soy silk is manufactured from okara, a by-product of tofu making. The fabric is soft to the touch, has a lustrous appearance, takes dye exceptionally well so less dye is needed, and wicks moisture from the skin more effectively than cotton. It is resistant to bacteria as well as UV rays, and fully biodegradable. The fibres are also stronger than those of wool, cotton or silk. Henry Ford is reputed to have had a suit manufactured out of soy silk in the 1940’s.

Tencel®

Tencel is similar to Rayon in that it is also manmade, from cellulose found in wood pulp, but differs in that it is available in a variety of finishes. The closed-loop production process recovers the solvent used in the spinning process and re-uses 99% of it. No chlorine is used for bleaching. Though the manufacturer claims it to be eco-friendly and suitable for people with sensitive skins, it does not dye easily without treatment with a number of chemicals. It is frequently blended with other fibres, which may affect the biodegradability of the product.

To follow: The Human Angle

 Sources

17 Eco-friendly fabrics. (2008, April 10). [Web log message]. Retrieved March23, 2012 from http://www.natural-environment.com/blog/2008/04/10/17-eco-friendly-fabrics/

Challa, L. (n.d.). Impact of textles and clothing industry on environment: approach towards eco-friendly textiles. Fibre to Fashion. Retrieved March 20, 2012 from http://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/textile-industry-articles/impact-of-textiles-and-clothing-industry-on-environment/impact-of-textiles-and-clothing-industry-on-environment1.asp

Images

Cotton boll [image]. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2012 from http://textiletechinfo.com/spinning/cotton-fibre-5.htm

Flax stem cross-section, showing locations of underlying tissues [image]. (n.d.). Retrieved March 23, 2012 from                http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flax

Hemp [image]. (n.d.). Retrieved March 23, 2012 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemp

What fabrics are used in making the clothes we wear, and how do they impact on the ecology?

FABRICS FROM PETROCHEMICALS (MANMADE)

Nylon and polyester

 These non-biodegradable synthetics are petroleum based. The manufacturing processes of both are energy-intensive, and polyester requires large amounts of water to cool. Making Nylon, on the other hand, releases nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

PVC

The glues used to bond the plastic coating (from petrochemicals) to the fabric backing, contain harmful solvents.

PROTEIN BASED FIBRES (NATURAL)

Wool, Silk, Leather, Fur, Milk

Deriving from animal sources, these bring moral and ethical factors into consideration.

The tanning and dying of leather pollutes water, and intensive farming practises give rise to animal rights concerns, as does the highly controversial fur trade.

The obtaining of silk involves the killing of silkworm larvae, either by boiling or gassing.

Life cycle of the silkworm

Wool

Production of wool requires arable land and sheep. Sheep create carbon dioxide and they degrade the land.

In the United Kingdom, both agricultural and craft workers have been known to suffer from exposure to the organophosphates found in sheep dip. Converting the fibre to cloth (bleaching, dyeing, and finishing) consumes energy and water, and causes pollution.

Most of the world’s wool comes from Australia’s merino sheep. This breed has a “wrinkly” skin which promotes more wool per animal, but gives rise to parasitic infections in the hot climate. To curb this, Australian farmers resort to the practise of mulesing, which involves the cutting large areas of skin from the rear of unsedated animals. PETA advocates the use of humane methods such as diet regulation, spray washing, and breeding types of sheep better suited to the Australian climate.

H&M, Perry Ellis, HUGO BOSS, Adidas, and numerous other companies have pledged to move away from mulesed wool or implemented an outright ban on wool from lambs who have been mulesed.

Organic wool, the eco-friendly option, is from sheep that have not been exposed to chemicals such as pesticides and are kept in humane and good farm conditions. Scouring, spinning and dyeing processes are also taken into account when certifying yarn as organic.

Sheep shearing

Milk

 Proteins from skimmed milk are spun by means of a bio-engineering technique to create a synthetic fabric. Milk fibre fabric is not very durable and wrinkles easily, but has a pH similar to human skin and possesses anti-bacterial properties. It is highly eco-friendly, being both biodegradable and a renewable resource. It also dyes easily.

 This brings us to fabrics from cellulose fibres (plant materials), which we will examine in the next blog.

Sources

Challa, L. (n.d.). Impact of textles and clothing industry on environment: approach towards eco-friendly

textiles. Fibre to Fashion. Retrieved March 20, 2012 from http://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/textile-industry-articles/impact-of-textiles-and-clothing-industry-on-environment/impact-of-textiles-and-clothing-industry-on-environment1.asp

Mulesing by the wool industry. (n.d.) Retrieved March 21, 2012 from

http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-clothing/mulesing.aspx

What is organic wool? (2008, January 25). [Web log message]. Retrieved March 20, 2012 from

http://www.natural-environment.com/blog/2008/01/25/what-is-organic-wool/

Images

Joel. (November 13, 2008). Life cycle of the silkworm [image]. Retrieved March 20, 2012 from

http://www.design-your-homeschool.com/life-cycle-of-the-silkworm.html

Sheep shearing [image]. (n.d.). Retrieved March 22, 2012 from http://www.rainbeauridge.com/cms/content/view/580/343/

Well, a few weeks ago, Elizabeth and Derek suggested I write a blog investigating how the Fashion Industry can contribute towards saving the planet, as their visits to schools had revealed growing concern for the environment among learners.

I knew that the fashion business has a reputation for ‘eco-unfriendliness’, but once I started researching, I became cognizant of the hard facts. There are, for instance, the amounts of chemicals and water it takes to grow and dye cotton, the mountains of clothing ending up as landfill, the struggle of farmers in third world countries to gain just access to markets, and the unscrupulous labour practices that abound. It was all very depressing.

But there was also a positive. My newly acquired knowledge sensitized me to notice the ‘greener’ options available. I found, for example, that a local retailer of outdoor wear actually stocks a garment containing recycled materials. Another has introduced a range of clothing made largely from Fairtrade cotton, and in Africa. One international company, whose apparel is available in South Africa, has managed to significantly reduce the amount of water used to manufacture its jeans. I also learned about the Fairtrade movement, which helps developing countries by promoting environmentally sound farming and fair labour practices, as well as more favourable prices for their produce. My attitude towards shopping changed.

Now, I am no longer tempted to buy what I do not really need, just because it is “on a special”. It will probably only end up in the garbage anyway. I look for good quality that will last. When I do buy something, I study the label to see what it was made from, where and by whom.  I try to support those companies that espouse worthwhile causes.

Hence the yoga mat: It contains no PVC (a petrochemical), but only natural rubber (a renewable resource, plus this particular model is recycled rubber); production takes place in the USA and is not outsourced; the company pledges to plant a tree for every mat sold; and they also support charitable organizations – from a shelter for abused girls in West Africa to a homeless people’s shelter in Indianapolis, as well as educational programs for children. Worth the price difference, don’t you think?

Even my husband is being influenced. On Sunday we lunched out, celebrating our wedding anniversary. The wine was from a Fairtrade certified estate….

Heather Steel (Librarian)

Before the industrial era (circa 1750), clothing was sewn by hand; a painstakingly slow procedure. As a result, garments were valued, carefully mended or altered, handed on when outgrown, or worn until worn out. The still serviceable parts would be cut into patches for other garments, or used as rags for cleaning, etc. Very little went to waste.

Wool and cotton were spun, and cloth woven and dyed with organic dyes by skilled artisans operating from their homes.

Manchester from Kersal Moor William Wylde (1857).

Birth of the clothing industry

Newly established trade opportunities increased the demand for manufactured goods. The Industrial Revolution with its mechanization of the sewing and weaving processes, made garments quicker to produce, cheaper, and more readily available to the masses.

With the advances came negatives, however. Machines were driven by steam, the water for which was heated by coal, resulting in the pollution which frequently covered the streets in a blanket of smog. Run-off from textile dyes, as well as other chemicals, started to contaminate the water.

Fast forward to the present…

260 years did not improve the situation, quite the reverse. In China, where most of the lower cost clothing we buy is manufactured, 75% of diseases are caused by lack of access to clean water. No wonder, as an estimated 70% of lakes and rivers, and 90% of groundwater in that country is contaminated. Cancer rates among people living along the polluted waterways are significantly higher than the national average.

The polluted section of Huanghe River in Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province

Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE’s) have been banned from detergents in the USA, and restricted in Europe, but are still widely used in other parts of the world. Washing releases residual NPE’s from textiles into the water. Alarmingly, a study conducted in the USA in 2011 found NPE’s in samples of clothing from 14 brands, among which Adidas, Uniqlo, Calvin Klein, H&M, Abercrombie & Fitch, Lacoste, Converse and Ralph Lauren. The good news is that during 2011, Adidas, Nike, Puma, C&A, H&M and Li-Ning, joined the Detox campaign, aimed at eliminating harmful substances from their clothing.

Maria Jonstrup, a research student at Sweden’s Lund University, has developed an environmentally friendly process to purify textile factory effluent. It has so far only been tested in a laboratory, but results are promising.

Maria Jonstrup

Colorep, an American company, has patented AirDye®, a process that applies colour to textiles without the use of water. Fabrics dyed with this technology has been used to create swimsuits for Miss Peaches Swimwear, handbags for JulieApple, T-shirts for A Lot To Say, and also by New York designers Costello Tagliapietra in their Spring/Summer 2010 runway collection.

Garments from the Costello Tagliapietra Spring/Summer 2010 collection, dyed with the AirDye® process

Another Exciting concept is Catalytic Clothing, an innovation of artist and designer Prof. Helen Storey, MBE and scientist Prof. Tony Ryan. OBE. They developed a  photocatalyst which can be added to the wash cycle of clothing, enabling the fabric to break down air borne pollutants.

Next instalment: The environmental impact of various fabrics

Sources

Cernansky, R. (2011, August 23). Big brand clothing found laced with chemicals. [Web log message].  Retrieved March 13, 2012

from http://www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/big-brand-clothing-found-laced-with-toxic-chemicals.html

 Genasci, L. (2011, March 6). The true cost of trendy jeans: polluting water in China. [Web log message]. Retrieved March 12,

2012 from http://genascihk.wordpress.com/2011/03/06/the-true-cost-of-trendy-jeans-polluting-water-in-china/

Joshuakatcher. (2012, February 23). Catalytic Clothing: Breathtaking. [Web log message]. Retrieved March 14, 2012 from

http://www.thediscerningbrute.com/2012/02/23/catalytic-clothing-breathtaking/

Meinhold, B. (2011, September 28).Swedish student turns toxic textile-factory effluent into clean water. [Web log  message].

Retrieved March 13, 2012 from http://www.ecouterre.com/swedish-student-turns-toxic-textile-effluent-into-clean-dye-free-water/

Raybin, A. (2009, September 30). Water pollution and the textile industry. [Web log message]. Retrieved March 13, 2012 from

http://blog.airdye.com/goodforbusiness/2009/09/30/water-pollution-and-the-textile-industry/

 Images

Yellow river polluted to be red. [Image] (2006 ,October 22). Retrieved March 12, 2012 from

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200610/24/archive.html

Manchester from Kersal Moor William Wylde [Image] (1857). Retrieved 13 March, 2012 from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Manchester_from_Kersal_Moor_William_Wylde_(1857).jpg

Garments from Costello Tagliapietra collection for Spring/Summer 2010. [Image] (2009). Retrieved 13 March, 2012

from http://www.jonesfife.com/blog/tag/costello-tagliapietra

A girl in blue jeans and a white cotton T-shirt: a wholesome, eco-friendly image, right?

Not really, I am afraid …

Growing the cotton to manufacture the average pair of jeans, consumes more than 6800 litres of water, and the average T-shirt, over 1500 litres.

The World Bank estimates that between 17 and 20% of the world’s industrial water pollution emanates from textile dying and treatment (which includes bleaching), and there are at least 72 harmful chemicals in our water which emanate solely from textile dying. 30 of these are deemed impossible to remove.

And dye is not the only pollutant released into water in the textile manufacturing process. Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE’s) are surfactants used in detergents, de-foaming agents, etc., which break down into substances with an estrogenic function when dissolved, and which can disrupt the endocrine systems of both humans and animals. Eventually they enter our food chain via fish.

Cotton needs to be sprayed against insects. More than 10% of the world’s pesticides and nearly 25% of its insecticides are used in the production of cotton. Every single T-shirt manufactured represents 150g of pesticides used on the crop.

Clothing is cheap and easily available, and thus expendable. It is estimated that for every UK consumer, 30kg of clothing and textiles per year goes to landfill. That adds up to a mountain of waste.

How is clothing produced so inexpensively? The key is outsourcing. Companies in developed countries where manufacturing costs are high, shift the actual production of goods to developing countries where labour (a large part of those costs) is cheap. In Asian countries such as India, Vietnam, and Thailand among others, labour is not well unionised, and abusive practices abound.

The exploitation of animals for their fur, leather, shells, ivory, etc., is another contentious issue.

Workers at a denim washing factory in Xintang, search wastewater for stones, to create stonewash denim

No longer such a pretty picture, is it?

There are rays of hope, though; concerned individuals are beginning to effect some changes. In following blogs we will look at what is being doneto make the fashion industry more environmentally friendly, and

in the last one we will consider what each of us can do to help save the planet.

Next instalment: “….Water, water everywhere,

                                         Nor any drop to drink.”

Sources

Fast fashion, cheap fashion. (n.d.). Retrieved March 12, 2012 from

http://www.ethicalfashionforum.com/the-issues/fast-fashion-cheap-fashion.

Genasci, L. (2011, March 6). The true cost of trendy jeans: polluting water in China. [Web log message]. Retrieved March 12,

2012 from http://genascihk.wordpress.com/2011/03/06/the-true-cost-of-trendy-jeans-polluting-water-in-china/

Global Action Through Fashion. (n.d.) Ethical fashion resources for consumers. Retrieved March 12,

2012 from http://globalactionthroughfashion.org/for-consumers/the-issues/.

Louise. (2011, August 2). Create a revolution in your wardrobe. [Web log message]. Retrieved March 12,

2012 from  http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/toxics/create-revolution-your-wardrobe-20110801?id

United Laboratories. (n.d.) NPE free. Retrieved March12, 2012 from

http://www.unitedlabsinc.com/usa/content/about_us/npe_free.asp

Images

Seohyun [image] (2012, February 9). Retrieved March 12, 2012 from

http://snsdkorean.com/2012/02/09/maknae-chosen-as-  best-female-idol-to-shine-to-white-t-and-jeans/

Workers at a denim washing factory in Xintang, search wastewater for stones, to create stonewash denim [image] (2011, August              2). Retrieved March 12, 2012 from

http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/toxics/create-revolution-your-wardrobe-20110801?id

Poem

“….Water, water every where/ Nor any drop to drink.”. Lines from “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

For a country that has suffered greatly under natural disasters recently, Japan has been presenting some remarkably upbeat, joyous fashion in their Spring/Summer collections.

The international influences of worldwide trends such as mixing prints and experimenting with volume and transparency were reinterpreted with Japan’s signature childlike playfulness and meticulous attention to detail.

Paul Smith showed his range in Tokyo on Day 1, much to the delight of the local fashion crowd.

A hot trend purveyed in Japanese designer Ato’s collection, was unisex clothing. Although a menswear designer, Ato had both male and female models dressed in identical outfits walking for him, beautifully showcasing the diversity of the androgynous range.

Typically Japanese styling elements of pompoms and crazy socks, added runway interest to Keiichi Muramatsu’s delightfully wearable range.

Jenny Fax relived her high school days as inspiration for her range of pleated skirts, tiaras and girly prom dresses.

We’re looking forward to seeing what Japan has to offer for Autumn/Winter.

This is the second year in a row that a student of our Elizabeth Galloway alumni has won this prestigious award. Last year Mia Kriek and Chelsey Wilson represented Elizabeth Galloway in this competition. Congratulations Kim, we are so proud of you!

It was great to see David Tlale wearing one of Kim Gush’s  jackets to the opening of his show at MBFWJ. David had this to say about Kim, “The future and direction of SA fashion is in her hands. She’s alive with fresh ideas and has an amazing point of view! Love!”.

All images by SDR Photo

Each guest was guided every step of the way by one of our talented Elizabeth Galloway students as they cut and sewed their trendy colour block skirts. Mali posted a wonderful article on his experience with us on Skattie What Are You Wearing, that you can read all about here.

image via Skattie What Are You Wearing 

The skirt we made is one of the modules in our short course programme that you can read about here. If you are interested in learning more about fashion design, or you would just like an introduction into the basics, go to our contact page for details on how to get in touch with us.