Many contemporary products quickly become obsolescent. We've used the umbrella as a focal point for innovation and problem-solving. Of the 33 million sold annually in the U.S. alone, hundreds of thousands break down, facing abandonment and landfills.
One aspect of the Cradle to Cradle approach sees current products as future food for biological or technical systems. Designers must consider the sustainability and safety of procured materials, and, once no longer useful as the intended item, their next lives as nutrients for those systems.
Great! This process could give us a thoughtful, earth-friendly umbrella. But what do we do with the continuing effects of old school, landfill-bound design? How do we efficiently and profitably create desirable, functional pieces from refuse?
The Umbrella Inside Out competitions asked for either an innovative umbrella with a Cradle to Cradle sensibility, or a women's couture garment fashioned from abandoned or discarded umbrellas. Finalists were chosen from among more than 150 international entrants by our amazing panel of judges, before TreeHugger readers voted on the winners.
The winning couture garment walked the runway at Paris's Ethical Fashion Show on October 13, 2006. Finalists and winners of both competitions were featured in I.D. Magazine's December 2006 New and Notable issue!
Read all about it below! Thanks to all of our sponsors, judges, entrants, and readers!
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The bustier incorporates umbrella spines.
The necklace is made from umbrella bits!
Close up of necklace and purse.
Runway photos courtesy of Yann Coste.
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Just about now, I.D.'s December 2006 New and Notable Issue, featuring our Umbrella Inside Out winners, is hitting newsstands. Grab a copy! We're proud as can be of all of our finalists and happy that Rainer Wolter, our fashion winner, is already making a difference in the conventional fashion world through his refusal to work with fur.
Seeing Rainer's re-fashioned umbrella dress on the runway at Paris's Ethical Fashion Show last month thrilled me (Rainer rhymes with "designer," btw). Nothing about it belied rain-protective origins as it floated down the catwalk. While laying eyes on the final design was satisfying, spending time with the man behind the garment proved genuinely inspiring. Between round tables, dinners and excursions, Rainer's uniquely principled nature, kindness and humor became as apparent as his already obvious talent. At the time, Rainer's boss, Emmett McCarthy of Project Runway fame, had decided to incorporate fur. This meant that, due to his cruelty-free leanings, Rainer would have to quit. Upon his Paris departure, he didn't know what was next for him, but trusted that something would come up. When we caught up last week, I expected to hear job search woes, but his tale took a refreshingly hopeful twist...
]]> What do you feel most hopeful and most frustrated about as a young designer?The most frustrating thing about being a young designer is being pressured into putting your morals and ethics to the side in order to make an extra dollar at the expense of other people or the environment we all live in.
Who are your favorite eco and non-eco designers?
I feel bad for not being able to answer this one fully. I don't really follow the designers, models and industry VIPs of eco and/or non-eco designers. I was never interested in that aspect of the industry. For me it has always been about clothing that has a strong design, great cut, superb fit and impeccable craftsmanship. I think that CLOAK would be a good example of a designer that embodies this description
What was the best part of showing at the Ethical Fashion Show?
The best part of showing at the Ethical Fashion Show was being able to meet other designers that are actually making their goals happen in addition to being a part of a new revolution in the way everyone will view fashion. When I first started to learn about ethical/sustainable fashion, I thought that I would be alone in an uphill battle. After meeting all of the great designers that were doing what I wanted to do I felt a sense of relief followed by a sense of "no more excuses… get out there and get started."
How do you feel about fur?
I feel that fur on an animal is beautiful and mesmerizing. When I see it on a human, I find it socially irresponsible, distasteful and flat out wrong. There is no need whatsoever for fur in the modern world. There is no excuse for it either.
My boss started to use fur in his line even though I told him many times of my stance on the issue. After this I sent him an e-mail asking him to rethink his decision and to research the topic.
I told him to go to furisdead.com and look at the videos and that if he didn't see a problem with it to go ahead with the fur idea. But I refused to be a part of it in any way shape or form. I would not pick up production, give input on the designs or sell the product in the store. I was ready to train someone to replace me.
After I returned from the Ethical Fashion Show he took me out to lunch and told me that he would no longer design with fur. It felt good to know that I got him to stop but I wonder if he would go back to using fur if I was to leave.
A recent post about re-purposed fur accessories generated a lot of reader debate. Would you ever re-use long-dead fur?
I would have to say no. I am all about recycling and upcycling but when you reuse fur you are in my mind saying that it is ok to use new fur. How is the consumer to know that the fur they are buying is recycled or just labeled recycled? How are people in the streets to know that the fur you are wearing is recycled? Reusing fur is just as bad as new fur designs for the whole anti-fur movement.
What's next for you?
Besides working at my job as a fashion designer, I am also creating my own Spring 07' line which will be showcased at Satya in Philadelphia. In addition I have partnered up with a close friend Susan Golembiski (who taught me the ropes of the fashion industry at a young age) and opened a store in Reading PA which will consist of young designers, ethical designers, my own sweatshop free clothing, organic and sustainable fashions, art recycled/reworked home furnishings and more. The store is called Frock, and we can be reached at frockonpenn@comcast.net.
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We've got a fantastic selection of entrants which we think you are going to enjoy reading through. You may do so all at once, or at your leisure.
You will be rating entries on 5 Criteria. They are:
There is a sample survey below. Go ahead and give it a try.
You are also encouraged to leave any comments you'd like after the entry! Comments from other judges may be already visible beneath the comments form. You might want to avoid peeking at them until after you are done voting, then leave a comment of your own. Be sure to check the box so that you don't have to enter your name again.
There is a sample comments box below. Go ahead and give it a try.
If you would like to jump ahead and look around, please use the master list of entries in the right column. After you look at an entry, the link in the sidebard will turn red so you can remember what you've looked at. This does not indicate you have voted, only that you have viewed.
If you would like to quit and come back later, it's best to bookmark the page you left off on. You may return to that page and continue at any time during the judging week.
Ready to begin?
Just hit "next entry" or start clicking in the sidebar and you're off!
-------------------- SAMPLE SURVEY AND COMMENTS BELOW -------------------------
]]>We've got a fantastic selection of entrants which we think you are going to enjoy reading through. You may do so all at once, or at your leisure.
You will be rating entries on 5 Criteria. They are:
There is a sample survey below. Go ahead and give it a try.
You are also encouraged to leave any comments you'd like after the entry! Comments from other judges may be already visible beneath the comments form. You might want to avoid peeking at them until after you are done voting, then leave a comment of your own. Be sure to check the box so that you don't have to enter your name again.
There is a sample comments box below. Go ahead and give it a try.
If you would like to jump ahead and look around, please use the master list of entries in the right column. After you look at an entry, the link in the sidebard will turn red so you can remember what you've looked at. This does not indicate you have voted, only that you have viewed.
If you would like to quit and come back later, it's best to bookmark the page you left off on. You may return to that page and continue at any time during the judging week.
Ready to begin?
Just hit "next entry" or start clicking in the sidebar and you're off!
-------------------- SAMPLE SURVEY AND COMMENTS BELOW -------------------------
Moco Loco
Gizmodo
InHabitat
fiftyrx3
Print Coverage
Perspectives
Nylon
Hellas Vogue
Our final two Umbrella Inside Out Cradle to Cradle entries made a tough choice, but in the end readers chose Erin MacDonald's innovative Crayella as the winner! Read more about it, and take a glance at last week's winning re-used umbrella couture design! Thanks to our judges, our readers, all of our entrants, The Sustainable Style Foundation, and I.D. Magazine for giving us the chance to imagine smart, beautiful sustainable futures! If you'd like to see the designs in person, RSVP for our December event in NYC, celebrating the release of I.D.'s New and Notable issue, featuring our finalists.
Come back next week to see some incredible designs that didn't make the finals! ::Umbrella Inside Out
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With the Umbrella Inside Out Competitions, I.D. Magazine, The Sustainable Style Foundation, and TreeHugger asked for a new umbrella, and re-used umbrella couture. Designers from around the world answered. Last week, readers chose their favorite former umbrella garment. Now it's time to choose the winning umbrella!
Our final two umbrella designs take distinct Cradle to Cradle approaches. Highlights of the Pollinate include fashionable interchangeable canopies, and complete biodegradability. Rather than feeding into a biological system, the Crayella allows for easy street repair and technical upcycling. Which one is the best Cradle to Cradle design? Find out more about the designs, and comment! Choose the winner! Then RSVP to see the finalist designs in person!
Pollinate Umbrella by Mike Loveless and Matt McClanaghan
» See more of this entry!
Voting has closed. The winner will be announced Friday morning at around 9 am EST. Thanks!
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Phew! This week felt like a re-use design roller coaster as we counted down our Umbrella Inside Out fashion design finalists. Designers conceived of or created new garments from discarded or used umbrellas, and they made it look easy. With some tough choices, readers picked Rainer Wolter's stunning Umbrella Redesign entry! Congratulations, Rainer! His dress will grace the runway at Paris's Ethical Fashion Show on October 13; he and the other finalists will appear in I.D. Magazine's December New and Notable issue. Thanks to all of the entrants for taking on the re-use challenge, and to our judges for their invaluable insights. And we love the Sustainable Style Foundation for making it all happen!
]]>The final entries are:
The Dusty & Umbrella Redesign.
Voting for today ends at midnight EST.
The Dusty - by Carolina Kim
Umbrella Redesign - by Rainer R. Wolter
Yesterday we continued the Umbrella Inside Out competition judging! Votes were cast and favorites were declared and the three remaining finalists are waiting for you to judge today! Remember - designers were asked to submit plans for a couture garment made almost entirely from used or discarded umbrellas.
Read a little about the competitions, and pick your favorite! Finalists will be counted down all week, so come back tomorrow to keep rooting for the design you would like to see on the runway at Paris's Ethical Fashion Show October 13! Voting for today ends at midnight EST.
And the 3 remaining finalists are.... drum roll please....
]]> The Dusty - by Carolina Kim
Scott Hahn commented: "This is a sensible piece. The umbrella fabric works well in the wrap silhouette -- it gives her a range of potential to find best fit. This was executed vey well. great sense of paracticality and... Humor." See more of this entry! »
Twirling, Shifting - by Chriss Slevin
Rebecca Luke says, "Truly inspired." See more of this entry! »
Umbrella Redesign - by Rainer R. Wolter
Rebecca Luke: "High marks for the presentation and sewing. These sillouettes are very current as well." See more of this entry! »
Thanks for voting! The polls are closed
Been following the judging of our Umbrella Inside Out competition? Some of the entries might remind you of the panache of Junky Styling, whom we mentioned nine months ago. They are still getting press coverage for their “style savvy” look achieved from the refashioning of preloved clothes into new designs. A recent piece in the UK’s Daily Mail suggested that this “artful blend of vintage pieces and customising, with a careful eye on the ethics of the fashion world” has been attracting the likes of Sadie Frost, Gwen Stefani, Russell Brand and Stella McCartney. Although at it since 1997, Annika Saunders, and Kerry Seager were not the first to commercialise their idea, (under the Junky Styling moniker). Go further back to say 1991, when Dorothy McKenzie’s seminal tome: Green Design - Design for the Environment, hit book shelves, it carried the case study of Reactivart, a designer’s collective that took apart everything from sample books to wool sweaters and reconfigured them. Alas now defunct, I’m sure the members of that group welcome the ...
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Top pic: some of Junky Styling more recent work. Lower pic: their earlier creations.
... newcomers to today’s more responsive marketplace. TRAID, another player on this field even has a growing chain of retail outlets. And one of their trainees has gone on to set up her own label, Orinoco. With all this activity happening the British Fashion Council didn’t want to be left out of the action and will be launching Estethica, a dedicated exhibition space for 'ethical fashion designers', at their acclaimed London Fashion Week, coming soon (19 to 22 September) to London’s Natural History Museum. To get their gear swaying down Estethica’s catwalk, designers have to show evidence of subscribing to three categories: Fair Trade, Organic Production and/or Recycle. Nice to see mainstream rag trade starting to get on board, with some vigour. Finally. Almost makes me want to sling that tape measure around my neck and pick up the shears once more. Maybe I should’ve even reworked a brolly.