Weekly ethical fashion news: October 6/10

This week’s headlines

 

The footwear industry is taking steps towards sustainability

Aly Khalifa

Aly Khalifa. Source: http://lyfshoes.com

Published on: The Guardian

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Keywords: sustainable fashion, footwear, fashion industry.

Summary:

Designer Aly Khalifa’s shoe, LYF (Love your Footprint)  can be taken apart and remade without losing quality. Inspired by Japanese Shinto temples, the LYF shoe is made of parts that slot together without the need for glue. The company is about to launch a funding bid to produce LYF shoes commercially.

Customers will design or choose a fabric upper while the foot bed will be made from recycled cork from wine bottles. The sole and heel are clipped together and held in place until the customer wants a different fabric or needs a new heel.

Leather poses a problem to landfill sites because of the harmful chemicals used in the tanning process. Some of the glues used in production are also hazardous, containing volatile organic compounds like toluene and benzene. Biodegradable materials such as leather and wood also produce methane, a greenhouse gas, if they are allowed to compost in landfill, explains Professor Shahin Rahimifard leads the Centre for Smart (Sustainable Manufacturing & Reuse/Recycling Technologies) at Loughborough University.

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 New clothing design award announced to target environmental impact of clothes

SCAP Awards

Source: wrap.org

Published on: WRAP.org

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Keywords: sustainable fashion, slow fashion, design award, fashion designer, sustainability.

Summary:

The SCAP Extending the Life of Clothes Design Awards wants to incentivize designers to develop clothes that last longer. The winner will receive £5,000 and the chance to bring their idea to the market. The contest is being organized by WRAP, the organisation behind the Sustainable Clothing Action Plan (SCAP) and Love Your Clothes, with support from Defra, British Fashion Council, The Knowledge Transfer Network, InnovateUK and ModeConnect.

To read the rules and apply, click here.

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 Calls to ‘evict’ clothes store at fashion event

Benetton ad

Benetton ad. Source: benetton.com

Published on: WestBriton.co.uk

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Keywords: Rana Plaza, Labour Behind the Label, labor rights, garment factories, retail, Bangladesh

Summary:

Labour Behind the Label, an organization supporting a more ethical treatment of garment factory workers, fired off a letter to heads of a business district in the UK requesting them to make a stand and “evict” the Benetton retail fashion store from a fashion show that took place on Wednesday night. The claims are part of an ongoing campaign to improve workers conditions following the Rana Plaza disaster, which killed more than 1,000 people.

Anna McMullen, the group’s policy coordinator, said Benetton was the only firm directly linked to the disaster which has not compensated families of the workers killed.

The Italian retail store did not comment on this issue.

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Fashionhedge’s featured companies this week:

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emi&eve

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