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The fashion industry is big money especially in today’s fast fashion culture, were the consumer can buy new outfits every seasons so cheap that they can afford to throw them away by the next season. This is having a big impact on the environment and our natural resources. Fashion is the second most polluting industry in the world after the oil industry, especially when you take into consideration all the steps each garment goes through to arrive on the hanger.

Web — Quote from http://www.businessoffashion.com

There are several fashion labels now available which claim to be sustainable, however the most impressive of these is Ecoalf, a Spanish label dedicated to creating garments from 100% environmental products. Ecolaf was founded in 2009 by Javier Goyeneche who was troubled by the way the worlds natural resources were being used and wanted to create a sustainable fashion brand through upcycling. The label creates womenswear menswear childrenswear and accessories from 100% recycled products. Their manifesto is simple yet ambitious, Ecoalf aims to “stop the continuing pollution of the environment. But ECOALF isn’t willing to settle for just that, it wants to invert the process. New technologies allow us to do that, revolutionizing the idea of raw material.” Their manifesto is labeled TRASH(H)UMANITY which they claim is not a negative term they say “that trash is an inherent feature of our species” and that Ecoalf aims to “create objects that make your life more enjoyable without damaging our relationship with nature, and (does) it by erasing part of the ecological footprint that is fouling the world. ECOALF wants to share with you its passion for beautiful, useful products that clean up the planet. Help us take the concept of trash into the future.”

Ecoalf works with 6 main materials; discarded fishing nets, PET plastic bottles, used tyres, post consumer coffee, post industrial cotton and post industrial wool. By working closely with factories in 11 different countries Ecoalf is able to assess the process and work on new methods to manufacture materials. “Through integrating breakthrough technology we wanted to create clothing and accessories made entirely from recycled materials…without actually looking like it.” (Goyeneche)

It is refreshing to see a label which is fully committed to it’s ethical goals, you could say that Ecoalf is not only in the fashion industry but also in the environmental, ecological and recycling sectors.

Below is a video of the process in which Ecoalf upcycles plastic bottles.

References

Ecoalf website; http://www.ecoalf.com
Evans, Jonathan, October 11, 2013, ‘This Jacket is Made from Coffee Grounds’ http://www.esquire.com/style/mens-fashion/a25214/ecoalf-calgary-jacket-1013/
Mañana, Carmen, October 24, 2014, ‘The Spanish guru of recycled fashion’ http://elpais.com/elpais/2014/10/24/inenglish/1414143732_193749.html
Singer, Maya, April 20, 2015, ‘The Clothing Insurrection: It’s Time to Take On the Fashion Supply Chain’ http://www.vogue.com/13268385/fashion-supply-chain-environmental-impact/
March 29, 2015 ‘How Can the Fashion Industry Become More Sustainable?’ http://www.businessoffashion.com/community/voices/discussions/can-fashion-industry-become-sustainable

Cotton field photo from http://aussiegossip.com.au/life/534 all other imagery from http://www.ecoalf.com

The issues of homelessness and urban waste are hugely prominent in Indonesia. (Jakarta Post 2009) They are two issues that artist Gregory Kloehn similarly identified in the urban areas of Oakland California – the multitude of trash dumped on the street and the lack of shelter for the homeless. In a community driven initiative he has created homes for the homeless out of this waste, solving two problems in one design. Design boom describes the homes as ‘a low-cost, practical and imaginative solution for the construction of habitable shelters for those living on the streets’. (Designboom 2014)

Kloehn makes a use for ‘illegally dumped trash, commercial waste and excess household items piled in alleyways and discarded throughout the city’ (Designboom 2014) in a highly constructive and ingenious way. The garbage becomes useful and even aesthetically interesting in Kloehn’s constructions, and while they are basic designs they still employ design principles of shape, colour and form in their composition. They have slanted roofs to allow rain to run off and include wheels so that they are portable and suitable for the nomadic nature of the homeless person. They also include skylights and windows in their basic, but functional design. The less ‘cutesy’ looking designs are more successful, as they in no way take the seriousness out of the situation they are addressing, however perhaps draw attention towards it. The concept of repurposing waste as opposed to simply collecting it in a different way prolongs its usefulness and encourages its use in other avenues of architecture, even starting at this small scale.

The project has garnered huge community interest, with Kolehn starting workshops to teach those interested how to build these structures. Social media has allowed people to donate money in order to fund these classes and the minor extra materials necessary for building. (Designboom 2014) This is a fully not-for-profit initiative that has garnered increasing attention and the realisation that through more and more people harbouring the skills to build the houses, both the dire situations of many homless and the level of waste dumped around the city could be improved. (Designboom 2014)

Pollution is a huge issue from villages to cities in Indonesia, (Daily Mail 2014) many homeless collect plastic and other rubbish for small amounts of money, whilst living within this urban waste on the street (Jakarta Post 2009). The idea of this waste being useful in an immediate and productive way, presents many design possibilities and is very inspirational. Projects such as Kloenhn’s not only provide solutions through design but bring people together and highlight the issues they are addressing.