Loomstate debuts its first zero-waste garment developed in collaboration with Parsons The New School for Design.

Recent Parsons graduate Andria Crescioni, and Loomstate founders Rogan Gregory and Scott Mackinlay Hahn are this week debuting their first zero-waste garment developed in collaboration with Parsons The New School for Design. The winning design, by Crescioni was inspired from a zero waste fashion course at the school and guidance from Timo Rissanen, Parsons Assistant Professor of Fashion Design and Sustainability and an expert in zero waste fashion.

Rissanen developed the course for students to learn a new approach to design: that of wasting absolutely nothing in the entire design process. Hahn and Gregory served as mentors on the project, educating students about such issues as sourcing, dyeing, finishing, and energy consumption of organic denim. The two continued to guide Crescioni in the manufacturing of the garment from development through production. The result is this modern, truly sustainable spin on a wardrobe favorite that never goes out of style.

“Zero waste fashion is an innovative design process that produces no fabric waste. In effect, patternmaking becomes an integral part of the process, creating a richer, more sustainable design practice,” says Simon Collins, dean of the School of Fashion at Parsons. “Through this collaboration, we have proven that zero waste can be a viable manufacturing process for designers.”

You can see more from Crescioni at the Awamaki Lab, a Peruvian non-profit that works with indigenous female weavers, where she is developing a capsule collection.

The winning anorak will be available starting this week at the ROGAN boutique located on the Bowery in New York City and at Loomstate’s online store.

The post Lustables: Loomstate & Parson’s Zero Waste Anorak appeared first on EcoSalon.

Favorite t-shirts from designers around the world.

T-shirts. They tell the world what we think, offer up artistic canvases, and make people laugh when they pass us by.

We have drawers full of them, our favorites worn beyond repair, each one imbued with a story that makes us love them even more. Because at some point you’re going to need another, we’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite graphic tees to replenish stock. Small, indie brands and well known sustainable designers are all here, with the common thread being they’re organic and graphically pleasing.

We know you’ll like.

FluffyCo’s premium apparel line unites organic cotton and eco heather blends printed with FluffyCo’s signature graphic prints. Printed in small batches in the Bay Area, some using water–based inks. All styles have a fabulous soft, luxe feel and hand–printed hangtags. Yes, these are alligators.

FIN is a Norwegian high fashion label producing designer womenswear in a sustainable manner. When we caught site of this fairy tale-based organic tee we were more than smitten.

L.A. based Stewart +Brown have a few great t-shirts like this Tipi Tee. Designers/founders Karen Stewart and Howard Brown are “inspired by their love and respect for nature and a passion for design.” Hard to pull off great collections and infuse them with a few great tees but we can always count on them for it.

Meow. This digitally printed t-shirt from Wiloh combines not just the pairing of cats and space, but bamboo and organic cotton in a deep scoop neck.
Designed by London based fashion and lifestyle blogger Mademoiselle Robot. Wiloh was launched in July of 2010 as a way to promote environmental and social awareness through sustainable street wear and has teamed up with Kids In Distressed Situations (K.I.D.S.), a charitable organization that reaches out to help children affected by natural disasters and poverty, to form a “Tee For Tee” initiative. Every t-shirt sale is matched with the donation of a specially-designed t-shirt to a child in need.

Famed for her high-impact slogan tees, Katherine Hamnett is best known for her political t-shirts and her ethical business philosophy. Having a Hamnett tee is like having a piece of history in your wardrobe.

The Orphan’s Arms is an English label “That harks back to a time of gin, palaces, poor houses and executions. King George IV is on the throne and Paris Hilton upon the public tongue.” Though not a 100% sustainable line, they have a fun selection of hand printed organic t-shirts to peruse.

Loomstate celebrates 41st Earth Day with a limited edition run of super soft graphic tees that includes this one. Launched in New York City in 2004 by designer Rogan Gregory and Scott Mackinlay Hahn, Loomstate was founded as a casual brand dedicated to creating demand for certified organic cotton using socially and environmentally responsible methods of production. They do an amazing job.

Boa is an Istanbul-based eco fashion label that stands out from their pack thanks to their commitment to organic cotton, and their whimsical hand-drawn illustrations.

Look For Fiddleheads is a Chicago based line that inspired by the art and writings found in very old books and bound newspapers from 1832-1845, that belonged to designer/illustrator Lee Tracy’s grandmother. We love all the witty designs that are as artistic as they are thought-filled.

Mociun says on their site that they “Explore and integrate the ever-emerging technologies and critical conceptions of sustainability; environmentally healthy production; and, as a type of de facto jouissance, the role of, and the products available to, the individual consumer in society at large.”

We appreciate their gift of supplying us with interesting product.

Blondes Make Better T-Shirts is one of the funniest lines I’ve seen in branding, admittedly at the expense of us brunettes and redheads. This one reads: “Help Global Warming. Donate a Swimming Noodle to a Polar Bear.”

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In August 2010, we published a story about Parsons The New School For Design’s first course in zero waste – a first in the world. Watched closely at key junctures throughout the design process by Loomstate co-founder/designer, Scott Mackinkay Hahn, and taught by Timo Rissanen, a Finnish designer, the duo hoped to instill in students the principle that zero waste is possible and can be achieved – and that the end product can be a thing of beauty. They launched the class with that iconic American wardrobe staple, a pair of jeans.

Students had a big carrot in front of them, knowing that at the end of the course, the winning design would be chosen and the student behind it would have the opportunity to intern with the Loomstate production team in their California or New York factory. The design would then be sold at Barneys in New York.

The time is here! An exhibition of all the students’ denim fashions will be on view at the Sheila C. Johnson Design Center at Parsons, February 8-23, 2011. The winning look will be revealed at the opening reception.

Designer news portal Dexigner reports: “Through muslin prototypes, garment patterns, video and photography, the exhibition will provide visitors with a behind-the-scenes look at this cutting-edge approach to sustainable design, which is the focus of a new course of study at Parsons.”

Zero-Waste Fashion is one of a number of sustainable design initiatives in the School of Fashion at Parsons. While this intro to zero waste was a great start, Dexigner says Parsons is looking forward to spring with fashion design students examining ways of extending the life-cycle of a garment. Additionally, fashion marketing and communications design and technology students will collaborate with the advertising agency, Droga 5 (the agency behind the “Great Schlep” campaign of the last presidential election), to research sustainable care practices and develop a global branding campaign called “Wash Cold.”

Meanwhile, those in the BFA Fashion Design program are teaming up with students across Parsons in the Solar Decathlon, a biannual global competition to design and build a solar-powered home, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. Parsons students will be designing a sustainable wardrobe for inhabitants of the home, which takes into account energy use and consumption.

The post Loomstate And Parsons Set To Announce Zero Waste Winner appeared first on EcoSalon.

The line for the CFDA and Lexus sponsored Eco-Fashion Challenge event in New York City, wrapped around the building and continued down the block. If that is any indicator of what is to come (which I fully believe it is) sustainable fashion got a major boost from this eco-fashion integration challenge!

“Designing a Lexus is a complicated and sophisticated process that requires putting many pieces together, and the same is true of fashion,” stated Loomstate designer Scott Mackinlay Hahn. “Step by step we are learning a new language for sustainable and eco awareness and bringing it into the fashion story.”

(Marcia Patmos of Leroy & Perry)

Inside a packed skyline loft, floor to ceiling posters presented the various designers in the running for the CFDA and Lexus package which includes $25,000 towards their next line as well as support for their Fall 2011 show or presentation during New York Fashion Week in February.  Words like organic, air dyed, recycled, handmade, fair, local, upcycled, and sustainable lined the posters and defined the designers’ eco-focus. This must be the new language Mackinlay Hahn speaks of. What is reassuring is that slowly, but surely, the general public is learning this lingo and looking for it on the garments they purchase. As a result, “…more designers are asking for it now too, and demanding eco-versions of fabrics from their suppliers,” says Marcia Patmos, the designer from Leroy & Perry who was one of the competing ten designers.

(Maria Cornejo, Jeffery Costello, Monique Pean, Robert Tagliapietra)

And speaking of supply – which of the ten designers will be applying supplying us with their eco-fashion creations next Fall? Drumroll please! The three labels that were awarded the eco-challenge CFDA and Lexus package are:

Monique Pean

Costello Tagliapietra

Maria Cornejo

“The fact is, we are all trying to be eco-friendly,” asserts Maria Cornejo. “These are little steps that really build into something.” Cornejo went on to advise other designers to ‘be creative’ and think of other ways of being eco than just sourcing, such as being local in production or using non-toxic dying processes.

(Reed Krakoff, Monique Pean and Scott Mackinlay Hahn)

For fellow winner Monique Pean, eco-fashion translates directly to slow fashion, which she describes as, “…designing pieces that are high in quality and passed down from generation to generation.”

Going back to Mackinlay Hahn’s statement about utilizing a new language to talk about fashion, I think we are definitely there and as Robert Tagliapietra of Costello Tagliapietra so eloquently put it, “This communication is immeasurable.”

The post The CFDA Lexus Eco-Fashion Challenge Winners Are… appeared first on EcoSalon.

Not only is Scott Mackinlay Hahn a refreshing and talented designer/founder of Loomstate, he’s one of the most attractive designers cutting cloth this side of the Mississippi – and I know I’m not the only woman to think it so shut your mouths.

Physical attributes aside, Scott, who co-designs with Rogan Gregory (also of Rogan) for Loomstate is a pioneer in the sustainable field working from the soil up when it comes to his line. The designs exclude “the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, plant growth regulators, and livestock feed additives,” and only use 100 percent certified organic cotton from various regions of the world such as Turkey, Peru, Africa, India and the USA.

The Loomstate site says: “Beginning with the design process in its New York studio, Loomstate directly manages all stages of manufacturing, from the fabric mills, to the cut and sew facilities and finally the laundries to ensure all partners are participating in responsible manufacturing processes. Loomstate works with factories representing the ‘Gold Standard’ or model of excellence of responsible production methods. All Loomstate factory partners are required to adhere to a code of conduct and Terms of Engagement in our company manufacturing agreement. These factories must use the highest environmental and labor standards, controlling factory pollution, and enforcing fair labor as the cornerstone of the effort.”

Phew. The label really does work hard to be sustainable in every way. I recently caught up with Scott in his New York studio to have him talk more about what sustainability meant to him. You can catch the interview above.

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In an overly consumptive American society, it shouldn’t be that hard to figure out why we’re so far behind other countries when it comes to zero waste. We consume so much, that we never take inventory of what we already have.

So it should be no surprise that according to a recent New York Times article about Fashion Tries On Zero Waste Design, “Nearly every leading zero-waste or less-waste designer hails from another country, including Mark Liu, Julian Roberts and Zandra Rhodes in England; Susan Dimasi and Chantal Kirby in Australia, Ms. McQuillan in New Zealand; and Yeohlee Teng, who is working in New York but was born in Malaysia.”

The article brings up some really great questions about how fashion is interpreted and at the most basic, the pattern.

While many in the fashion industry are starting to stand tall on their green toes – implementing organic fabrics, using less energy, and making significant changes when it comes to their carbon footprint – excess fabric, which translates to tons of waste over a design career, is often overlooked. While all these strategies are optimistic and good, creating well thought out patterns that use less waste may be a better option.

Next month, Timo Rissanen, a Finnish designer whose blog promotes  “Fashion creation without fabric waste creation through design practice,” will be Parsons the New School For Design’s first-ever assistant professor of fashion design and sustainability offering one of the world’s first fashion courses in zero waste. (Rissanen might want to bring his soon to debut book “Shaping Sustainable Fashion: Changing the Way We Make and Use Clothes,” co-written by Alison Gwilt along for the ride).

The class will be co-taught with Scott Mackinlay Hahn, a founder of the organic fashion label Loomstate.

The duo hopes to inspire in budding student designer’s minds that zero waste is possible and can be achieved with the end product being something of beauty. They plan to start with an iconic American wardrobe staple, a pair of jeans.

The New York Times says the “Students in the class will explore how to change the way jeans are made and cared for, from sourcing fibers that have not been exposed to pesticides or fertilizers, to how frequently consumers wash their denim. The top design will be manufactured at Loomstate’s California factory and sold next spring at Barneys New York.”

Inspiration enough for students to work harder than they ever have.

Image: Timo Rissanen (New York Times)

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