Repurposing textiles to keep them out of landfills may be one of the most impactful changes you can make in disrupting fast fashion.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, textile waste occupies nearly 5% of all landfill space in the U.S; Americans generate an average of 25 billion pounds of textiles per year. Those textiles include clothing, accessories, towels, bedding, and other home textiles. That works out to roughly 82 pounds per person per year. Even more amazing is that only 15% of that get donated, recycled, or repurposed. The other 85% (or 70 pounds per person) makes its way into our already stressed landfills.

To give a name to the problem, this textile waste is referred to as post-consumer textile waste and the amount of it ending up in landfills grew by 40% between 1999-2009 (most likely as a result of the increase in fast fashion). On the other hand, the diversion rate of textiles making their way to landfills only increased by 2% during this same period. This means we can do a lot more to keep highly reusable and recyclable textiles out of landfills.

The easiest way to help reduce this immense problem is at the point of sale, but completely avoiding the purchase of new textiles is not realistic for most us. That said, consumers can make better choices by supporting companies that rely on fabrics and products made from recycled textiles or purchasing secondhand where possible.

Divert for Recycling, Donating, or Repurposing Textiles

But what to do with those clothing and household textiles that we already own? Gently worn and like-new items can be donated or resold on sites like ThredUp, but that leaves out textiles that may be somewhat worn, have a small stain or tear, are out of style, or are otherwise not easily reused. These kinds of textiles can be recycled and many secondhand stores do sell unsellable textiles to recyclers, but repurposing textiles is another solution to this dilemma.

Not only does repurposing textiles (clothing, bedding, curtains, blankets, towels) keep usable items out of landfills, but much of these items can be turned into really useful stuff. Need some DIY inspiration for repurposing textiles? Read on for a list of ideas below.

DIY Ideas for Repurposing Textiles

1. Patchwork Memory Quilt
2. Rag Rugs
3. Cleaning Cloths
4. Pillowcase Bags
5. Market Bags from
6. Homemade Draft Dodgers
7. Reusable Heat Pack Bed Buddy
8. Drawer Sachets
9. Holiday Ornaments made from Old Sweaters
10. Fabric Bookmarks
11. Fabric Roses
12. Decoupage and Mixed Media Wall Art

All that’s needed is a little sewing skill, some imagination, and a willingness to make somethign new out of something old!

If you would like to learn more about the textile landfill issue, visit the Council for Textile Recycling, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising public awareness about the importance of textile recycling and the need to reduce the amount of textile waste ending up in landfills.

Related on EcoSalon

8 Clever Repurposing Ideas for the Most Common Items That Get Trashed
15 Ingenious Repurposing Projects for Used Books
10 Ridiculously Easy Repurposing Ideas for Old Tee Shirts

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Could textiles from trees replace our toxic and  oil-based ones? 

Finland, the Scandinavian country known as the land of the lakes, northern lights and endless forests, is bridging  a gap between its natural resources and the sustainable textile sector. Researchers at the country’s top university have created an environmentally friendly viscose manufacturing process that involves the use of native wood pulp to create cellulose based ‘ec0-viscose’. This new discovery is a breakthrough for the sustainable textile industry, as this versatile eco-viscose could replace the need for textiles that are harming the Earth.

Traditionally, viscose is produced with the use of highly toxic chemicals such as caustic soda and carbon disulphide, both of which are corrosive compounds. These chemicals are used to break down the cellulose fibers in wood pulp so that they can be spun into threads, and woven into cloths and materials for uses ranging from apparel to reinforcing high speed tires.

Finland’s alternative method for viscose production involves the use of non-toxic ionic solvents, resulting in a fabric that is actually stronger than conventional viscose.  Aalto University in Helsinki played the key role in developing this improved process for viscose manufacturing, with the aim of creating a sustainable, global  market for Finnish eco-textiles. A textile sample made from the cellulose fiber was designed by Aalto University Textile Arts student Marjaana Tanttu, who remarked that “the new material has an excellent capacity for reproducing shades and it’s surprisingly easy to work with”.

The post Fiber Watch: Finland’s Forests Providing Eco-Friendly Viscose appeared first on EcoSalon.

The fashion trends of the future could involve living, growing textiles, or even accessories implanted into our bodies.

By 2082, couture will be made not from fabric, but from cells. That’s the vision of designer Amy Congdon, whose Biological Atelier project explores how the same sort of medical biotechnology set to revolutionize skin grafts and prosthetics can be carried over into the world of fashion. In fact, her idea is pretty similar to the controversial effort to grow meat in a lab so no animal has to be harmed, and test-tube leather. Cultured ivory bracelets or cruelty-free cross-species fur, anyone?

Congdon’s Extinct Collection uses a sort of embroidery ‘scaffolding’ upon which cells can be grown—whether plant, animal or mineral. The idea is that in the future, fashion trends could be grown from the ultimate commodity: life itself. Congdon aims to explore the ethical issues surrounding this sort of manipulation of life, and the seemingly sci-fi concept of integrating and implanting fashion and technology right into our own bodies.

Considering the social and environmental impact of the textile industry, even the most unlikely sounding ideas deserve a good look – and while Biological Atelier is intended for bespoke luxury garments, similar technology could possibly be used on a wider scale. When grown in a lab or made from waste materials rather than farmed, biological-based textiles could potentially replace fabrics made from unsustainable materials, like polyester – as long as they don’t require too much chemical manipulation in the process.

One admittedly weird example is fabric grown in a soup of green tea, sugar and other nutrients, which bacteria then transform into long cellulose filaments that can be woven once dried. Scientists have also managed to produce a fabric by letting microbes go to work on wine, fermenting the alcohol into fibers. A similar process turns proteins from spoiled milk into fabric. Unfortunately, none of these weird new bio-textiles smell too pretty, but researchers are already working on eliminating that problem.

Related on Ecosalon:

Fiber Watch: Will the Fashion World Embrace Test Tube Leather?

Fabrics Made from Tea?

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A call for sustainable ideas that revolutionize the development of  fabrics.

Back in 2010 NASA, Nike, the US Agency for International Development and the US Department of State joined forces in an effort to bring together sustainable ideas for developing solutions to global challenges. Called LAUNCH, this worldwide initiative has been creating an open forum for the presentation of various sustainability solutions for issues such as energy, health and water.

For 2013 the LAUNCH Systems Challenge 2013 the team is looking for solutions in the development, manufacturing and recyclability of textiles, with successful submissions to be presented at the end of September. This year’s challenge looks to “transform the system of fabrics to one that advances equitable global economic growth, drives human prosperity and replenishes the planet’s resources.”

The challenge is calling for innovations with the potential to scale up in two years, alongside early stage technologies with a focus on positive environmental and social impact. Anything from business models and financial instruments to technologies, research accelerators and education schemes will be accepted, as well as education. Submissions should align with at least one of the following points of interest:

In textiles:

• Multi-purpose synthetic and biosynthetic materials.
• Smart and/or self-­healing materials.
• Technical fabrics with novel or surprising attributes.
• Fabrics that efficiently and effectively enable recycling.
• Applications that eliminate toxins in fabrics.
• Models that accelerate the development of low or positive environmental impact fabrics.
• Data generation and capture technologies and mechanisms that enable traceability across a product or fabric’s lifecycle.
• Decision support and educational tools that guide positive impact design and inform better choices of chemistries and materials.
• Open technology platforms to enable sharing, collaboration, contribution and unlimited accessibility to data that improves the analysis of sustainability impacts and stimulates an open data ecosystem.

In textile manufacturing:

• Solutions that increase energy, water, and raw material efficiency in the manufacturing process.
• Manufacturing processes and technologies that enable maximum conversion of materials and minimum consumption of natural resources.
• Solutions that put workers at the heart of the innovation process.
• Zero waste or closed loop systems that eliminate waste and create equitable, empowered workforces.
• Scalable, innovative business models that are sustainable and equitable.
• Manufacturing processes that reuse waste.
• Programs that support local business inclusion across the system of fabrics.
• Information and data exchanges that build entrepreneurial capacity & worker inclusion.
• Data generation and capture technologies and mechanisms to increase transparency across the value chain.

The challenge is now open for submissions and early-bird submissions are due by June 15^th, and  the challenge closes on July 15^th. Proposals from companies (small to large), consultants, entrepreneurs, inventors, non-­profits, research institutions, social enterprises and venture capitalists are welcome. The 10 winners of the challenge will be announced at the forum held from September 26^th to 28^th, 2013, where their innovations will also be presented. Although no cash prize is awarded, the winners will receive support, networking and mentoring from influential business and government leaders.

If you don’t quite meet the criteria of the LAUNCH challenge, check out the nano-challenge for university students. This complementing challenge will be accepting submissions that adhere to the same criteria and timeline as the official challenge, and will be acknowledged at the September forum. Make sure to spread to word or begin working on your own submission!

Images: launch.org

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Are biobased synthetics environmentally sound or just as bad as their petrochemical alternatives?

How cool would it be if cities could produce polyester from their own biofuel made from residents’ food waste? What if large companies could begin to implement systems that managed entire supply chains, ensuring a clean and fairly produced textile? What if we could develop schemes where we could always recycle or easily compost anything we produce, and eliminate landfills?

Biobased synthetic textiles like Tencel, Modal, and corn and soy fabrics have become a heavily invested area of research and development in modern textile experimentation in the more than $400 billion textile industry. Recent technologies have provided a platform for manipulation of natural plant matter, producing engineered textiles that are essentially considered “natural” as they are derived from plants. This chemical manipulation has allowed fiber and textile producers to come up with amazing, high performance materials that are especially sought after by the sportswear and outerwear industries. Although made from the fiber of trees and plants, can these manipulated textiles really be considered natural?

Scientists and developers at various fiber producing companies have been experimenting with manmade fibers made from cellulose since 1980. Cellulose is an organic compound that makes up 33 percent of all plant matter, and is commercially derived from natural sources such as wood and cotton. Manmade cellulose fibers are usually spun and woven into the fabrics commonly known as rayon viscose, however, the chemical processing used to produce conventional rayon is very energy intensive and wasteful. Often made from bamboo nowadays, rayon viscose manufacturing consists of a process using approximately 13 toxic chemical solvents, as verified by reports from SRI Consulting for the chemical industry.

However, scientists have come up with a different method of cellulose textile production. Currently, cellulosic raw materials such as eucalyptus wood, beech wood, corn, hemp, flax and even nettles, are undergoing lab experiments for genetic manipulation and nanotechnology. This means that these plant fibers are changed at a microscopic scale, which allows them to be engineered for high-performance qualities. Various, proprietary production methods for these cellulose fibers have been developed in the last 10 years, which integrate low-impact practices. For example, the production of Lenzing’s Tencel fiber leaches no toxic chemicals into the air or water, and re-uses 99.5 percent of the solvent needed for processing the fiber into a spinnable form.

Tencel, Modal, and Ingeo textiles all belong to the manmade cellulosics group, and have been showing up on the clothing tags at several brand-name stores. These fibers are often spun with other natural fibers like cotton or silk to produce some of the most comfortable and wearable fabrics. Although environmentally sound production processes have been developed, the main issue with these fibers is the land and resources necessary for growing raw material crops. The use of pesticides, water, and energy, along with  soil erosion for cultivation are also issues that can negate positive impacts of a ‘natural’ material. The long supply chain of yarn-spinning, knitting, weaving, dying and garment making that follows fiber production also complicates and effaces much of the sustainability efforts practiced in fiber production, as do the effects of consumer use through washing and wear. Cellulose fabrics do not always accept dyes well, necessitating possible use of harmful chemicals, complicating matters even further.

Another revolutionary, manmade material is plant-based PET, which is a type of polyester. Polyester is conventionally made through refining oil and natural gas but Japanese company Toray has developed a method for producing the fiber from biofuel rather than crude oil. Conventional polyester contains phthalates, or chemicals used to make plastic more flexible, which can leach into our bodies through our skin. Phthalates have been proven to disrupt the normal functioning of reproductive organs, which can lead to early breast development, testicular atrophy and reduced sperm counts.  Toray has worked with biofuel producer Gevo to develop the fiber, which reportedly is made with ethanol derived from sugar cane. Crop cultivation and land management also become issues with this process, although the reduced amount of oil drilling and chemical intensive processing is a great step forward.

There is no doubt that biobased synthetics are more environmentally sound than their petrochemical alternatives. However, unless they prove to be solutions that create new, closed-loop systems for the production of textiles, they only become processes that make a slightly smaller negative impact than our current ones. Instead of growing acre upon acre of sugar cane or corn for ethanol production, engineering and technology could help create solutions that utilize our waste as a resource.

Image: Lenzing AG

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Annie Millican invites you to join a DIY craft tour that will take you to the heart of the vibrant crafting culture in the Sacred Valley of Peru. 

Be one of 10 participants to travel across the Peruvian Andes this May on a collaborative crafting expedition that will introduce you to the amazing indigenous craft culture of the area. The tour, organized by online DIY platform Kollabora, will be a total cultural immersion that will expand your horizons and tap deep into your inner adventurer. Living with a Peruvian host family, visiting an alpaca farm, dyeing yarns with local natural dyes, learning how to use a back strap loom and visiting the sacred site of Machu Picchu are all part of this unique and enriching experience.

Tour organizer Annie Millican first immersed herself in the rich crafting heritage of Ollantaytambo, Peru in 2009, leading her to establish a product development initiative called Awamaki Lab. The four-year project brought (and still brings) designers to Peru to work alongside local artisans to create beautiful products for international sale, creating a sustainable and accessible way to share the gorgeous craft heritage of the region. She’s now teamed up with Kollabora for this tour in order to provide more designers and crafters with the experience of working alongside local artisans and establishing meaningful relationships through the art of making. We caught up with Annie to hear more about what this exciting adventure has in store for its crafty participants.

Leena Oijala: How did you decide that a tour would be the next step after Awamaki for sharing the Peruvian craft heritage?

Annie Millican: I wanted to figure out how to concentrate the benefits of the Awamaki Lab experience and open up the opportunity to other designers/makers/knitters.  The greatest benefit of Awamaki Lab was fostering meaningful connections between skilled designers and artisans and so I was interested in creating a similar model that speaks to the Kollabora crafter.  The tour is really a cultural immersion program and pairs designers with local artisans in mini, non-competitive teams.

The idea is that these teams will come up with their own unique solution to a pattern challenge, making it a very hands-on experience. The tour will be a journey into discovering every step along the way of how the product is made; we’ll visit an alpaca farm, we’ll study hand spinning on a local drop spindle, and we’ll learn about design and the back strap loom under local weavers.

LO: Who would you say this tour is meant for?

AM: Anyone who has an adventurous spirit, who wants to disconnect from the daily grind in a beautiful, idyllic Andean town and collaborate with crafting counterparts across the globe. It’s for someone who is excited about a rustic, cultural immersion that involves living with a host family, eating traditional Peruvian cuisine and experiencing how traditional crafts have been maintained in more rural areas.

LO: How strong do participants’ craft skills need to be?

AM: Having basic knitting skills will help a lot. We’ll be working with a chunky, handspun alpaca yarn, which will be easier for beginners, as the yarn knits up quickly and is easier to handle.

LO: How did you come to work with Kollabora for the tour?

AM: I’ve known the Kollabora folks since they started burdastyle and have maintained a friendship with them ever since. They reached out to me last year inquiring about tour opportunities and I responded with an idea for a concentrated design experience.

It’s great to work with an online community that connects DIY makers across the world to a skill sharing board. The platform allows individual crafters to go online the post their own DIY projects, network with like-minded crafters and find inspiration, materials and tutorials for new projects. The tour personifies this, as its really about relationship building and capturing the Kollabora essence by taking the online community offline and into a hands-on experience.

LO: What are your goals for this tour?

AM: The goal is to introduce crafters from around the world to crafters in Ollantaytambo and foster relationships that tour participants and local crafters can maintain by their own volition.

We’re  working with the Asociacion Virgen de Carmento, a self-organized artisan association from an outlying community called Rumira. So the tour will support their organization tremendously and will be feeding back into the community by supporting the women we’ll be visiting and working with.

LO: How do you hope to see the project evolve?

AM: If the tour is successful there will be another tour in November, which we have scheduled around the local ramie harvest season.

LO: Collaboration is a key concept in a lot of the work you’ve done. How important do you think collaboration is in creating a sustainable textile and fashion industry?

AM: I think collaboration nurtures relationships and those relationships support increased transparency.  All links across the value chain in the production of retail goods ultimately rely on the relationships that people build with one another. This process is underscored by clear and open communication between different members of a process. In terms of design, cross-cultural collaboration is an area that should be explored more because it really fosters mutually beneficial skill-sharing.  There are such incredible high art traditions in some of the most remote corners of the world that can both inform and benefit designer interfacing.

LO: Will we see more artisan work in the mainstream during the next 10-20 years?

AM: I hope so! I think there are a lot of logistical constraints to insuring that artisan groups can fulfill deadline situations that brands have. So there is still a lot of infrastructural support that needs to be established to make that working relationship more realistic.

However, there is a renewed interest in seeing a greater story embedded in the clothing and other items that people buy and own. Seeing the meticulous handiwork in an item that you own creates a very meaningful connection.

The tour dates are May 25th to June 2nd, 2013 at a total cost of $1,799 excluding flights. Check out Kollabora’s website for a full itinerary  and fill out a brief questionnaire for registration. This is an amazing opportunity for a completely unique and engaging experience, so get on board quick to secure one of the last 5 spots!

Images: Kate Reeder

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Bast is a fiber group that includes hemp, flax, jute, nettles and the less familiar kenaf. The plants in this fiber group are characterized by an outer bark that contains strong, cellulosic fibers, and kenaf is quickly becoming a sustainable favorite among textile innovators.

Bast fibers have been around since early civilizations as they were the simplest fibers to process before mechanization of fiber and textile production. Kenaf has been documented as a textile plant by the Egyptians as early on as 1,000 B.C. , although it’s believed to have originated in Asia. The plant appears similar to other bast fiber plants, but is actually related to hibiscus and cotton, thus its latin name Hibiscus cannabinus.

Kenaf is claimed to be one of the most sustainable fiber plants in existence, due to its growth rate and excellent ability to replenish the environment it grows in. It can be grown in several places including the U.S., converting more CO2 than 2 acres of tropical rainforest during its growing season whilst also improving soil structure and fixing nutrients into the soil. The plant requires minimal amounts of water, nearly no fertilizers or pesticides and grows extremely rapidly to its full 15 feet in only 150 days. As a natural material, kenaf is completely biodegradable since neither cultivation nor processing require synthetic chemicals.

Kenaf is a superior option for garments, as its extremely long fibers make for very fine yarn when spun. The stalk of the plant contains 30% less lignin (a glue-like substance that fills in the spaces between plant fibers) than other bast fibers, thus making the extraction of long fibers much easier when compared to other similar plants. Nearly 50% of the plant stalk contains fiber that can be extracted for a number of applications, such as knitted or woven textiles. Kenaf has also been found to work exceptionally well blended with cotton, and is also suitable for a number of applications including furniture, shoes and outerwear because of its natural absorbency and fire-retardant properties.

U.S.-based Kenactiv Innovations, Inc. has found very successful and tangible methods for processing kenaf fiber for different uses. The company operates fiber extraction methods with food-safe, natural enzymes and closed-loop processes. The company is currently focusing on solutions for commercial non-wovens, alternatives to petro-chemical plastics, soil composites (kenaf biochar can replenish pesticide-ridden soil), mulch and animal bedding. Although they are not currently producing kenaf yarn in the U.S., plans for fiber extraction and spinning facilities are underway, as are larger plantations in Arizona that will accompany previous growing operations in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

While Kenactiv currently produces kenaf yarn in India, where it is used for apparel and accessories. The process in India involves a bath soaking of the plant stalks, after which the long fibers are stripped and dried. The company doesn’t currently work with designers or apparel companies within the U.S., as their production facilities in the U.S. don’t yet have the proper equipment for extracting and processing long fibers. However the company continues to develop new technologies for processing and diversifying the use of kenaf fibers, with the aim to create a viable market for kenaf textiles in the U.S. by bringing the first bast fiber production and spinning plant to the country. Although the company is proprietary in regard to their processing methods, hopefully they will be open to collaboration and share their knowledge about sustainable and intelligent methods for processing bast fibers.

Also check out:

Fiber Watch: Off Of Wine Bottles & Into Clothing

Fiber Watch: Tencel The Tenable

Fiber Watch: The Sartorial Sting Of Nettles

The post Fiber Watch: The Bast is Yet to Come appeared first on EcoSalon.

 The Textile Arts Center explores retail.

The Textile Arts Center’s Manhattan Studio and online shop recently underwent a (re)launch. On a continual journey to help preserve textiles and fiber hand-crafts, TAC serves as an exceptional resource for designers, artists, and now, curious shoppers who hope to explore their creative ideas. EcoSalon had the opportunity to chat with General Manager Owyn Ruck and hear about the recent happenings and what the future holds for this New York City gem.

What are the new and exciting things we can expect from the Textile Arts Center?

Retail was always the intention for the Manhattan space, we just took a little while to get there. Staying true to our mission, we wanted to have a space where people could find hard-to-find textile materials and equipment, and hand made goods, but also take workshops. Over the summer we’ll continue to add more items, especially materials and kits. To us it doesn’t feel too different, because it was constantly in the back of our minds, but we’re really excited to be offering class options that are project-based, and to have a clear retail platform that supports designers and makers that we work with.

What types of items will be available in the online shop?

Mostly work from local artists and designers. This was one thing we felt was missing from what we had to offer – we haven’t yet had a way to support designers and artisans who want to sell their goods. There are plenty of places out there (Etsy, Poppytalk) but it’s always nice to do it from your own point of view. For the most part we intend for this to be a way to help that community and create a “collective” feeling, selling work from interns, instructors, students, staff, etc. TAC kits this season include a convertible bike bag, summer quilt, spinning, felting, and solar dyeing. Some of the other materials being sold are handspun yarns, natural dyes, and weaving tools. And thanks to Carmen Artigas we have a lovely collection of vintage books, Vogue magazines, and beautiful fabrics and trims.

What classes are set for the summer? Any new options?

This summer we are starting to focus on the shorter and highly affordable workshops. We’re introducing Friday After Workshops, which are 3 hours every Friday. There will be 5 this summer, each $50, and they’ll focus on a different project – which are all pulled from the book we recently wrote The Textile Artists Studio Handbook (due out in mid-July). Otherwise, we’ll have some weekend intensives and 4-week classes on all the favorites – natural dyeing, leather working, weaving, etc.

What do you feel like this new transition into retail means for the future of the Textile Arts Center?

Oh, we’ll have to see! First, we hope that it sets the Manhattan shop apart from the Brooklyn studio. We want to be a place you know you can go for a very unique gift, to pick up the perfect yarn you needed for a handknit hat, or for a fun event on a Friday evening. While it means a new platform to explore for designers and makers, we also hope it takes our own product down a new path. We hope to continue adding new kits and providing fun, educational ways to explore textiles. We also have some very exciting things in the works around a new custom production facility for weaving, natural dyeing, and other processes. This facility would allow us to continue working with independent designers and design houses, but also develop product and materials under the TAC name. And then, we already have a place to sell it!

To watch for upcoming events and happenings this season at the Textile Arts Center, keep an eye on their Events Page.

The post The Textile Arts Center (re)Launches Their Online Shop & Manhattan Retail Space appeared first on EcoSalon.

Hand printed tea towels for the beauty in the kitchen.

There is beauty in function, and nowhere is that more true than in the kitchen. These hand printed towels highlight the aesthetic value of some of our most basic kitchen utensils; an homage to two of our most often used tools.

Who wants basic tea towels when you can have these? Printed with non-toxic, solvent-free, water-based inks, Stir and Whisk take an otherwise ordinary kitchen accoutrement and turn it into something much more appealing.

Available for $29 from PonyAndPoppy.

Submit your favorite to tips@ecosalon.com

The post Lustables: Kitchen Tools Tea Towels appeared first on EcoSalon.

Fashion by the numbers.

Think fashion is just about shopping and trends? Think again. These ten infographics put into numbers and graphs the impacts of the fashion industry, from textile waste to t-shirt lifecyles, and dive into the fascinating history of items like the bikini. You’ll never call fashion fluffy again.

Mind Your Waste Infographic: you’ll be amazed at how much textile waste America generates each year.

How the First Lady Moves Markets: it’s obvious that Michelle Obama has a significant impact on the fashion industry, but this infographic quantifies it.

The Most and Least Fashionable Cities in America: you won’t believe which city beat out NYC.

A History of Fashion, Silhouette Version: a look at how silhouettes have changed over the past 250 years.

Textile Fibers: learn to classify and group different textile fibers with this handy educational tool, originally developed for North Carolina State University’s Distance Education department.

Women at the Oscars: take a trip down memory lane with this round-up of red carpet fashion from the past 22 years.

Where the Wealthy Shop Online: those pretty polka dots actually represent where rich people do their online shopping.

Raven & Lily Infographic: how one brand implements the fair trade model to empower women through design partnerships.

T-Shirt Lifecycle: following the path of a t-shirt from “best” to “duster.”

Women’s Swimsuits: A Fashion History: the long road to the itty bitty string bikini.

ALSO CHECK OUT:

10 Earth Day Infographics

10 Food Infographics That Have Us Consciously Consuming

Image: Mom Smackley

The post 10 Fashion Infographics To Give Us a New Style Sense appeared first on EcoSalon.