Anna Talbot - Eco Fashion Week Vancouver

Eco Fashion Week is about to take off on October 5 and will go through till the 7^th. A week dedicated to showcasing sustainable fashion and artists with these same goals.

Anna Talbot is one of these fine young artists. Based in Vancouver B.C. Anna got her start in 2008 at Emily Carr University. Where she majored in printmaking. A technique involving the application of colour to fabric in the form of a design or pattern. Close to dyeing fabric although instead of one colour and dyeing the whole fabric it is generally one or more colours applied to certain parts only. Creating sharply defined patterns.

By Anna’s third year at Emily Carr, she “had the idea to print traditional etchings on silk and textiles. My artwork was often about women and the body. So my imagery easily translated onto textiles and into wearable pieces once I discovered my passion for textiles and design.”

After such a discovery she took her sustainable mindset into the “world of natural dyeing, draping and garment production.” The epitome of ‘Slow Fashion’.  Also with her favourite materials being reclaimed silk, vintage embroidered linens and handmade lace.

In 2008 she produced five solo shows and developed her first collection. She also collaborated with designer Lindsay Steele on a book of poetry and art called ‘Awakening’. 

In the world of ‘Fast Fashion’ we find outfits that are too big or lack a personalized shape. Which is why most of us have to take our clothing to tailors or friends that can take them in and make them fit. Couture is a word everyone has heard before, but not all of us know what it actually means. Couture is a form of fashion styling that custom makes women’s clothing. Something Anna is very inspired by. She also is very inspired by couture designer Alexander McQueen and of course vintage Dior.

As the world of fashion is ever changing and people are becoming more and more lazy with their designs and manufacturing. I couldn’t help but ask Anna what her hopes for the fashion industry are: “I hope to see an increase in sustainable production and localized manufacturing.” Clearly a theme in the eco world of ‘Slow Fashion’.

Anna got involved in Eco Fashion Week in order to find an avenue to showcase her work and she was drawn to EFW’s mission. After meeting with the production team she quickly realized “It’s was a perfect fit!”

Anna’s work can be found at Eco Fashion Week and The Window the EFW’s tradeshow event, October 5 – 7^th  from 5-9pm. As well as at www.annatalbot.com

Head on over to Eco Fashion Week to see the wonderful works of all of the designers and make sure you stop by to see Anna. Check out her amazing designs made special for the betterment of the world of fashion.

Thanks Anna

Christina .)

All information provided by Anna herself and www.annatalbot.ca

Colour Blocking at its Best

Fashion fashion fashion. Trends that come and go. Decades can go by without a hint of the past and then BOOM or BAM…we’ve gone back in time. Bright, hot colours have slowly been showing themselves again. It started with accents, a touch of something from the 70’s or 80’s. Without all the disco and shoulder pads.

Now ‘Colour Blocking’. Re-introduced as a trend in the spring of 2011 for the summer of 2011. Of course 2011 isn’t the only window for this magical trend of vibrant colours.  It may be here to stay for a while.

Colour Blocking involves creating an outfit by placing blocks of colour next to one another made up of two or more colours. Using too many colours can make everything go all wrong, so make sure to start slow if you’re interested. The more colours you wear will keep cutting your body shape and possibly highlight your insecurities. Start with one colour and then move up from there. Colours may include bright, muted, monotone, contrasting, and complimentary colours. Stick to similar tones and don’t be shy.

Colour blocking is best done not only with simple colours but also with simple styles that have clean lines.  When you’ve found your simple vibrant outfit you will most likely move onto your accessories. Be very careful as you could ruin everything with the wrong shoes or bag. If you’ve chosen a colour blocked outfit stick to neutral, metallic or black accessories and vice versa.

For inspiration look at artists like Piet Mondrian for the ideal block look or RoyLichtenstien for the vibrant colours.  

Colour Blocking has been around for a long time. Its best known for its appearances on the 70’s dance floors and runways. Then throughout the 80’s, simple Colour Blocking stopped being so simple and became very messy. When I look back I see that maybe the hair had something to do with the need for a more simple, subtle look. Which is when we journeyed back into modest colours and shades, allowing us to blend in and look very sexy chic.

Time has passed and the people that lived through the 80’s have moved through the ‘Too soon’ faze to bring back this colour scheme. Colour blocking is apart of so many aspects of our lives like jewelry, bags, shoes, furniture, make up, and even nails. The boundaries are endless and if you have found enjoyment in getting lost like I have in the colourful t-shirt section at American Apparel you’re going to have tonnes of fun with this. 

Enjoy

Christina .)

Upcycling Fashion

Many people know the world of crafting and have once in their lives taken part in making something with a glue gun, old socks, beads, popsicle sticks, and paper. Reusing household items are a regular occurrence in homes, especially with kids. The world of reusing no longer fits into just the world of crafts or household necessities.

During times of war or the great depression there was a different type of reusing. Unfortunately when the times are tough people are forced to reuse the clothing they already have. Although this is a sign of rough times there are some bright features that come with the reusing of clothing. We use what we have, we reuse what we have and we make it into something new.

Now in today’s world we’re seeing a similar sense of style without the extreme conditions of a depression. Upcycling in fashion is when you take old clothes or waste fabric from manufacturers and stitch it into an entirely new item or clothing with higher environmental value. Unlike downcycling which we see, and do almost everyday. We recycle our cans and our plastics only to create products of lesser quality and reduced functionality. This process allows us to keep waste out of our environment. Upcycling is creating higher quality items and also helping keep us more waste free.

Trends are ever changing and we always want to be the first to try something new and hot. Upcycling fortunately is one of these new trends. We hope of course that it's not going to fall flat like some trends of the past. This trend is not only cool, it's useful and can be put into any style whether it be High Fashion or our Everyday Fashion. 

Imagine the ugliest outfits from the past. Most people can’t imagine stepping into them even on a dare. Others wear them for theme parties or because they love that kind of different. These are some of the things that can be transformed and turned into something we’d all feel comfortable in.

As we’re not all handy with sewing machines and definitely not thrift store gurus like some. We still have the chance to get our hands on some of these upcycled items. They seem to be popping up all over the place. Anything like the bags from well-known Shannon South to fun fabulous outfits from not so well-known Julia Roebuck. Every day more and more designers are helping to make a difference in fashion.  Even Martha Stewart is showing her support by her show on how to make shopping bags out of old t-shirts.

At the Oscars, Colin Firths wife Livia Giuggioli had her dress made from pre-consumer waste from end of roll, discarded, off cut fabrics, and other materials from unfinished products.  Orsola De Castro designed the dress. One of the founders and curator of London Fashion Week’s ethical style section ‘Estethica’. Livia is not only a film producer she is also the creative director of Eco-Age and a passionate Eco-Campaigner.

New and eco friendly fabrics like organic cotton, bamboo, hemp, are wonderful and yes the lesser of two evils. Upcycling requires nothing new to be produced. Which means less waste, less chemicals, less money spent. Designers and the fashion industry will not take lightly to this new trend as it may at times lose them a bit of money and maybe even some street cred. Some of us know that change doesn’t happen over night and I love to say “We’re different so others don’t have to be.” So don’t be afraid to try something new mostly when this something is creating a better environment for everyone around us.

For the fashionistas out there that are so inclined to make something for themselves there are a plethora of sites willing to help you make old new again.  Check out TOED with a list of 100 different links to upcycling anyone can do. 

Christina .)

Eco Fashion Week - October 5-7, 2011

The ‘Fast Fashion’ industry is full of cheap and cost effective clothing which has created an extremely wasteful industry. Although some of the larger high fashion names aren’t necessarily the problem, because they’re so expensive that they don't have to overproduce. It’s the lower quality cost effective clothing lines that are great for the working families and their pocket books.

How does this have an effect on all of our futures and most of all the future of our pocketbooks. Its all a matter of understanding what goes into the making of this cheap ‘Fast Fashion’ trend.

Clothing is made from textiles, another word for fabric. Textiles are generally derived from plant materials. Such as cotton, bamboo, and hemp. Cotton is of course the most common and the U.S. department of agriculture reports that one quarter of all pesticides used nation wide go toward growing cotton primarily for clothing. Then there are man made petroleum-derived polyester which has nearly doubled in the last 15 years. Making us even more dependant on oil.

Over 8,000 synthetic chemicals are used to turn raw materials into textiles. Thus manufacturing facilities are considered hazardous waste generators. The lax regulations on these chemicals in developing countries means they’re being deposited in local soil and water ways. After this process, these textiles are to be dyed and manufactured. Dying fabric can use anywhere from 80 to 800 gallons of water per one tonne of fabric. Then of course we are faced with the shipping, which involves all sorts of transportation via plane, train, truck, boat and anything else you can think of. The transport of course doesn’t stop there. Once we buy the item, we then have to transport it home. Not to mention the amount of resources that are used in our homes to wash and dry.

Its not all horrible though. There does in fact happen to be a light at the end of the tunnel. More and more people are faced with green initiatives on everything from our household electricity to the food we eat. The fashion industry is also looking more and more promising with all the new reused vintage clothing, to the use of bamboo and organic cottons. Although chemicals are still used on some of these products, we of course have to think about the lesser of two evils.

So where and when is the change happening?

Right here this October 5-7, 2011 at Storeyum, 142 Water Street with Eco Fashion Week in Vancouver, Canada. EFW is a fashion show that celebrates and showcases the future of the fashion industry. ‘Slow Fashion’. As the green initiatives have become more rampant in this day and age, so has the greening of clothing. Nobody is hoping people jump on this band wagon quite like Myriam Laroche.

A young French Canadian woman from Quebec. Once surrounded by the huge east coast fashion scene. Much different than anything Vancouver has going for it. After spending 20 years working in the industry and meeting many designers that were greening their styles. She realized that this was a niche market in need of recognition. Therefore she put all she had, from her own pocket, into Eco Fashion Week.

Myriam has spent a large amount of time traveling and educating people on the upcycling, thrifting, and recycling of clothing. EFW will showcase these very ideals. Everything from their sponsors to their designers. Everyone is making it their goal to promote change.

As a non-profit organization, EFW and its volunteers lead the pack in Eco fashion, as most haven’t had any events longer than one to two days. The goal of EFW is to create ‘Slow Fashion’ as opposed to what has become of the industry in the past few decades. They want to help take us back to a time when couture was appreciated, hand made, where we only use what we need instead of what we want.

So we recommend attending Eco Fashion Week on their one year anniversary with their third event to support not only a move in the right direction but also to check out some amazing designers and sponsors. Designers and stores like Nicole Bridger, Jeff Garner, Tatiana Inglis, Sofia, Anna Kosturova, and Gypsy Market, Myriam’s Closet, Adhesif, Downtown Betty, and LRMA Clothing. Sponsors include the likes of Lou Lou, La Biosthetique Paris, PopChips, Vancouver Economic Development, Coco Eco Magazine and many more amazing participants. There will also be seminars where you can learn about how to offset your business' carbon footprint, also why and how to reuse fashion. You can find out more about the event, sponsors, designers and seminars at:

http://www.ecofashion-week.com/

We're not all expected to know what and how to do something, which is why it is very important to learn what we do not know. EFW has made the first step here in Vancouver so none of use have to be alone. Here at JKaffairs we're ready and willing to support this wonderful cause in order to promote a better world. Something we all hope for. 

“Wake up and smell the bamboo”-EFW-PR

We hope to see you there.

Christina .)

Info on Eco Fashion Week provided by EFW-Public relations.

Re-Introduction

JKaffairs exploded onto the scene after nesting, building, gaining exposure & experience

Individually yet always combined the original JK duo of Justin Voitic & Kim Desautels are consistantly booked with shoots, shows, projects, freelance gigs, appearances, & events.

Our network has expanded to a collective group of artists whom we are honored to call our colleagues, affiliates, sponsors & friends.

Lets play catch up!

Justin received public recognition by blending his talents in PR, creative direction, production, talent sourcing, runway, modeling mentoring & agent representation

Kim honed her skills by furthuring her career as a MUA, leading teams with her mix of focus, intelligence, professionalism & creative talents.

Two current announcements from Justin & Kim:

We are on the Vancouver Eco Fashion Week team with individual roles; Justin as Music Coordinator and Kim as Lead Makeup Artist!

Introducing the entrepenurial mogul Christina Lenic & the public relations force of nature Jessica Linnay as core JKaffairs partners.

The four of us dedicate our extensive experience, guidance, and vision for hire to those in need of assistance.

You or your project requires assistance? We exceed all expectations with drive, passion, fun, creativity & love!

JKaffairs@gmail.com
778.885.8365