Fashion Group International-Sustainability:From a Trend to a Lifestyle

Sustainability: From a Trend to a Lifestyle

Join me September 26th for a panel discussion

with Fashion Group International-Jacksonville, FL Chapter

Who Said Organic Clothes Were Boring?

Geometric Organic Cotton Interlocking Knit

We love this organic cotton interlocking knit created by Harmony Art Design.

It's colorful, sassy, flirty and everything but boring.

Keep It Natural, Keep It Simple, Keep It Organic

Organic and Natural fibre clothing is safe, sustainable and fashionable.

Organic Cotton Twill Dress

Organic Cotton Sateen Dress

Organic Cotton Muslin Dress

Hand Crafted Means Something

Hand Crafted Means Something!

In today's hustle & bustle society taking the time to hand craft products can not only be rewarding in the creation of a special item but it can also help relieve anxiety, depression and a host of negative emotions.

If you have a talent or skill whether it be knitting, sewing, painting, pottery, jewelry making,  furniture building/restoration, metal working, gardening, etc. embrace it and enjoy doing it-it may just help save your life, give you peace of mind or help you overcome an illness.

Let's go back to the basic "little joys of life," cause the BIG joys of life-keeping up with the Jones, being politically correct or conformity is killing us......

Choose joy and peace wisely, create beauty with your hands and live well!

We are.

UK's Decision to Leave The European Union Will Affect The Fashion Industry

                              

On Thursday June 23, the UK voted to leave the European Union and the decision will affect the fashion industry in a big way.  Several brands and stores in the UK existed as a result of the free trade negotiations established by the Union. Not only will British consumers be affected but international consumers as well  because the Pound has lost value cost to produce, distribute, sell and trade will increase especially in online transactions.   The UK is the second largest market in Europe for the fashion industry, behind Germany.  

The UK's membership in the European Union allowed companies in four countries England, Scotland, Wales and North Ireland to enjoy advantages and facilities to sell and buy globally in more than 70 countries including the United States, China and Japan.  Within these four countries major fashion hub cities such as London, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Belfast, Oxford, Cambridge, Swansea produced multi trillions of dollars in business.   The British fashion industry generates about 40,000 million dollars a year in the US economy.  UK is the fifth largest consumer of Spanish fashion, behind France, Italy, Portugal and Germany. Britain imported Spanish fashion products totaling 1,246.3 million euros in 2015, that's 9.8 percent more than the previous year. Companies like Inditex and Mango currently operate over 160 stores in the UK. Brands that fall under the Inditex umbrella include Zara, Zara Home, Pull & Bear, Massimo Duitt, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho and Uterque all recognized brands in the industry.

Inforgraphic taken from Fibre2Fashion.com

                                                                                                          

Inditex is a Spanish fast-fashion giant with a market value of nearly a 104 billion dollars it's the second largest fashion company worldwide, Nike is number one. Inditex’ 2015 annual revenue was around 24 billion dollars. With stores is every major city worldwide, the company has the ability to reach lots of fans. These brands will be hit hard by the decision to leave. Designers such as  JW Anderson, Vivienne Westwood and Christopher Kane  were all for remaining in the Union in an effort to protect their brands, but now realize the impact the decision will have on their business.  In fact, the British Fashion Council submitted the names of 1,300 business leaders who signed a letter urging the British to vote in favor of the referendum.  Fast-fashion retailer Next Plc is the largest fashion company in the United Kingdom with a market value of 8.15 billion pounds.  Retail giant Marks & Spencer is number 2, the Arcadia Group parent company of Topshop is the third largest UK Fashion company and  iconic fashion brand Burberry is the UK’s 4th largest company.

  

                                                            Photo Credit: Taken from Pinterest

There is definitely uncertainty in the fashion industry as a result of Brexit.  Many of these brands enjoy global success by creating disadvantaged competitive markets making it impossible for other smaller brands to compete.  Maybe now other brands will have a fighting chance.  Could it be that the face of fast fashion as we know it is about the change as CATA predicted?  We'll be watching this one.

There are thousands of small fashion brands producing better quality garments, using safer raw materials, practicing more ethical ways of doing business, paying fair living wages, developing talent and inspiring positive change in the way we manufacture, sell, wear and discard our clothes.  When it's all said and done, "No giant is too big that it can't/won't fall someday!"

UK's Decision to Leave The European Union Will Affect The Fashion Industry

                              

On Thursday June 23, the UK voted to leave the European Union and the decision will affect the fashion industry in a big way.  Several brands and stores in the UK existed as a result of the free trade negotiations established by the Union. Not only will British consumers be affected but international consumers as well  because the Pound has lost value cost to produce, distribute, sell and trade will increase especially in online transactions.   The UK is the second largest market in Europe for the fashion industry, behind Germany.  

The UK's membership in the European Union allowed companies in four countries England, Scotland, Wales and North Ireland to enjoy advantages and facilities to sell and buy globally in more than 70 countries including the United States, China and Japan.  Within these four countries major fashion hub cities such as London, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Belfast, Oxford, Cambridge, Swansea produced multi trillions of dollars in business.   The British fashion industry generates about 40,000 million dollars a year in the US economy.  UK is the fifth largest consumer of Spanish fashion, behind France, Italy, Portugal and Germany. Britain imported Spanish fashion products totaling 1,246.3 million euros in 2015, that's 9.8 percent more than the previous year. Companies like Inditex and Mango currently operate over 160 stores in the UK. Brands that fall under the Inditex umbrella include Zara, Zara Home, Pull & Bear, Massimo Duitt, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho and Uterque all recognized brands in the industry.

Inforgraphic taken from Fibre2Fashion.com

                                                                                                          

Inditex is a Spanish fast-fashion giant with a market value of nearly a 104 dollars it's the second largest fashion company worldwide, Nike is number one. Inditex’ 2015 annual revenue was around 24 billion dollars. With stores is every major city worldwide, the company has the ability to reach lots of fans. These brands will be hit hard by the decision to leave. Designers such as  JW Anderson, Vivienne Westwood and Christopher Kane  were all for remaining in the Union in an effort to protect their brands, but now realize the impact the decision will have on their business.  In fact, the British Fashion Council submitted the names of 1,300 business leaders who signed a letter urging the British to vote in favor of the referendum.  Fast-fashion retailer Next Plc is the largest fashion company in the United Kingdom with a market value of 8.15 billion pounds.  Retail giant Marks & Spencer is number 2, the Arcadia Group parent company of Topshop is the third largest UK Fashion company and  iconic fashion brand Burberry is the UK’s 4th largest company.

  

                                                            Photo Credit: Taken from Pinterest

There is definitely uncertainty in the fashion industry as a result of Brexit.  Many of these brands enjoy global success by creating disadvantaged competitive markets making it impossible for other smaller brands to compete.  Maybe now other brands will have a fighting chance.  Could it be that the face of fast fashion as we know it is about the change as CATA predicted?  We'll be watching this one.

There are thousands of small fashion brands producing better quality garments, using safer raw materials, practicing more ethical ways of doing business, paying fair living wages, developing talent and inspiring positive change in the way we manufacture, sell, wear and discard our clothes.  "No giant is too big that it 

can't/won't fall someday!"

Toxic Clothing Contributing to Health Crisis | Clothes Don't Come With Warning Labels, But It Should!

Today's fast fashion is nothing but a bucket of toxic chemicals mixed together to create fabric for cheap disposable clothes.  

One garment can contain 8,000-12,000 toxic chemicals many of which the industry has no real idea of what their impact on our health may be.  Over 1,900 of these chemicals cannot be washed out of clothes.  The one's that can be washed out go down the drain to contaminate our ecosystem, water and soil.  Somehow when we're told a chemical can be washed out of a garment in our minds it makes it okay for it to be there in the first place and washing something down the drain magically makes it go away.  We must change this mindset-the chemicals are still hurting us as we depend on our ecosystem to sustain our lives.

These chemicals have not been tested, researched or analyzed to determine how their presence in our clothing affect our health through both short term and long term exposure.  Our skin is the largest organ on our bodies, it has the ability to absorb everything and anything it comes in contact with oftentimes penetrating deep into our bloodstream to cause harm to our health.

These toxic chemicals are silent killers. Sometimes, a person will have an immediate reaction to putting on a garment such as a burning sensation, uncontrollable itching, severe skin rashes, redness, vomiting, nausea, headaches and even dizziness.  When someone experiences this type of reaction and can associate the sickness to the garment they immediately begin to understand the negative impact and health threats of the clothing.  

Oftentimes, the danger is not so in your face but it's even more dangerous than the immediate signs as the negative effects build up over time and the chemicals are bioaccumulative.  Our clothes should not contain chemicals capable of harming our health period.  Yet, the toxic chemicals used to first create fabric and later treat fabrics can be linked to many chronic illnesses and diseases, many are also known carcinogens.  The following list is a very, very short list to include: 

• Neurological Brain Disorder
• Respiratory Tract Infection
• Breast Cancer
• Infertility & Sterility
• Leukemia
• Parkinson's Disease
• Dermatitis, Eczema, Psoriasis
• Severe Skin Ulcerations
• Prostate Cancer
• Endocrine Disruptor
• Kidney Damage
• Hormonal & Reproductive Dysfunction  
• Heart Palpitations 
• Obesity

Several of these chemicals can cause fatigue, muscle pain and depression as well.  There's something wrong with putting on your work clothes only to find yourself tired and feeling drained before you even get to work or experiencing feelings of depression when minutes before you were happy.  

Allowing our clothes to influence our life in such a negative way simply because you bought them at a bargain price should never be the case.  If clothing manufacturers were required to label all the chemicals used to not only create the fabric but finish the garment consumers could make more informed decisions in regards to if they wanted to expose their body or their children's body to these dangerous chemicals.  

Not labeling what chemicals are in our clothes is fraud on behalf of the fashion industry.  You have the right to know what's in your clothes.

Learn more about CATA Consumers Against Toxic Apparel-our goals-our mission.  We're working to keep you informed, safe and educated about the complexity of the textile industry, the things you should know and provide the solution.  We share research, data and current developments in the fashion industry keeping you up to date on technological developments. We connect you with resources for affordable, stylish organic and natural clothing in organic cotton, hemp, linen, organic hemp, peace silk, wool, and blends.  Organic and natural fibres are not filled with the toxic chemicals synthetic and man made fibres are created and filled with.  They feel more natural on your skin and to touch.  Natural fibres offer a sense of being connected to nature as we use nature to cover our bodies.

Be  aware of:

• Recycled plastic bottles into fashion.
• 3D printed garments.
• Stain repelling garments.
• Odor absorbing garments.
• Bio Fascination technology.
• Sensory (garments that release fragrance) fashion.
• NANO TECHNOLOGY  created fabric.

CATA is the co creator of the Sustainable Wellness Home Tour-Gala & Organic Festival, the textile verifier for PIV Pure Integrity Verified Seal, Jacksonville's first Sustainable Workplace Destination company obtaining 4 Leaf accreditation awarded by the Green Team Project and sister company to Silver Needle & Thread Custom Sewing Company specializing in organic and natural hand sewn apparel and design.

If you would like to know more visit this link: CATA.

Don't spend your money on clothes designed to make you sick.  You may not want to spend your dollars on quality fashion but eventually you will spend them on doctors and big pharmaceutical meds.  The choice is yours.....

• 
  
• 
  

An Unlikely Alliance | Road To Discovery

Oftentimes, doing what we love and  feel our purpose is can lead to amazing discoveries of personal growth and opportunity.

Please allow me to explain.  As a professional dressmaker and fashion designer I have the pleasure of working with individuals and small business owners from around the country and now world.  Recently, I  was contacted by First Nations, Cherokee Bear Clan Indian member Blue Eagle about creating a special project from Quebec, Canada.  Blue Eagle is of French Canadian, Pawnee, Algonquin and Abenakis decent, he's also a well respected Shaman, vocal artist and businessman.  He read one of my articles about organic and sustainable fashion and decided I could help with his project of creating a very special garment, authentic to Indian dress, symbolic and of the earth. 

I must admit upon speaking with him and understanding the requirements I was a bit leary if I could provide the service, but I wanted to try.  The job hit close to home.  My race in our society is declared as Black when in fact my heritage is Cherokee and Sioux.  I didn't know much about native Indian dress but always believed I should, so when the opportunity presented itself I took it.

There was a catch for me completing the project and producing the garment requested, I would receive no guidance on the design or color, only that the fabric had to be organic hemp because of it's earthy properties.  Needless to say I was a bit puzzled that a First Nations Clan would contact a Black woman in the United States to fulfill such a task. 

I felt there was a reason and deeper meaning to this unusual request and so I accepted and began my work, researching and learning all I could about this authentic dress called the "Ribbon Shirt", the meaning of colors for the Indian culture and the meaning of measurement and space.  I produced two garments but gained invaluable knowledge that's connected me to a part of my heritage explaining the person I am today; my insatiable connection to the earth, my drive to create the businesses I now own, my dedication to creating beauty, seeking collaborations and protecting the efforts of people working together to create good.

                                          Organic Hemp fabric from Austria

The goal behind the project was for me to create prototypes, patterns and spec/tech packs for manufacturing allowing the Clan to produce the garment in large quantities.  I'm pleased with the results.

To learn more about Blue Eagle visit one of the following links:http://invocation.ca/en  or  http://www.aiglebleu.net/en.  Shaman explained:  http://www.aiglebleu.net/en/quest-ce-que-le-chamanisme. 

I'm thankful that the Nation and Blue Eagle had the confidence in me to produce the item they were seeking.  I'm even more thankful for the opportunity to learn more about who I am and  grow as a person through an unlikely alliance.

More about Silver Needle & Thread Custom Sewing can be found here: http://www.silverneedleandthread.com. 

• Hemp
• First Nations
• Sustainability