Back in the states and with this thought- Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You could be that great generation. Mandela

Davos – Meet the Leader session with Young Global Leaders and Bill Gates, followed by several design meetings and a cultural soiree.

Davos – Morning interviews, followed by a Leadership discussion with a few industry titans, and a presentation on Sustainable Design.

Davos – Discussion leader at the Design for Change session today.

Davos – Meet the Leader session with Bill Clinton, Professor Schwab and fellow Young Global Leaders; followed by the Opening Address with President Sarkozy. http://ping.fm/LcMYL

Preparing for my trip to Davos, tomorrow http://ping.fm/x5Uty

In 1985, only 50% of the US apparel market was imported. By 2009, 95% of clothing in America was imported – Schmatta

today, Transforming Cultures from Consumerism to Sustainability: State of the World 2010 Symposium
http://ping.fm/CRkM1

heading back to Capitol Hill to discuss the future of the American fashion industry

Interview with Chinese magazine, Green Herald during Summer Davos. Translations welcomed. http://ping.fm/H4Xso

Fact: the production of organic cotton is still less than one per cent of total cotton production.

Meet a designer who combined fashion, technology and sustainability to become an international leader in her field. http://ping.fm/QhL6S

Annually, the world’s consumers spend more than 1 trillion dollars worldwide buying clothes.

State of the World: If everyone lived like Americans, Earth could sustain only 1.4 billion people.

Design to Save, Costs More

In the New York Times article, “Nokia Tries to Undo Blunders in U.S.,” journalist, Kevin J. O’brien interviews executives at Nokia, a Finnish company and the world’s largest cell phone maker, about its decline in the United States.

Nokia’s comments are best summarized by this quote: “Among its biggest blunders, analysts and former Nokia executives say, the company failed to design many of its phones to the tastes of American consumers, instead mass producing devices for the global market to save on production costs.” That move cost Nokia almost a 30% share of the American market. On Thursday, Nokia posted a 1.36 billion loss and a global sales decline of 20%.

Evident in this story: the value of good design, and the cost of short-term thinking.

Example, Nokia was slow to develop a smart phone that could compete with the iPhone, a consistently growing sector of the cell phone market. And refused to tailor merchandise to local tastes and demands, at a penalty. The cell phone industry is extremely competitive and good design is an important element to any business success story.

Now, “Mark Louison, president of Nokia’s North American unit, says the company is laying the groundwork for long-term success.” Long-term, is a word not often uttered in corporate America. That said, having a vision of the long-term, the future that is, will be critical to any company looking to thrive.

If  only more executives  would take the time to understand the long-term picture and build for local markets, we would all benefit from an environmentally and economically sustainable world. NATALIA

Hip-tech Pop Culture

When I see performers like Kanye West and Lady Gaga sporting light up clothing and accessories I can’t help but think that this could be a glimpse into the near future of fashion.  The visceral use of the technology lends itself in performance but could there actually be a real world purpose? Yes, but not yet. A new technology called Lumalive has emerged, and like most fashion technology collaborations, Lumalive is best suited as marketing buzz. Until there are more fashion designers that understand material technology and see the big picture, we will continue to see frivolous high-tech innovations.

Lumalive is a branch off product from Phillips, and specializes in pieces of clothing with embedded LED lights that can create moving images within the textile itself. So far, they have been pushing the idea that this is an eye catching way to promote your company, product or event.  The images that are created within the garment are very generic and look like a scrolling movie theater marquee. None the less, the experience is visually stimulating, and as this technology evolves the images will become more complex.

It seems inevitable that its novelty will wear off and that Lumalive will make its way into mainstream retail. Considering how fast trends in fashion move people may just crave a light bright garment for back to school.  Now the idea of illuminating clothing becoming accessible doesn’t seem to be so Tron-esque anymore.

CABEZAS

Green Community Design

Green Community Design – Recently, I visited the exhibition Green Community at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC. The show was full of light, very sleek and relied heavily on the circle as a core aesthetic element. Not a personal interior design favorite, but bright, easy to read and simple to navigate. Time capsules filled with facts of note, from the last two centuries, proved engaging and creative. They reminded me of the importance of sprawling public parks, intelligent political reform, and innovative sciences, in creating healthy hospitable environments (communities). For example, “1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux’s plan wins the design competition for Central Park in New York City ”, reads one. Another, 1980, US President “Ronald Regan removes the White House solar panels,” says another.

Carbon Fiber Textiles

 

 

Carbon Kevlar Hybrid Cloth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carbon fibers are a woven structure of thin carbon strands used to create a strong and lightweight shell for a variety of products from cars and fishing rods to cycling clothing.

The textiles are stronger than steel but much lighter. This decreased density is why the fibers are used to lower the center of gravity in cars, and create ultra light, durable clothing.

In some cases the fibers endure a multi-step process of heat and oxidization reaching several hundreds of degrees Celsius. The last phase for some of the fibers involves using a plastic resin changing the fiber into Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic. For military use in planes and protective clothing this multi-step, energy intensive process may make sense, yet it seems excessive for everyday clothing.

According to C&F Fabric Corps., the carbon fiber biking jerseys have extra absorbency to keep athletes cooler, cleaner and drier. Overall, the ecological impact seems too great to start mass producing clothing dependent on a process involving extreme temperatures and exposure to toxins.

- GANDRUD

 History of the Bike Jersey

London Fashion Week – Gone Green

Prophetick fabric + Noir collection

Of all the fashion weeks this last month, London leads the way down the eco road.

Estethica is the area of London Fashion Week that exhibits only eco and fair trade clothing, and this year there was a lot to see and hear. The exhibit has grown from 13 to 37 exhibitors over the last three years and this year it featured a range of eco designers including Noir, Goodone, Prophetick and Eloise Grey. The designers have dedicated themselves to doing good by way of their products. Prophetick uses fabric painted by elephants, Goodone utilizes recycled cashmere for geometric knits, Eloise Grey is working to make the first certified organic tweed and Noir tries to keep sourcing within the EU.

Amid the hustle and bustle at Estethica, London Fashion week revealed a big surprise: The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs unveiled its Sustainable Clothing Action Plan.

Because clothing and textiles account for approximately 5-10 per cent of our environmental impacts (Source: European Commission (2006): Environmental Impact of Products), and consumption is likely to increase and raise the impact even more, the government and some high street retailers have taken green pledges. While no promises have been made, stores such as Marks and Spencer have taken a pledge to use more recyclable fibers and organic materials.

Bravo London!

- GANDRUD

Noir

London Fashion Week

Design Futurist – joins World Economic Forum – Young Global Leaders

NEW YORK, NY – February 25, 2009 – Natalia Allen received an honor, bestowed each year by the World Economic Forum. The Forum recognizes and acknowledges between 200 and 300 outstanding young leaders from around the world for their professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world.

Drawn from a pool of almost 5,000 candidates, the Young Global Leaders 2009 were chosen by a selection committee, chaired by H.M. Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, comprising 31 eminent international media leaders.

About The Forum of Young Global Leaders – Established in 2004 by Professor Klaus Schwab, The Forum of Young Global Leaders is a unique, multistakeholder community of the world’s most extraordinary young leaders who dedicate a part of their time to jointly address global challenges and who are committed to devote part of their knowledge and energy to collectively work towards a better future. Together the Young Global Leaders work to discover innovative solutions to today’s most pressing problems through various initiatives and workstreams as well as catalysing the next generation of leaders. Please visit the link for more information. Source: www.weforum.org – World Economic Forum announces Young Global Leaders 2009 - www.younggloballeaders.org