I followed a tweet to this article, and I think it’s a great story:

“At Amsterdam’s first Repair Cafe, an event originally held in a theater’s foyer, then in a rented room in a former hotel and now in a community center a couple of times a month, people can bring in whatever they want to have repaired, at no cost, by volunteers who just like to fix things. Conceived as a way to help people reduce waste, the Repair Cafe concept has taken off since its debut two and a half years ago. The Repair Cafe Foundation has raised about $525,000 through a grant from the Dutch government, support from foundations and small donations, all of which pay for staffing, marketing and even a Repair Cafe bus.”

Reading this reminded me that not long ago I read about an Amsterdam-based company who issued a Repair Manifesto. And in fact, the article goes on to say: “[...] Martine Postma, a former journalist, came up with the concept [...] inspired by a design exhibit about the creative, cultural and economic benefits of repairing and recycling”. Just the one I’d been reading of.

Platform 21 is a design platform aiming to positively influence the relationship between user and product. “Through our projects we question today’s society, connect amateur and professional creativity, reveal the making process, and stimulate dialogue and the sharing of creative knowledge. We believe that showing and sharing the process of creation is a powerful way to engage a broad audience in divers aspects of design. It opens up the assumption that design is a professionals’ creative discipline only.”

Platform21’s Repair Manifesto opposes throwaway culture and celebrates repair as the new recycling. The last few months the Manifesto has been downloaded, blogged about and adopted all over the world – apparently more than a million times!

The idea has also been picked up by iFixit.com.

So what do you think? Would it be nice to have a place like the Repair Cafe’ here in London? Do you know of any such places here already? If you do, please leave a comment and let us know!

This year, I may be missing Azzedine Alaïa in the 21st Century and Iris Van Herpen at the Groninger Museum in Holland, and Louis Vuitton/Marc Jacobs at Les Arts Decoratifs (sigh..), but I am most certainly visiting the V&A again, and the Design Museum, and the Fashion and Textile Museum, and the Royal Academy… For these are hosting not one or two, but 4! fashion-themed exhibitions to look forward to – all on simultaneously at some point in May, which calls for a day off and a full immersion me thinks!

Starting off with the mighty V&A, May 19th is the official opening of Ballgowns: British glamour since 1950.

Hosted in the newly renovated Fashion Galleries, it will be all about beautiful ballgowns, red carpet evening dresses and catwalk showstoppers.  Displayed over two floors, the exhibition will cover over sixty years of a strong British design tradition, and will feature more than sixty designs for social events, by designers including Victor Stiebel, Zandra Rhodes, Jonathan Saunders, Hussein Chalayan, Alexander McQueen, Giles Deacon, Erdem and Jenny Packham, plus a selection of royal ballgowns and dresses worn by actresses and celebrities.

Paris my be hosting an exhibition about Vuitton, but London is showcasing Hermes – albeit with a quick stint of less than three weeks. Leather forever explores the 175 year history of the French luxury accessories house, and its fascination with creating designer objects from leather. Founded by Thiery Hermes in 1837, the Parisian fashion house has a long established reputation for working with leather to create harnesses and saddles, before later moving onto (most famously) bags and shoes. Held in the Royal Academy of Art’s sister space, 6 Burlington Gardens, this is a chance for fans of the Hermes brand  to learn more about the history of the company, through six generations of artisan crafts, which has enabled them to keep on making the same objects with the same skill and dedication since the business began.

Speaking of French designers, one with fewer years of history, but an equal following of fashionistas and celebrities, Christian Loubutin is being celebrated at the Design Museum.

This exhibition celebrates Louboutin’s career to date and showcases twenty years of designs and inspiration, revealing the artistry and theatricality of his shoe design from stilettos to lace-up boots, studded sneakers and bejewelled pumps. At the core of the exhibition will be a unique exploration of Louboutin’s design process, taking the visitor through every stage of the design journey, revealing how a shoe is constructed, from the initial drawing and first prototype through to production in the factory. Looking beyond design and production the exhibition will also explore the company’s innovative store design.

But then the focus moves straight back home, with Designing Women: Post-War British Textiles at the Fashion and Textile Museum.

Britain was at the forefront of international textile design in the 1950s and 1960s. The art of textile design radically changed after the Second World War and three women artists working in England in the 1950s were pivotal in this artistic revolution. The drab days of the War were transformed by the fresh, progressive designs of Lucienne Day**, Jacqueline Groag and Marian Mahler. Designing Women: Post-war British textiles showcases more than 100 of their works.

*which came after only two years from the one at the Design Museum in London, which I also reviewed for Clique Magazine

** whose textiles I admired, together with works by husband Robin, at Pallant House in Chichester. Also in 2011 – it definitely was a good year for exhibitions!

The Waltham Forest Business Award showcases the most creative, innovative and enterprising businesses in Waltham Forest.
At its first edition for 2012, the aim is to recognise and reward small businesses in Waltham Forest for their determination, hard work and contribution that their businesses makes to the local economy.

It was absolutely great to be chosen by the jury as the winner of the Best Professional Services category – however the final choice now rests with the public for an overall winner of the final prize, so I would like to ask all of my friends, colleagues, clients, readers and followers to vote for me!

You can do so here: http://2012wfsb.eventbrite.com/  and it’s a very easy and quick process.
I would also like to give a mention to the other finalists, who all run great businesses, which are based in the Walthm Forest borough, but have a much wider reach:

Start-up business of the year – Screen 17
Retail business of the year – Penny Fielding
Creative business of the year – Elbow Creative
Social enterprise/ Charity of the year – The Soul Project
Food &/ or Drinks business of the year – City Veg ‘n’ Fruit Ltd

Thanks for voting!

So it is with great pleasure that I’ve been asked to collaborate with them for an ethical fashion ‘do’ they are setting up for this weekend.

On Friday evening, they’ll be starting the weekend off in style, with bubbly and free, delicious Divine chocolate.

And on Saturday, I’ll be at hand for a spot of personal style advice, to help pick the best pieces from this generous sample sale, and send a few ladies (and gents!) off home with a smile on their faces.

Open any fashion magazine, and they will tell you about all the things you MUST have right now. Tempting, indeed. But, do you

a) feel you don’t want to go out on a massive shopping spree right now

b) feel you don’t want to look just like every other magazine reader?

How about you get creative with what’s in your wardrobe already?

So I had a pair of brown lace-ups. Then I went to Le Marche, the area in Italy where the production of high-end shoes is based, and I found a massive bargain for a pair of Ixos shoeboots. Also brown. Now, obviously I don’t need two pairs of shoes that have basically the same purpose. At this point, I’ve also been looking for a pair of red shoes, for a long time and always unsuccessfully.

The solution? Simply to turn my brown lace-ups into red ones. So I go to my local cobbler, and buy some leather paint. Then I get enthusiastically going, forgetting to take a ‘before’ picture – oops!

I did take some ‘in-the-process’ pictures though:

I’m not a master of DIY, or painting for that matter. I’ve decided the visible and irregular brushstrokes only add character though!

Next, I took the shoes back to the cobbler, for the details: have the heel painted black, add some black laces, and add the nice detail: red soles (from Save Your Sole)!!

And here is my new pair of red shoes:

What do you think?

This is going to be an event at trendy Notting Hill boutique, The Merchant 24.

The evening will present the best of ethical and sustainable fashion and lifestyle brands as well as numerous hands-on activities in which guests can be involved. Fashion ComPassion’s 2012 collections will be on sale and customers will have the chance to place bespoke orders of limited edition pieces – while I will be at hand to give styling tips and put beautiful and sustainable outfits together. Guests will also be able to enjoy consultations on health and wellbeing by Fushi, whose products I’m looking forward to trying. There will also be live music, delicious desserts, canapés and drinks, so something for everyone!

A percentage of all sales made on the evening will support OXFAM’s work including projects empowering women – which is perfectly aligned to Fashion Compassion’s philosophy. “We want everyone who walks in the doors of The Merchant to remember this night and the importance of supporting and empowering women in the developing world”, as Ayesha put it.

It would be great to see all of you there. If you’re interested in coming along, do drop me a line, or RSVP directly to fashioncompassion@themerchant24.com

Here are some pictures of the event:

I was also asked to take part in the panel of one of the seminars organised by the Ethical Fashion Forum. Here I am with Tamsin Lejeune, EFF Director, Emily Peirce, EFF Senior Manager, Anita Hawkins of We Are ULTRA, and Benita Singh of Source4Style

Shine is the UK’s leading unconventional conference (or unconference) for socially-minded entrepreneurs, and offers an accelerator package to allow entrepreneurs to grow their venture; practical support, services, tools and connections.

The focus is by no means on fashion, however I was glad to see that the topic was considered relevant for entrepreneurs who want to be agents of change, and I was honoured to be invited to sit in a very variegated and interesting panel. The session was titled ‘Bang on Trend’ (and subtitled: Fashion and social enterprise haven’t always skipped through life hand in hand. But can personal iconography, technology and social enterprise create a something more important?), it was led by Kresse of pioneering label Elvis & Kresse, with other panelists including Esther Freeman of Ms Wanda’s, Heather lodge of Heloeco and Lori Smith of Rarely Wears Lipstick.

In the true spirit of the ‘unconference’, this aimed at being an informal discussion, and indeed the public were very engaged and threw some really interesting questions at us, which led to very open conversations on a number of topics, all related to fashion and sustainability. For a good round-up, read this blog post by Ms Wanda’s.

I left quite inspired by the whole debate, the result was food for thought not just for those attending, but for us panelists too – even more so I’d say, as the issues that we discussed are integral part of our jobs, and very much our personal interests.

For this event, Rewardrobe curated the selection of brands to exhibit, and the dedicated trends area.

Drawing on her Italian origins and connections, Veronica Crespi, Director of Rewardrobe, also selected a collective of Italian labels, to represent the best of what the country nowadays offers in the ethical fashion field.

It is an eclectic mix, covering all approaches to sustainability:

Reale Slow Fashion – Reale aims to create everlasting items and limit waste. Reale uses natural dyes and nickel free metal details, and is committed to maximising fabric sustainability, using innovative fabrics from seacell to organic plush

Haikure – Haikure is a sustainable denim brand, traceable by means of the QR code placed on the label, which enables the eco-sustainability of each garment to be traced through every step of its production.

Riciclabo’ – Riciclabo’ is an Italian brand of upcycled ladieswear, created from second-hand clothes and textile production rejects. The collection incorporates refined tailoring and eco-sustainable fabrics.

Campeche – Campeche produce scarves dyed with certified GOTS vegetable dyes. Campeche use organic silk and cotton and other natural fibres such as wild silk, wool and linen.

NVK – Based on a Slow design philosophy, NVK is Made in Italy and uses sustainably sourced and eco fabrics. NVK garments can be worn, fastened and taken off in one simple move and are suitable for all sizes.

CeeBee – CeeBee uses recycled materials – like paper, plastic, rubber and textiles to create ‘one of a kind’ accessories in limited editions.

EOS – EOS is a brand that links respect for the environment with Italian artisanal skills. EOS produce mens and womenswear solely from eco fabrics: organic cotton, organic linen, hemp and bamboo.

Stefania Masotto Biomoda – Stefania Masotto Biomoda collections use only eco and organic materials, all certified ICEA and GOTS. Stefania Masotto’s production is entirely based in Italy, thanks to the hands of local artisans.

The reason for this venture is that Rewardrobe believes in creating connections and establish international synergies, to enable brands to enhance their exposure and inclusion in events, in order to help them get established within the industry, and bring them to the attention of buyers and the public.

In this case, a group of exciting Italian brands is presented at this acclaimed platform – adding to the event’s offer, and providing the chance for the brands to explore a new market.

You can download a full Press Release of this event here

This is a really cool area, and JUST, the EJF store, makes it even more so – with their pick of the best in sustainable fashion, and their unique events.

This Saturday, 16th July, I’m happy to be part of a day dedicated to Upcycling – the JUST Make it! DIY Party.

I’ll be talking about how good upcycling can be for your personal style and for your wardrobe credentials, and introducing designers.

You can go to the Facebook event page and confirm your attendance here. And you find more details after the jump. Hope to see you there!