Lamont-Doherty climate scientists incorporate their research into fabric and fashion - Lohud

Nancy Cutler The Journal News

Published 6:00 AM EST Feb 18, 2020

NYACK – Luminaries like Jane Fonda and Joaquin Phoenix drew a lot of attention for their fashion repeats on the Oscars red carpet — re-wearing outfits already seen from past awards shows. But they've got nothing on Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory scientists Robin Bell and Nicole Davi.

Bell and Davi, along with other climate scientists based at the Palisades campus of Columbia University, have started wearing their work on their sleeves, skirts and scarves, incorporating pictures of their research into fabric and fashion.

"We have to put the lens of climate in everything we do," said Bell, one of the world's top experts on polar ice sheets who even has an ice ridge in Antarctica named for her – Bell Buttress.

Bell has donned climate-themed clothing before. But her recent fashion collaboration, along with outfits worn by Davi and other climate scientists, caught some key attention.

The Lamont researchers wore their sustainable creations to the American Geophysical Union awards ceremony in December. Bell is president of the organization.

Bell's flowing skirt depicted a mountain range under the Antarctic sea. "It's really upside-down," Bell said, oddly appropriate for the bottom of the world. 

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Bell worked with Maria Luisa Whittingham, owner of Maria Luisa Boutique in Nyack, to create her climate-themed clothing.

Whittingham described how the project inspired her to create a bias-cut flow to the fabric, to add repurposed crystal beads at different heights like water falling. "This shows how beautiful nature is."

Davi is a leading researcher in paleoclimatology (figuring out climate during past periods) and dendrochronology (studying tree rings to date events and environment of the past). Her dress was upcycled from an old black dress she had hanging in her closet. She worked with a seamstress to add beading, trim and pleats that incorporate pictures of tree rings printed on fabric.

Davi's dress honored both science and history: The photos of tree ring samples stemmed from the work of the father of dendrochronology, Andrew E. Douglass.

"We are always trying to communicate about our science," Davi said. "Fashion is another way to have that conversation."

Davi said the Lamont scientists' dresses did just that after the American Geophysical Union awards ceremony in San Francisco. They were chatting with people in the elevator. They talked about their climate-inspired attire, and their work.

"They were so interested in talking with us ... and it was handy, we could show them," Davi said, unfolding the pleats on her dress to display the tree-ring images complete with pencil marks tracking time.

Those business people Davi and other climatologists met in the elevator? They worked for Salesforce, the company whose CEO Marc Benioff championed the Trillion Trees campaign to President Donald Trump.

"Worlds collided," Davi said. The Salesforce team was clearly interested in the topic, she said. "They couldn't ask us enough questions."

Whittingham said she was grateful the dresses created not only beauty but talking points. "I feel so hopeful that people really do get it and care," she said.

The Nyack store owner found the project personally inspiring as well. "I have to say thank you to Robin," Whittingham said during a recent visit in her South Broadway store. "This totally opened me up." She said she continues to work on other sustainable clothing ideas. 

Bell relishes the idea that her Antarctic-inspired clothing can serve as a lesson plan of sorts. 

"What we do is trying to decode the planet," Bell said of climate science. Displaying that work as a fashion statement makes it relatable and relevant. And, she said, it incorporates a message that "Our future is something we can embrace."

Twitter: @nancyrockland

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https://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/rockland/2020/02/18/lamont-doherty-climate-scientists-incorporate-research-into-clothes/4729490002/

2020-02-18 11:00:00Z
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The Most Sustainable Idea In Fashion Is Personal Style - GQ

The strangest thing about this very quiet New York Fashion Week was how disconnected it felt from last season’s environmentally conscious hullabaloo. Last fall, everyone yelled a little bit too loudly about sustainability. This season, people yelled a little bit too loudly about how New York Fashion Week was dead. The shift is strange because one answers the other: couldn’t a little pruning, a little quietude, a little more discretion about who should have a fashion show and why, help us solve the quandary of how to make fashion more sustainable, both as an environmental concern and as an industry?

Two designers told me things this fashion week that seemed like they had very little to do with those topics but that made me think about them in a whole new way. (Now that’s fashion at its best!)

One: Collina Strada designer Hillary Taymour said that she designs things that she hopes people will keep for years and years—and indeed, her sense for print and color, combined with her super-simple shapes, mean that her pieces can be worn in lots of different ways, and that even after years between the closet and the dry cleaner, they’ll still bring the zing that good clothes do. You could put those tie-dye pants with a kinda fancy jacket and go out on a date, or throw one of her short-sleeve crazy-printed button-downs under a suit at work. It’s all about dressing for joy—but doing that by making something truly your own, by making it a part of the wardrobe of your lifetime. (Yes, I am listening to Pure Moods while writing this!)

Two: I asked Rachel Comey how she starts designing a collection, and I was sort of taken back by how pragmatically she answered. “During the pre-spring season, it’s a lot of events,” she said, and I felt like a bonehead standing in the rain who’d asked if it was raining. “And, well, what if she doesn’t want to dress up in a dress? What if she wants to wear a suit and flats and still feel dressed up?” A lot of designers do a song and dance of inspirations—“‘Start Me Up’-era Mick Jagger meets the disciplined basket weaving styles of Edo period Japan!” or whatever—but Comey reminded me that there are a lot of really well-dressed people out there who are looking great simply by buying what they need.

Taken together, both sentiments made me realize that perhaps the only truly sustainable idea in fashion is developing personal style.

Here’s what I mean: the current climate of fast fashion and, for many men, hypebeastiality (hehe!), favors the look over the wardrobe, the moment over the long term. But personal style, not fashion, holds the greatest reward: it allows you to invest in yourself, rather than in a bunch of ideas about who you could or should want to be. The wardrobe has somehow become the least considered part of fashion, in part because a lot of people you see in fashion are borrowing things rather than really owning and wearing and loving them, and in part because we have learned to love and rely on a culture of nonstop novelty. We’ve taught ourselves that our clothing can only bring a sense of joy the first time we wear it. But there are ways to train yourself to love something every time you put it on. The real test for me is: can I put it on, forget about it for most of the day, remember I’m wearing it at 4 pm, and grin? If the thing is really great—and I promise you this—people don’t think, “I can’t believe he’s wearing that jacket again.” They think about how cool it looks on you—and about how envious they are that you have a signature, that you dress like you really know yourself.

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https://www.gq.com/story/sustainable-fashion-personal-style

2020-02-17 15:04:07Z
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Osman Opts for Artsy Film Instead of Fashion Collection - WWD

BIG DREAMS: For this season, London-based designer Osman Yousefzada decided to ditch the catwalks to present an artsy short movie instead of his eponymous label’s new collection.

Partnering with the Whitechapel Gallery, Yousefzada hosted the screening of his “Her Dreams Are Bigger” film at the location on Sunday.

The project intended to highlight the importance of sustainability and shed light on the realities of fast fashion and global concepts of beauty.

Supported by Livia Firth’s brand consultancy Eco-Age, the short film was developed from a trip to Bangladesh where Yousefzada “showed a suitcase full of clothing carrying the label ‘Made in Bangladesh’.” Bought at charity shops in England, the discarded clothes were handed to women who worked in the industry.

In a series of close-up shots, each woman was asked to imagine the previous owners of the discarded garments, often defining them as “tall” and “beautiful.”

“They wear different types of dresses which make them look more beautiful”, said one of the ladies in the film, while another mused that “they’re not black like me, they’re much fairer and very pretty.”

Others additionally reflected on the correlation between their own poverty and the size of their dreams, which they believe to be way smaller compared to the ones the former owners of the clothes have.

Through the women’s words on film, Yousefzada highlighted personal considerations on the contemporary fashion world, the industry’s inherent inequalities and overall social discrepancy between makers and customers.

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https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/osman-opts-for-artsy-film-instead-of-fashion-collection-1203490241/

2020-02-17 13:47:32Z
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Chanel Postpones Repeat Show in Beijing Due to Coronavirus - WWD

NO SHOW: Chanel has postponed plans to restage its Métiers d’Art show in Beijing in May due to uncertainty over the coronavirus epidemic.

“Considering the current situation and following the guidance of Chinese authorities, Chanel has decided to postpone its project of a replica of the Paris – 31 rue Cambon 2019/20 Métiers d’art collection in May in Beijing to a later and more appropriate moment,” the house said in a statement on Monday.

“Chanel is monitoring the situation closely. At the foremost are the health and wellbeing of its teams and clients,” the French fashion house added.

The collection was initially shown at the Grand Palais in Paris on Dec. 4 and was scheduled to travel to China before another showing in London on June 4 at Old Billingsgate, a 19th-century Victorian building overlooking the Thames River.

The coronavirus outbreak, which has killed more than 1,600 people in China, has prompted authorities to seal off entire cities and airlines to suspend traffic to and from China. As a result, Chinese designers have cancelled planned presentations and shows overseas during the current round of fashion weeks.

Chinese buyers, editors and influencers are staying home, while the upcoming fashion weeks in Beijing and Shanghai have also been postponed. François-Henri Pinault, chairman and chief executive officer of Kering, said last week he expected at least 30 percent fewer guests at the Gucci show in Milan on Wednesday.

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2020-02-17 12:53:38Z
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Amplifying voices in fashion takes the stage at annual runway show - Minnesota Daily

The University of Minnesota’s College of Design hosted its annual senior showcase Saturday, which highlighted a variety of unique voices and communities not often represented in fashion.

The fashion show, called "Amplified," placed a focus on the diversity of the senior class and their communities. It featured collections from a range of voices and backgrounds, including sustainable design, gender neutral fashion, modest apparel and plus-size clothing.

SOMALI BAAN AHAY (I AM SOMALI) by Warda Moosa

Warda Moosa sought out to challenge commonly held perceptions of Somalia with her designs.

"Somali Baan Ahay" translates to "I am Somali" and is a collection of modest apparel inspired by Somalia’s nomadic lifestyle. Moosa’s designs – featuring hijabs, turbans and dresses in rich hues of red, blue and orange – pay homage to her culture and heritage. 

In her collection, Moosa wanted to showcase the arts and culture of Somalia. But finding depictions of her country online that were not images of war, terror and poverty was difficult, she said.

“It's the first time ever that I have taken the time to explore my culture besides what I see in the media,” she said. “It was really hard because at first there was nothing that was positive that was on the media and online.”

Moosa said she hopes her collection can paint a different picture of Somalia and serve as a source of cultural pride to other Somalis.

Parker Johnson

A model showing Designer Warda Moosa's work walks the runway at the Amplified fashion show at Rapson Hall on Saturday, Feb 15. The show features designs by University of Minnesota apparel design seniors.

Mxtape by Maxine Britt

Maxine Britt’s senior collection is made for all genders. Britt, who uses both they/them and she/her pronouns, crafted gender-neutral designs that center the needs of transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming communities. 

“I think that it's really important to represent that group in fashion because fashion is so gendered as men's or women's right now,” they said. “That's really harmful for a lot of people.”

People view gender-neutral fashion as a more masculine way of dressing, she said. But it can be more than wearing basics like jeans and t-shirts. 

“I want with my lines to open people's eyes to the fact that anyone can wear a dress, anyone can wear pink – those things shouldn't be seen as so feminine. People should be a lot more open to expressing themselves however they see fit.”

Parker Johnson

A model showing Designer Maxine Britt's work walks the runway at the Amplified fashion show at Rapson Hall on Saturday, Feb. 15. The show features designs by University of Minnesota apparel design seniors.

Reduce, Reuse, and Restyle by Andrea Dunrud

When Andrea Dunrud was a freshman, she worked at Forever 21 for one day. 

Her passion for sustainable design did not align with the ethics of the fast-fashion company.

“I realized after walking in there that I just cannot participate in this,” she said. “The numbers about sustainability are truly staggering.”

Dunrud’s senior collection showcased designs exclusively made from thrifted and reused clothing and textiles, from white t-shirts to prom dresses to vintage wool skirts. Her collection saved 42 garments and textiles from likely ending up in a landfill, she said

“Realistically, we don't really need to make new clothes,” Dunrud said. “We have enough clothes in the world.”

The United States threw away almost 12 million tons of textiles in 2015, most of which ended up in landfills, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Most of the clothes in Dunrud’s own closet are thrifted. She said she hopes her designs will inspire people to look at their closets more sustainably.

Parker Johnson

A model showing Designer Andrea Dunrud's work walks the runway at the Amplified fashion show at Rapson Hall on Saturday, Feb. 15. The show features designs by University of Minnesota apparel design seniors.

Moi by Ian Harris

Ian Harris described his designs as a love letter and a thank-you letter to the Twin Cities “fat” community. Harris wants people to know that fat is not a bad word and seeks to empower that community.

Harris’ collection was showcased by a range of plus-sized bodies. His models, taking the runway to Lizzo, wore bright shades of orange and pink, donned in sparkles and tulle. 

“While plus sizes have come a long way, there's still so much that needs to be done, and that's what really shaped my perspective as a designer,” Harris said.

The inspiration for Harris’ designs come from one of his icons, Miss Piggy.

It was from her numbers in "The Great Muppet Caper" that she became an icon for Harris and, as he later discovered, for the broader fat community, he said. “We saw ourselves in her and how bold and unabashed she was … like, ‘Yeah, I'm a pig. I'm fat, but I'm amazing.’”

In past showcases, many of the collections tended to feature white, thin models, Harris said.

“While it is how the fashion industry works, I think we're showing where the fashion industry is heading.”

Parker Johnson

Models showing Designer Ian Harris' work walk the runway at the Amplified fashion show at Rapson Hall on Saturday, Feb. 15. The show features designs by University of Minnesota apparel design seniors.

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https://www.mndaily.com/article/2020/02/n-amplifying-voices-in-fashion-takes-the-stage-at-annual-runway-show

2020-02-17 01:18:45Z
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Masked dogs and fashion giants: Sunday's best photos - The Guardian

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2020-02-16 13:49:00Z
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Totes amaze: Anya Hindmarch on her 'plastic bag' and eco-fashion - The Guardian

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2020-02-16 11:00:00Z
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