Happy New Geometrics Year!

Jonathan Saunders Animated, Emma Neuberg, 2012

Thank you for sharing a wonderful year and we look forward to more inspirational, ground-breaking and fun events in 2013!

Onesies in a Rush?

A soldier walks through the sewing room at Tazreen Fashions, Savar, Bangladesh, on November 25th 2012.  

Over 100 people die.

"On the way to the staircase that leads to the cutting floor I notice hundreds of boxes marked for Carrefour, a huge European multiple that after Walmart is the world's second largest retailer, with an extraordinary 12,500 stores across the world.  The boxes are stacked up along the side of the assembly floor, masking the fire regulations and the yellow signs pointing to the exits.  But then, given that the staircases are almost completely blocked by more boxes, presumably waiting to be picked up to start their long journey to the stores, the exits might not be all that much use.

"'These boxes,' I say pointing out the bleeding obvious, 'they're blocking the stairs. The fire escape! The fire risk!'  My voice is becoming increasingly shrill.. The factory manager is unmoved by my persistent heckling, and continues to clatter down the staircase.  

A woman looks for family members after a textile factory fire in Karachi, Pakistan, 

on September 12th 2012. Over 300 die. 

"We end up for tea and biscuits in the factory manager's office, where again we are told we can ask about anything we like - cue more arm-waving. And so I bang on about the boxes and the fire escape again.

"'Big order,' he says.  'Huge order!'  Yes, I say, but the 500,000-piece order for men's, women's and children's jeans is currently blocking the fire escapes.  'This is not,' he admits, 'a perfect factory.  This is a B-rated factory.'  Who has rated it 'B', I ask.  'It is rated B,' he says and we continue in this vein for thirty minutes.  'The 'B' rating, I'm finally led to believe, is a Bangladesh trade standard, meaning that the factory is not perfect.  Then suddenly the manager turns, his tone becoming increasingly impassioned and accusatory.  'How can I get a good factory when you [in the West] pay so little?'"

 A textiles worker returns to the sewing room at Tazreen Fashions, Bangladesh.  Further information and details here.

If there's one book you read over the holiday, read Lucy Siegle's prophetic To Die For: Is Fashion Wearing Out the World?

After that, read Naked Fashion, The New Sustainable Fashion Revolution by Safia Minney. 

Brains will rewire.

Identifying textile workers in Karachi, Pakistan, 

on September 12th 2012. Over 300 die. 

Overcrowded sewing rooms, Tazreen Fashions, Savar, Bangladesh.

Full details of the Savar night shift tragedy here.

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Relatives prepare to bury loved ones from the Tazreen Fashions Factory tragedy on November 27th 2012.  Further information on the fashion labels found in the embers here. 

There is now a UK-based Fashion Mob that you can join here to raise your concerns with the effects of very fast fashion demands, collectively and strategically.

Some Old Fabrics in this Season of New New New!

Linen and wool tapestry, detail, third to fourth century AD, Egypt.

Linen and wool tapestry, detail, fourth to fifth century AD, Egypt.

Linen and wool tapestry, detail, fifth to sixth century AD, Egypt.

Lunar Deity, wool embroidery on linen, detail, third to fourth century AD, Egypt.

For more information on these extrordinarily modern-looking Egyptian wool and linen weaves and embroideries go here. 

Learn Alexander McQueen Embellishment Techniques with The Slow Textiles Group on Dec 1st at 2pm!

Eline Le Callennec embellishment for Alexander McQueen, Spring/Summer 2010.

Learn couture embellishment techniques with Alexander McQueen and Mary Katrantzou's embroiderer Eline Le Callennec at TSTG's new, amazing venue, London Printworks Trust, on Dec 1st from 2pm til 6pm with a lecture on Sustainability and Unsustainability in the Fashion System!   

Join in online or in person, book here!

Eline Le Callennec embellishment for Alexander McQueen, Spring/Summer 2012.

Eline Le Callennec embellishment for Mary Katrantzou, Spring/Summer 2012.

It's time to add the slow touch to your fast prints!

TSTG at London Printworks Trust!

 

 

Pat Albeck, Counter Feat, London Printworks Trust, 2011.

We're delighted to announce that TSTG joins the iconic London Printworks Trust for the 

Slow Design School Stitch & Book Club this weekend!

Our Slow Design School students follow in the footsteps of Great British designers such as Pat Albeck, Holly Fulton, Jonathan Saunders, Eley Kishimoto and Zandra Rhodes who have all worked with London Printworks Trust to develop their stunning textile collections! 

Each of those designer's work is so diverse, and many others' who have worked with LPT,  yet all display a mix of lyricism, wit and energy that is quintessentially British. That's what makes them so timeless, iconic and desirable!

The London Printworks Trust is synonymous with nurturing and promoting these qualities so it is with great excitement and honour that TSTG has their first Practice+Theory event there this Saturday!

There's no advert for this event as it's exclusive to the Slow Design School Programme however, we'll be putting some pics on Twitter for you to enjoy!

Holly Fulton, Counter Feat, London Printworks Trust, 2011.  

Jonathan Saunders, Counter Feat,  2011.   

             Eley Kishimoto, Counter Feat, London Printworks Trust, 2011.

Zandra Rhodes, Counter Feat, London Printworks Trust, 2011.

Toxic Threads Online Discussion Forum Dec 1st!

To join the discussion, buy your ticket for Dec 1st under Event Bookings to the right!

Learn Mary Katrantzou Embellishment Techniques with The Slow Textiles Group on Dec 1st!

Eline Le Callennec embellishment for Mary Katrantzou, Spring/Summer 2012.

Learn with Mary Katrantzou's embroiderer at the Slow Studio on Dec 1st from 2pm til 6pm with a lecture and Textiles Talk too! All materials included!  Bookings here!

It's time to add the slow hand touch to your fast prints!

Fast Fashion Impacts and Timeless Textiles in One Afternoon!

Our next ground-breaking lecture combines an overview of the negative environmental impacts of fast fashion coupled with a timeless couture sewing class from Alexander McQueen and Mary Katrantzou embroiderer, Eline Le Callennec; plus, much more in the way of sustainable textile design methodologies, analysis and discussion!

Takes place in Slow Studio on December 1st at 2pm. Go to  WOW Events  for details or FAST TRACK BOOKING!

Eline Le Callennec.

Slow Design School Open Day This Saturday!

YOU are invited to the Slow Design School Open Day this Saturday at 3pm in
West Hampstead, London, United Kingdom!

If you're not in the United Kingdom, just ask for a login link and we'll send you a recording
of the event!

Meet like-minded people, learn new things, develop your practice, get access to the theoretical framework of sustainable design, ideate, collaborate, exhibit and get funding through the Slow Studio platform!

Send an email with Open Day as the subject to guarantee your place!

A Slow Studio Ideation Day, 2011!

The Slow Textiles Group Print Room Cinema Tania Grace Knuckey Premiere!

TSTG just had a wonderful Textiles Talk from award-winning textiles animator, Tania Knuckey, 

in the Slow Studio's Print Room Cinema!

Tania's vision is to bring dynamism to textiles through film-making and animation.

This a small snippet of one of her many amazing textile films being screened at the Slow Studio Cinema yesterday! This was the first public 'cinema' viewing of her film collection and it was sensational!

The next Slow Studio Cinema showing is Dec 1st where you can see a collection of Textiles in Fast Fashion movies! Come, SEE!

Co-created Virtual Patchwork by TSTG!

The Slow Textiles Group spent a great weekend inspired by Liberty's of London quilt-maker, Katherine May teaching hands-on fabric geometrics.

Then, following TSTG director, Emma Neuberg's instruction in how to convert these into digital animations, members of the Slow Textiles Group worked together on the first ever co-created virtual digital patchwork! 

Kate, Geraldine, Katie, Christina, Pennina, Manda, Red, Veronica, Emma, Susana and Tania thought they'd share this first incarnation of it with you here! This represents the first international virtual 'patchwork' animated and created internationally in an afternoon by top textile designers!

The workshop concluded with a series of textile animator, Tania Grace Knuckey's extraordinary, poetic, evocative and stunning textile animations in the Print Room Cinema! Much excitement, dialogue and future thinking was set in motion in anticipation of TSTG Geometrics Season: Symposium, Exhibition and Catalogue 2013!

The Slow Textiles Group and Vince Cable's March of the Makers Coming to You Soon!

The Slow Textiles Group spent a wonderful day today with Paul Smith, Margaret Howell, Brooks Brothers, Members of Parliament and the City of London livery companies and many other wonderful textiles professionals to help in the upswell of the Made in Britain campaign. Who says we don't have fantastic weavers, knitters, embroiderers, pattern cutters and printers right here! Vision, skill, passion unite!

Slow Textiles Group at Ethical Fashion Forum Source Expo Today!

We SO enjoyed the EFF Source Expo today! There was such an array of fantastic suppliers and producers being showcased - from all over the world! 

Our very own member, Lisa Bloomer, was one of the only British wool weavers represented from the UK.  Design and sustainability are so central to her work and future vision that the result is a cutting edge product that offers an aesthetic sensibility that far surpasses the more rural weaves largely presented today. 

Technique, aesthetic and sustainable methodologies are central to Lisa's innovation hence she won the Althea McNish Prize for Colour, Royal College of Art 2012 and the Great British Texprint 2012 award as well as being shortlisted for the new Sustain Award at the Royal College of Art 2012. Watch this space!

In Great Britain we have the designers, the heritage and the skills - we say, let's use them! 

Designers, this is your platform!

In fact, Lisa is now featured on the front cover of the EFF Source Magazine 

Trend Report: Wool and Heavyweight Fabrics:

Other highlights of the day include,

If you'd like to work with us to develop your design work and aesthetic collections, content and development for a western and eastern market,  just email us via the Contact Page!

The Ethical Fashion Forum website has the full supplier list of today's SOURCE Expo (Day 1) - there are too many to cite here!