Good news daily

There is no shortage of terrible news, but good news can be hard to find. That's why we wanted to highlight a handful of recent laws, initiatives, and innovations that give us hope for the future. As the impending reality of a climate changed by global warming has set in, a long overdue sense of urgency has propelled lawmakers, businesses, and scientists to address the causes of overproduction, pollution, and emissions.

The landmark New York Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability bill, currently in committee and expected to go to a vote this spring, is the first of its kind in the US to place sustainability requirements on large companies. The bill requires companies with over 100 million in annual that do business in New York to disclose the environmental impacts of 50% of their supply chains, from greenhouse gases to water and chemicals use. Reduction targets for these impacts would be required, although it hasn't been determined what the reduction thresholds will be. The bill also addresses the social impact of the fashion industry by requiring disclosure of median wages and compliance mechanisms. State senator Alessandra Biaggi sponsored the bill, with support from industry activists including the New Standard Institute, NRDC, and Uprose. The potential impact this bill can have is enormous, because it does what the for-profit auditing industry isn't capable of: creates a set of requirements and a legal framework to fine those who do not comply.

PS: Do you want to get involved? Join the citizen action group The Fashion Policy Initiative by emailing fashionpolicyinitiative@gmail.com

The FABRIC Act aims to enact legislation at the federal level to protect worker's rights and end the practice piece rate pay. Thanks to the success of California bill SB62, the nationwide adoption of such legislation seems possible. The act also aims to address offshoring by providing reshoring credits and a grant program for domestic manufacturers.

LA's own Ambercycle just raised $21.6 million in funding from a group including H&M CO: LAB and Zalando. This will allow the textile recycler to develop infrastructure and materials for circularity in the fashion industry. We are heartened by the investment from companies like H&M into innovative upstarts to promote their mission towards circularity.

Nanollose creates cellulose from waste (!!), making it the the first tree-free viscose.

Stella McCartney introduced the Mylo leather Frayme bag on her SS'22 runway. Mylo, from the innovators at Bolt Threads, is at the forefront of bio-based leather innovation, providing a super supple, subtly textured leather alternative made from mycelium.

These developments are encouraging, and we hope to see increasing commitment to sustainability goals in the future. We we will continue to share positive developments in the world of sustainability and business as it breaks. Subscribe to our newsletter now so you don't miss a thing!

Resizing workshop: entry one

For us, nothing feels worse than a too-tight waistband. Right? Especially on a pair of jeans or high waisted anything, a tight waistband is like living in a soul sucking nightmare. So intense!

Anyway, we wanted to explore interesting ways to resize pants and skirts so that the fit was finally right. And beyond just taking something in or letting it out, what are some ways to turn a boring piece into something exciting to wear?

Our first experiment involved adding fabric panels to trousers (see our IG post here) to make a pair of pants ACTUALLY comfortable to wear. And on the flip side, sizing down a too-big pair of khakis a la Margiela was a super interesting experiment that actually made the pants wearable.

This post will explore another concept: the double waistband trouser! It's popped up on runways from Y/Project to Dion Lee to Marc Jacobs. We are so inspired by the sweatpant / denim hybrids from DIYbypanida - seriously, check her out! See more below, and follow along as we try our own version!

Marc Jacobs SS20

MSTR of Disguise in DIYbyPanida

R13 double denim

Y/Project SS21

Margiela double waistband pants at PFW

Margiela AW19

Dion Lee

Dion Lee S21 RTW

Dion Lee F20 RTW

Markoo SS21

#nonewclothes challenge

Remake inspired us to take the #nonewclothes journey in May - Kim pledged not to buy any new clothes for six months. Here is a few thoughts on her experience.

How did it go? Not as well as I'd hoped. I am guilty of desiring the next best thing - be it new, secondhand, or something I made myself. The #nonewclothes challenge took one of those elements out of the equation, but it also forced me to think critically about every item that was already in my closet and why I wanted to replace those items with something else.

This year, I've added 31 items of clothing to my wardrobe. (I'm not counting shoes, because those seemed essential. SMH). During the last six months, with the restriction of not buying anything new, I have added 12 items to my wardrobe - all secondhand or pieces I made. In that time, I also cycled out 8 items by selling them, and a handful more that I donated. This accounting, though tedious, actually helps hold me accountable to my habits.

I’ve loved working on Other Lives for many reasons, but one purely selfish one is that I’ve been able to reinterpret items that were not getting much play in my wardrobe. That long sleeve white t-shirt that I used for the Keyhole T workshop is infinitely more appealing to me now that I’ve punched a few holes in it. It’s my hope that I can continue to do this with all kinds of pieces - to keep them longer, and to cherish them for as long as possible. In so doing, I really hope to get closer to my clothing and respect its inherent value. There is so much work and time and energy that goes into the development of every piece of clothing that is made (truly) - I feel like we're doing a disservice to designers and makers when we don't give clothing a good run. More than that, consuming less has other benefits: we can reduce our environmental impact, and we can (hopefully, eventually) break free from the relentless capitalistic cycle of consuming, discarding, and consuming anew.

I am learning that consuming less is a process; while becoming completely zero waste is a long way off for me, simply becoming aware of my habits and patterns and accounting for all my stuff has been incredibly useful. The process has raised questions that get to the heart of why we wear clothing at all - and why we buy or keep the things we love.

I would love to hear if you have tried the #nonewclothes challenge, and if so, how it went for you! Let us know in the comments.

Until next year,

Kim