Fashion Blogs

We thought we’ve seen it all with eco-friendly clothes: from recycled plastic bottle suits to solar-powered bags by Diane von Furstenberg, it was only a matter of time before a designer turned to microscopic life forms for inspiration. That’s exactly what Suzanne Lee,a senior research fellow at the School of Fashion & Textiles at Central Saint Martins in London did. Although, she didn’t just turn to bacteria—she also used a few large tubs, some yeast, and a few cups of green tea. The result is
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Nicole Giordano is a textiles and accessories designer who writes the intersection of fashion, technology, and social media, offering her experience and expertise to you.

Sustainable Fashion | Image via Flikr/Abigail Doan

You’re starting a new line and, sensitive soul that you are, you’re considering going sustainable. Well good, I love hearing that. But is “green fashion” is a valid business maneuver or just a fleeting marketing angle? Do customers and retailers really buy into sustainability yet

Image via Flikr/bobbinsandbombshells

Know your fabrics. It’s a point I can’t stress enough. As a designer, understanding the different qualities of textile structures like chiffon and charmeuse, georgette and crepe, organza and gazar (I
could go on…) should be at the top of your list. I’m sure you think you know the difference, but there’s always room for improvement. Designers contact me daily asking for a fabric, and then
look bewildered once supplied because it’s not what they had in mind. This

Designers, producers, sourcers, and all those who help garments get from sketchpad to retail rack, take note—international trade show organizer Messe Frankfurt is launching the first ever International Apparel Sourcing Show right here in the world capital of design, New York City. From July July 13th through the 15th, an entire planet’s worth of fabrics, textiles, and all the raw materials needed to create the fashions we live for is landing at the Javitz Center on Manhattan’s West Side. If you’

Young designers—at the risk of insulting you, it amazes me how many of you don’t have the first clue about buying fabrics. I mean, your fabrics are the cornerstone of your designs and making sure you can get your hands on them for production before you make your samples, is essential. Why did you create that beautiful dress with a yard of novelty fabric that you picked up at the flea market last summer? Do you think that the 100 yards you need for production will just apparate magically? Praying

Blast from the past—look what we dug up on Suite101.com. To anyone out there who thought
working in a recession was tough, English fashion makers in the 1940’s had it worse. Imagine trying to source textiles while dodging buzz bombs and a national rationing system that made chocolate and toilet paper rare commodities. “Despite the many physical restrictions during the years of WWII, the creative and aesthetic standards of Britain’s textile industry were raised considerably” said Scott Oram wri

Here is a press release from Cotton Inc., that I thought would be of interest to you. Much of this you already now, but here it is anyway...

Summer is filled with vacations to the beach, picnics in the park, and BBQ’s in the yard. We love summer activities, but shorts and t-shirts aren’t always the most appropriate attire for warm weather functions. While mystery fabrics leave you feeling itchy and hot, cotton’s natural breathability and structure help k