A Garden Party to Make a Difference by Orsola de Castro

I am so proud of the workshops that we did in the Red Cross Tent at the Clarence House Garden Party To Make A Difference.
Goodness knows how we got it all together with the little time we had, but with incredible support from students and designers, as well as sponsors such as Janome, John Lewis and B&Q, we did it.
And it was a fantastic experience.

As for the LIVE UPCYCLE, scheduled for Saturday the 11th September, well, all I can say is that I wont be doing that again in a hurry, (I never knew being on stage could be so petrifying), although Lucy might have other ideas…

For starters, when Lucy Siegle and I first went to Clarence House to offer the NOI Collective services (the Noi Collective being Lucy Siegle, Livia Firth, Jocelyn Whipple, and I), and we mentioned that we were interested in doing a series of workshops and a Live Upcycle, we had but a vague idea as to what a Live Upcycle actually was.
We were clear about the workshops – fantastic designers sharing their methods and experiences with the public – but the “live upcycle event” was somehow, more … abstract.

Lucy, consummate professional, got going in writing the script, after we babbled a few concepts all together – like to involve the most experienced UK upcycling designers and get them on stage to play sewing machines instead of electric guitars, for instance.
Then we had to think of what actually we were going to sew, exactly.
And again, televisual Lucy, came up with the idea of upcycling Sinitta, and anything iconic from her 80’s wardrobe.
What can I say, she is a genius Lucy, and a very funny genius to boot.
And as she scripted away, we involved more and more people to take part – all who agreed absolutely blindly to possibly be completely humiliated on stage and talk rubbish, in this case, literally.

As the opening day drew closer, with the workshops beautifully organised by Elizabeth and ready to go with amazing designers (Elvis & Kresse, Enamore, Lu Flux, THTC, Alessandra Rigillo, Little Glass Clementine, From Somewhere) and an army of students from some of the UK’s best colleges ready at hand, our generous sponsors donated (all haberdasheries from John Lewis, irons and ironing boards from B&Q, and all sewing machines and overlockers from Janome) we proudly saw our concept taking shape and come to life.

On the first day of the event, Lucy and I had to do press.
I kind of thought we’ll be in a little room, a bunch of journalists will ask a few questions – what else can people expect from you at 8 am anyway?
Well, actually, what they expect from you at 8am in this kind of situation is a line up of 10 national and international live TV crews grilling you for 5 minutes each, followed by 20 photographers flashing away at a long celebrity line up, and me, pretty much the only civilian.
Vivienne Westwood was there, Jooles Holland, Alan Titchmarsh, and a few others I am ashamed to say I didn’t recognise.
Luckily I was flanked by Lucy and Sinitta, who were as relaxed as if they were having a cup of tea.

On Thursday I met HRH The Prince Of Wales. As you do, on Thursdays.
He came over to the Red Cross Tent during a workshop on jewellery upcycling, which was run by one of our new Estethica labels, Little Glass Clementine.
This time, support came thanks to Caroline Rush (head of the British Fashion Council) and Louise Carter, there to talk about the Sustainable Catwalk, also scheduled to take place at Clarence House, on the 17th of September.

And so it all rolled quickly into Saturday and the Live Upcycle.
Junky Styling (honestly, who else?) got to upcycle Sinitta’s outfit from her Toyboy album cover, and we used our usual scraps (generously donated by Dame Vivienne Westwood, Stella Mc Cartney, Sir Paul Smith and Speedo) and on stage with us we had the creme de la creme of the UK upcycling scene: Christopher Raeburn, Gary Harvey, Erin O Connor with Traid and John Paul Flintoff (revisiting his own homemade experiments as featured in his book Sew Your Own.)
It was anarchy on stage. Machines whizzing. Crazy hand stitching behind the scenes. And all of us, united in our cause to diminish landfill mass and re-use waste creatively.

It was absolutely, amazingly brilliant. Scary, mad, spontaneous, but brilliant.

I can’t conclude this report without thanking, from the bottom of my heart, all that took part, on stage and at the back.
Elizabeth Laskar and Jocelyn Whipple (bossy but adorable in keeping everything together backstage).
Our celebrity participants, enthusiastic, funny, relevant, talented, brave designers changing the way we look at fashion.
Lucy and Sinitta – the stars of the show.
Livia, texting frantically from the Toronto Film Festival (on duty there with husband Colin Firth).
Our models, Sarah and Emma – and Adam, our good looking assistant turned male model for the occasion.
Filippo and our film crew (Balthazar, Geoffrey and Ed).
All our interns and colleagues, frantically sewing away.
START, who gave us free reign.
And Aveda, who made us all look sleek.

From Somewhere with Speedo

From Somewhere’s new and exciting collaboration between the world’s leading swimwear brand, Speedo, was revealed in September at Estethica the British Fashion Council’s ethical fashion area at London Fashion Week.

The ‘From Somewhere with Speedo’ collaboration forms part of a series of creative art and design projects commissioned by Speedo created from unsold stock and surplus pieces of the revolutionary Speedo LZR Racer suit. The limited edition capsule collection that is still in development, comprises a statement dress constructed purely of Speedo LZR Racer suits that will be auctioned for charity.

Following the decision of FINA (Federation Internationale de Natation), swimming’s governing body, to change the rules regarding swimsuit design and prohibit the use of full-body suits from January 2010, the world’s leading swimwear brand was left with a surplus of the record breaking LZR Racer suit.

As part of a wider project to explore new ways of utilising excess stock and a more responsible solution than sending the obsolete product to landfill; Speedo opted to write a new chapter in the history of the Speedo LZR Racer suit by providing the suits to a series of artistic and creative groups and institutions to use in a series of collaborative projects, ensuring that the suit will continue to make waves despite no longer being used in competitive swimming.

With a phenomenal 91 world records broken by athletes wearing the Speedo LZR Racer suit, including the unforgettable achievements of the most decorated athlete of all time, Michael Phelps, the Speedo suit will always be remembered for the way in which it revolutionised the sport of swimming.

David Robinson, President of Speedo International, said: ’The Speedo LZR Racer suit has been a design icon in the sport of swimming since its launch in 2008. During its time in the pool, swimmers wearing it have broken 91 world records and achieved outstanding results. The Speedo collaboration with From Somewhere now allows the LZR Racer to be a design icon outside of the pool. As a company which places great importance in sustainability, we are thrilled to announce the collaboration with From Somewhere. Innovative projects such as this are the perfect way to responsibly dispose of the surplus stocks of the suit while extending the legacy of the Speedo LZR Racer beyond the pool and onto the catwalk. I look forward to seeing the rest of the range early next year.’

Filippo Ricci and Orsola de Castro, owners of From Somewhere, said: ‘From Somewhere is incredibly excited about collaborating with Speedo, as the high-tech fabrics allow for our creativity to run wild. The collection is design led and directional as well as having a considerable environmental impact. We look forward to digging deeper both into our creative resources and into Speedo’s excess stock!’

The full ‘From Somewhere with Speedo’ collection will be revealed early 2011. A percentage of sales from the collection will go to charity. Details of the auction, charity and the sale date are to be announced.

(View the film preview of the From Somewhere with Speedo Collaboration here)

Estethica at YOOXYGEN

The British Fashion Council launched a collaboration with the virtual boutique for fashion & design yoox.com that will act as the official online retail partner by creating the first online retail space for its ethical talent showcase Estethica. Launching during London Fashion Week in September 2010, YOOXYGEN (yoox.com’s eco-friendly initiative), will present a selection of Estethica designers’ Autumn/Winter 10 collections on yoox.com with special contents, videos and exclusive interviews profiling this groundbreaking initiative.

Estethica showcases the very best of sustainable, innovative fashion. Designers selected for the first season of this collaboration and available on the new YOOXYGEN’s ethical retail space include: From Somewhere, Goodone, Henrietta Ludgate, MAXJENNY, Nina Dolcetti, Sonya Kashmiri and Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF).

Caroline Rush, CEO (Joint), British Fashion Council said, “We are very pleased to be collaborating with yoox.com for its YOOXYGEN initiative. Estethica was established to showcase collections of progressive designers working in ethical fashion, this online retail space will offer our leading ethical designers an opportunity to compete in the mainstream and gain greater worldwide visibility.”

Over the past eight seasons Estethica, sponsored by Monsoon has become the epicentre of sustainable fashion at London Fashion Week. Over the past year the BFC has developed this initative to offer mentouring support to a selection of emerging ethical designer businesses.

In line with its commitment to eco-sustainability and its research and promotion of new approaches to creativity, yoox.com now supports with this collaboration also the new scene of sustainable fashion, offering its global presence & reach to bring emerging British talent around the world.