New Eco-Fashion Book from Sass Brown: Refashioned

New Eco-Fashion Book from Sass Brown - Refashioned

New Eco-Fashion Book from Sass Brown: Refashioned

The U.S. release for Sass Brown’s second book in her Eco Fashion series is set for Tuesday the 29th of October. Two weeks earlier I was thrilled to be in attendance at the first signing of „Refashioned.“ Meaning, that I got to start perusing this insightful and thought provoking book two weeks earlier than most, as well as get a signed copy. The event was held at The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.

Sass Brown signing new book Refashioned Sass Brown has become one of the foremost voices in the eco-fashion movement. While so much of the eco-fashion movement has emphasized workman-like utilitarian clothing with little heed paid to fashion or style, Miss Brown had made it her mission to show that eco-fashion does not have to be boring. As her book clearly demonstrates through amazing photography, environmentally friendly fashion can be elegant, sexy, provocative, and even rival the looks that so recently walked the catwalks of the world’s fashion capitals. The book focuses on the role of recycling and repurposing in fashion by telling the stories of designers whose innovations have made this a vital part of their clothing lines.

Although the works presented in „Refashioned“ could be mistakenly interpreted as just another design exercise by some fringe designers, it is actually some very serious people attempting to address a much larger issue: Without getting too much into the science and economics of the matter, our current garment industry model is unsustainable. Major changes need to be made at the top end. As consumers we must do our part as well. We must begin to pay much more attention to the quality of our clothing choices, what materials they are created from, how they are sourced, as well as their usefulness to us over their hopefully much longer lifespan. This will almost assuredly mean paying a higher monetary price. But consider, how often have you later regretted purchasing a piece of clothing that received consistent compliments as well as served you well over many years, even if it did seem a little expensive in the store? I truly believe that having distinctive and well-designed pieces in a smaller wardrobe, ones that speak to who you are, is the path we need to take. As consumers we have a powerful voice in how we spend our money. A voice that will not be ignored by the companies that create our clothing, at least not for long. We need only to choose to purchase from companies who recognise their place in the global ecosystem we all share. Of course doing this does require some self-education and there is no better starting point than “Refashioned,” or Sass Brown’s previous work “Eco Fashion.”

Sass Brown introduces Refashioned At Copper Lune we have always made it our mission to create beautiful timeless pieces that will potentially provide the wearer use far belong the typical lifespan of the garments currently created by the major mass market brands. Granted the corset is not the most utilitarian of garments. But we all need a little glamour, style, even fantasy, in our lives. And a well-crafted corset given proper care can provide a lifetime of use to the owner, not to mention all those „wow“ moments that accompany it. At Copper Lune we emphasize the idea of selecting quality clothing that represents who you are and not items that will easily be left behind for the look of the week. As Miss Brown pointed out in her talk, earlier generations often put the same amount of consideration into their clothing purchases as one does today for a major kitchen appliance. This is in marked contrast to our current throwaway clothing culture. No less than Dame Vivienne Westwood has used her runway shows of the past few years to spread the message that we should, “Buy less. Choose well. Make it last. Quality, not quantity.”

Main image courtesy of http://www.coolhunting.com