I am very excited to announce Clothing Swap Bergen. The biggest clothing swap Bergen has seen yet! Every since moving here, I’ve dreamt of organizing this event and now the time is finally here! Sunday October 10th you can give your clothes a new life and leave with a whole new outfit.
When: October 10th, 11-16
Where: Kulturhuset Danckert Krohn (Kong Oscars gate 54)
More info: bit.ly/clothingswapbergen
Years ago I was on a trip in the northwest of the Netherlands with my family. During one of our walks we passed a field with a very tall crop. Strangely enough, its tops looked exactly like those of a cannabis plant. As these are not uncommon in the Netherlands, we joked about the revenue their farmer must make. I remember there was a big sign on one side of the field that explained this was industrial hemp. When I looked it up back then, I found out that even though it was indeed a version of the cannabis plant, it contained too little THC to provide intoxication when consumed. While learning more about sustainable fashion, hemp keeps popping up as a very promising material. Still, it doesn’t seem to be commonly used at all. I decided to do a little research and it turns out that this amazing plant has a rich and political history.
Lees verder “A Plea for Hemp”
I’ve been reading again and again that the fashion industry’s biggest climate impact is actually made in the consumer phase. Knowing about the immense amount of greenhouse gasses and toxic pollution that the production phase entails, this surprises me. What is so harmful about taking care of our clothes? What surprised me is that on top of washing and drying, even wearing our clothes has an impact.
Don’t despair though! There’s things you can do.
Lees verder “Reduce the Impact of Your Wardrobe”
I used to think it was fine to wear second-hand leather. Over the years I bought some amazing leather and suede skirts in thrift shops. Truth be told, I also own a leather jacket which I bought new some ten years ago and I still buy the occasional pair of leather shoes. However, when I would see somebody in a fur coat, I would be shocked. Even if I knew it was second-hand. A conversation I had a while back made me reconsider this. Why should a second-hand fur coat be different from brand new leather shoes? I couldn’t convince myself of an answer. Ever since, I’ve been wanting to look further into this topic to create a well-informed opinion. Fortunately, leather was elaborately discussed last week in the course ‘Fashion and Sustainability’ that I’m taking, by the London College of Fashion. A great opportunity for me to learn more and share my thoughts with you.
Lees verder “My thoughts on wearing (second-hand) leather”
I grew up in the North-West of Europe, in the Netherlands to be precise, where capitalism and consumerism have been leading principles since the nineties. Me and my sisters must have shared over twenty barbies and every birthday and Christmas there’d be piles of gifts to unpack. Buying cheap clothing was the accompanying norm. I would go and buy clothes with my friends during school breaks. We’d have small budgets and want to buy a lot, so we’d only go to fast-fashion chains like H&M, Coolcat, Bershka and later Primark. We didn’t consider the quality of garments, or how often we would wear them. At the time, we didn’t know any better.
Lees verder “Manifesto”
Als je in de zeros op turnen zat had je, net als ik, standaard een froesel die helemaal matchte met je turnpakje. Tegenwoordig heten deze haarelastieken scrunchies en worden ze en masse gedragen. Ook buiten de gymzaal.
Op een FamilieFest van Het Nieuwe Instituut was Hip voor nop begin dit jaar te gast. Kinderen konden hun kleding meenemen en met de meiden van het programma maakten ze daar scrunchies van. Superleuk idee en héél makkelijk om te maken.
Met deze inspiratie haalde ik mijn naaimachine van zolder. Ik had nog een vintage shirt liggen waarin wat kleine gaatjes zaten en maakte daar een berg scrunchies van. Veel te veel om zelf te dragen en daarom verkoop ik ze voor € 2,50 incl. verzenden. Hebben? Stuur me een berichtje via Instagram of LinkedIn.
Marjolein Roozen 