Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Human Friendly Fashion Bloggers

 Today marks a great day, today Senorita AweSUMO joins many others around the world to help fix the fashion system. As part of Blog Action Day I want you to take a moment to think about your clothing purchases over the next month, Do you really need that item? Why are you purchasing this item of clothing? are you building a sustainable wardrobe? are you swapping/sharing with others? Are you buying quality/workmanship/artisanal/local? 
Take a moment to think about it, before spending your hard earned $$$$ on something that will sit in the back of your wardrobe and never be worn, or only once and then passed on!!!!
Here's some thoughts from Esther Freeman from Ms Wanda's in the UK about being a human friendly shopper!!!!!!
 As part of Blog Action Day Fashion Mob founder, Esther Freeman, explains why it’s dangerous to point the finger of blame at consumers for human rights abuses by the fashion industry.
Since the collapse of the Rama Plaza building in Bangladesh, the media has been full of discussions and head scratching about fashion. One comment that keeps coming up is the responsibility of consumers around fast fashion.
Quite frankly this is nonsense. Furthermore it is dangerous to suggest so.
All too often high street chains whine about how hard it is for them to improve human rights, and how they’d change but consumers don’t want it. It’s become their get out clause. And by saying consumers have some kind of responsibility, we reinforce that myth.
It also overlooks that slavery, poverty and disaster happen at the higher end of the fashion too. There have been several campaigns against Adidas and their refusal to compensate workers and pay a living wage. And designer brands like Dolce & Gabbana have been in the firing line too.
In an interview for the film Apparel Truth, a trade union leader in Bangladesh is very clear where the responsibility lies. He said:
The main profit from this business is going to the multi-national company…The multinational company is putting pressure on the local business to pay a living wage. But also the multinational company is putting pressure on the local business to reduce their price.”
So let’s point the finger where it should be pointed – at the global brands who create human rights abuses as fast as they create fashion.
That’s not to say consumers have no role to play in creating change.
People power is incredibly important. That’s why we launched The 1% Campaign. The campaign calls on the fashion industry to invest 1% of their profits in solving issues in their supply chain, especially around human rights. We need more time and investment in activities like better auditing, health and safety training and improved working with NGOs and trade unions at local level.
Consumers are in a powerful position to demand this. And if we all work together we can help bring about a solution.
>> Sign the 1% Campaign petition and demand that multinationals take responsibility for what happens in their name.


Senorita AweSUMO will be applying more pressure to New Zealand to make the right choices in consumption, and will be portraying this in textile sculpture 2014 in Dunedin. LOOK OUT FOR MORE INFO, anyone interested in being involved email me with 'LOVE FASHION HATE SWEATSHOPS' in the subject line. senorita.awesumo@gmail.com.
 peace
'What you have and are as a being should always be honest to self and earth alike!'
 
 

 


Monday, September 30, 2013

SWISH IN THE CITY 5TH OCT DUNEDIN

Senorita AweSUMO @ Swish in the City October 5th Dunedin Railway Station

We can no longer sustain our current shopping and fashion system, we are producing much more than we will ever need.

Why not save yourself from the textile wasteland and come SWISH, a cheap sustainable way of getting new threads, a great way to start building your conscious wardrobe, by sharing your unused/unwanted garments with others, and why not do it in style at Dunedin's Iconic Railway Station this Saturday October 5th.

Exchange your quality fashion items with other sustainable stylistas. bring your friends, fashion faux pas and sense of adventure for this entertaining, guilt free girls day out.

tickEts are $20 available at ticketdirect.co.nz * sevice fee applies,

visit www.swishinthecity.co.nz for more info

A HOW TO guide to swishing......

Sort your wardrobe and pick your swishest items to contribute.
Bring your items along and receive tokens in return.
Use your tokens to adopt new items, or bid for fantastic items and services.
Rave about what a great time you had and love your swished up style.

SenoritaAweSUMO will be there with my latest zero waste collection, 'Te Warewhare Whakapau' found in Dunedin, recently launched at NZ ECO Fashion Exposed Lower Hutt NZ, September 21st.
'Te Warewhare Whakapau'           Senorita AweSUMO 2013   Model: Jasmin Katy MacKenzie
Te Warewhare Whakapau is a call for more transparency in the fashion industry. The New Zealand Fashion system can be more innovative to create jobs in New Zealand's manufacturing sector.

I believe that designers serve their community by providing solutions to problems the community faces. My designs aim to mitigate environmental harm from modern fashion production. Reducing waste without compromising style.

The garments I create are not only beautiful, but they up cycle fabric or clothing that would otherwise be landfill. The recurring heart symbol has been used on FOUND items and weaves the life blood of tradition and value back into a precious entity.

My garments aim to minimise the environmental impact from disposable consumer items. By collecting from recycle centres and commercial off cuts from local producers, previously discarded items become precious garments that live more than one lifetime.

By utilising Zero Waste principals, I hope to teach consumers to think of clothing as an asset. I have a vision of consumers wearing a sustainable wardrobe and events like this SWISH are all apart of that.

Global problem, Local solution.

I have 2 passes to give way to swish in the city, save yourself $20 and tell me a story about an item in your wardrobe, something that evokes memory for you, email your story to me at senorita.awesumo@gmail.com by thursday 2nd october 5pm , if you have an image send that through to, NOTE: your story may be shared on my blog and facebook page as the winner, this may be edited by me. but your aweSUMO anyway so choice!!!

see you there................

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Te Warewhare Whakapau 2013


Te Warewhare Whakapau is a call for more transparency in the fashion industry. The New Zealand Fashion system can be more innovative to create jobs in New Zealand's manufacturing sector.

Te - The
Warewhare - colloquialism for warehouse.
Whakapau -  consume, to use up.

We buy more than we need because we want to make ourselves feel good, because the media has made us feel as though this is the only way to achieve this. We buy mass produced, cheap, bad quality garments in bulk to get that 'oh yeah i'm amazing' feeling. Do you even know where that garment came from? where was it manufactured? was someone paid a fair wage to produce this garment? did anyone die in the process - Bangladesh and many others before it!!!!

These are questions I can answer when people purchase from me. Because I collect and produce locally, you know your money is being spent on a quality garment that has values and morals behind it. I am the one who sews that garment and if it isn't me, that person has been paid a fair wage or fair manufacturing process costs.

My garments aim to minimise the environmental impact from disposable consumer items. By collecting from recycle centres and commercial off cuts from local producers, previously discarded items become precious garments that live more than one lifetime.

The garments I create are not only beautiful, but they up cycle fabric or clothing that would otherwise be landfill. The recurring heart symbol has been used on FOUND items and weaves the life blood of tradition and value back into a precious entity.


By utilising Zero Waste principals, I hope to teach consumers to think of clothing as an asset. I have a vision of consumers wearing a sustainable wardrobe.



Global problem, Local solution.

Come and see me at NZ Eco Fashion Exposed this Saturday 21st Sept @ The Notre Dame des Missions Performing Arts Centre at  Sacred  Heart College, Laings  Rd,  Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand   

Ticketing information available on the website   NZ Eco Fashion Exposed 



Also NEXT week stay tuned for some information on SWISH IN THE CITY - DUNEDIN OCT 5th  a clothes swapping event, that can enhance your wardrobe on the cheap!!!!! 

I will be bringing Te Warewhare Whakapau for people to view and converse over!!!!

i may have 2 passes to give away so start thinking of your best garment in the closet story and why it's still there, you didn't throw it out because? give me a memory.............. please note the winners story may be shared on my blog/facebook page......

Stay AweSUMO.

Fi




 

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

2013 your getting full on!!!!!

It's been awhile, yeah!!! mostly because i have been working away in the background dealing with failure, quiting smoking and letting myself be me.  It's been 8 months since i smoked a ciggarette and i am fucking stoked about that, i never wanted to smoke and only ever did it to fit into a group of people i thought i was supposed to be friends with because that's all i knew, NOW i know better. They treated me like shit and i let it happen. This doesn't happen anymore I choose my friends based on how aweSUMO they are, and they choose me because of the same. BLEUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So now good things are happening, you can VOTE for me in the AMP people's choice awards 

GO ON YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO!!!!!!!!!  I am doing this to try and get $10'000 towards setting up a collective manufacturing space here in Dunedin to minimise our textile waste.


Also i am Launching my brand Senorita AweSUMO at Nz Eco Fashion Exposed at the Notre Dame des Missions Performing Arts Centre at  Sacred  Heart College, Laings  Rd,  Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand on the 21st September 2013.

Events being held on the day include

Saturday 21st September 2013

9am - 2pm Shwop & Style With Kila's Style - $10 @ The Dowse Art Museum, Laings Road, Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand

10am - 2pm Eco Fashion Boutique Pop Up  FREE ENTRY @ The Dowse Art Museum, Laings Road, Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand

6.30pm New Zealand Eco Fashion Exposed Eco Fashion Runway

Tickets At Event Finder

Clives Chemist Wainuiomata

 Valley Visitor Centre, Laings Rd, Lower Hutt

Tickets are selling fast and with only 18 days left you better be in quick.

 

SEE YOU THERE!!!!!!!