there’s more to green than money

I want to talk about ways to reduce waste in a typical fashion design office/studio. I have some ideas, but I would love this to jumpstart a discussion to brainstorm even more ideas.

Product Development:
–here’s the most green thing a designer can do: make quality items. pick solid materials. perfect your patterns. sew them right.* make things people will buy and wear and keep and wear again and again instead of tossing them into landfills because it was cheap swill that didn’t last two parties.

–fitting notes can be input directly into your spec file on a laptop or a computer in the same room as the fitting instead of printing out multiple copies of multiple page spec packs (this is also a huge timesaver).

–keep scraps from samples for embellishment sew-outs (for example, if you continue to embroider on denim as part of your line’s signature, you can take large** denim scraps to your embroiderer and ask them to use them for your sew-outs).

–consider a password-protected internal blog (instead of xeroxing ten copies of that really cool movie set) to share ideas and images with coworkers.

Production:
–leftover scraps (fabrics, random buttons, trims you’ll never use, leftover discontinued items you can’t source anymore) can go to places like Scrap SF, or directly donated to camps and schools for arts and crafts classes (you can check for possible tax breaks on this).

–fabric scraps can be used as rags for cleaning the studio and office (velvet wipes dust beautifully–I used to dust with old Crown Royal bags when my dad owned a bar)

–scraps can also be wrapped around handles of metal tools for easier use.

Sales & Marketing:
–scraps can be used for swatchcards/books if you’re running the same fabric the next season (usually basics like white cotton jersey), or cut your swatches from the scraps off your sample cuts.

Administrative:
–people are lazy and will recycle more if it’s convenient. keep recycling bins near the important spots like near the printer, the copy machine, etc.

–the obvious: recycled paper goods, soy-based ink, using both sides of the paper, turn things off when not using them for a while.

—electronic faxing

—staple-less staplers

–refillable pens

–all internal communication done via email or IM. then you can verify that yes, they got the memo, without giving them three copies.

—green electronic waste management for old monitors, printers, cartridges, etc.

–consider donating your old, but still working cell phone to a worthy cause.

–I know a large insurance company that keeps all their records as PDF files. They’re backed up on an external server and automatically deleted as a file dates past seven years.

Shipping:
–use recycled/reused cardboard as packing material instead of styrofoam peanuts.

–you can also use plastic air packs (about the size of a small foot), made of recycled and recyclable plastic, and people can reuse them over and over again until they get punctured (they’re fairly durable).

Miscellaneous:
–stock your kitchen for real dishes and flatware for your employees instead of using disposables.

–use low-emission solutions, solvents, cleaners, etc.

–buy quality goods, so you’re not replacing your “bargain” over and over again

—read this

—and this

So, what ideas do you have?

*I’m not talking about couture techniques or even necessarily heirloom-worthy. Just well made things that last a good while. And apparently Kathleen demands pockets in her pants and quite frankly, so do I.

**large as in big enough for the embroidery machine to be able to hold onto the fabric–check with your embellisher

not to be catty…

but I really don’t think Loni Anderson is much of a style icon and mimicing her look is probably not the best idea.  I’m just sayin’.

Ok, that was pretty catty.

dear w,

I recently found out that the Queen of England has weights sewn into the hems of her skirts so they don’t blow up in the wind.  Totally thought of you.  Hee.

grr…

I loathe paperwork.  That is all.

updates and the such

I haven’t been feeling too social lately, but a recently relocated friend returned to SF for a visit so the hordes came out, eager to see her, myself included. Good times, peppered with several “reprimands” for dropping off the face of the planet.  Despite my protests that there wasn’t much going on, or many elements of my life are up in the air and constantly changing and therefore I had little to report on, an update has been demanded.

• Zoë Hong LLC is moving, most likely. The owner of our loft is looking to sell. More news on that as I get it.  Yes, we’re staying in SF.
• Been reading a lot.  Fashion books, some fiction.  Reread the Harry Potter series in preparation for the new book and movie next month.  Got some really cool fashion books (on sewing, merchandising, etc.) at The Most Amazing Bookstore when I was in Portland last month.
• My new job is rad.  I’ve been there for three weeks now, and I really love it.  Most of all, my bosses (a married couple of my parents’ generation) are awesome.  They’re the kind of people that inspire loyalty and hard work.
• Preparing to start working on my first samples.  Initial drapes and patterns, working out construction kinks, etc.
• In the market for an industrial sewing machine that can handle regular wovens as well as lightweight leathers and a big, sturdy pattern table.  Used is ok.  I’ve been tinkering around online, checking craigslist and the such.
• Recently decided to stop fighting it and resign myself to my fate as a napper.  I like sleeping 5 hours at night and taking a 1.5-2 hour nap later in the day/early evening.  Sigh.  Years spent trying to correct my sleeping schedule have been unceremoniously chucked out the window.

It’s amazing how much one can write about nothing, isn’t it?  Not a lot is happening these days.  Just pleasant life stuff.

How are you doing?  Really, I want to know.