Well Fashioned: Eco Style in the UK
Principal Investigator: Rebecca Earley
Location: Crafts Council, London
Date: London 2006 and touring nationally until 2007

This exhibition was curated by Rebecca Earley and the aim of the exhibition was to review the current state of eco fashion in the UK. It included the work of 21 designers, each of whom has a different approach to eco fashion design.

These approaches included: the careful selection of materials and production processes; the decision to use organic fabrics and manufacture in ethically managed factories; reusing old, unwanted textiles, in an inventive and creative way; creating a fundamental label ethos and structure and using websites to convey information and create an inclusive retail experience; designing multi-size and multifunctional clothing, thus extending the potential life and usage of one piece of clothing, and reducing our need to acquire more items for our wardrobes; and adding value and emotional attachment to design work instead of responding to trends.

The washing and drying of our clothes has the largest environmental impact, so included in the exhibition were also designs which attempt to be low-launder, which involve the use of merino wool and synthetic fibres not traditionally considered as eco-friendly.

The exhibition also included ‘The Collaborative Sketchbook’ area which intended to give the audience an insight into the minds of the designers, their thinking and approach, and even their methodologies.

The TED Project also produced educational material including essays by Rebecca Earley and Dr Kate Fletcher; texts on Low Laundering and Synthetic Fabrics and downloadable fact sheets on Further Reading and Sourcing.

http://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/wellfashioned/index.html