It's Time For a Talk, My Friends

I am powerless against this bubbling inferno of judgment that has been welling up in my belly for several years.  I cannot stop it.  I will not be silenced.

STOP MAKING UPCYCLED CLOTHES OVER AND OVER OUT OF JUST STRIPS OF OLD CLOTHES.  OKAY?!

We are on the brink of a new frontier here people, and I can no longer abide this misuse of a brilliant era of opportunity and watch such a numbing and simplistic exercise go on and on and on.  In fact, I'll boldly take this opportunity to add that if I see another one of your evil handbags made of old jeans on my computer screen, I will find you and I will smack you upon your face.  If I see one more, anywhere on this internets, I will hire a private investigator to track you from Etsy to your home and I will pound you about the head and neck area with this bag.  And when I come in and rifle through your belongings, you better hope I don't find a pair of unwearable, badly misshapen baby booties felted from a fracking ugly wool sweater either.  Because you will eat those shoes.

Phew, I feel better.  I just had to get that out!  There's more there in the way of complaint, but I'll leave it at that.

As we all know, the economy of reuse is burgeoning and I think it's well time to expect more from designers who are riding the wave.  It's time for the different genres within the new green economy to forego superficial commitments and to dig deeper into what is truly sustainable.

I was having a conversation with my friend Carla Bruni (not the italian supermodel), who is an historical preservationist with an emphasis on sustainability and she agrees with me (and she is smarts) that the current model of "green building", for example, is quickly becoming outmoded .  More conscientious and ambitious preservationists are looking to reuse and re-purposing, among other things, as the "new green".  Well duh.  But I guess it's not so obvious, because I see designers alla time trying to peddle some lethally boring bamboo kids clothing at twice the cost of something that is re-purposed and WAY better designed.  And it sells because people want to do better, in any case.  The bamboo is better, "greener" than new clothing made with the old earth-wasting methods, right?

Yes, but we can do so much better.  How about not wasting all this:

 

Anyway, what is my point (it's always bad when someone has to ask halfway into a written piece what their point is, I know).  I guess it's this:  I hope that there will be more and more designers that possess a talent for a more alchemical transformation of resources, and I hope that the market for this kind of work grows in step.

Right here I was going to post a batch of favorites- things that don't smack of that re-purposed vibe.  And you know what happened when I googled something, meaning to shake down one item I had been thinking of- what the very first thing I came across was?  Can you even grasp the irony that it was this:

"Speaking of blue jeans, here is a very cute idea to make a purse from old jeans.  Once again, being creative and using basic sewing skills can render a unique and treasured gift."

(/insert photo that makes me want to stab my eyes with a stick of hot, burnt marshmallow RIGHT HERE)

It happened, folks.  I am crestfallen.

Whatever.  I haven't the energy to go on.  So much has happened since the beginning of this post.

I guess I'll just have to post a picture of my girl childrens, who are always right on.