The 8th edition of Eco Fashion Week just took place in Vancouver and our West Coast correspondent Helen Siwak has the scoop. She is bringing you the best coverage, reviews and photos from the fashion shows as well as a few candid moments. Enjoy!
ECO FASHION WEEK: ˜The 68lb Challenge with Young Oak, founder and designer Tammy Joe
By Helen Siwak of KitsilanoKittysCloset.com, West Coast Correspondent
This challenge is based on the statistic that sixty-eight pounds is the amount of clothing and textiles the average North American throws away each year. The chosen designer, Tammy Joe of Young Oak, was challenged to put together a fashion forward collection by recycling and repurposing sixty-eight pounds of discarded clothing from Value Village. Not the clothing hanging within the store but rather the pieces that did not sell and were pulled for recycling and about to be shipped off to sorting warehouses for the rag trade. The process from beginning to end is daunting as the designer not only has to find garments that will represent the base aesthetic of the collection but also pieces large enough to have enough fabric to create new garments if necessary.
Like many Canadians, young Tammy Joe wore an endless stream of hand-me-downs from her older family members. Bulky sweaters and oversized winter coats became the inspiration for creative change and she grew up scouring church bazaars, garage sales, thrift stores on weekends away from school.
As an adult and working as a consultant, she thrifted her way across the US and gradually became more adept at alterations which soon blossomed into full deconstructions of entire pieces. Young Oak was born and Tammy Joe continues to thrift but now also sources her materials worldwide using a network of connections and the internet.
Her show began with a video of Tammy Joe speaking of her love of thrifting and her inspiration for the challenge. As she walked through the aisles of Value Village she pulled and suggested uses for various garments but also reminded us that blankets (such as the large earth tones blanket with brocade palm trees), curtains and linens are really just large pieces of useable fabric and not to ignore them when seeking materials.
Her collection contained repurposed collegiate sweaters with sleeves converted to shoulder capes, an elegant black sheath dress with fluttering sheer overlay to a tri-coloured creamsicle sweater turned long dress named Jerome. Pieces incorporated a myriad of colours, patterns and textures, and utilized knits, mesh, wool, cotton and silks, with one two-piece suit made entirely of the blanket from the opening video. When the suit came down the runway, an exuberant woman in the front row literally jumped out of her seat exclaiming: It’s the blanket! It’s the blanket!
As evidenced by the applause at the end of her final runway pieces, Tammy Joe not only has a keen eye for pulling garments and materials but in also re-working these items to create wearable fashion with a unique point-of-view.
Find Tammy Joe and Young Oak at www.youngoak.blogspot.ca
Stay Conscious & Chic!
Photo Credits: Peter Jensen for ECO Fashion Week