Part of being a designer ihttp://www.koraorganics.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/joyfrench.jpgs you have to be a" futurist "

http://www.koraorganics.com/blog/live-in-my-skin/all-things-organic/organic-certification/part-of-being-a-designer-is-you-have-to-be-a-futurist/More and more, consumers are expecting the brands they wear to take the environment and human rights seriously. Designers are in the business of making stuff. When done well, this makes people consume more in order to help businesses grow. This simple equation used to be the very definition of successful design, but it is also, in many cases, undeniably narrow-minded as well, helping to encourage a culture of consumption that currently threatens literally to consume itself. So how is the designer’s role evolving as our world-view expands to consider some very big questions

“Part of being a designer is you have to be a futurist, it’s about ‘what if?’ … and that ‘what if?’ is not so much ‘what will we be wearing?’, but ‘what will we be doing and thinking in the future?’, because that’s ‘what will we be wearing?’ and that is what it comes down to,” .

“As a consumer sometimes you just think, ‘I want to buy something, I don’t want to think’ – but then you sometimes get buyers’ remorse: ‘I should have waited’.”

As a designer I have been examining these questions, but its”Part of being a designer is you have to be a futurist

concerns go beyond innovation just for commercial and competitive advantage. It also looks at whether and how innovation can be directed towards ensuring a socially, economically and environmentally 

"WE ALL LOVE COLOUR " synthetic dyes in fashion are they harmful

Since antiquity, fabrics have been dyed with extracts from minerals, plants, and animals. In fact, dyeing historically was a secretive art form; the most beautiful and exotic pigments reserved were for those who had the status to wear them.

Things began to change around 1856 when scientists discovered how to make synthetic dyes. Cheaper to produce, brighter, more color-fast, and easy to apply to fabric, these new dyes changed the playing field. Scientists raced to formulate gorgeous new colors and before long, dyed fabric was available to all, and natural dyes had become obsolete for most applications.

This brightly colored, changed new world was not without a down side however. The chemicals used to produce dyes today are often highly toxic, carcinogenic, or even explosive.

The dye on a finished garment, by it’s nature, is chemically stable – that’s what makes a dye color fast. However, research is emerging that examines the

short and long term effects of potential skin absorption of dye and finishing chemicals through clothing. The CNN report

October 2007, revealed that new testing procedures reveal that young babies and children actually do have increased levels of chemicals in their bloodstream and skin from synthetic garment dyed fabrics

Because clothing comes into prolonged contact with one’s skin, toxic chemicals are often absorbed into the skin, especially when one’s body is warm and skin pores have opened to allow perspiration. We also know that some individuals have what is known as chemical sensitivity, including when exposed to garments of many types.“WE ALL LOVE COLOR” Synthetic Dyes in fashion are they harmful ?

Symptoms from synthetic dyes in adults for chemical sensitivity range from skin rashes, headaches, trouble concentrating, nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, dizziness, difficulty breathing, irregular heart beat, and/or seizures. Symptoms in children include red cheeks and ears, dark circles under the eyes, hyperactivity, and behavior or learning problems.

I’m excited to learn that natural, plant based dyes are steadily making a comeback into mainstream fashion. Responsible dye manufactures are investigating ways to treat their dye effluent with organic materials and bacteria, rather than chemical treatments, and improve dye manufacture

and processing to minimize hazardous chemicals used.

The realistic solution to current toxic dyes is likely to be a combination of more responsible synthetic dye production, together with a sustainable 

TRENDS THAT WILL BE BIG THIS SUMMER with mens wear this spring summer 2011 2012

http://www.koraorganics.com/blog/live-in-my-skin/trends-that-will-be-big-within-menswear-this-spring-summer/

This week I have chosen to show the guys some of the current items available now that will help you recreate the look once the weather turns warm bright and colorful. If you have been consistently building up your wardrobe , you should already have a variety of options for any occasion, or event. It is this key attitude to building a wardrobe that allows you to look into the future and pick up key pieces well in advance of any upcoming looks or trends. There is nothing better than being able to shop in the autumn/winter sales for pieces you may need for spring summer Advanced planning is cost effective, and also helps shape the items you buy for the current season.
Onto the trends breakdown

The emphasis on hardy military fabrics and styling from last season is going to continue for quite a while to come It doesn’t seem like this trend shows any signs of slowing down, in spring/summer or autumn/winter.
Even though it is a style that might not be the most original in terms of new innovations, it is now a well documented and accepted trend that any well respecting man can take inspiration from and recreate without having to redefine their wardrobe. Most can be integrated into your current looks as well.Transitional cross-over items.

THE BRIGHT FUTURE AHEAD !!! In spring summer we will be seeing more with more subtle tonal prints like flowers, stripes, camouflage. Men’s clothing, accessories and footwear have been available in every shade and hue imaginable – even pale pink is rearing
You could definitely see yourself rocking those bright colors this spring/ summer as well right? Real statement items that will make the transition and definitely garner attention. A hoodie under a casual jacket teamed with tailored trousers screams lapse-Oxford student – especially with a great pair of on trend navy suede brogues. American Apparel sweat shop free is our first stop with their wide and varied line of basics; the highlighter range of fluoro shades work especially well if you want to nail that preppy inspired look .
The structured form we have seen this spring/summer remains the same, but this time around there’s more individuality sewn in for good measure. It takes the uniformity out of uniform and leaves it open for interpretation.

Have an amazing week JOY

http://www.koraorganics.com/blog/live-in-my-skin/all-things-organic/organic-certification/“the-key-color-palettes-for-womens-fashion/ to see jf on kora follow the link

Color is a critical factor in engaging consumers and motivating purchasing decisions. Knowing that, it is important for designers to continue to innovate and experiment with new approaches to color in their product lines,”. “The Pantone View Colour Planner forecast provides a fresh point of view with unexpected color combinations that spark the imagination, refocus attention and stimulate new thinking to capture consumers’ attention.”

Lodestar

A range of vivid and vibrant tones, which strongly stimulate your optic nerve and allow you to “see” the world. Composed A series of color crescendos from muted warm or cool browns to foggy grayed greens, as well as turquoise and khaki, finishing with a dark coda of chocolate and graphite. Submerge A scale of oxygenated and salty blues descends to blackened ink, stone and moss. An underwater gardenbeneath an underwater sky.

Radiate

Radiate is pure happiness and very colorful. Do not be scared by shades of bright reds, embarrassing violets and vulgar oranges. Be brave and mix them all together. Touchsto

ne Traditional colors take the limelight: brown-black, mahogany, sandalwood, saddle, mid and dark tan, midnight, glossy navy – balanced by a trusty neutral. Aperture A range, which includes the luminous and the somber, hot and cold, a centrifugal force and a centripetal force, the macro and the micro, the atom and the universe.

Converge

Converge is about deep, informed colors gathere

d together at a central point and then merged in a new, creative way.

Peripheral

Using honest, flat, uncomplicated, warm color, we slowly build complex forms as we appreciate how little elements work together to produce great things.