The artists, UNICEF, and BBH NY are collaborating together to produce a line of tees, that when purchased, will fund relief efforts in Africa. A cute, cartoon representation of what your donation will be spent on will be printed on the t-shirt that you buy.

http://media.threadless.com//imgs/products/3287/636x460shirt_girls_01.jpg A shirt that will be spent on measles vaccines.

This “Cargo Drop” shirt is currently competing for the spot of “most expensive t-shirt” in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Watch their video here.

Need more fashionable, morally-gratifying clothes?

A team of European scientists at SINTEF has made the first step towards self-repairing rain wear.  They thought of weaving microcapsules filled with liquid polyurethane into raincoats that if scratched, will leak out the repairing glue that will mend the wear.  This breakthrough was intended to meet the demanding work lives of professional fishermen but has plenty of other applications, such as extending the life of plastic anti-corrosive coating around metal structures.

Unfortunately at their current stage, the microcapsules could only repair cuts that are around a millimeter long.  The team is currently attempting to expand their effectiveness by experimenting with different mixtures.

Only time will tell when we will be able to have this technology in our raincoats.

Source: Alpha Galileo

5. Fashion a laptop bag out of a hoodie

Source: Conceptual Devices

4. Turn a Necktie into a Camera Strap

With an old tie, some ribbon, key chain rings, a few well-placed snips you can convert it into a fairly fashionable camera strap.  This isn’t recommended for expensive cameras with heavier high-quality lenses.

Source: Ecoterre

3. De-pill Sweaters with a Disposable Razor

Some fabrics like cashmere have a tendency to let out little clumps.  You can straighten them out by running a disposable razor over and away from the fabric.

Source: Lifehacker

2. Make Re-washable Swiffer Pads out of Men’s Socks

All you need is a pair of men’s calf-height tube socks and a scissor.  With a couple of cuts, you’re free from buying the expensive, dedicated cleaning pads.  Toss them in the wash when you’re done.

Source: Instructables

1. Sharpen old razor blades with a pair of jeans

If you shave, chances are you use disposable razors made by companies such as Gillette.   Because a four pack of razor blades can easily be used up in a month, shaving regularly can cost us around $170 per year.

You can easily extend a single razor’s life tenfold by running the razor up and down the length of an old pair of jeans.  Doing so would straighten out the deformations that occur from regular shaving.

Check out the video instructions here.  Go buy a pair of Reco Jeans with the money saved.

Fortunately for you, there is an business that does tailoring, repairs holes and tears, replaces zippers and buttons, re-dyes your jeans. They don’t just patch up the holes, they are sure to match the color, weight and wear of the cotton.

Luckily for you, it is all online.  You drop your packaged jeans into the mailbox as you would your Netflix DVDs. When you get them back you’re ready to put them on and resume your regular life of partying, climbing fences and escaping fans.

Back in August, the people at Denim Therapy did a Q&A with our very own Melissa Santos, check the article out here:

That’s where clothing swaps come in, and there are these meet ups all over New York.  You can trade your unwanted clothing with other swappers and get to bring back clothes that are more fitting for your wardrobe.

Of course you need to abide by certain common-sense rules:

1. Bring only your new, almost new or gently used clothes.
2. They must be clean/freshly laundered.
3. Must all be intact, no rips, stains or moth holes.

Meet people.  Reduce waste.  Look great.

Find a group online today.

The whole of “trashion” is way greater (and classier) than the sum of its discarded parts.  The artists behind this fashion movement have ingeniously found a way to turn common debris into wearable clothes and accessories.  Trashion designers produce amazing, one-of-a-kind accessories that are certain to show off your eclectic taste as well as your commitment to preserving earth’s natural resources.

Best of all, many of these goods are ready to order on the internet.

Though the movement formally began in 2004, indigenous people have always found ways to re-purpose scraps into jewelry and clothing.  Those with a bit of taste and vision have brought it to new heights.

Alexander McQueen’s work is in town and I managed to find my way in around the hefty $50 admission charge. I even managed to snap a couple of pics with my cellphone.

No, these sample pictures are absolutely no substitute for the authentic experience, and I highly suggest that all of you go see it for yourself.
McQueen’s motley collection of designs inspires awe while packing a punch ideologically and viscerally.  His work cannot be contained through cursory depiction or description.

His exhibits draw great inspiration from the Romantic movement (The exhibits are themed “Romantic Gothic,” “Romantic Nationalism,” “Romantic Primitivism,” and etc.)

Instead of thinking that mankind will eventually triumph over nature through science, Romantic thinkers accept the mysteriousness of existence, which in itself is a thing of beauty (called the “sublime”). Fictional characters born out of this movement are gifted, larger-than-life but tormented loners (like Faust and Hedda Gabbler).  The more I ventured into the exhibits, the more I saw McQueen like a Romantic hero since his unique work is tinged by a deep contemplation of life, death, loyalty and sexuality.  I saw a great embodiment of these themes in his “Romantic Gothic” gallery “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”

Don't mind me, just checking facebook....

One piece was made with a cape made of black parachute cloth, which was adorned by a mannequin standing akimbo.  The cape billowed with the help of some floor-installed fans, giving the impression that the figure was standing atop a blustery peak, contemplating its insignificance in the belly of a terrifying yet beautiful cosmic order.

Compare with this.

I think my favorite section would have to be “Highland Rape,” or his “Romantic Nationalism” exhibit.  All of his pieces were created in reaction against the wanton English adoption of Scottish fashion. McQueen was also tired of the general public’s preconceptions of Scotland, and sought to change that with his work.

Being born to Scottish parents and raised in London, he felt conflicted in his nationalistic identity.  Though he loved the country of England, he cannot accept that it has committed vicious atrocities against Scotland and it is a belief that is visibly aired in the exhibit.  Nothing like playing “God Save the Queen” and “Theme from Schindler’s List” to get the point across.

The exhibit is now free to all with a Met ticket and open until August 7th.  Get out of your chair and go there. Right now.

You don’t need to be a fine arts major to be color-coordinated.  All you really need to understand is a couple of basic principles.

To start, figure out if you’re a “high-contrast” or a “low-contrast” guy.  All you need to do is to look in a mirror and see how different your skin tone is from your hair.  If you have fair skin and dark hair, or dark skin and lighter-colored hair, you are considered “high-contrast.”  If your skin and hair is both dark, or both light, then you’re “low-contrast.”  It’s a general principle to apply the same level of contrast with the colors of the clothes you wear.

Alright, alright.  How many of you remember this?

It’s a color wheel, and it helps people track relationships between colors.  All colors are said to be derivatives of the three primary colors: red, yellow and blue (or cyan, magenta and yellow if you have looked at a printer cartridge closely). Good color coordination is basically the ability to understand color relationships and how to apply them to complement your natural level of contrast. You can try…

...wearing similar hues...

 

...rock complementary colors...

 

... or try split complementary colors.

But the rules of fashion are made to be broken.  Go crazy. Experiment. Mix and match.  Wear gloves on your feet and your shirts for pants. Walk down the street upside down in handstands.

Still, you can’t go wrong with simplicity in the form of a solid colored t-shirt and a classy pair of jeans.  Who knows where you can get a nice pair nowadays…