D2C beauty and personal care brand, Pilgrim, strengthened its vision of sustainability and being nature-friendly. The innovative brand, known for its non-toxic and effective product formulations, is now certified by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) for being cruelty-free and vegan. To add to their mission of being a ‘Clean Beauty’ brand in every way, they have also pledged to be Plastic Positive. According to the brand, these initiatives are a part of their continual efforts to minimize their environmental impact and make meaningful contributions to SDG 12 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable development.

All of Pilgrim’s products are packaged in recycled plastic bolstering the brand’s commitment towards minimizing carbon footprint and being ‘Plastic Positive’. To fulfill this commitment towards nature, Pilgrim has tied up with a plastic neutrality facilitator – The Disposal Company that helps brands in ethical collection and recycling of their plastic waste. This helps in neutralizing the net impact on the environment and helps the brand contribute towards sustainability.

Not being left behind in the race, comes the announcement from Lakmé, as the brand joins PETA US’ Global Beauty Without Bunnies programme, which certifies cosmetics, personal-care, and household goods companies and brands that don’t test on animals. Lakmé, which is owned by Hindustan Unilever, will now feature the programme’s PETA-approved bunny logo on its packaging.

“Thanks to Lakmé’s compassion and conscientiousness, animals will be spared ugly tests for beauty products,” says PETA India Science Policy Advisor Dr Ankita Pandey. “PETA India is delighted that Lakmé and other kind companies on the Global Beauty Without Bunnies list empower consumers to shop according to their values.”

PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to experiment on” – notes that more than 5,400 companies around the world have banned all animal tests in favour of effective, modern, non-animal methods, thereby sparing animals painful and deadly tests in which substances are applied to their eyes and shaved skin, sprayed in their faces, or forced down their throats. Because of the vast physiological differences between humans and the other animals used in these tests, the results are often misleading.

Milan – Zegna and Riva 1920 collaborates in a shared commitment to sustainable practices and the highest standards of Italian craftsmanship where style and design come together to protect the planet. At the Salone del Mobile design fair this September, the two heritage brands partner together to enhance their respective sustainable ethos and love of nature. Salone del Mobile, which celebrates fine Italian furniture design, is the perfect moment to share the conscious mindsets that unite Zegna #UseTheExisting project and Riva 1920 eco-natural living concept, as leading brands that take care of the world we live in.

Preserving the environment for future generations is the message at the core of Zegna and Riva 1920’s mission. At Zegna, responsibility towards the environment and the community has always been a fundamental value, and with the #UseTheExisting project we continue the sustainable path, honouring a 111 year legacy of commitment towards a future of zero waste. Launched by Artistic Director Alessandro Sartori with the Ermenegildo Zegna XXX Winter 2019 Collection, and developed with the expertise and innovation of Zegna Group’s textile division, #UseTheExisting is an evolutionary commitment that actually permeates all the brand’s collections, with this project Zegna aims to create not only new fabrics from existing ones, but also to create new fabrics from existing fibres and remnants.

At Zegna Milanese flagship store, in Via Montenapoleone, the set up showcases some of the resulting #UseTheExisting garments that are tailored in Italy to unparalleled luxury standards as well as Riva 1920’s philosophy for eco natural living as exemplified through its use of Kauri. Riva 1920 gives Kauri a new life by using the millennial wood extracted from under the earth after being buried for centuries in New Zealand and produces design masterpieces from this unique type of wood with a history that dates back to the Jurassic era. Symbolizing revival, the rare beauty of Kauri furniture is on display at the fair in the form of two Kauri tables, one Kauri stump and one Briccole bookshelf – Briccole are the unquestioned main characters of Venice, which lead the boats and mark the Lagoon low tide.

The sustainable initiatives of Zegna and Riva 1920 weave together the two brands’ love of nature and the creation of timeless products that are produced consciously, in Italy, to impeccable standards of beauty and craftsmanship.

OPPO has partnered with Japanese architect Kengo Kuma to create a multisensory landmark installation for Milan Design Week 2021…

Leading smart device manufacturer and innovator OPPO has partnered with Japanese architect Kengo Kuma to create Bamboo (竹) Ring :|| Weaving a Symphony of Lightness and Form. The multi-sensory installation works to the theme “Creative Connections” by fusing Architecture with Music, design innovation, technological prowess, and user experience to create a sense of time and space, and will be on display in Milan’s Cortile dei Bagni courtyard for the duration of Milan Design Week, until 19 September.

This landmark project is an evolution of Kengo Kuma and OPPO’s Bamboo Ring exhibition which debuted at the 2019 edition of the London Design Festival and explored the harmonious relationship between humans and nature through the envisioning of lightweight yet strong structures made with bamboo and carbon fiber. This year, OPPO’s experiential installation uses pioneering technology to engage all the senses through a series of orchestral scores composed by Japanese violinist Midori Komachi with Musicity.

The composition is based on the cycle of seasons and moves through the structure encouraging the public to walk around and be captured by its aural narrative. The changing soundscapes integrate the sound of Midori’s violin (built in Milan in 1920 and enhanced with carbon fiber itself) from O Relax, OPPO’s digital wellbeing application that offers comforting nature and city sounds to relax your mind taken from locations around the globe including Reykjavik, Beijing, and Tokyo.

“OPPO is a human-centric brand, our focus is on innovating for the people. We are delighted to partner with Kengo Kuma again, an architect who is known for seamlessly integrating nature and culture. Together, we demonstrate how we can use technology and design to add value to our daily lives drawing on our philosophy principles of “Technology as an Art Form” and our brand mission “Technology for Mankind, Being Kind to the World,” says Jintong Zhu, Head of OPPO London Design Centre

The installation’s woven structure – crafted from rings of bamboo and carbon fiber – becomes a musical instrument as music travels through it via structural sound technologies originating from OPPO London Design Centre’s research. Innovative technology including new haptic motors, MEMS speaker strips, and exciters work together to produce an immersive base and higher frequencies which reverberate the bamboo with Violin’s vibrato and the effect of a percussion instrument.

Kengo Kuma says,When I design architecture, I’m interested in designing the rhythm and the tone rather than the silhouette, and contemporary music gives us many lessons about how to create new rhythms and tones in architecture. This pavilion is one of the explorations into the new rhythms and tones in architecture combining visual and acoustic experiences of the visitors.” 

After Milan Design Week, OPPO will donate Bamboo Ring to Arte Sella Park in Trentino, Italy, a contemporary art museum with outdoor exhibits made from natural materials and backdropped by the mountainous Sella Valley, where it will find its permanent home.

Rice straw, banana stems and other agricultural waste could soon go from farmer’s fields to the fashion runway. The study proposes a roadmap for collaboration and innovation for fashion and food industries to come together to enable this alternative feedstock to help build long-term sustainable value-chains.

A new study shows that there are enough usable agricultural residue streams from farming in South and Southeast Asia for the production of natural fiber textiles at scale. Spinning Future Threads, from the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC), the World Resources Institute (WRI), Wageningen University and Research (WUR), commissioned by Laudes Foundation, found large quantities of agricultural residues in eight countries. The researchers looked at more than 40 crops to find the most suitable for fashion fibre production.

“To reduce its growing dependence on fossil fuels, the fashion industry must prioritise and accelerate its transition to a circular and regenerative system,” says Anita Chester, Head of Materials, Laudes Foundation. “There is an incredible opportunity to create value out of waste. This report looks at the huge potential of agricultural residue as a possible  feedstock for textile fibre, outlining not just suitability but also the hotspots. We do hope this will help fashion, working in collaboration with food, fast track alternatives to tip the scales in favour of the planet and its people.”   

Global fibre production has reached well over 100 million tonne per year in 2019 and is expected to rise even further. Agricultural residues can potentially be blended with man-made and natural fibres to produce innovative materials called agro-residue based textile fibers. The fibers are known to have similar characteristics to existing materials in the fashion industry. The research focused on South Asia and Southeast Asia, because these regions are known for both their production of crop waste and textiles.

“The textile industry is in need of more sustainable and renewable feedstocks in order to improve its current negative impact on the climate,” said Paulien Harmsen, Senior Scientist at Wageningen University & Research. “We need more biomass as input for textiles to transform the current textile industry. However, when using new biomass residues for textiles we face a number of challenges, such as the availability and suitability, but also technological, economic and social challenges. Ultimately, not every biomass source is suitable for textile applications, but this study shows a promising insight in our first steps towards sustainable textiles.”

Producing agro-residue based textile fabrics using the feedstocks identified by this study also would create important societal benefits.

“Agro-residue based fibres are promising innovations that could unlock the next fashion revolution,” added Vivek P. Adhia, India Country Director, ISC. “It’s time has come, reaping triple benefits of sustainable fashion, improved rural livelihoods and reduced environmental impacts. Building critical links between industry and farming communities will help facilitate this transition more quickly. It is important to design the system right, upfront, addressing considerations on reliable feedstock availability, robust local value chains, customizing technology fit-for-purpose and advancing consumer awareness.”

In addition to economic benefits, recycling residue into textile fibers would have important climate benefits.

Celebrating the Pride month, V & A (Victoria & Albert, London) trail out in the museum, the lives of LGBTQ people, (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) as they were largely invisible, or untold in museums. Selected by LGBTQ Working Group and LGBTQ Volunteer Tour Guides, the objects in V & A trail reveal stories of diverse gender and sexual identities across time, place and culture.

The trails starts from its Buddhism gallery. The serene and sensual interpretation of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, the Buddhist Lord of Compassion, transcends binary constructs of gender. Depictions of this Buddhist deity originated in India and journeyed over the Himalayas into China. Spreading eastwards towards Korea, Japan and Vietnam, portrayals of the figure became increasingly fluid and androgenised, incorporating male and female characteristics, and also took the female form of Guanyin, sometimes called the Goddess of Mercy. Some modern transgender and non-binary people have likened this transition to their own lived experience.

Moving further in trail is Hindu God Shiva as Ardhanarishvara (Lord Who Is Half Woman), AD 150 – 200. The figure of Ardhanarishvara, formed of both the Hindu god Shiva and his female consort Parvati. One side of the deity is masculine and the other feminine. Here they are depicted standing against an upright linga (Shiva’s emblem), with phallic markings on the reverse. Ardhanarishvara reminds us that ambiguities around sex and gender have existed for centuries. The figure remains one of the most popular iconographic forms of Shiva and can be seen on countless shrines throughout India and South-East Asia.

Another stunning is Reliquary of Saint Sebastian, 1497. With so many sensual representations of Saint Sebastian created from the Renaissance onwards, it’s no surprise that over time he has become a gay icon. The young martyr lived in 3rd-century Rome and was condemned to death for his Christian beliefs. Lashed to a tree and shot with arrows, he miraculously survived the ordeal. The image of his writhing, near-naked body and the symbolism of the penetrating arrows contribute to the saint’s homoerotic appeal, which was strongly emphasised by filmmaker Derek Jarman in his 1976 film Sebastiane.

While in the Metamorphosis of Ovid, statuette, Auguste Rodin, about 1886, France, this erotically charged plaster model explicitly depicts same-sex desire. Auguste Rodin (1840 – 1917) sought to evoke the spirit of Ovid’s epic poem, Metamorphoses, when creating these embracing female figures. The Metamorphoses contains a potential transgender tale about the love between the mythological figures Iphis and Ianthe, with Iphis changing her gender so she can marry another woman. The sculpture was originally owned by the painter Charles Shannon, who had a lifelong relationship with the artist Charles Ricketts.

Despite a global slowdown, businesses have managed to adapt to the changing scenario and grown with innovative ways to outlive the challenges. While the retail and manufacturing business has taken the hardest hit, the online world has managed to persist and thrive. All types of web content, online shopping, and online gaming has seen a significant demand. With an increase of 21% in the sales of gaming content and hardware in the early part of 2020, the fashion industry has managed to use this trend to its advantage, with games featuring ‘create your own avatars’, shopping for wardrobe and more, opening doors for the fashion and beauty brand to step in and grow.

Similarities

The gaming and fashion world are quite similar to each other, wherein the customers have appreciated a liking for fashion shopping, enjoying the experience and viewing it as a stress-relieving activity, much like playing multiple card games at a virtual casino like Spin Casino India. When using a fashion brand through a gaming app, players develop a positive association with the brand and are keen on going ahead with their purchase or revisit later.

Browsing Pleasure

Browsing online for clothes or other fashion items is therapeutic for most people and allows them to escape their routine and tiring lifestyle. Gaming apps for fashion have facilitated the concerned brands to build on this requirement and offer their customers an enjoyable experience that goes a notch-up from their usual websites. When a gamer is involved in the game, marketers can identify specific blockades and then track them to comprehend their customers’ desires and preferences.

Using time to their advantage

Most people view mobile gaming as a time filler, which is why fashion gaming apps offer the perfect opportunity for the brands to invite their potential customers during their free time, be it a habitual browse for fashion trends during a daily commute or waiting for their appointments. Gaming apps attract a wider audience and can be both engaging and exciting for the users and the addition of features like enabling users to update their wish lists can not only be exciting but also increase the prospects of the customer following through with a purchase.

A win-win

The world over, gamers and esports fans acknowledge their fascination for beauty and fashion and hence their willingness to spend on both real life products and in-game purchases. Most users are satisfied and attracted when they win discounts, coupons, reward points, or gifts. This feature has allowed fashion brands to treat their customers as players, and ascertaining what they are more inclined towards. Fashion gaming apps serve as an ingenious and successful way of gaining relevant information and rewarding the customers for their time and purchase through the rewards. These can be in the form of freebies or unlocking new levels.

The Style Quotient

Apart from the obvious benefits, gaming can also be viewed as an education tool, through which people train their minds using mobile gaming apps. While fashion is a creativity conduit, it allows the customers to experiment with their expressions, find or improve their fashion style. This inspiring activity from a brand through the gaming app will most likely lead to a long-lasting association between the brand and its customers.

In conclusion, with an increase in the popularity of mobile games, and gaming apps, influencers can also attract a huge audience, which serves as an opportunity for the fashion brands to reach a massive fol

The 29th annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards, raised $3 million for the global effort to end AIDS. The Foundation’s first-ever virtual gala featured a stripped back performance by GRAMMY Award-winning recording artist Dua Lipa and appearances by very special guests including Lady Gaga, Cynthia Erivo and the cast of It’s a Sin, among others. For the first time, EJAF supporters worldwide were invited to attend the famed Oscar party by joining a 60-minute pre-show special produced by Fulwell 73 at Rosewood London.

Guests received a warm welcome from Sir Elton John and David Furnish, as well as special appearances from the likes of Olly Alexander, Nathaniel Curtis, Omari Douglas, Cynthia Erivo, Callum Scott Howells, Elizabeth Hurley, David Williams, Lydia West, and others. Neil Patrick Harris brought humor to the show and Dua Lipa lit up the virtual Pre-Party with performances of her chart-topping hits including, “Levitating,” “Pretty Please,” “Hallucinate” and “Don’t Start Now.” Guests were also treated to an extra-special duet with Sir Elton John and Dua Lipa performing “Bennie and the Jets” and “Love Again.”

‘We haven’t missed a year yet and we certainly weren’t going to miss our 29th annual Oscar Party to benefit my Foundation, even if it meant going virtual,’ says Sir Elton John, Founder, Elton John AIDS Foundation. ‘It was so much fun to perform with the gorgeous Dua Lipa and open up to our supporters all over the world. I’m so grateful to Neil for hosting, everyone who attended and all my friends who participated so that we could continue this legendary event to raise vital funds to end the AIDS epidemic.’

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone in unimaginable ways said Elton John, but the Foundation is committed to ensure that one pandemic does not override another. UNAIDS estimates that there will be an extra half a million deaths from AIDS this year alone in sub-Saharan Africa due to service disruptions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, the funds raised will support young people at risk and living with HIV all over the world. There are 1600 new cases of HIV in young people globally every day. This age group are smart and savvy and require health care services and support in different ways than adults do, and the Foundation will work to ensure that services are accessible on the platforms that are best suited to young people. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the world to explore many modes of virtual health care and we need to ensure that this continues in a digital era to serve young people affected by HIV.

AMSTERDAM – Fruit skin fabric, mushroom ‘leather’, spider-silk, dye made by bacteria and algae; GROW, the new exhibition from the Fashion for Good Museum in Amsterdam explores the biomaterials and cutting-edge innovations that are shaping the sustainable future of fashion.

For their year-long exhibition, curated and developed in-house for the first time, the Fashion for Good Museum dives into all things biomaterials. In the GROW expo, visitors go on an inspiring journey through the exciting materials, innovations, designers and brands using biomaterials, discovering the fascinating and rich world of biomaterials, explaining the differences and benefits of each material, what’s available today, and how the industry can change by using better materials.

Fashion has always celebrated the ingenuity of nature, from its organic shapes and patterns, materials and fibres, to the wide array of colours and textures. With the rise of fast fashion, the natural world is plundered for its resources, putting the relationship between fashion and nature under strain.

Showcasing conventional biomaterials such as organic cotton and biodegradable materials such as flax or hemp, the expo also presents more innovative brands and products from pioneers such as Pangaia (available for the first time in a retail store in the Netherlands), FREITAG F-ABRIC, the Nude Label, Phool, Bananatex and Bioglitz – with a special glitter station, featuring in the museum’s GOOD SHOP.

Some biomaterials are still in development and a few are already available as a product. To accelerate the adoption of these materials in the industry, Fashion for Good initiated the GROW talent project, a three month programme where young design and creative talent will work with innovative biomaterials – and create garments and stories for the future. These garments made by the talent will ultimately be showcased in GROW 2.0, the exhibition (opening in October 2021) that will literally show what the future of fashion will look like.