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This is my Trend Report- SUBVERSIVE SEXY

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This is my first bit of the Assignment. I did this research at home.

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This is my first bit of research about the jumpsuit.

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This is my Group & I final Disco Subculture assignment.

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Boogie Wonderland - Presentation (16:9) by Phoebe Sewell

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This tells me how the history of the jumpsuit came about.

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· By Sarah Liller ·

· By Sarah Liller ·

Jumpsuits are synonymous these days with fashionable women, but where exactly did they originate ? The jumpsuit was first created in 1919 to be worn by parachuters who were, literally , jumping out of planes . Hence, the name jumpsuit .

It was introduced to the fashion set in the late 1930's by Elsa Schiaparelli - a rival of Coco Chanel. Her jumpsuits were much talked about, but not worn by very many. She created a collection inspired by the coming war which included a women's jumpsuit cut from green silk, featuring large front pockets . While these were met with positive reactions, luxury jumpsuits were put on hold as the war began. Women began wearing cotton overalls during the 1940's as they stepped up to work in place of the men fighting overseas .

One of the most famous examples of a woman wearing a jumpsuit was Rosie the Riveter - who sported a blue utilitarian jumpsuit during WWII .

Jumpsuits started to become popular in 1960's and achieved hyper-popularity in the 70's, worn by men and women alike ! From Cher to Elvis, jumpsuits ruled the music industry. Jumpsuits were a popular look with people frequenting the disco scene. During this important time of women's liberation, jumpsuits were clever, as the flowing cuts allowed the ease of movement of pants with the appearance of a dress .

It was so popular that by 1980, designer, Geoffrey Beane declared it "the ballgown of the next century" Like most styles in the 1980's, big and bold were in . Jumpsuits were cut more like the power suits of the day, and bright colors and embellishments ruled . These were statement pieces; however , they were appealing because you could make a large impact without a lot of thought - effortless style !

It lost favor in the coming decades but was re-imagined in the late 2000's. Now it is appreciated by stylish women as an easy answer to one-piece dressing.

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Jumpsuits are synonymous these days with fashionable women, but where exactly did they originate? The jumpsuit was first created in 1919 to be worn by parachuters who were, literally, jumping out of planes. Hence, the name jumpsuit. It was introduced to the fashion set in the late 1930's by Elsa Schiaparelli - a rival of Coco Chanel.

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This article told me about a woman who did a 3 week test about wearing a Jumpsuit. How she felt, the pros & cons & the future.

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It's fifty degrees in January, and the air in the Garment District smells strangely of pea soup. The building I've been directed to is supposed to be an art gallery, but all I can find is an office-supply showroom. I wait outside on a street dotted with FedEx trucks, Pret A Mangers, and fabric stores selling colorful sequined silks and heavy white brocades-the expensive material of saris and wedding dresses. In the early twentieth century, when New York City was still the center of the American garment industry, this neighborhood housed sewing factories where Eastern European immigrants made the petticoats and shirtwaists sold on Fifth Avenue. Most multinational fashion brands have since moved their operations overseas, and the sewing work that is still done in the Garment District is usually completed by newly graduated FIT students working as interns, not by members of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union.

I'm here to meet Abigail Glaum-Lathbury, who will give me a jumpsuit she made just for me that I will wear as my only article of clothing for the next three weeks. Abigail is one of two artists who comprise the Rational Dress Society, a collective committed to what the group calls "counter-fashion"-a critique of fashion and capitalism through political dress. Abigail and her partner in counter-fashion, Maura Brewer, have been wearing only jumpsuits for the past three years-to weddings, to job interviews, to teach their classes at art school, and to visit their families over Thanksgiving. Their closets are nearly empty: they each have three jumpsuits, a few jumpsuit-compatible sweaters, workout clothes, pajamas, and underthings-that's it. They don't have to buy new clothes or wonder how they'll look in the culottes that have recently come into fashion. They never have to choose a new outfit because they've already picked the one they'll wear forever.

My phone buzzes. It's Abigail, telling me she's running late, asking if I want a coffee, and explaining to me that the gallery is not, in fact, in the office-supply showroom but on the third floor of an adjacent building. I make my way upstairs to a room full of wires, hardware, half-installed clothes racks, and unpacked boxes. Although Maura and Abigail's primary project is JUMPSUIT, the Rational Dress Society is an art practice whose components are varied. The gallery's current show, "Omega Workshop," highlights other artists working in counter-fashion, including an LA collective who designs dayglow sparkle clothes for queer-crip bodies, an artist who deconstructed and redesigned a high-heel shoe, and the artist Frau Fiber, who will lead a DIY workshop on how to sew a Soviet hippie poncho. Abigail and Maura are also working on a project called "Make America Rational Again"-they are collecting "gently used and emphatically discarded" Ivanka Trump-label clothing to melt down into a polyester slurry, which they will transform into millennial-pink jumpsuits.

The politics of consumer choice are at the heart of the Rational Dress Society's ideology. By making a single choice and sticking to it, Maura and Abigail are attempting to draw attention to the way that democracy and choice have become conflated under capitalism. Although it may seem as if we have endless choices of what to wear, as if our ability to choose is part of what makes us free, we really only have the choices that the market makes available to us. We can wear a tube top from Hot Topic or a baggy tunic from Eileen Fischer, but we must buy new things, and we must buy more. Abigail and Maura hope that their project will help us see the choices that have been shoved outside of our field of vision: to mend the clothes we have, to halt consumption, and perhaps to opt out of capitalism entirely.

The Rational Dress Society looks to both the future and the past. Their name is borrowed from the Victorian reform movement that, in an era of bustles and corsets, advocated for pants and other "rational dress." Yet the garment they are promoting is emblematic of science fiction. A portion of the proceeds of all their work will go toward the purchase of a full-page ad in Vogue. The ad isn't intended to sell more jumpsuits; Abigail and Maura don't want to replace one consumer product with another. Once the ad is paid for, the project will close up shop.

The Rational Dress Society makes jumpsuits in two hundred forty-eight sizes culled from NASA data to fit almost any body type. Anyone can print the pattern for free from their website or, for a hundred and fifty dollars, order one that will arrive ready-made out of sustainable fabric and hand sewn by well-paid seamstresses. The design was inspired by patterns for work wear, and the finished garment looks like painters' coveralls. But on the bodies of Maura and Abigail, both hip art-school grads with fashionable glasses and haircuts, the jumpsuits look simply chic, as though there is nothing more sensible or cool a person could wear.

I have never looked simply chic-for me, fashion has always been a chore. I can't quite keep up with the churn of the seasons, and if I get rid of clothes before they are threadbare, I am racked with thrifty guilt. I believe in the power of dress to communicate something to the world; it is in many ways the first thing we say about ourselves, the threshold between our private and public lives. But the messages available to me have always felt predetermined, the choices hollow. So the promise of Abigail and Maura's jumpsuit appealed. My message would be provided not by corporate America but by two artists. The message would be a rebuke to the system that had long brought me frustration and shame.

*

Abigail arrives at the gallery in a smiley flurry-she is perpetually cheerful and excited. She is wearing a white jumpsuit and black glasses with saucer-size lenses and carrying a tray of coffees. She points me toward an enormous duffel bag on the floor, full of jumpsuits, and then pulls out mine-a perfectly folded denim rectangle.

That night, I pull my jumpsuit out of my bag with excitement and slip it on. It fits oddly-too long in the crotch and too loose in the legs. My small waist, the part of me about which I am most vain, is obscured by a swath of dark-blue denim that falls straight from my shoulders to my hips. Nothing cinches my middle, and I feel fat. I will learn later that this style is called a "drop waist" and was popularized by flappers in the twenties, women whose ideal body was straight and androgynous-two adjectives that definitely do not describe my figure.

I pull the jumpsuit down so that the bodice is taut, but then the crotch is low-nearly down to my knees. I take another tack and pull the jumpsuit up so that the waistband is at my natural waist, and a poof of fabric emerges at my chest. I look in the mirror and see a figure I don't quite recognize-I look unfeminine and the wrong size, bulky and overstuffed. But this garment had been made to my exact measurements. I had imagined it fitting my body perfectly, flattering my figure and making me look magically thinner, stronger, better. Had I been given the wrong one? The problem with subverting the tyranny of choice is that you arrive at sameness, and bodies are not the same. Even with two hundred forty-eight sizes, there aren't enough for the body I have.

*

Maura and Abigail have invited me to watch a sewing workshop they are running the next day at MOMA, where they would teach fifteen strangers how to turn several yards of fabric into a sleeve and a bodice. I show up in my normal clothes, but my jumpsuit is wadded in my bag.

The museum has set up six sewing machines on large gray tables, which are arranged in a semicircle in an open space between galleries. The group is almost all youngish white women, with the exception of a man in his late twenties with a scruffy beard and curly brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. One woman is wearing a hijab; another is wearing a non-Rational Dress jumpsuit. Several older women are wandering around wearing white sashes with RATIONAL DRESS printed in bold black sans-serif type-expert seamstresses here to help the novices thread bobbins and cut out patterns. One of them, Joann, tells me that when she read the email from MOMA about the program, she called the front desk to make sure it wasn't a hoax. The notice had mentioned the Rational Dress Society's anti-Trump project, and she couldn't believe the museum would do something so overtly political.

The sound of a triangle rings, and Maura steps up to a microphone. Maura and Abigail are, of course, both wearing jumpsuits-white ones this time. Maura wears red, white, and blue Converse; Abigail, sensible black boots.

"I'm comrade Maura."

"I'm comrade Abigail. Together, we make JUMPSUIT, the open-source, ungendered monogarment to replace all clothes in perpetuity."

"All of you will be able to go home, and based on the information you receive here, combined with additional guidance from our online instructional video, you will be able to sew your own jumpsuit from beginning to end. After you have completed your monogarment, we invite you to throw away all of your clothes," Maura says.

The women go back and forth describing the rationale of their project, a speech they've clearly memorized from a script. It's a performance, but it's also a workshop. It's art, but it's also a sewing lesson. H&M, they tell us, purposefully designs their clothes to fall apart after ten washings. And in their Cambodian factories, the workers don't have sick leave. They are discriminated against for being pregnant, they are fainting en masse, and they are very often children. The politics Abigail and Maura describe are of radical consumer choice. By making a choice not to buy any clothes at all, to instead wear a long-lasting garment that can be repaired, the jumpsuit wearer is not participating in a boycott-they are rejecting the underlying system that caused the need for the boycott in the first place.

Abigail and Maura finish their speech, ring the triangle again, and the sewing begins. Maura puts on the Rational Dress Society playlist, which includes songs about worker solidarity, revolution, and jumping. Abigail walks everyone through the first stage of the process-cutting out the pattern for the sleeves. She peppers her descriptions with technical language: seam allowance, control notches, belt-loop positioning, drill holes, selvage edge. These are the words that she uses in her everyday life as a teacher in the fashion department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and she delights in teaching them to the group.

"I don't like choices," the bearded man, Aaron, tells me as he waits his turn for a sewing machine. He's come with his fiancée, Lizzie, who wants to learn how to tailor clothes she buys at thrift stores. Aaron believes in the politics of the the Rational Dress Society, but part of the appeal is not having to pick out his clothes every morning.

Buthaina, who sits at the machine next to Aaron and Lizzie, grew up in Milan, where she says everyone is a shopaholic. She's been moving from one country to another for three years, and she's had to get rid of the clothes she's accumulated. "Moving makes you conscious of your life priorities," she tells me.

After the group cuts out their sleeves and they begin taking turns at the sewing machines, a woman with a Russian accent emerges from another exhibit and sheepishly asks me, "What is this?" I try to explain that these are artists who make jumpsuits and that this group has gathered in the middle of this famous museum to sew. "Yes, but why are they playing the Soviet national anthem?" she asks. I'm not quite sure how to answer. Maura and Abigail offer the aesthetic of "the worker" with unrestrained delight, but it seems suddenly tone-deaf in the presence of a woman who has presumably grown up in the shadow of Stalin. The Rational Dress Society's critique of choice is meant to be a critique of American late-stage capitalism. But the aesthetics of that critique seem to hearken back to a time and a place ruled by a different tyranny: one of scarcity and political oppression.

Maura and Abigail have been accused of fascism before. Americans are primed to equate lack of choice with lack of freedom, and the aesthetics of the project, from the cut of the jumpsuit to the music on the playlist, look and feel decidedly Soviet. When I ask Maura about it, she tells me that people forget the project isn't about forcing people to wear the same thing; it's about encouraging them to end their participation in a harmful system. "JUMPSUIT is not a mandate," she says. "You have to choose to reject choice." Maura and Abigail are unabashedly influenced by artists of the early Soviet Union, who had aesthetics very different from the harsh socialist realism of the Stalinist era. Early Soviet artists designed clothes for ease of work and play rather than for opulent display. "The Soviet artists realized that the transformation of society would have to happen not just through direct political action but also through a transformation in lifestyle, facilitated by art and design," Maura and Abigail tell me.

At the end of the day, I go to the bathroom, step out of my shoes, and peel off my skinny jeans for the last time. The jumpsuit is a mass of fabric, a whale of a thing bulking up the bags I've been carrying around the city. I pull it on and walk out of the stall, feeling like Superman but also like a child in a costume.

When I come back to the gallery, Abigail and Maura fuss over the jumpsuit a bit but assure me that it's definitely the right size. Abigail tells me she wasn't so sure about the fit at first either but that she grew to love it after a few days. Out of earshot, I ask Joann, the expert seamstress, what she thinks. I get the feeling she's the kind of older New York lady who would tell me the brutal truth. "Do I look fat?" I whisper. I know it's the wrong question to be asking, but I can't help myself. Joann just laughs.

*

I give it a try. I want to see what changes when I wear the same garment every single day. Abigail and Maura have been doing it for three years; I can do it for three weeks.

The next morning, as I walk to work, I realize that it's the first time in years, maybe decades, that I am wearing such loose-fitting clothing in public. Sure, I'll wear a baggy sweater or a swing dress, but there is always a bit of Lycra or a constricting band in there somewhere-a pair of tights or skinny jeans, a too-tight sleeve or an uncomfortable armpit. Abigail and Maura tell me that clothing companies make everything tight and stretchy so they can make fewer sizes-it's cheaper to cut three sizes than six.

As I walk up the stairs to my office, no fabric grips my skin, and I feel unencumbered. Although I have been worried about how I look, the truth is I've never felt less fat. The garment does not constantly remind me of my girth; it does not threaten to bust at the seams if I move too quickly or eat too much. I'm not just thwarting the tyranny of capitalism-I'm thwarting the tyranny of tightness.

Several women compliment me on the first day-"I love your coveralls!" one coworker shouts casually across the room. Two others tell me that while they think I look great, the garment would never work on their body. It's a constant refrain I'll hear during my time in the jumpsuit. We all seem to think our bodies are impossible-too fat or thin, too long a torso or too thick a waist-to be accommodated.

Not choosing an outfit really does save time. But more than time, it saves a kind of emotional labor that I hadn't realized I was doing. I spent so much time wondering, What should I wear? The answer seemed to lie in discerning what other people would expect, how I could impress them, what would look cool. But after a beat of contemplation, I'd remember I already knew what I was going to wear. I was going to wear a jumpsuit. I could move on to other things. I began to sleep in a little later. I actually sat down to eat breakfast and got some reading in before heading off to work. But the real freedom came from not starting every day thinking about all the problems with my body or my wardrobe.

As the days passed and the novelty wore off, a different set of truths settled in. Two weeks in, I sat in a work meeting across from a woman with beautifully blow-dried hair, perfectly applied makeup, and a colorful pencil skirt. I felt, by comparison, like a manly baby wearing a onesie and work boots, and I was distracted by my need to prove both my femininity and my professionalism. I realized how much of my sense of self as a woman was wrapped up in how the world sees my body. There were days when I put on too much makeup to compensate for not wearing dresses and tight jeans. Other days, I wore no makeup, feeling like my plain face suited the outfit more. I realized I was afraid people wouldn't find me sexy-that if they couldn't see my waist, my curves, my ass, they wouldn't know that I was attractive. And I began to question that fear.

But then I was also grateful to be able to hide in the looseness of the garment, to feel like my worth would have to be found elsewhere. I didn't miss the choices in the morning when I picked out my clothes, but I missed the identity the clothes give me-the costume of "woman" or "professional." It was unsettling to feel that those identities came from the outside rather than the inside-that I convinced myself I was an adult by wearing a pencil skirt, that I convinced myself I was a woman by wearing high heels.

*

On that afternoon three weeks ago, when Abigail first gave me my jumpsuit, we sat on the enormous windowsill of the gallery loft. The sun was setting, and a melancholy pink light filled the room. The garment industry invented lofts like these-the high ceilings were tall enough to accommodate the enormous machinery, and the windows let in light, which cut down the owners' electricity bills, and let in air, which was supposed to reduce illness among the workers. At the turn of the twentieth century, consumers were afraid that epidemics of typhoid and tuberculosis were being spread because ill sweatshop workers were infecting the clothes.

In a loft across the street, backlit with blue light, women were sewing. I hadn't noticed them, but Abigail pointed out the oak-tag patterns-manila-paper shapes used in industrial production. There are still factories here, likely high-end manufacturers making clothes for expensive designers, she explained. "The garment industry is the birth of capitalism," Abigail reminded me. "The industrial revolution was about making cloth."

For Maura and Abigail, Utopia is a party where everyone is wearing the exact same thing. It's a place where consumers choose to reject choice because they see that choice isn't always linked to freedom, a place where laborers are paid and treated well. But like most Utopian visions, it surely will never be fully realized. Most people probably won't switch to a jumpsuit-only wardrobe. Even the culmination of the project-the purchase of an ad in the pages of Vogue -will almost certainly stay forever out of reach.

JUMPSUIT promises to subvert capitalism, but what it really does is make you aware of it. I felt it in the looseness of the garment, in the chafe as it rubbed against my thighs, in the compliments, and in the odd stares that seemed to say, You're wearing that again? And I felt it when the three weeks of wearing a jumpsuit were finally up. I stood in front of my closet, exhausted by the choice of what to put on. I needed to triangulate the weather conditions, the various tasks of the day, my level of bloat, and my desire to feel beautiful or cool or sexy. It was only through being momentarily freed from it that I noticed the comical constraint of tight clothing or the way that my identity had become so deeply bound up in consumption. Capitalism is so omnipresent that it can become impossible to identify. Both in a jumpsuit and out of it, I could feel something on my body that had long been rendered invisible: a set of restrictions that had once felt like freedom.
Heather Radke is a writer, curator, and audio producer who lives in New York.

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The Jumpsuit That Will Replace All Clothes Forever

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It's fifty degrees in January, and the air in the Garment District smells strangely of pea soup. The building I've been directed to is supposed to be an art gallery, but all I can find is an office-supply showroom.

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What date is Paris Fashion Week? - Wear Next.

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We're always on the lookout for pieces showcased in Paris Fashion Week (PFW), and this year is no exemption. But what date is it going to take place in 2021?

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The jumpsuit has two faces. One comes from world of culture and fashion, everything from Elvis in Vegas to Janelle Monae at the Met Gala. Sleek, bedazzled, garish, constructed from rubber or leather, adorned with everything from feathers to bullets, it is made for anything but utility.

The other image comes from the future. It's the outfit of Star Trek: The Next Generation, where every citizen has his or her place in the machine, signaled to everyone else by a color-coded jumpsuit uniform. It simultaneously evokes a forward-looking society that's moved beyond superficial concerns, and a utilitarian past of factories and manual labor. It is practical, purposeful, and completely post-trend. The same uni-garment is at once the future of fashion and the future of non-fashion.

Both faces of the jumpsuit, which at its simplest, is a top and pants connected into one garment, is experiencing a small renaissance. Search "jumpsuit" or "romper" on Modcloth or Anthropologie and the page is populated with dozens of options, and far more than they would have been even a couple of years ago. But unlike bellbottoms or crop tops, every jumpsuit revival brings the promise of something more. "A lot of designers considered the jumpsuit the ultimate evolution of modern fashion," says Cassandra Gero, Assistant Conservator at the MET's Costume Institute.

The jumpsuit isn't just fashion. It also suggests the end of fashion-one garment for all. Is that why it can never stay in style?

The apparel got its name from parachute jumpers, who would wear durable, one-piece coveralls while launching themselves out of planes. It seems like those would have come first, and fashion would have been inspired by the practical design, but according to Gero, the jumpsuit-as-practical-uniform and jumpsuit-as-fashion-item actually developed around the same time. In 1913, the H.D. Lee Mercantile Company (the company that would eventually become Lee Jeans) released the Union-All, a one-piece denim cover up intended for work. But at the same time, avant-garde designers were inspired by the silhouette, and what it could mean for fashion's future.

Across the ocean, in 1911, French designer Paul Poiret designed a jumpsuit for women called "the pantaloon gown," says Gero, basically a dress with loose pants instead of a skirt. "It was very 'Oriental' inspired," says Gero, evoking "harem pants" and similar shapes. Poiret wanted clothes to be modern, elegantly draped, and easy to move in, and is often credited with helping free women from the corset. The pantaloons were scandalous, with couture stalwart Jean-Philipe Worth calling them "vulgar, wicked and ugly!" But it quickly became not all that scandalous. "I think that women have been wearing dresses for centuries, so this one piece garment is not that much of a stretch," says Gero. "You just bifurcated the legs."

Poiret's design was pure fashion, but as the decade progressed more designers took inspiration from outfits like the Union-All, using fashion to create a garment that might end the need for fashion. In 1919, Italian designer Thayaht designed the TuTa, a T-shaped garment that he envisioned could be a universal, democratic uniform. In 1920 he published the pattern in La Nazione newspaper, so everyone could make them for themselves. In 1923, Russian artist and designer Rodchenko designed a similar garment, which Vogue called "the revolutionary garment of the new man." The jumpsuit married fashion, art and politics. It was a collectivist, utilitarian garment born out of the formation of the USSR. It was clothing that spoke of a revolution. With everyone in a jumpsuit, we celebrate "no more the individual, but the value of the community, of the mass."

It didn't quite catch on that way. For decades, jumpsuits remained utilitarian, outfitting racecar drivers and parachute jumpers. But that changed-for a while-in the middle of the 20th century. "In the '50s you'd see them a little in fashion, with youth culture, but the '60s is really where it blew up," says Gero. The '60s is where everything blew up, really. People were rejecting couture and the concept of top-down fashion in general, and were looking for new ways to express themselves. The jumpsuit was a natural product of that fashion rejection, inspired by the same ideas of the avant-garde 1910s. It was anti-fashion, and it embraced everyone.

The 1960s also had one huge inspiration: space. Designers were enchanted with Space Age fabrics like nylon, rayon and polyester, which were easy to turn into body-hugging jumpsuits. They were also fixated on the possibility of creating fashion's future. The jumpsuit could still be the uniform of the working man, only now he might be working on the moon. But even in those science-fiction fantasies, the idea of doing away with fashion altogether permeated the designs. "Wearing one of those utilitarian jumpsuits can be considered anti-fashion, because you're rejecting the ever changing whim of fashion. You're putting on a simple, democratic, one piece outfit like a uniform," says Gero. "But then if you think of it as a futuristic jumpsuit, they tap into that same idea, the same rejection of fashion. Some designers predicted that in the future we'd all be too busy working on more important things to think about fashion, so we'd all adopt the jumpsuit as a uniform. These ideas of modernity and utility intertwine in this whole garment."

There was also a certain genderless quality to the jumpsuit. The future promised the destruction of barriers between Earth and space, between fashion and anti-fashion, so why not between men and women? The idea of one ungendered uniform for all was enticing to the counterculture of the '60s and beyond. The jumpsuit is the perfect vehicle for androgyny, which had always existed but became aesthetically dominant in the 1970s, most obviously in popular music, with artists like Mick Jagger and David Bowie. Gero says the '70s were a fashion free-for-all- "people were wearing hot pants to work." The jumpsuit was not just modern, but in the most suggestive terms, easy. It's one piece, simple to put on, and just as simple to take off. "There's this idea if you're wearing a jumpsuit that zips all the way down the front...you want to unzip it," says Gero.

By this point, the jumpsuit has moved past being anti-fashion. You can't look at a sequin-covered David Bowie number, or watch the internet break after Solange wears a jumpsuit to her wedding, and say it's still purely something for the everyman, whether on Earth or in space. But at the same time, the jumpsuit is hewing to its utilitarian roots. Coveralls are still worn in factories, and nobody is wearing dresses on the International Space Station. It is that conflict between fashion and anti-fashion, future and past, practicality and ostentatiousness, that keeps the jumpsuit so intriguing.

Ultimately, the jumpsuit's Achilles Heel might be sewn into both its futuristic and its decorative styles. "I would love if it became the future of fashion, but I don't think that's going to happen," says Gero. The genderless, often baggy uniform is difficult enough to fit on all the body types that it's intended for, and the fashionable sleek versions are even harder. (This is to say nothing about its real horror: the difficulty in removing the thing for bathroom visits.) But also, we don't want the end of fashion, and probably never did. We want the jumpsuits that make us stand out, not make us blend in.

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Jumpsuits: Heralding The End Of Fashion For A Century

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The jumpsuit has two faces. One comes from world of culture and fashion, everything from Elvis in Vegas to Janelle Monae at the Met Gala. Sleek, bedazzled, garish, constructed from rubber or leather, adorned with everything from feathers to bullets, it is made for anything but utility.

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These are interesting facts about Organic Cotton

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Back in 1988 Komodo grew out of an epic travel adventure story. Inspired by the culture and colours of Asia and passionate about creating an eclectic mix out of Eastern and Western design ideas, Komodo became the label to watch at fashion shows in London, Paris, Florence and Tokyo.

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This article grew my knowledge about how we can be sustainable with our clothing

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1. ohSevenDays

This flowy jumpsuit makes you think of warm summer nights, strawberries, and the ocean. It is just what I would wear on a vacation to the Amalfi Coast while sipping Aperol and eating ice gelato!

A pair of flat sandals or ballerinas and a BIGwould definitely complete the look! The sustainable jumpsuit is from the brand ohSevenDays that only uses samples.

This brand basically makes slow fashion from fast fashion leftovers - and they do it with style!
Website: ohsevendays

3. People Tree

From |TheUnited Kingdom
Price Starting Point | $129
Why we love them |

Created by ethical and sustainable fashion pioneer Safia Minney, People Tree was one of the first Fair Trade fashion Brands to see the light of day.

Every product is made according to the highest environmental and ethical standards from start to end - and oh yes... The products are stunning!

This sustainable jumpsuit is made entirely of 100% organic cotton and can either be worn with a pair of flat sandals or sneakers for an everyday look, or a pair of high heels for a night out! The perfect all-around ethical one-piece.
Website: peopletree

4. Whimsey + Row

From |The United States
Price Starting Point | $136
Why we love them |

This sustainable fashion brand uses a good portion of eco-friendly and recycled materials and a good portion of environmental initiatives. Put together that makes the best recipe for a cute sustainable jumpsuit.

This ethical one-piece is designed with the most stunning combination of colors and would look great with a pair of loafers or a nice pair of ethical boots . Perfect for both spring and fall!
Website:

whimseyandrow
6. Jyoti - Fair Works

As the name might reveal Jyoti is a sustainable brand that cares a lot about Fair-Trade and ethical fashion .

One of its key aims is to make its supply chain as transparent for the consumer as possible and make sure that every step of the chain is as sustainable as possible.

It only uses organic cotton to make jumpsuits like this. This organic jumpsuit is even handmade and vegan certificated.

Under each sustainable jumpsuit, you'll be able to see the exact value chain that the one-piece has been through.
Website: jyoti-fairworks

If there is one thing we love in slow fashion it is transparency, which is exactly what this brand is built on.

8. Elina Lebessi

This brand has its roots in Greece and is made by a woman of the same name as the brand itself.

The brand reflects Greece in every single design, which is probably because each and every one is handmade by artisans in Greece.
Website: elinalebessi

The brand has a casual vibe and is designed for those who want a stylish, free-spirited, high quality, but affordable item - and of course, want to have the environment in mind when shopping.

9. Kings of Indigo

From |The Netherlands
Why we love them |

If you love denim this is your go-to brand, The brand makes the coolest denim jumpsuits you want to wear every day.

If you are vegan this is your lucky day cause Kings of Indigo is both vegan (PETA approved), made of organic cotton, and produced under responsible and fair working conditions.
Website: kingsofindigo

This is the ultimate late spring or summer jumpsuit if you are going on a city break. It would go perfectly with a pair of sneakers a crossbody bag and a pair of colored sunglasses.

11. Conscious Clothing

Conscious Clothing makes clothes that are produced in an ethical and eco-friendly way. The name itself might give it away, but this brand is all about sustainability and makes jumpsuits cool in the best organic materials
Website: consciouseclothing

This jumpsuit is made out of heavy organic cotton denim and makes a bad-ass outfit combined with a pair of sneakers and. And hey - who doesn't love big pockets? Just saying.

12. Everlane

Everlane creates timeless, minimalistic jumpsuits in the finest materials - made at the best ethical factories around the world.

This sustainable jumpsuit is designed to last and is something that can be used season after season.

But the best thing about this jumpsuit must be the quality. It makes the jumpsuit look like something you could wear to a wedding but feel like something you would sleep in.

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12 Cool Ethical & Sustainable Jumpsuit Brands

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This flowy jumpsuit makes you think of warm summer nights, strawberries, and the ocean. It is just what I would wear on a vacation to the Amalfi Coast while sipping Aperol and eating ice gelato! A pair of flat sandals or ballerinas and a BIGwould definitely complete the look!

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Command C: Shopify Ecommerce, Magento Ecommerce

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In 2020, in the wake of the global pandemic, people have increasingly turned to online shopping. Now experts predict that many people will keep the habit. With this in mind, it's an important time for retailers to optimize their ecommerce site. Fashion and apparel merchants, in particular, can boost conversions through sizing tools to help customers determine the perfect fit.

Online sizing technology not only helps people finalize their purchase, they can also lead to fewer product returns. Additionally, the technology can increase customer loyalty as people are more satisfied with their items.

In this video, we've outlined three different approaches to online sizing. We hope this review helps you in evaluating the best strategy for your company.

Transcript: 3 Examples of Online Sizing Technology for Fashion Retailers

Hi, I'm Lauren. I'm a conversion specialist here at Command C. And today we're going to look at the sizing technologies that apparel ecommerce stores are using to help customers feel more confident in their clothing purchases. So this is a really big deal because one of the most common reasons clothing is returned is because the size isn't right. And because they can't try it on, a lot of customers are left kind of guessing. This technology is meant to help customers feel more confident, actually want to put an item in their cart, complete their purchase, and feel like the item that they're going to get is going to fit right.

Example #1: Virtusize Asks Customers for Current Favorite Clothing Size to Match with Nudie Jeans

Here on Nudie Jeans, we're taking a look at their virtual sizing guide.

They're using a technology called Virtusize. So what this involves is taking an item of clothing that is similar to the one you're looking at. So here, I'm looking at jeans. So I measured a pair of jeans [that I already own] and we can see how those look overlaid over the product I'm looking at and we get an estimated size. So 34/34 with the 94% like your trousers. So that's a quite high percentage. For me as a customer, I'd feel very confident. The issue would be if a customer maybe was 70% or something lower, they might not feel confident. So it might be tricky. And they would probably wonder what to do next, or maybe they would be suggested another clothing item.

The cool thing with Virtusize is that once you make an account and save your sizings, then you can access that on other stores that use Virtusize. So this is probably the sizing technology that would take customers the longest, but I think it also provides a lot more accurate sizing recommendations.

Example #2: Theory Uses Fit Finder for Optimal Medium-Length Questionnaire

Next we're looking at Theory. So we're going to use their sizing guide here. They're using Fit Finder. You insert some pretty general questions just about yourself and your body type. This is a very quick process here. And I have an 82% here. So this is saying there's an 82% chance that you'll be happy with the size 6. This style of sizing guide was a bit of a medium length.

The team behind Fit Finder did a lot of user testing and found that trying to strike a good balance between getting the right information and not making the process too long, having a medium-length process actually converts better. If you have too fast of a process, a lot of customers don't actually trust the results. The 82% here is actually quite a good rating and makes me feel pretty confident in picking a size 6, especially over an 8 or likely something a lot tighter.

Example #3: Stantt Provides Sizing Guidance Through Brand-Specific Solution

Right. And finally, we're going to look at Stantt. So Stantt uses their own very interesting sizing guide, so let's run through that. They have Stan here. This is a mix of the two previous examples. So it's asking for general questions, but it actually is quite a long process. At least I felt like it was because when I was looking just at shirts, it asks a ton of questions about pants and all these other products. This can be helpful if you're looking at buying a bunch of different products from their store, but it can also take a long time if you're just looking to purchase one item. Then they provide you with their Stantt size which is their own custom sizing which is quite interesting. They use some data fit technology, so quite an interesting process.

All three of these stores are quite different. So whether you want to go with Virtusize and having customers feel confident in their purchase, but having to go and measure actual clothing to get the right fit, or whether you want to ask more general questions, it's really up to you, what you think your customers will want to do. And we definitely recommend testing out some of these options and checking out some of the other options that are available on the market. All right - thanks for watching!

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3 Examples of Online Sizing Technology for Fashion Retailers

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In 2020, in the wake of the global pandemic, people have increasingly turned to online shopping. Now experts predict that many people will keep the habit. With this in mind, it's an important time for retailers to optimize their ecommerce site.

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Could a feminine jumpsuit be worn by a man?

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Answer (1 of 7): Yes, but femininity might ensue. Feminine clothes are meant to (this may be surprising to some people) make you look feminine. So while a man (like me) could wear a feminine jumpsuit - I would (and indeed I do) have trouble looking masculine when I do.

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As one of the biggest industries in the world, generating an estimated $1.5 trillion a year, it's surprising to learn that the way fashion operates today hasn't changed that much in the past twenty years.

This is, in part, because it's still easy to source low-cost manual labor in many countries and to outsource any pricey production costs. However, the rising concerns about fair wages, pollution, as well as the need to satisfy the hyper-connected consumers of today, have given way to new exciting technologies.

Indeed, we live in the 'insta-age' of technology. Social media is changing how fashion is consumed and has trained customers to want instant access to the latest trends, as soon as they hit the catwalks. At the same time, younger generations, who want to stand out from the crowd, seek products that can be tailored to their needs and preferences. Moreover, 'mass-made' clothing or 'fast-fashion', seems to be gradually losing its appeal.

As this trend continues to rise, it makes less and less sense for companies and brands to keep producing large quantities of apparel, months in advance, with no certainty of how well it will sell. Those brands that pick up the pace and become more responsive to market needs will be the likely winners in this fast-changing modern environment.

As customers' real lives' become increasingly intertwined with the digital world, many designers and brands must embrace the latest technologies to push the limits of manufacturing, production, marketing and wearability. From the latest in artificial intelligence to the boom of mobile commerce, 3D printing and blockchain, we've rounded some of the top tech advancements being used in fashion today.

Artificial intelligence

In recent years, brands have been using AI to enhance customers' shopping experience, analyze data, boost sales, forecast trends and offer inventory-related guidance.

Chatbots and touchscreens being used in stores to improve customer experience and customized product suggestions. It's almost impossible to head to a fashion brand's website and not find some form of AI chat technology that's being used to help enhance the customer experience. The technology behind AI includes algorithms that track customers journeys to match them with the right products.

Although these customer service technology tools are promising, trend forecasting and supply chain management are some of the most profitable avenues for AI. For instance, real-time inventory tracking has become key for brands as they save time and make for efficient warehouse management and operations.

Furthermore, if we combine inventory tracking with AI's powerful data prediction tools for trend forecasting, brands could have a significant competitive advantage. Instead of solely relying on traditional ways of trend forecasting -which requires observation and data collection from fashion designers, trend spotters and influencers- brands can instantly have access to data that allows for planning the right styles and quantities in a timely manner.

Take for example, FINERY. The British fashion label has come up with an automated wardrobe planning tool that, using analytics, records its female customers' purchases and introduces them in a virtual wardrobe. The platform also allows women to create looks from their wardrobe and even choose from over 10,000 shops.

Meanwhile, the personalisation platform TRUEFIT employs an online fit engine that helps users find an adequate fit with brands and new styles on the market.

Other, smaller retail technology companies are also filling this gap for brands. Edited, a company based in London, provides live data analytics software to give their retailer customers access to complete market data instantly. It has charmed brands like Boohoo, Tommy Hilfiger and Marni and can synthesize the global market in seconds.

Another interesting example is Intelligence Node, which allows users to track trends in real-time. Customers can enter specific keywords, user navigation patterns, price points and more. Intelligence Node AI-driven search discovery platform lets users track the exact or closest matches to your product, which can provide invaluable insights about competitive differentiators.

Streaming live videos has become a huge part of our lives. From virtual events to fitness, Instagram shopping has taken over 2021's post COVID market. 5G allows new streaming media formats with high definition graphics. Now, customers can "try on designs" before making their purchases. Some brands, such as Tommy Hilfiger and Gucci, are offering digital showrooms to gauge the market's appetite. Some, like Taylor Stitch, allow customers to pre-order digital designs before they go into production. Likewise, many online-only eyewear companies such as Firmoo and Glasses Direct are also offering a digital 'try-before-you-buy' service that lets consumers visualise the frames on their face before committing.

Historically, fashion trend forecasting solely relied on prior trends to predict the future. New technologies like Heuritech define audience panels on social media. To predict future trends, it applies image recognition technology to social media pictures to access shapes, prints, colors and attributes to fabrics.

Google also deployed a similar experiment, in partnership with German fashion brand Zalando. The neural network was trained to understand style preferences, colors and textures. After that, the algorithm was used to create designs based on users' styles preferences. There is also the collaborative project between IBM and the Fashion Institute of Technology, known as " Reimagine Retail ", which uses the high-tech IBM AI tools to indicate real-time fashion industry trends, themes in trending shapes, colors and styles.

These technologies highlight how AI is the bastion of future developments in the fashion industry, shaping everything from trend forecasting to how consumers may actually see and buy products.

Novel fabrics

Novel fabrics are arguably the future of fashion, as another way in which designers can set themselves apart and appeal as a sustainable option.

All the facts point to the idea that eco leather is not a very sustainable option. Startups like Modern Meadow are combating this by creating lab-grown leather without harming animals. Likewise, companies like Bolt Threads and EntoGenetics are innovating super-strong spider silk.

The latest interactions in printed objects that change colors include a system created by MIT researchers called ColorFab 3D. This technology prints 3D objects with "photochromic inks" that change color when exposed to certain wavelengths of UV light. One of their first items produced was the ring that can be programmed into a number of customizable colors.

Google fans may soon be able to wear clothing made by the digital tech giant. Project Jacquard, out of Google's ATAP lab (Advanced Technology and Projects), is a collection of conductive threads for weaving touch-responsive textiles like clothing, tablecloths, rugs, or anything else made of fabric.

The team behind the Project Jacquard are also making color-shifting possible with Ebb. It is a color-changing fabric technology that could someday be programmed to change our mood or setting. The Ebb materials could even help us conduct many activities that we currently do on our phones using the color signals instead. For example, when you receive an incoming call the color of your cuff changes.

These highlight how novel fabrics will be literally reshaping the garments we wear each day. Look out for novel fabrics popping up in boutiques across the globe, as there seems to be no slowing down in this technological trend.

Internet of things (IoT)

The IoT describes a network of objects - the 'things' - that are embedded with technology to allow the exchange and connection of data over the internet. This is the one of the most exciting, emerging technological trends in the fashion market. Year on year, everyday fashion continues to improve to reflect the realities of our daily lives. From a great emphasis on comfort, to using new and exciting fabrics, the fashion industry has had to keep up the pace in adapting to the demands of contemporary life. This has been seen most clearly in the exciting advancements in apparel technology and wearable gadgets. These have gone as far as affecting how we experience our surroundings, interact with others and our bodies, giving the word comfort a whole new meaning.

Smart clothing, wearable spaces, multi-functional designs and responsive sportswear have all massively developed over the past three years. As our "real" lives become increasingly mixed with a virtual existence, many designers have been experimenting and pushing the limits of what wearability means.

The rapid expansion of technology has impacted businesses in many ways. The Internet of Things (IoT) enables data sharing, inventory management, security, and increased efficiency and productivity. Many businesses consider IoT in improving their customer experience, by allowing customers to literally take the internet and data sharing with them day-to-day.

This includes apparel with digital capabilities, like smart clothing, wearable spaces, multi-functional designs, responsive sportswear and more. Starting with the humble smart watch, dominated by brands like FitBit and Apple, wearable technology dominates the fashion accessories market.

However, new developments that are trying to fill the gaps within this health-driven market are also emerging this year. For example NADI X, yoga pants that have built-in sensors to correct the users' posture by vibrating as they move through yoga poses.

Some of the most exciting IoT innovations are related to health. Hexoskin, for instance, tracks your heart rate and temperature. They also manufacture socks that count steps, calories and other data.

Meanwhile, Fuseprojects's power suits help the elderly suffering with muscle dystrophia to walk, stand and stay active for longer periods of time. All of this data will come in handy for doctors and health providers to help their patients.

Another interesting example of the internet of things being incorporated in apparel is LOOMIA. The San Francisco-based textile company creates soft flexible circuits that can be embedded into textiles for heating, lighting, sensing or data-tracking applications.

Rapid Data Analysis For Quick Adaptation

Rapid data analysis, for quick adaptation, is a way for businesses to quickly adapt their business fragments (such as the supply chain) quickly and efficiently through using large amounts of data to support this adaption. Thanks to the new software tools available on the market, brands and factories can receive real-time feedback and alerts from companies about defects or damaged goods. This helps them save money, eliminate waste and deliver adequate products at the right time. It also lets them maximize customer satisfaction by recognizing potential business threats instantly.

One example is management software like IQMS. The enterprise resource planning (ERP) software which is used in manufacturing for monitoring and collecting the production data in real-time, as products are being made.

There are also other types of software worth looking at that operate in a different manner. For example, the rise of cloud computing has opened new avenues for collaborative work, allowing factories and companies to work together from many parts of the world at the same time. This enables them to access relevant data, making for a faster and more effective way of communicating. The value of cloud-based supply-chain management solutions will surpass $11B by 2023 emphasizing how important this switch to rapid-data management is.

In the case of optimizing communication and production with factories, Techpacker helps streamline and automate this entire process. Its cloud-based software allows everyone in design teams and factories to learn about changes in tech packs in real time. This eliminates the entire manual process and the constant emailing, making tech pack creation 70% faster than traditional methods. This has been shown through the new Illustrator Plug-In, which imports designs via cloud-based software in second. This is key in promoting PLM techniques which manage a business sustainably, across numerous distribution channels. The Techpacker app enables fashion teams and their manufacturers to manage product development in real-time.

This highlights how rapid data analysis can help companies adapt quickly when needed. As shown during COVID-19, the need to adapt and overcome has been paramount for brands to survive. Thus, using a rapid data tool like Techpacker, can help improve team collaborations and optimize product development and production lifecycle through just one intuitive software choice.

Mobile commerce

Mobile technology is getting more advanced every day. From Insta shopping to smart wallets, mobile commerce is the ultimate tech tool. It has not only impacted our everyday lives, but it has become one of the fastest-growing sectors in eCommerce. Insider Intelligence forecasts that mobile commerce will reach $284 billion, or 45% of the total U.S. e-commerce market, by 2021.

This is largely because using our smartphones for shopping online is becoming easier and easier. With digital wallet options like Apple and Android Pay, constantly innovating with new technologies like fingerprint and facial recognition, they're poised to become the preferred payment for retail purchases. In fact, according to BigCommerce, two out of three millennials would rather shop online than in-store.

If, on top of e-commerce growth, we throw social media into the mix, (like Instagram's shopping feature brands can be present in their customers' favorite channels with a fully integrated digital commerce offering. This gives them greater visibility and provides them more opportunities to make a sale.

Likewise, sustainable fashion apps like Vinted and Depop have taken the market by storm, replacing traditional avenues like eBay and Gumtree for selling second-hand fashion. These mobile sales sites have revolutionized the online sales industry, demonstrating how mobile commerce is innovating every aspect of the fashion industry.

Virtual and augmented reality (VR)

Combining the physical and online worlds of retail has been one of Virtual Reality's most exciting applications. This is certainly true in the fashion industry: one widespread use of VR is enabling customers to virtually try on outfits. This gives greater accuracy, thanks to customized measurement functionality, and also employs augmented reality technology. It also means that customers might be more likely to buy products they feel that they're tried on.

This kind of online shopping experience engages and retains the customers longer, as they love seeing the product on themselves before buying. This, combined with the social media share factor, makes it even more appealing to customers.

Some companies are making the most of AR and VR technology:

OBSESS is a platform that allows brands and retailers to create and to serve 3D, 360 degree shopping experiences on their websites, mobile apps and social channels via a 3D Commerce Cloud. Likewise, AVAMETRIC enables brands to render real clothing virtually in 3D and also to customize them on digital body models for web, mobile, and AR.

VIRTUSIZE also enables online fashion retailers to virtually illustrate the size of their products, to find the accurate fit for the garments their customers choose.

Another prime user of AR/VR technology is EFI Optitex who have greatly improved the expensive and lengthy process of finding an adequate fit. They've shown how to take the essential components of a design, like flat sketches and technical patterns, which can then be morphed to simulated 3D renderings. This then allows users to quickly adjust for cutting, loosening the fit and to make all the necessary adjustments in real time.

Other new 3D rendering technologies include CLO. The tool allows brands to edit designs in the moment and instantly review changes. This can help improve the quality of designs by checking the silhouette and fit sooner in the development process. This way minimizes waste and reduces error in the sample before finalization.

Selling digital clothing is getting more popular too. For example, Louis Vuitton designed "skins" for League of Legends characters and Drest sold digitised versions of Farfetch inventory. Ralph Lauren's recent collaboration with Bitmoji, where customers can create their own Bitmoji look with the new mix-and-match wardrobe from Polo Ralph Lauren, also demonstrates the irresistible power of the e-wardrobe.

3D Printing

Since the advent of 3D printers, many brands, both big and small, have been looking into the possibilities it holds for on-demand production. This will create new avenues for customization, sustainability and creativity.

Many fashion brands are embracing 3D in their collections in 2021, from accessories to full looks.

Despite the fact it takes many hours to create, it results in less waste and proves far less labor-intensive than other types of manufacturing. Indeed, printing garments on-demand reduces fabric waste by about 35%. This minimal waste approach could provide valuable insights on how to reshape the current state of factories and align them with a more sustainable social and environmental focus.

Let's not forget one of the pioneers of 3D printing in high fashion: Iris Van Herpen. The Dutch designer has a vast body of work in the 3D printing field, dating all the way back to 2010. One of her most notable pieces is the "Crystallization" top, which was 3D printed from white polyamide.

Van Herpen is perhaps the only designer to show at the prestigious Haute Couture fashion weeks in Paris employing sophisticated technologies for her garments and presentations. Some of her clients include Bjork, Beyonce and Lady Gaga for whom she has produced special 3D printed fashion pieces.

3D printing also takes fashion to a new level of conceptual art. Anouk Wipprecht's incredible Spider Dress, which has mechanical arms which shift depending on the closeness of other people. This 3D printed dress combines the cutting-edge scientific technology which haute couture fashion, demonstrating the versatility of this new technology.

Digital knitting has also been making great strides in the 3D printing world, and it offers a myriad of customization possibilities. For example manufacturers like Shima Seiki can turn cones of yarn into a full, seamless garment in less than an hour. Meanwhile Ze-Nitis creates digitally knitted urban wear that allows for functionalities and benefits to be placed where the body needs it the most.

Blockchain

Blockchain is a great tool for transparency, traceability and efficiency in the supply chain. It allows all of its members, from carriers and banks, to intermediaries and suppliers, to be connected and exchange information, documents and data, directly and securely.

But what is blockchain and how does it work?

Blockchain is mostly used as a record-keeping technology behind bitcoin and digital currency. "Blocks" on the blockchain are made up of digital pieces of data that store information about transactions like the date, time, and dollar amount of your most recent purchase, as well as who is participating in the transactions. However, they also store information that distinguishes them from other blocks, using a unique code called hash. ( More about blockchain from Investopedia.)

This can be used to efficiently trace and keep records of clothing apparel and supply chains through technology like track-and-trace and inventory management.

The blockchain solution creates a physical-digital link between products and their digital identities on a blockchain. Just like with digital currency, Blockchain offers a cryptographic seal or serial number that acts as the physical identifier which is linked back to the individual product's "digital twin", as explained by Forbes magazine.

This technology has been taken advantage of by TextileGenesis, who use the technology to keep a record of every stage of production. They say this will help to keep their supply-chain more transparent, as well as encouraging a wider push towards sustainability.

Each time a product moves in the supply chain it's recorded on the blockchain. This can prevent counterfeiting as goods that are missing the physical-digital link will be obvious fakes. Also, as any attempt to divert goods can be tracked. This identifies if the last party to gain custody of the product, had a counterfeit product slipped in-or if the authentic product was diverted out.

Sustainability

In the past fashion has always followed the traditional seasonal format. Designers released spring/summer and fall/winter lines, as well as pre-fall and pre-spring runways. Lately, as the reality of the climate emergency sets in, we've seen designers move away from seasonal collections in favour of designing timeless pieces that can serve consumers for years.

Does this mean that we are seeing the end of seasonality in fashion?

In fast fashion, designs move quickly from runway to store shelves. Fast fashion giants can produce as many as 52 micro collections per year. To keep up with the rapid consumer demand traditional brands had to keep up and release up to 11 collections per year.

As rapid production runs create excessive textile waste, lots of apparel ends in landfill and harms both factory workers and the environment. Around 12.8M tons of clothing is sent to landfills annually. The fashion industry is responsible for up to 10% of global CO2 emissions, 20% of the world's industrial wastewater, 24% of insecticides, and 11% of pesticides used.

Due to this environmental impact, more consumers and fashion brands are turning to the concept of "slow fashion" and away from the long and costly manufacturing process. As a result, more brands are opting for sustainable production and more consumers are choosing conscious brands over fast fashion.

According to the fashion search engine Lyst there is a 47% increase in shoppers looking for ethical and sustainable products.

Another sustainable practice that is getting even more popular now is buying secondhand clothing through consignment and thrift stores. One of the largest online thrift stores, ThredUp, predicts that the total secondhand apparel market will hit $51B by 2023.Clothing site R e-Fashion has developed the perfect cyclical structure for sustainable fashion. They sell second-hand designer clothing at excellent prices, whilst also accepting donations for free. The site has cornered an in-demand market by offering both sustainable buying and donation options that consumers love. It's also a completely digital platform, pushing the sustainable message through their online market place.

Likewise, many emerging brands are making moves to align with this shift in consumer's behavior. Brands like Cuyana are urging their customers to buy "fewer, better things. Minnesota based brand Hackwith Design House are making their clothing out of the deadstock fabrics. Oakland based brand Only Child handmakes everything to order and in small batches.

This demonstrates how sustainability is pushing business decisions, as well as reshaping the online market. Arguably, thrifting has now gone digital as sustainability is now the order of the day for most brands and designers.
Also read -

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Top 9 Technology Trends Reshaping The Fashion Industry In 2021

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As one of the biggest industries in the world, generating an estimated $1.5 trillion a year, it's surprising to learn that the way fashion operates today hasn't changed that much in the past twenty years. This is, in part, because it's still easy to source low-cost manual labor in many countries and to outsource any pricey production costs.

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· By Sarah Liller ·

· By Sarah Liller ·

Jumpsuits are synonymous these days with fashionable women, but where exactly did they originate ? The jumpsuit was first created in 1919 to be worn by parachuters who were, literally , jumping out of planes . Hence, the name jumpsuit .

It was introduced to the fashion set in the late 1930's by Elsa Schiaparelli - a rival of Coco Chanel. Her jumpsuits were much talked about, but not worn by very many. She created a collection inspired by the coming war which included a women's jumpsuit cut from green silk, featuring large front pockets . While these were met with positive reactions, luxury jumpsuits were put on hold as the war began. Women began wearing cotton overalls during the 1940's as they stepped up to work in place of the men fighting overseas .

One of the most famous examples of a woman wearing a jumpsuit was Rosie the Riveter - who sported a blue utilitarian jumpsuit during WWII .

Jumpsuits started to become popular in 1960's and achieved hyper-popularity in the 70's, worn by men and women alike ! From Cher to Elvis, jumpsuits ruled the music industry. Jumpsuits were a popular look with people frequenting the disco scene. During this important time of women's liberation, jumpsuits were clever, as the flowing cuts allowed the ease of movement of pants with the appearance of a dress .

It was so popular that by 1980, designer, Geoffrey Beane declared it "the ballgown of the next century" Like most styles in the 1980's, big and bold were in . Jumpsuits were cut more like the power suits of the day, and bright colors and embellishments ruled . These were statement pieces; however , they were appealing because you could make a large impact without a lot of thought - effortless style !

It lost favor in the coming decades but was re-imagined in the late 2000's. Now it is appreciated by stylish women as an easy answer to one-piece dressing.

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Jumpsuits are synonymous these days with fashionable women, but where exactly did they originate? The jumpsuit was first created in 1919 to be worn by parachuters who were, literally, jumping out of planes. Hence, the name jumpsuit. It was introduced to the fashion set in the late 1930's by Elsa Schiaparelli - a rival of Coco Chanel.

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It's fifty degrees in January, and the air in the Garment District smells strangely of pea soup. The building I've been directed to is supposed to be an art gallery, but all I can find is an office-supply showroom. I wait outside on a street dotted with FedEx trucks, Pret A Mangers, and fabric stores selling colorful sequined silks and heavy white brocades-the expensive material of saris and wedding dresses. In the early twentieth century, when New York City was still the center of the American garment industry, this neighborhood housed sewing factories where Eastern European immigrants made the petticoats and shirtwaists sold on Fifth Avenue. Most multinational fashion brands have since moved their operations overseas, and the sewing work that is still done in the Garment District is usually completed by newly graduated FIT students working as interns, not by members of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union.

I'm here to meet Abigail Glaum-Lathbury, who will give me a jumpsuit she made just for me that I will wear as my only article of clothing for the next three weeks. Abigail is one of two artists who comprise the Rational Dress Society, a collective committed to what the group calls "counter-fashion"-a critique of fashion and capitalism through political dress. Abigail and her partner in counter-fashion, Maura Brewer, have been wearing only jumpsuits for the past three years-to weddings, to job interviews, to teach their classes at art school, and to visit their families over Thanksgiving. Their closets are nearly empty: they each have three jumpsuits, a few jumpsuit-compatible sweaters, workout clothes, pajamas, and underthings-that's it. They don't have to buy new clothes or wonder how they'll look in the culottes that have recently come into fashion. They never have to choose a new outfit because they've already picked the one they'll wear forever.

My phone buzzes. It's Abigail, telling me she's running late, asking if I want a coffee, and explaining to me that the gallery is not, in fact, in the office-supply showroom but on the third floor of an adjacent building. I make my way upstairs to a room full of wires, hardware, half-installed clothes racks, and unpacked boxes. Although Maura and Abigail's primary project is JUMPSUIT, the Rational Dress Society is an art practice whose components are varied. The gallery's current show, "Omega Workshop," highlights other artists working in counter-fashion, including an LA collective who designs dayglow sparkle clothes for queer-crip bodies, an artist who deconstructed and redesigned a high-heel shoe, and the artist Frau Fiber, who will lead a DIY workshop on how to sew a Soviet hippie poncho. Abigail and Maura are also working on a project called "Make America Rational Again"-they are collecting "gently used and emphatically discarded" Ivanka Trump-label clothing to melt down into a polyester slurry, which they will transform into millennial-pink jumpsuits.

The politics of consumer choice are at the heart of the Rational Dress Society's ideology. By making a single choice and sticking to it, Maura and Abigail are attempting to draw attention to the way that democracy and choice have become conflated under capitalism. Although it may seem as if we have endless choices of what to wear, as if our ability to choose is part of what makes us free, we really only have the choices that the market makes available to us. We can wear a tube top from Hot Topic or a baggy tunic from Eileen Fischer, but we must buy new things, and we must buy more. Abigail and Maura hope that their project will help us see the choices that have been shoved outside of our field of vision: to mend the clothes we have, to halt consumption, and perhaps to opt out of capitalism entirely.

The Rational Dress Society looks to both the future and the past. Their name is borrowed from the Victorian reform movement that, in an era of bustles and corsets, advocated for pants and other "rational dress." Yet the garment they are promoting is emblematic of science fiction. A portion of the proceeds of all their work will go toward the purchase of a full-page ad in Vogue. The ad isn't intended to sell more jumpsuits; Abigail and Maura don't want to replace one consumer product with another. Once the ad is paid for, the project will close up shop.

The Rational Dress Society makes jumpsuits in two hundred forty-eight sizes culled from NASA data to fit almost any body type. Anyone can print the pattern for free from their website or, for a hundred and fifty dollars, order one that will arrive ready-made out of sustainable fabric and hand sewn by well-paid seamstresses. The design was inspired by patterns for work wear, and the finished garment looks like painters' coveralls. But on the bodies of Maura and Abigail, both hip art-school grads with fashionable glasses and haircuts, the jumpsuits look simply chic, as though there is nothing more sensible or cool a person could wear.

I have never looked simply chic-for me, fashion has always been a chore. I can't quite keep up with the churn of the seasons, and if I get rid of clothes before they are threadbare, I am racked with thrifty guilt. I believe in the power of dress to communicate something to the world; it is in many ways the first thing we say about ourselves, the threshold between our private and public lives. But the messages available to me have always felt predetermined, the choices hollow. So the promise of Abigail and Maura's jumpsuit appealed. My message would be provided not by corporate America but by two artists. The message would be a rebuke to the system that had long brought me frustration and shame.

*

Abigail arrives at the gallery in a smiley flurry-she is perpetually cheerful and excited. She is wearing a white jumpsuit and black glasses with saucer-size lenses and carrying a tray of coffees. She points me toward an enormous duffel bag on the floor, full of jumpsuits, and then pulls out mine-a perfectly folded denim rectangle.

That night, I pull my jumpsuit out of my bag with excitement and slip it on. It fits oddly-too long in the crotch and too loose in the legs. My small waist, the part of me about which I am most vain, is obscured by a swath of dark-blue denim that falls straight from my shoulders to my hips. Nothing cinches my middle, and I feel fat. I will learn later that this style is called a "drop waist" and was popularized by flappers in the twenties, women whose ideal body was straight and androgynous-two adjectives that definitely do not describe my figure.

I pull the jumpsuit down so that the bodice is taut, but then the crotch is low-nearly down to my knees. I take another tack and pull the jumpsuit up so that the waistband is at my natural waist, and a poof of fabric emerges at my chest. I look in the mirror and see a figure I don't quite recognize-I look unfeminine and the wrong size, bulky and overstuffed. But this garment had been made to my exact measurements. I had imagined it fitting my body perfectly, flattering my figure and making me look magically thinner, stronger, better. Had I been given the wrong one? The problem with subverting the tyranny of choice is that you arrive at sameness, and bodies are not the same. Even with two hundred forty-eight sizes, there aren't enough for the body I have.

*

Maura and Abigail have invited me to watch a sewing workshop they are running the next day at MOMA, where they would teach fifteen strangers how to turn several yards of fabric into a sleeve and a bodice. I show up in my normal clothes, but my jumpsuit is wadded in my bag.

The museum has set up six sewing machines on large gray tables, which are arranged in a semicircle in an open space between galleries. The group is almost all youngish white women, with the exception of a man in his late twenties with a scruffy beard and curly brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. One woman is wearing a hijab; another is wearing a non-Rational Dress jumpsuit. Several older women are wandering around wearing white sashes with RATIONAL DRESS printed in bold black sans-serif type-expert seamstresses here to help the novices thread bobbins and cut out patterns. One of them, Joann, tells me that when she read the email from MOMA about the program, she called the front desk to make sure it wasn't a hoax. The notice had mentioned the Rational Dress Society's anti-Trump project, and she couldn't believe the museum would do something so overtly political.

The sound of a triangle rings, and Maura steps up to a microphone. Maura and Abigail are, of course, both wearing jumpsuits-white ones this time. Maura wears red, white, and blue Converse; Abigail, sensible black boots.

"I'm comrade Maura."

"I'm comrade Abigail. Together, we make JUMPSUIT, the open-source, ungendered monogarment to replace all clothes in perpetuity."

"All of you will be able to go home, and based on the information you receive here, combined with additional guidance from our online instructional video, you will be able to sew your own jumpsuit from beginning to end. After you have completed your monogarment, we invite you to throw away all of your clothes," Maura says.

The women go back and forth describing the rationale of their project, a speech they've clearly memorized from a script. It's a performance, but it's also a workshop. It's art, but it's also a sewing lesson. H&M, they tell us, purposefully designs their clothes to fall apart after ten washings. And in their Cambodian factories, the workers don't have sick leave. They are discriminated against for being pregnant, they are fainting en masse, and they are very often children. The politics Abigail and Maura describe are of radical consumer choice. By making a choice not to buy any clothes at all, to instead wear a long-lasting garment that can be repaired, the jumpsuit wearer is not participating in a boycott-they are rejecting the underlying system that caused the need for the boycott in the first place.

Abigail and Maura finish their speech, ring the triangle again, and the sewing begins. Maura puts on the Rational Dress Society playlist, which includes songs about worker solidarity, revolution, and jumping. Abigail walks everyone through the first stage of the process-cutting out the pattern for the sleeves. She peppers her descriptions with technical language: seam allowance, control notches, belt-loop positioning, drill holes, selvage edge. These are the words that she uses in her everyday life as a teacher in the fashion department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and she delights in teaching them to the group.

"I don't like choices," the bearded man, Aaron, tells me as he waits his turn for a sewing machine. He's come with his fiancée, Lizzie, who wants to learn how to tailor clothes she buys at thrift stores. Aaron believes in the politics of the the Rational Dress Society, but part of the appeal is not having to pick out his clothes every morning.

Buthaina, who sits at the machine next to Aaron and Lizzie, grew up in Milan, where she says everyone is a shopaholic. She's been moving from one country to another for three years, and she's had to get rid of the clothes she's accumulated. "Moving makes you conscious of your life priorities," she tells me.

After the group cuts out their sleeves and they begin taking turns at the sewing machines, a woman with a Russian accent emerges from another exhibit and sheepishly asks me, "What is this?" I try to explain that these are artists who make jumpsuits and that this group has gathered in the middle of this famous museum to sew. "Yes, but why are they playing the Soviet national anthem?" she asks. I'm not quite sure how to answer. Maura and Abigail offer the aesthetic of "the worker" with unrestrained delight, but it seems suddenly tone-deaf in the presence of a woman who has presumably grown up in the shadow of Stalin. The Rational Dress Society's critique of choice is meant to be a critique of American late-stage capitalism. But the aesthetics of that critique seem to hearken back to a time and a place ruled by a different tyranny: one of scarcity and political oppression.

Maura and Abigail have been accused of fascism before. Americans are primed to equate lack of choice with lack of freedom, and the aesthetics of the project, from the cut of the jumpsuit to the music on the playlist, look and feel decidedly Soviet. When I ask Maura about it, she tells me that people forget the project isn't about forcing people to wear the same thing; it's about encouraging them to end their participation in a harmful system. "JUMPSUIT is not a mandate," she says. "You have to choose to reject choice." Maura and Abigail are unabashedly influenced by artists of the early Soviet Union, who had aesthetics very different from the harsh socialist realism of the Stalinist era. Early Soviet artists designed clothes for ease of work and play rather than for opulent display. "The Soviet artists realized that the transformation of society would have to happen not just through direct political action but also through a transformation in lifestyle, facilitated by art and design," Maura and Abigail tell me.

At the end of the day, I go to the bathroom, step out of my shoes, and peel off my skinny jeans for the last time. The jumpsuit is a mass of fabric, a whale of a thing bulking up the bags I've been carrying around the city. I pull it on and walk out of the stall, feeling like Superman but also like a child in a costume.

When I come back to the gallery, Abigail and Maura fuss over the jumpsuit a bit but assure me that it's definitely the right size. Abigail tells me she wasn't so sure about the fit at first either but that she grew to love it after a few days. Out of earshot, I ask Joann, the expert seamstress, what she thinks. I get the feeling she's the kind of older New York lady who would tell me the brutal truth. "Do I look fat?" I whisper. I know it's the wrong question to be asking, but I can't help myself. Joann just laughs.

*

I give it a try. I want to see what changes when I wear the same garment every single day. Abigail and Maura have been doing it for three years; I can do it for three weeks.

The next morning, as I walk to work, I realize that it's the first time in years, maybe decades, that I am wearing such loose-fitting clothing in public. Sure, I'll wear a baggy sweater or a swing dress, but there is always a bit of Lycra or a constricting band in there somewhere-a pair of tights or skinny jeans, a too-tight sleeve or an uncomfortable armpit. Abigail and Maura tell me that clothing companies make everything tight and stretchy so they can make fewer sizes-it's cheaper to cut three sizes than six.

As I walk up the stairs to my office, no fabric grips my skin, and I feel unencumbered. Although I have been worried about how I look, the truth is I've never felt less fat. The garment does not constantly remind me of my girth; it does not threaten to bust at the seams if I move too quickly or eat too much. I'm not just thwarting the tyranny of capitalism-I'm thwarting the tyranny of tightness.

Several women compliment me on the first day-"I love your coveralls!" one coworker shouts casually across the room. Two others tell me that while they think I look great, the garment would never work on their body. It's a constant refrain I'll hear during my time in the jumpsuit. We all seem to think our bodies are impossible-too fat or thin, too long a torso or too thick a waist-to be accommodated.

Not choosing an outfit really does save time. But more than time, it saves a kind of emotional labor that I hadn't realized I was doing. I spent so much time wondering, What should I wear? The answer seemed to lie in discerning what other people would expect, how I could impress them, what would look cool. But after a beat of contemplation, I'd remember I already knew what I was going to wear. I was going to wear a jumpsuit. I could move on to other things. I began to sleep in a little later. I actually sat down to eat breakfast and got some reading in before heading off to work. But the real freedom came from not starting every day thinking about all the problems with my body or my wardrobe.

As the days passed and the novelty wore off, a different set of truths settled in. Two weeks in, I sat in a work meeting across from a woman with beautifully blow-dried hair, perfectly applied makeup, and a colorful pencil skirt. I felt, by comparison, like a manly baby wearing a onesie and work boots, and I was distracted by my need to prove both my femininity and my professionalism. I realized how much of my sense of self as a woman was wrapped up in how the world sees my body. There were days when I put on too much makeup to compensate for not wearing dresses and tight jeans. Other days, I wore no makeup, feeling like my plain face suited the outfit more. I realized I was afraid people wouldn't find me sexy-that if they couldn't see my waist, my curves, my ass, they wouldn't know that I was attractive. And I began to question that fear.

But then I was also grateful to be able to hide in the looseness of the garment, to feel like my worth would have to be found elsewhere. I didn't miss the choices in the morning when I picked out my clothes, but I missed the identity the clothes give me-the costume of "woman" or "professional." It was unsettling to feel that those identities came from the outside rather than the inside-that I convinced myself I was an adult by wearing a pencil skirt, that I convinced myself I was a woman by wearing high heels.

*

On that afternoon three weeks ago, when Abigail first gave me my jumpsuit, we sat on the enormous windowsill of the gallery loft. The sun was setting, and a melancholy pink light filled the room. The garment industry invented lofts like these-the high ceilings were tall enough to accommodate the enormous machinery, and the windows let in light, which cut down the owners' electricity bills, and let in air, which was supposed to reduce illness among the workers. At the turn of the twentieth century, consumers were afraid that epidemics of typhoid and tuberculosis were being spread because ill sweatshop workers were infecting the clothes.

In a loft across the street, backlit with blue light, women were sewing. I hadn't noticed them, but Abigail pointed out the oak-tag patterns-manila-paper shapes used in industrial production. There are still factories here, likely high-end manufacturers making clothes for expensive designers, she explained. "The garment industry is the birth of capitalism," Abigail reminded me. "The industrial revolution was about making cloth."

For Maura and Abigail, Utopia is a party where everyone is wearing the exact same thing. It's a place where consumers choose to reject choice because they see that choice isn't always linked to freedom, a place where laborers are paid and treated well. But like most Utopian visions, it surely will never be fully realized. Most people probably won't switch to a jumpsuit-only wardrobe. Even the culmination of the project-the purchase of an ad in the pages of Vogue -will almost certainly stay forever out of reach.

JUMPSUIT promises to subvert capitalism, but what it really does is make you aware of it. I felt it in the looseness of the garment, in the chafe as it rubbed against my thighs, in the compliments, and in the odd stares that seemed to say, You're wearing that again? And I felt it when the three weeks of wearing a jumpsuit were finally up. I stood in front of my closet, exhausted by the choice of what to put on. I needed to triangulate the weather conditions, the various tasks of the day, my level of bloat, and my desire to feel beautiful or cool or sexy. It was only through being momentarily freed from it that I noticed the comical constraint of tight clothing or the way that my identity had become so deeply bound up in consumption. Capitalism is so omnipresent that it can become impossible to identify. Both in a jumpsuit and out of it, I could feel something on my body that had long been rendered invisible: a set of restrictions that had once felt like freedom.
Heather Radke is a writer, curator, and audio producer who lives in New York.

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The Jumpsuit That Will Replace All Clothes Forever

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It's fifty degrees in January, and the air in the Garment District smells strangely of pea soup. The building I've been directed to is supposed to be an art gallery, but all I can find is an office-supply showroom.

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It's fifty degrees in January, and the air in the Garment District smells strangely of pea soup. The building I've been directed to is supposed to be an art gallery, but all I can find is an office-supply showroom. I wait outside on a street dotted with FedEx trucks, Pret A Mangers, and fabric stores selling colorful sequined silks and heavy white brocades-the expensive material of saris and wedding dresses. In the early twentieth century, when New York City was still the center of the American garment industry, this neighborhood housed sewing factories where Eastern European immigrants made the petticoats and shirtwaists sold on Fifth Avenue. Most multinational fashion brands have since moved their operations overseas, and the sewing work that is still done in the Garment District is usually completed by newly graduated FIT students working as interns, not by members of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union.

I'm here to meet Abigail Glaum-Lathbury, who will give me a jumpsuit she made just for me that I will wear as my only article of clothing for the next three weeks. Abigail is one of two artists who comprise the Rational Dress Society, a collective committed to what the group calls "counter-fashion"-a critique of fashion and capitalism through political dress. Abigail and her partner in counter-fashion, Maura Brewer, have been wearing only jumpsuits for the past three years-to weddings, to job interviews, to teach their classes at art school, and to visit their families over Thanksgiving. Their closets are nearly empty: they each have three jumpsuits, a few jumpsuit-compatible sweaters, workout clothes, pajamas, and underthings-that's it. They don't have to buy new clothes or wonder how they'll look in the culottes that have recently come into fashion. They never have to choose a new outfit because they've already picked the one they'll wear forever.

My phone buzzes. It's Abigail, telling me she's running late, asking if I want a coffee, and explaining to me that the gallery is not, in fact, in the office-supply showroom but on the third floor of an adjacent building. I make my way upstairs to a room full of wires, hardware, half-installed clothes racks, and unpacked boxes. Although Maura and Abigail's primary project is JUMPSUIT, the Rational Dress Society is an art practice whose components are varied. The gallery's current show, "Omega Workshop," highlights other artists working in counter-fashion, including an LA collective who designs dayglow sparkle clothes for queer-crip bodies, an artist who deconstructed and redesigned a high-heel shoe, and the artist Frau Fiber, who will lead a DIY workshop on how to sew a Soviet hippie poncho. Abigail and Maura are also working on a project called "Make America Rational Again"-they are collecting "gently used and emphatically discarded" Ivanka Trump-label clothing to melt down into a polyester slurry, which they will transform into millennial-pink jumpsuits.

The politics of consumer choice are at the heart of the Rational Dress Society's ideology. By making a single choice and sticking to it, Maura and Abigail are attempting to draw attention to the way that democracy and choice have become conflated under capitalism. Although it may seem as if we have endless choices of what to wear, as if our ability to choose is part of what makes us free, we really only have the choices that the market makes available to us. We can wear a tube top from Hot Topic or a baggy tunic from Eileen Fischer, but we must buy new things, and we must buy more. Abigail and Maura hope that their project will help us see the choices that have been shoved outside of our field of vision: to mend the clothes we have, to halt consumption, and perhaps to opt out of capitalism entirely.

The Rational Dress Society looks to both the future and the past. Their name is borrowed from the Victorian reform movement that, in an era of bustles and corsets, advocated for pants and other "rational dress." Yet the garment they are promoting is emblematic of science fiction. A portion of the proceeds of all their work will go toward the purchase of a full-page ad in Vogue. The ad isn't intended to sell more jumpsuits; Abigail and Maura don't want to replace one consumer product with another. Once the ad is paid for, the project will close up shop.

The Rational Dress Society makes jumpsuits in two hundred forty-eight sizes culled from NASA data to fit almost any body type. Anyone can print the pattern for free from their website or, for a hundred and fifty dollars, order one that will arrive ready-made out of sustainable fabric and hand sewn by well-paid seamstresses. The design was inspired by patterns for work wear, and the finished garment looks like painters' coveralls. But on the bodies of Maura and Abigail, both hip art-school grads with fashionable glasses and haircuts, the jumpsuits look simply chic, as though there is nothing more sensible or cool a person could wear.

I have never looked simply chic-for me, fashion has always been a chore. I can't quite keep up with the churn of the seasons, and if I get rid of clothes before they are threadbare, I am racked with thrifty guilt. I believe in the power of dress to communicate something to the world; it is in many ways the first thing we say about ourselves, the threshold between our private and public lives. But the messages available to me have always felt predetermined, the choices hollow. So the promise of Abigail and Maura's jumpsuit appealed. My message would be provided not by corporate America but by two artists. The message would be a rebuke to the system that had long brought me frustration and shame.

*

Abigail arrives at the gallery in a smiley flurry-she is perpetually cheerful and excited. She is wearing a white jumpsuit and black glasses with saucer-size lenses and carrying a tray of coffees. She points me toward an enormous duffel bag on the floor, full of jumpsuits, and then pulls out mine-a perfectly folded denim rectangle.

That night, I pull my jumpsuit out of my bag with excitement and slip it on. It fits oddly-too long in the crotch and too loose in the legs. My small waist, the part of me about which I am most vain, is obscured by a swath of dark-blue denim that falls straight from my shoulders to my hips. Nothing cinches my middle, and I feel fat. I will learn later that this style is called a "drop waist" and was popularized by flappers in the twenties, women whose ideal body was straight and androgynous-two adjectives that definitely do not describe my figure.

I pull the jumpsuit down so that the bodice is taut, but then the crotch is low-nearly down to my knees. I take another tack and pull the jumpsuit up so that the waistband is at my natural waist, and a poof of fabric emerges at my chest. I look in the mirror and see a figure I don't quite recognize-I look unfeminine and the wrong size, bulky and overstuffed. But this garment had been made to my exact measurements. I had imagined it fitting my body perfectly, flattering my figure and making me look magically thinner, stronger, better. Had I been given the wrong one? The problem with subverting the tyranny of choice is that you arrive at sameness, and bodies are not the same. Even with two hundred forty-eight sizes, there aren't enough for the body I have.

*

Maura and Abigail have invited me to watch a sewing workshop they are running the next day at MOMA, where they would teach fifteen strangers how to turn several yards of fabric into a sleeve and a bodice. I show up in my normal clothes, but my jumpsuit is wadded in my bag.

The museum has set up six sewing machines on large gray tables, which are arranged in a semicircle in an open space between galleries. The group is almost all youngish white women, with the exception of a man in his late twenties with a scruffy beard and curly brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. One woman is wearing a hijab; another is wearing a non-Rational Dress jumpsuit. Several older women are wandering around wearing white sashes with RATIONAL DRESS printed in bold black sans-serif type-expert seamstresses here to help the novices thread bobbins and cut out patterns. One of them, Joann, tells me that when she read the email from MOMA about the program, she called the front desk to make sure it wasn't a hoax. The notice had mentioned the Rational Dress Society's anti-Trump project, and she couldn't believe the museum would do something so overtly political.

The sound of a triangle rings, and Maura steps up to a microphone. Maura and Abigail are, of course, both wearing jumpsuits-white ones this time. Maura wears red, white, and blue Converse; Abigail, sensible black boots.

"I'm comrade Maura."

"I'm comrade Abigail. Together, we make JUMPSUIT, the open-source, ungendered monogarment to replace all clothes in perpetuity."

"All of you will be able to go home, and based on the information you receive here, combined with additional guidance from our online instructional video, you will be able to sew your own jumpsuit from beginning to end. After you have completed your monogarment, we invite you to throw away all of your clothes," Maura says.

The women go back and forth describing the rationale of their project, a speech they've clearly memorized from a script. It's a performance, but it's also a workshop. It's art, but it's also a sewing lesson. H&M, they tell us, purposefully designs their clothes to fall apart after ten washings. And in their Cambodian factories, the workers don't have sick leave. They are discriminated against for being pregnant, they are fainting en masse, and they are very often children. The politics Abigail and Maura describe are of radical consumer choice. By making a choice not to buy any clothes at all, to instead wear a long-lasting garment that can be repaired, the jumpsuit wearer is not participating in a boycott-they are rejecting the underlying system that caused the need for the boycott in the first place.

Abigail and Maura finish their speech, ring the triangle again, and the sewing begins. Maura puts on the Rational Dress Society playlist, which includes songs about worker solidarity, revolution, and jumping. Abigail walks everyone through the first stage of the process-cutting out the pattern for the sleeves. She peppers her descriptions with technical language: seam allowance, control notches, belt-loop positioning, drill holes, selvage edge. These are the words that she uses in her everyday life as a teacher in the fashion department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and she delights in teaching them to the group.

"I don't like choices," the bearded man, Aaron, tells me as he waits his turn for a sewing machine. He's come with his fiancée, Lizzie, who wants to learn how to tailor clothes she buys at thrift stores. Aaron believes in the politics of the the Rational Dress Society, but part of the appeal is not having to pick out his clothes every morning.

Buthaina, who sits at the machine next to Aaron and Lizzie, grew up in Milan, where she says everyone is a shopaholic. She's been moving from one country to another for three years, and she's had to get rid of the clothes she's accumulated. "Moving makes you conscious of your life priorities," she tells me.

After the group cuts out their sleeves and they begin taking turns at the sewing machines, a woman with a Russian accent emerges from another exhibit and sheepishly asks me, "What is this?" I try to explain that these are artists who make jumpsuits and that this group has gathered in the middle of this famous museum to sew. "Yes, but why are they playing the Soviet national anthem?" she asks. I'm not quite sure how to answer. Maura and Abigail offer the aesthetic of "the worker" with unrestrained delight, but it seems suddenly tone-deaf in the presence of a woman who has presumably grown up in the shadow of Stalin. The Rational Dress Society's critique of choice is meant to be a critique of American late-stage capitalism. But the aesthetics of that critique seem to hearken back to a time and a place ruled by a different tyranny: one of scarcity and political oppression.

Maura and Abigail have been accused of fascism before. Americans are primed to equate lack of choice with lack of freedom, and the aesthetics of the project, from the cut of the jumpsuit to the music on the playlist, look and feel decidedly Soviet. When I ask Maura about it, she tells me that people forget the project isn't about forcing people to wear the same thing; it's about encouraging them to end their participation in a harmful system. "JUMPSUIT is not a mandate," she says. "You have to choose to reject choice." Maura and Abigail are unabashedly influenced by artists of the early Soviet Union, who had aesthetics very different from the harsh socialist realism of the Stalinist era. Early Soviet artists designed clothes for ease of work and play rather than for opulent display. "The Soviet artists realized that the transformation of society would have to happen not just through direct political action but also through a transformation in lifestyle, facilitated by art and design," Maura and Abigail tell me.

At the end of the day, I go to the bathroom, step out of my shoes, and peel off my skinny jeans for the last time. The jumpsuit is a mass of fabric, a whale of a thing bulking up the bags I've been carrying around the city. I pull it on and walk out of the stall, feeling like Superman but also like a child in a costume.

When I come back to the gallery, Abigail and Maura fuss over the jumpsuit a bit but assure me that it's definitely the right size. Abigail tells me she wasn't so sure about the fit at first either but that she grew to love it after a few days. Out of earshot, I ask Joann, the expert seamstress, what she thinks. I get the feeling she's the kind of older New York lady who would tell me the brutal truth. "Do I look fat?" I whisper. I know it's the wrong question to be asking, but I can't help myself. Joann just laughs.

*

I give it a try. I want to see what changes when I wear the same garment every single day. Abigail and Maura have been doing it for three years; I can do it for three weeks.

The next morning, as I walk to work, I realize that it's the first time in years, maybe decades, that I am wearing such loose-fitting clothing in public. Sure, I'll wear a baggy sweater or a swing dress, but there is always a bit of Lycra or a constricting band in there somewhere-a pair of tights or skinny jeans, a too-tight sleeve or an uncomfortable armpit. Abigail and Maura tell me that clothing companies make everything tight and stretchy so they can make fewer sizes-it's cheaper to cut three sizes than six.

As I walk up the stairs to my office, no fabric grips my skin, and I feel unencumbered. Although I have been worried about how I look, the truth is I've never felt less fat. The garment does not constantly remind me of my girth; it does not threaten to bust at the seams if I move too quickly or eat too much. I'm not just thwarting the tyranny of capitalism-I'm thwarting the tyranny of tightness.

Several women compliment me on the first day-"I love your coveralls!" one coworker shouts casually across the room. Two others tell me that while they think I look great, the garment would never work on their body. It's a constant refrain I'll hear during my time in the jumpsuit. We all seem to think our bodies are impossible-too fat or thin, too long a torso or too thick a waist-to be accommodated.

Not choosing an outfit really does save time. But more than time, it saves a kind of emotional labor that I hadn't realized I was doing. I spent so much time wondering, What should I wear? The answer seemed to lie in discerning what other people would expect, how I could impress them, what would look cool. But after a beat of contemplation, I'd remember I already knew what I was going to wear. I was going to wear a jumpsuit. I could move on to other things. I began to sleep in a little later. I actually sat down to eat breakfast and got some reading in before heading off to work. But the real freedom came from not starting every day thinking about all the problems with my body or my wardrobe.

As the days passed and the novelty wore off, a different set of truths settled in. Two weeks in, I sat in a work meeting across from a woman with beautifully blow-dried hair, perfectly applied makeup, and a colorful pencil skirt. I felt, by comparison, like a manly baby wearing a onesie and work boots, and I was distracted by my need to prove both my femininity and my professionalism. I realized how much of my sense of self as a woman was wrapped up in how the world sees my body. There were days when I put on too much makeup to compensate for not wearing dresses and tight jeans. Other days, I wore no makeup, feeling like my plain face suited the outfit more. I realized I was afraid people wouldn't find me sexy-that if they couldn't see my waist, my curves, my ass, they wouldn't know that I was attractive. And I began to question that fear.

But then I was also grateful to be able to hide in the looseness of the garment, to feel like my worth would have to be found elsewhere. I didn't miss the choices in the morning when I picked out my clothes, but I missed the identity the clothes give me-the costume of "woman" or "professional." It was unsettling to feel that those identities came from the outside rather than the inside-that I convinced myself I was an adult by wearing a pencil skirt, that I convinced myself I was a woman by wearing high heels.

*

On that afternoon three weeks ago, when Abigail first gave me my jumpsuit, we sat on the enormous windowsill of the gallery loft. The sun was setting, and a melancholy pink light filled the room. The garment industry invented lofts like these-the high ceilings were tall enough to accommodate the enormous machinery, and the windows let in light, which cut down the owners' electricity bills, and let in air, which was supposed to reduce illness among the workers. At the turn of the twentieth century, consumers were afraid that epidemics of typhoid and tuberculosis were being spread because ill sweatshop workers were infecting the clothes.

In a loft across the street, backlit with blue light, women were sewing. I hadn't noticed them, but Abigail pointed out the oak-tag patterns-manila-paper shapes used in industrial production. There are still factories here, likely high-end manufacturers making clothes for expensive designers, she explained. "The garment industry is the birth of capitalism," Abigail reminded me. "The industrial revolution was about making cloth."

For Maura and Abigail, Utopia is a party where everyone is wearing the exact same thing. It's a place where consumers choose to reject choice because they see that choice isn't always linked to freedom, a place where laborers are paid and treated well. But like most Utopian visions, it surely will never be fully realized. Most people probably won't switch to a jumpsuit-only wardrobe. Even the culmination of the project-the purchase of an ad in the pages of Vogue -will almost certainly stay forever out of reach.

JUMPSUIT promises to subvert capitalism, but what it really does is make you aware of it. I felt it in the looseness of the garment, in the chafe as it rubbed against my thighs, in the compliments, and in the odd stares that seemed to say, You're wearing that again? And I felt it when the three weeks of wearing a jumpsuit were finally up. I stood in front of my closet, exhausted by the choice of what to put on. I needed to triangulate the weather conditions, the various tasks of the day, my level of bloat, and my desire to feel beautiful or cool or sexy. It was only through being momentarily freed from it that I noticed the comical constraint of tight clothing or the way that my identity had become so deeply bound up in consumption. Capitalism is so omnipresent that it can become impossible to identify. Both in a jumpsuit and out of it, I could feel something on my body that had long been rendered invisible: a set of restrictions that had once felt like freedom.
Heather Radke is a writer, curator, and audio producer who lives in New York.

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The Jumpsuit That Will Replace All Clothes Forever

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It's fifty degrees in January, and the air in the Garment District smells strangely of pea soup. The building I've been directed to is supposed to be an art gallery, but all I can find is an office-supply showroom.

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Each year on April 22, Earth Day is observed around the world by people, governments and organizations that acknowledge how important protecting the planet is and commit to creating a more sustainable future. In early 2020, Microsoft put a stake in the ground to accelerate our own sustainability journey by announcing our commitment to become carbon negative by 2030 and to reduce our historical emissions by 2050. Since then, we've also committed to become water positive, zero waste, build a Planetary Computer, and to protect more land than we use.

We know these ambitions are bold, they must be paired with action and achieving them is a journey. . Our Microsoft 2020 Environmental Sustainability Report details progress on our commitments, reveals some of the big lessons we've learned and provides details about our specific areas of focus in 2021. In addition, the report includes information about the work some of our partners are doing to sustainably transform their businesses, while utilizing technology including Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Power BI, Power Platform, data and AI to help other organizations achieve their sustainability goals as well.

Partner innovations drive more sustainable practices.

As a partner to the U.N. Microsoft has pledged to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), a set of 17 initiatives adopted by member states in 2015, focused on impacting the world for good by 2030. Making an impact starts with bringing solutions to market. As tech innovators and leaders, our partners are leveraging the Microsoft cloud, data science and AI, and working to drive environmental sustainability through exciting programs and solutions. Our #BuildFor2030 campaign highlights Microsoft partners whose technology solutions align with these Sustainability Development Goals and are powering a more inclusive economy. In honor of Earth Day, we want to showcase some of these partners.

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Optimizing smart places for a more resilient future

Buildings are some of the biggest contributors to the global climate crisis. Many of the Microsoft-powered partner solutions featured in our #BuildFor2030 campaign are empowering customers to understand, minimize and manage the environmental impact of their own buildings and spaces:

Honeywell is building AI-automated solutions that are helping customers save energy costs and reduce their carbon footprint by optimizing heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) operations.

BuildingMinds is helping real estate managers execute data-driven strategies to improve resource efficiency, drive decarbonization and future-proof buildings against climate risk.

bGrid is using the Internet of Things (IoT) and open API to connect and automate systems-integrating everything from lighting and climate systems to third-party applications to optimize the energy efficiency of buildings.

Learn more about carbon, water and waste partner solutions in our new Sustainability for Smart Buildings e-guide.

Driving operational efficiencies and more responsible supply chain practices

Partners are also helping manufacturers and food producers gain operational efficiencies and influence more responsible supply chain practices:

ABB solutions optimize the performance and efficiency of factory equipment from drives and motors to pumps and bearings. Enhanced visibility into the condition of equipment helps managers fix problems faster, optimize energy usage and extend the lifespan of equipment, which reduces waste.

Agrivi's farm management software enables growers to aggregate data from many sources to establish sustainable practices while maintaining quality and ensuring traceability of products through their supply chain.

AVEVA offers businesses the insights they need to drive sustainability by optimizing energy use, connecting teams to drive collaborative innovation and increasing efficiency.

Learn more about featured solutions in our #BuildFor2030 campaign.
Solutions from systems integrator and advisory partners drive business transformation.

Our systems integrator and advisory partners are also working with companies around the world, applying their deep industry expertise and delivering Microsoft-powered sustainability solutions to drive efficiencies, enable business transformation and protect the planet:

Accenture, Avanade and Microsoft are combining their expertise in cloud, data, AI, IoT, digital twins and digital transformation to help utility and energy companies in the United Kingdom to transform the energy system and lower the cost of decarbonizing electricity, to achieve its net-zero target for carbon emissions by 2050.

Through the Better Working World Data Challenge, EY is encouraging students and early-career data scientists to leverage Microsoft Azure, data analytics and AI to develop improved wildfire management solutions.

Infosys REF-OR-M Eco Watch - Sustainability Solution is helping customers across industries achieve their sustainability goals by enabling efficient data collection and monitoring, auditing and rule-based approvals, stakeholder management, analytics, tracking and management to ensure better adherence to sustainability standards and to have a path to achieve their enterprise sustainability objectives.

KPMG worked with the Microsoft Devices group to assess the level of circularity of Surface products and to identify a sizable opportunity to increase cycled resources into product design and increase recycled content into production.

PWC's governance ESG Pulse solution is used by teams and clients to better understand the quality and transparency of their ESG data. This tech-enabled service helps companies assess maturity, reduce potential risks, recalibrate efforts, measure progress and tell their ESG story to stakeholders.

Device partners help drive sustainability from start to finish

Our hardware partners deliver innovative devices and demonstrate their commitment to the sustainability of our planet through the examination and optimization of their own operations and by sourcing renewable or ocean-bound plastics into their PCs.

Acer and ASUS have expanded their sustainability practices with changes to products, packaging and manufacturing processes. Dell, HP and Lenovo have multiple devices that are sustainably built with recycled materials.

Dell's Latitude 5000 series and Precision 3560 are the first PCs to use bioplastic tree waste in their design. Dell estimates these Latitude 5000 series design changes will reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions equivalent to those created by driving 24.2 million miles and save enough energy to power 5,564 average-size homes for a year.

HP offers a sustainable PC portfolio with more than 50 products for home and business containing ocean-bound plastics. This includes the first consumer notebooks containing ocean-bound plastics, the Pavilion laptop, which HP estimates will keep about 92,000 plastic bottles out of the ocean and landfills. The HP Dragonfly G2 and HP EliteBook 840 G8 Aero commercial PCs are also built with ocean-bound and post-consumer recycled plastics.

Lenovo has participated in the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) for PC program for more than 10 years and continues to register at the gold and silver levels, meaning that their devices are created, delivered and disposed of in the most eco-friendly manner possible. The vast majority of ThinkPad laptops are EPEAT Gold rated, including the ThinkPad X1 portfolio. In addition to EPEAT certification, Lenovo has multiple devices that use closed-loop, post-consumer recycled content including the Lenovo Legion T5 gaming PC.

At Microsoft, every device we produce is conceived, built, operated and retired with sustainability in mind. In fact, our plan is to achieve 100% recyclable packaging, for Surface devices by 2030. Learn more in our Devices Sustainability Report.

Giving new life to older devices through the Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher program

Reusing and recycling has always been important to Microsoft. Increased demand in the last year for PCs to meet work and learn-from-home needs has made bringing old devices back to life critical. Millions of PCs and other electronics are being repurposed through the Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher (MAR) program, in which partners decommission and refurbish PCs and servers and install the latest Windows software. Each year, 2 million devices are refurbished In North America, offsetting the equivalent amount of CO2 needed to make 2,000 round trips to the moon.

To help support digital inclusion, MAR partners provide the refurbished PCs to non-profit organizations, businesses, schools and homes. Recently, a group of companies and non-profits in Hong Kong took part in the MAR program and provided computers that were once used in offices to students in need, enabling them to gain access to a device so they could learn from home more effectively.

Working together to accelerate progress towards a more sustainable world

As Dr. Lucas Joppa, Chief Sustainability Officer at Microsoft says, "It's what we all do together that will make a difference."

No matter where an organization is in the sustainability journey, our partners' devices and solutions, powered by the Microsoft cloud, can help organizations minimize environmental impact, drive value and accelerate business transformation. Together with our partners, Microsoft is dedicated to harnessing the power of technology to help everyone, everywhere, build a more sustainable future. For Earth Day this year, let's recommit to protecting our planet. This important work represents some of the greatest challenges and biggest opportunities of our lifetime, and the benefits will be tremendous! Learn more about how to advance sustainability initiatives at Microsoft.com/sustainability, and explore Microsoft partner solutions featured in our #BuildFor2030 campaign in Microsoft AppSource and Azure Marketplace.

Tags: Earth Day, sustainability

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Building a more sustainable world together - The Official Microsoft Blog

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Each year on April 22, Earth Day is observed around the world by people, governments and organizations that acknowledge how important protecting the planet is and commit to creating a more sustainable future. In early 2020, Microsoft put a stake in the ground to accelerate our own sustainability journey by announcing our commitment to become...

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Sustainability is going to be more important to large companies as a result of Covid-19, according to new research.

Over 70% of companies interviewed for the research commissioned by the Carbon Trust said environmental management and/or sustainability priorities are likely to become 'somewhat more important' or 'significantly more important' for them as a result of Covid-19.

Even those companies that have been significantly impacted by the pandemic still believe sustainability is going to become more important. Of those experiencing significant disruption, 69% expect environmental management and/or sustainability to become 'somewhat' or 'significantly more important'.

The Carbon Trust commissioned B2B International to undertake the 'Corporate attitudes towards sustainability' research for a second year. It conducted 453 interviews with large companies (minimum 1,000 employees and over a quarter with more than 5,000 employees) in the following countries: Germany, France, Mexico, Singapore, Spain, and the UK.

The research was undertaken in July of this year so does not reflect business confidence following more recent 'second spikes' in Europe especially, however our experience suggests that the findings are likely to still be accurate.

Business priority

Hugh Jones, Managing Directory, Advisory at the Carbon Trust commented: "The findings of this research are consistent with what we are seeing in the market.

Sustainability is rightly a growing business priority and the increasing demand for our services aimed at helping corporates to decarbonise and adapt for the future demonstrates that, despite extremely challenging market conditions, this is one area that businesses are continuing to prioritise.

"The global health crisis is perhaps elevating the need for action on risk in boardrooms globally, and the climate crisis presents risks that no business can afford to ignore."

The global health crisis is perhaps elevating the need for action on risk in boardrooms globally, and the climate crisis presents risks that no business can afford to ignore.

Three quarters of organisations interviewed had been negatively impacted by Covid-19 - with 4% saying it represented an existential threat to their organisation from which they may not be able to recover, while 32% said they had been significantly impacted by the pandemic, with operations heavily impaired, or sales/revenue badly impacted.

The worst disruption was experienced in Spain but the impact was reasonably consistent across all geographies.

Large companies in Germany and Mexico are most likely to think their sustainability priorities will become more important as a result of the pandemic (82% and 79% of those interviewed in each country respectively) with sustainability covering the use of natural resources and the reduction of environmental impact across the organisation.

The sectors that are most optimistic about the growing importance of sustainability as a corporate priority are wholesale and retail, construction, engineering and mining, manufacturing, and healthcare. No matter what the sector, only around a third of companies expect there to be no change or that environmental management/sustainability will become less important.

Green recovery

Hugh Jones, Managing Directory, Advisory at the Carbon Trust added: "Organisations around the world are considering their role in delivering a green recovery - achieving net zero targets at the same time as fostering economic activity.

"We know from working with corporate clients on their net zero targets and strategies, that many will be leading the way when it comes to achieving green growth and these research findings support this. Without corporate commitment a green recovery will be challenging to deliver so the research is great news."

Budgets for sustainability are also expected to increase as a result of Covid-19 - 63% of those interviewed said their budgets will get 'significantly' or 'somewhat bigger' and only 16% said they would be 'somewhat smaller'.

Organisations around the world are considering their role in delivering a green recovery...

The majority of companies (74%) believe that sustainability will become more important to their customers as a result of Covid-19 - with almost a third saying it will become 'significantly more important for their customers' - and this is especially the case in Mexico (82%), Germany (81%) and Spain (79%).

This is the second year that the Carbon Trust has commissioned research on attitudes towards sustainability, although this year has seen the addition of companies from Singapore, Mexico and the UK to the research.

Compared to 2019, all trackable markets have seen environmental management/sustainability become more of a priority for organisations, especially in Germany.

More organisations also have dedicated sustainability professionals than in 2019 (39% in 2020 compared to 35% in 2019), although now half of companies say that this role is combined with other duties (up from 46% in 2019).

Tagged business, Carbon Trust, green recovery

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Sustainability is a growing business priority as a result of Covid-19, research shows

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Sustainability is going to be more important to large companies as a result of Covid-19, according to new research. Over 70% of companies interviewed for the research commissioned by the Carbon Trust said environmental management and/or sustainability priorities are likely to become 'somewhat more important' or 'significantly more important' for them as a result of Covid-19.

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The World Bank Group's Gender Strategy (fiscal year 2016-23) presents gender equality as integral to smart development policy and posits that successful implementation of the strategy will help achieve the Bank Group's twin goals and the Sustainable Development Goals. The strategy focuses on four objectives: human endowments, jobs, asset control and ownership, and voice and agency. To implement the strategy, the World Bank and International Finance Corporation (IFC) established a new methodology and targets for measuring progress via gender tags for World Bank operations and gender flags for IFC advisory and investment services. At the midpoint in the eight-year strategic cycle, this review provides a rapid assessment of the implementation of the strategy in the World Bank and IFC.

The purpose of the review is to provide evidence and reveal opportunities to maximize organizational efforts over the final four years of implementation. It reflects on what is working well and less well to support continuous monitoring and learning in the World Bank and IFC in terms of strategy implementation. The review identified the connections and coordination among four essential institutional elements for an enhanced country-driven approach-knowledge management, staff designated to support work on gender, the IFC Gender Business Group and World Bank Gender Group, and monitoring and evaluation-and identifies four opportunities to enhance implementation.

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World Bank Group Gender Strategy Mid-Term Review -

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The World Bank Group's Gender Strategy (fiscal year 2016-23) presents gender equality as integral to smart development policy and posits that successful implementation of the strategy will help achieve the Bank Group's twin goals and the Sustainable Development Goals. The strategy focuses on four objectives: human endowments, jobs, asset control and ownership, and voice and agency.

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You may know what you want to say to summarize your arguments, but do you really know how to start a conclusion properly? If you're scratching your head wondering where to begin, you're not alone.

The conclusion paragraph of any essay is a very important component of the paper that sometimes gets overlooked. You can write the most amazing, effective essay with solid points, but if you don't wrap it all up properly in your conclusion, your whole argument can come crashing down. In other words, a weak conclusion can leave your reader feeling like they don't have the closure they need to agree with your entire point.

So, how do you go about fixing this and writing a great summary that leaves an impact on your audience? That's what we're here to help you with. When you get to the end of your essay and start to feel that pressure, don't worry! Learn how to start a conclusion right now and you'll leave your reader with an imprwession that will leave a lasting impact.

What's The Point of a Conclusion, Anyway?

When you're learning how to start a conclusion, it's important to understand why your conclusion is so important in the first place.

Essentially, your conclusion paragraph is the part of your essay where you demonstrate to your reader that you've done everything you said you were going to do at the beginning of your essay ( in your introduction). In other words, you're giving your reader the closure they need to make their own informed opinion or decision about your topic or ideas.

Your conclusion makes it clear to your reader that they have reached the end of your paper and that it's time to reflect on the information and evidence you provided. Without this there, you're leaving them hanging and giving them nothing to process after you've poured your hard work into your essay.

Your Conclusion Paragraph Should Always Leave an Amazing Impression

The goal of your essay conclusion is to ultimately leave your reader with a lasting impression, or give them something to think about. It's the last part of your paper they're going to read, and likely the last thing they'll remember.

Just like first impressions matter, so do your last ones. Have you ever had an awkward interaction with someone where you walked away after saying something embarrassing? Usually when that happens, you worry about the other person thinking you are weird or awkward because of those last moments. That's a last impression that can stick with you, and it's no different for your writing assignments.

Writing coach Lorinda Toledo suggests that you think of your essay introduction as an appetizer, your body as a delicious entree, and your conclusion as the dessert. You're likely going to remember the taste of the dessert because you ate it last and used it to add a sweet finale to your meal. The same thing goes for your conclusion.

Start Narrow and Build Out

When it comes to determining how to start a conclusion, the best way is to start narrow and then build out with more information as you go.

Think of your conclusion paragraph as a triangle. While your introduction should resemble an upside down triangle, with broad information that leads into a narrowed thesis statement, your conclusion should be the opposite. It should be narrow, leading into a more broad summary. Basically, you're doing the same thing you did at the beginning of the paper, but the other way around.

Essentially, you need to start with your thesis statement, then summarize your main points and arguments, provide an analysis that draws a conclusion, and then wrap it up with a powerful sentence or two. This should be the case for any conclusion in any type of essay - according to Massey University, the three core elements in any conclusion are your answer (thesis statement), summary (main points), and significance (the relevance of your main points and any implications that your research found).

The reason we want to do this is because you've already given your reader tons of great information and said everything you need to say in the body of your paper. At this point, you need to remind them of that information and give them a quick summary of the key takeaways. From there, your reader gets a great idea of what they think about that information and can make a decision on their own stance about your topic.

Restating Your Thesis Statement

When figuring out how to craft and finalize your conclusion, the best place to begin is with your thesis statement. Every good conclusion paragraph should start with a restatement of your thesis.

Don't just copy and paste your thesis statement from your introduction. It needs to make the same point, but with different phrasing. A good way to do this is to reverse the order in which you wrote the sentence, but you need to make sure you don't change the order of the main points. That sounds pretty tricky, but it's not as complicated as it seems. It can be as simple as putting your main points or arguments before you introduce the topic instead of the other way around.

Here is an example of a very basic thesis statement for an essay on why college tuition should be free: "College tuition should be free for all students because it will help create a more educated population, give lower income students an equal chance to learn, and eliminate student debt for graduates." Now, if we want to rephrase this for our conclusion, we can say something like this: "Creating a more educated population, promoting equal opportunities for learning, and eliminating student debt are the core reasons why college tuition should be free."

Remember, this is a very basic thesis statement and yours should be a little more complex than that. However, you can see that simply reversing the way you introduce your arguments can be enough to restate your thesis in your conclusion.

Need help narrowing down your thesis statement? Check out our blog! We walk you through everything you need to know to make a winning argument that will have your reader convinced of your main points.

How to Start a Conclusion: Finding The Perfect Words

Transitions are an important part of any essay, and they should be included in your conclusion paragraph as well. Transition words are used to connect sentences and ideas together to help them flow effectively and form relationships between main points. Since the entire point of your conclusion paragraph is to summarize and wrap things up, transition words are key here.

Here are some good transition words that can be used in your conclusion to help summarize your main points:

● In summary

● To sum up

● In conclusion

● Briefly

● Finally

● In a word

● In sum

● In the end

● To conclude

● Thus

● On the whole

● Ultimately

While we're on this topic, transition words should also be included in conclusion sentences within the body of your essay as well. At the end of each body paragraph, you need to have some sort of transition that leads into your next point.

To learn more about transitions, transition words, and how to properly use them in your essay, read our latest blog article! We give you some great advice on how to use them, a list of 200 words to choose from, and much more.

How NOT to Start a Conclusion

Now that we've shown you how to start a conclusion, it's important that you know what NOT to do at the beginning of your conclusion paragraph. Like any part of your essay, there are certain things you should avoid doing in this section to make sure you get top marks and check all of the boxes your professor is looking for.

DON'T do any of the following things:

● Start your conclusion with a generic phrase such as "in conclusion" or "in summary." These transitions are fine within the body of your paragraph, but not as the starting point.

● Introduce any new ideas or arguments that you haven't already gone over in your body. Your conclusion paragraph is there to summarize what you've already said - not to add any new evidence.

● Include new evidence for a previous point. As we just stated, introducing any new ideas or evidence in your conclusion is not effective. This evidence should be in the appropriate body paragraph.

● Apologize or go on the defense for your perspective. Avoid phrases such as "I am no expert, but this evidence..." or "This is just my opinion, but..." Be strong and confident with your assertions.

● Go over minor details that were used in the body as additional supporting points. You should be clear and to the point when you're summarizing your arguments in your conclusion. The reader has already read the supporting details, anyway.

● Make your conclusion too short or too long. It should be relative to the length of your essay. For example, if your essay is 10 pages long, your conclusion can be a full page.

Writing The Rest of Your Conclusion

So now that you know how to start a conclusion, as well as what to avoid, you might be wondering what to do next.

Following the right essay format is an important part of any essay or assignment, no matter which paragraph you're writing. You need to make sure that you follow those conventions to not only get top marks on the structure component of your rubric, but to ensure that your paper flows effectively.

Each paragraph has its own format you need to follow. Here is the proper format you should follow for your conclusion paragraph:

1. Topic sentence or restated thesis statement

2. Summarize and connect your main points and arguments

3. A powerful closing sentence

Of course, you'll have to fill in the gaps between each section of your conclusion, but you should always use this structure to make sure you've covered everything for an effective last impression on your reader.

Answer The "So What?"

Ultimately, your conclusion paragraph is meant to answer the "so what?" for your reader. At the end of the day, you're writing this essay to make a certain point, whether it's to reflect on something, to convince your reader of your perspective, or to answer an essay question. Why should they care about what you have to say?

Answering the "so what" question can be tough when you're writing a paper that was assigned on a specific topic and you didn't really choose it in the first place. While it's easy to point out in an argumentative or persuasive essay, it's a little more difficult to determine when it comes to a reflection paper, article summary, or even a research paper.

However, anything you write can serve a purpose. Think about the underlying point. For example, if you're writing a reflection paper on your experiences in a particular course, the "so what" is to show your audience how much you've grown and learned in that course. If you're writing a research paper about a battle in the American Civil War, the "so what" could be why this battle was so significant for the outcome of the war.

How to Summarize Your Arguments Effectively

The key to any good conclusion is making sure that you summarize the arguments you made in the body of your essay. Use this section to remind your reader why you wrote this paper to begin with. Were you trying to convince them to agree with your arguments?

A good way to summarize your key points is to go back and review the topic sentences you used for each body paragraph. These topic sentences should hold your main points that you introduce in each section, so all you need to do is rephrase them and expand a little bit. As we said before, don't repeat all the evidence you presented, as your conclusion should be mostly in your own words.

When you're summarizing your arguments, it's important to remember that you shouldn't just regurgitate the information you already presented. Your reader has already read that. You need to put it together to present the underlying analysis of why you've written your paper, and give them some context on how all of your evidence, main points, and information fit together.

Some Final Tips For Your Conclusion Paragraph

Here are some great tips and ideas to remember while writing your conclusion:

● Make a connection between the points of your paper and a broader context, either within the current world as a whole or within your specific course theme.

● Issue a challenge to your reader. Maybe they will see a solution to a problem, or maybe you want them to look at the world in a different way.

● Pose a question to your reader that makes them think deeply.

● Give your reader a call to action.

● If you're stuck, try to echo your introduction and flip the message so it's about what you presented instead of what you're going to present.

Sick of Trying to Figure Out How to Start a Conclusion? Let Us Help.

With Homework Help Global on your side, there's no need to learn how to start a conclusion if you're not into it. We will happily do it for you! In fact, we'll take on your whole essay so you don't have to do any of the hard parts.

Our expert writing team specializes in a range of subject areas, from nursing to computer science, so we always have a professional on hand who can craft the perfect paper for you. We specialize in many different types of assignments, including lab reports, custom essays, research papers, PowerPoint presentations, and so much more. All you have to do is click and order, and we'll take care of the rest.

Get in touch with us via our get a free quote form or submit your order online now to get connected with our amazing team and start getting the marks you deserve.

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How to Start a Conclusion | Homework Help Canada

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You may know what you want to say to summarize your arguments, but do you really know how to start a conclusion properly? If you're scratching your head wondering where to begin, you're not alone. The conclusion paragraph of any essay is a very important component of the paper that sometimes gets overlooked.

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This website was so insightful about 70s Subculture

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How minorities and the LGBT community founded the NYC disco subculture and ​developed Disco music.

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Studio 54 - now a theater located at 254 West 54th Street in the Big Apple - used to be the hottest disco club around. Studio 54 was filled to the brim with celebrities and everyday people who had something to offer the others inside. There was a bouncer at the door who wasn't letting you in if you didn't possess the necessary pizazz.

Liza Minnelli and ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov dance together at Studio 54 in Manhattan during a night on the town | Bettmann / Contributor

You had to have style. You had to have personality. You had to be open-minded. You had to have a creative spirit. You had to be unfettered by all things related to sex (and drugs). You were either famous or just supremely "cool," by the club owners' standards. And though the club was only open for 33 months from April 1977 to January of 1980, it has cemented its place in historical pop culture - serving as a physical landmark of the sexual revolution that preceded the 1980s AIDS crisis. And, many famous people sashayed across the dance floor in the club's prime.

1. Liza Minnelli

Yes, the Emmy, Oscar, Tony, and Grammy winner frequented Studio 54. Should we be surprised? Who's got more flair and fun to offer than Liza with a Z?

2. Debbie Harry

Debbie Harry - Blondie's lead singer - also frequented the club. The band is well known for hits like "Heart of Glass," "Call Me," "One Way or Another," "Dreaming," and more.
RELATED: 1980s Band Blondie: What is Deborah Harry's Net Worth and Does She Have Children?
3. Elizabeth Taylor

The five-time Oscar nominee and two-time winner Elizabeth Taylor was another famous face to pop up at Studio 54. Taylor remains best known for starring in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Butterfield 8.

4. Cher

The Goddess of Pop and the Queen of Reinvention, Cher, was another fan of the nightclub, and she can be seen dancing it up in old photos from the club's best days.
RELATED: Cher Once Revealed She Was 'Frightened' to Spend a Weekend with Elvis Presley
5. Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson was likely one of the youngest guys to visit the club when it was open, and the hangout reportedly provided a safe haven for him, as he explained in the documentary Studio 54: it was a place to "escape."

6. Freddie Mercury

Of course Queen's lead singer visited Studio 54. Can you imagine an awesome nightclub without Freddie Mercury tearing it up on the dance floor, or chatting with fellow entertainers?

7. Salvador Dali

Surrealist painter Salvador Dali was another famous person to walk the floors of Studio 54, and it's normal to feel completely jealous of anyone who managed to snag a few minutes of conversation with this man.

*Many other famous faces visited the nightclub, including but not limited to Ric Flair, Al Pacino, Lou Reed, Robin Williams, Andy Warhol, and Jackie Kennedy Onassis.*

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7 of the Most Famous People Who Frequented Studio 54

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Studio 54 - now a theater located at 254 West 54th Street in the Big Apple - used to be the hottest disco club around. Studio 54 was filled to the brim with celebrities and everyday people who had something to offer the others inside.

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40th anniversary of saturday night fever

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9 Disco Icons That Defined Seventies Glitz and Style

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Celebrate the 40th anniversary of Saturday Night Fever with a look back at the stars, style and glitz of this memorable '70s era.

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Introduction

Fueled by events and attitudes from the 1960s, the1970s bloomed with flower power, sexual liberation, drug use and protests. The counterculture's impact on the 1970s also included music and fashion. But as exciting as the social movement was, it wouldn't be outdone by the media drama.

Robert Woodward and Carl Bernstein uncovered President Richard Nixon's involvement with the Watergate scandal, which led to Nixon's resignation. Convinced that the Vietnam War was wrong, Daniel Ellsberg, a former Marine and Department of Defense expert, leaked the 1968 Defense Department history of Vietnam, later referred to as the Pentagon Papers, to The New York Times.

All in the Family, a television show with a bigoted protagonist, debuted along with a host of other programs dealing with the social issues of the day. Gonzo journalism emerged. Personal computers, an invention that would cross the decades and revolutionize media, originated in the 1970s.

Journalists and media personalities

Robert Woodward

In 1972 and 1973, Woodward worked with fellow Washington Post reporter Carl Bernstein on stories that led to the resignation of President Nixon in 1974. Supported by The Washington Post editor Ben Bradley, the pair investigated a foiled burglary of the Democratic Party's headquarters in the Watergate Hotel. Eventually, their investigations of the break-in revealed a scandal involving the Committee to Re-Elect the President and Nixon himself. Many of the high-ranking committee members and members of Nixon's administration were indicted on federal charges of burglary and disrupting Democratic Party activities. In 1973, Woodward and Bernstein won the Pulitzer Prize for their stories.

Carl Bernstein

Many considered Woodward and Bernstein's investigation foolish and their stories inaccurate. The pair's use of an anonymous source, known as Deep Throat, fueled the skepticism of the public and eve their editor, Ben Bradley. Their stories revealed the truth about Nixon's and other high-ranking officials' unscrupulous behavior to get Nixon re-elected. Woodward and Bernstein have been credited with cracking the Watergate scandal, which led to Nixon's resignation August 8, 1974. In 1973, Bernstein and Woodward won the Pulitzer Prize for their stories.

Katharine Graham

A newspaper and magazine publisher who transformed The Washington Post into one of the most influential newspapers in the country. She took control of the paper in 1963, after the suicide of her husband, Phil Graham. In 1971 she gave her editors approval to publish the Pentagon Papers after a federal court enjoined The New York Times from doing so. Three years later she encouraged reporters Bernstein and Woodward in their relentless investigation of the Watergate scandal. She won a Pulitzer Prize in 1998 for her memoir, Personal History.

Mark Felt, a.k.a. "Deep Throat"

Upset after Richard Nixon refused to promote him to the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Mark Felt anonymously leaked information about the president's roll in the Watergate Scandal to Bob Woodward of the Washington Post. Woodward, Carl Bernstein and the Washington Post honored Felt's request to remain anonymous, and the secret identity of "Deep Throat" remained hotly debated in Washington DC for for 35 years. Felt, who was in failing health and losing his memory, finally admitted his identity as the source in a 2005 Vanity Fair article, shortly before his death.

Barbara Walters

Walters moved up the professional ladder at NBC's The Today Show, a morning news program, and was part of the news team sent to report on President Richard Nixon's historic visit to the People's Republic of China in 1972. She was finally named co-host of The Today Show in 1974. She was part of the news team sent to report on President Richard Nixon's historic visit to the People's Republic of China in 1972.In 1976, Walters moved to the ABC Evening News to become the first female co-anchor of a national, nightly news show. She did not have a good working relationship with co-anchor Harry Reasoner.In 1979, she was teamed with Hugh Downs on the news show 20/20, a much more amicable pairing. During the 1970s, world figures interviewed by Walters included Egypt's President Anwar Al Sadat, Israel's Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Cuba's President Fidel Castro.

Seymour Hersh

In 1970, Hersh, an investigative reporter, broke the story of the My Lai massacre, recounting how U.S. troops killed over 300 unarmed civilian in the small Vietnamese village of My Lai. He won a Pulitzer Prize for the piece, which prompted an investigation of the attempted cover-up by the U.S. military. Hersh's report greatly contributed to the flagging support the Vietnam War received from the American public.

Jim McKay

McKay was a sport announcer and journalist known for his work on ABC's Wide World of Sports when, during the 1972 Olympics, he became the face of ABC's coverage of the Munich hostage crisis, reporting on the events for 16 hours as they unfolded. When the rescue attempt ended in disaster. after it had originally been reported as a success, McKay relayed the information to the American viewing public.

"When I was a kid my father used to say our greatest hopes and our worst fears are seldom realized. Our worst fears have been realized tonight. They have now said there were eleven hostages; two were killed in their rooms yesterday morning, nine were killed at the airport tonight. They're all gone." McKay said.

Gloria Steinem

American journalist and feminist, Steinem gained prominence as a spokeswoman for women's rights both in lectures and television appearances. She helped found the National Women's Political Caucus (1971), the Women's Action Alliance (1971) and the Coalition of Labor Union Women (1974). She was also the founding editor (1972-87) of Ms., a feminist magazine. Her books include Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions (1983) and Revolution from Within (1992).

Hunter S. Thompson

Originally a sports journalist, Thompson wrote for Rolling Stone during the late 1960s and 1970s and published several books. He is called the father of gonzo journalism, a writing style marked by his manic and twisted lifestyle - including the use of practically every recreational drug known to man. Some of his best known books include The Great Shark Hunt: Strange Tales from a Strange Time, Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga, and Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas.

Political Scene

Richard Nixon campaigned in 1968 on a "peace with honor" platform, but escalated the war after his election to the presidency. During the first half of the 1970s, the United States would expand the war to the neighboring countries of Laos and Cambodia before signing the Paris Peace Treaty, "officially" ending American involvement.

The civil war between North and South Vietnam would continue, eventually ending with the fall of Saigon to the Communist forces of the North Vietnamese Army. For Americans, the final images from the 10-year war would be that of Vietnamese refugees and American nationals climbing into helicopters from the roof of the United Stages embassy in Saigon.

This post-Vietnam period, when the Watergate scandal played out on television and in newspapers, marked a new era from which a widespread political cynicism emerged. Confidence in the country's future seemed to erode on a daily basis. The final withdrawal from Vietnam in 1975, with devastating casualties and no victory, was only one reason why.

The economy had also started to sink, and with it went consumer confidence. In the mid-1970s the cost of living was roughly one-third higher than it had been in 1960. The stock market was sagging, and in 1971 unemployment hit 6 percent while inflation continued unabated. By 1974, consumer prices had soared more than 10 percent and unemployment was nearly as high.

The American conviction in lower and middle class upward mobility began to falter during this decade. It became widely apparent that many within the lower strata of the socioeconomic hierarchy were not going to have a better life than the one their parents created for themselves. No longer was everyone moving forward together.

Republican Gerald Ford rose to the vice presidency when his successor Spiro Agnew resigned in disgrace. The affable Ford then had to step in as president when Nixon resigned rather than face impeachment for Watergate. Ford, tinged with his pardon of Nixon and mired in inflation and fuel shortages, lost re-election to outsider Jimmy Carter in 1976.

Carter, a Democrat, benefited from being an outsider with no ties to Washington. But, he soon found himself mired in economic crises and the Iranian hostage crisis, ensuring defeat in his attempt at a second term in 1980.

Social Climate

The chaotic events of the 1960s, including war and social change, seemed destined to continue in the 1970s. Major trends included a growing disillusionment of government, advances in civil rights, increased influence of the women's movement, a heightened concern for the environment and increased space exploration.

Many of the "radical" ideas of the 1960s gained wider acceptance in the new decade and were mainstreamed into American life and culture. The events of the times were reflected in and became the inspiration for much of the music, literature, entertainment and fashion of the decade.

The 1970s also gave birth to mainstream computers. In 1977, American students Stephen P. Jobs and Stephen G. Wozniak founded the Apple Computer Co. and introduced the Apple II personal computer. The Apple II was much less expensive than computers up to that time and sold successfully for business and even some home use. Apple II became first mass-market PC.

IBM joined the field in 1981. Bill Gates and Paul Allen started Microsoft to develop software for the fledgling "Altair 8800" personal computer. The company eventually dominated the PC software market with its MS DOS and Windows operating systems and other software innovations.

Media Moments

May 4th, 1970 – Four Dead in Ohio

Four students were shot and killed by National Guardsman during protests on the Kent State campus. The students were protesting the U.S. invasion of Cambodia which President Nixon had announced the week before.

An audio recording of the protest surfaced 35 years later, reopening a debate regarding whether the guard were ordered to open fire on the students.

College student photographer John Paul Filo won a Pulitzer Prize for his photograph of Mary Ann Vecchio crouching over the body of student Jeffery Miller. During the early 1970s, the photograph was altered by someone to remove a fence post from behind Vecchio.

On May 14, 1970, another confrontation in Mississippi with police at the traditionally black college of Jackson State left two protesters dead, but received less media attention.

January 12, 1971 – Archie Bunker arrives

All in the Family debuts on CBS, a challenging situation-comedy, or sitcom, that cast a bright light on the social issues of the day. Unlike programs from the 1950s and 1960s, Norman Leer's satirical creation commented on what ailed the nation, refusing to gloss over or ignore the ugly side of American society. Similar to All in the Family's commentary on racism, the television show, M*A*S*H, addressed the Vietnam through comedy and drama.

March 31st 1971 – My Lai verdict

In 1968, U.S. soldiers led by Lieutenant William Calley entered the village of My Lai and massacred 300 unarmed civilians, mainly woman, children and elderly. Calley was found guilty of the premeditated killings of 22 them. Sentenced to life, Calley was eventually released in 1974 after multiple appeals.The trial highlighted the rift growing in American opinion of the war.

June 13, 1971 – The Pentagon Papers published

The New York Times began publishing excerpts of the 7,000-page government study of the Vietnam War known as the Pentagon Papers. The document was originally leaked by a former Pentagon employee, Daniel Ellsberg. The U.S. government attempted to prohibit the publication, but the Supreme Court decided, in New York Times Co vs. United States, that the government actions were not justified, but the prior restraint horse was already out of the barn after Ellsberg sent copies of the Pentagon Papers to numerous other news affiliates.

January 27, 1973 – Paris Peace Accords signed

After years of war, the U.S., North and South Vietnam agreed to stop the fighting, ending years of American participation which had begun during the Kennedy administration. American POWs were released and drawdowns of U.S. ground forces began. As the networks broadcast pictures of former prisoners-of-war returning to the home soil, American's assumed their long nightmare in Vietnam was over.

"Burst of Joy," a photo taken of prisoner-of-war Lt. Col. Robert L. Stirm reuniting with his family, won the 1974 Pulitzer Prize in Photography for Associated Press photographer Sal Veder.

February 5, 1974 – Patricia Hearst kidnapped

Members of the Symbionese Liberation Army kidnapped Patricia "Patty" Hearst, the 19-year-old granddaughter of publisher William Randolph Hearst. The young heiress eventually grew to support the cause of the SLA and participated in a bank robbery to help finance the group. Following her arrest, Hearst served two years in prison before having her sentence commuted by President Jimmy Carter.

August 8, 1974 – A president resigns

Richard Nixon resigns in order to avoid impeachment and prosecution for his involvement in the Watergate scandal.

April 30, 1975 – The fall of Saigon

Hostilities in Vietnam re-ignited in December of 1974 when North Vietnamese forces invaded South Vietnamese territory. The South Vietnamese president called for U.S. air support to throw back the invasion, but no relief came. Without American support to prop up the government, South Vietnam collapsed, and on in late April, as North Vietnamese forces approached, President Ford insisted on evacuating as many refugees as possible before the last American helicopters finally lifted off from the U.S. embassy in Saigon on April 30th.

August 16, 1977 – Death of "the King"

Elvis Presley, the "King of Rock 'n' Roll", died at age 42. Though no longer a hit maker, the cult of personality for Presley fostered a lucrative business for his family and estate. However, rumors that Elvis faked his death saturated the American tabloid newspapers for decades.

March 28, 1979 – Three Mile Island

Three Mile Island becomes the worst nuclear power plant accident in the history of the U.S. Though there were no fatalities, no new reactors were built in the United States after the accident.

Trends in Journalism

The Pentagon Papers was the popular name given to a government study of U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia, commissioned by Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara in June 1967. The 47-volume, top-secret study covered the period from World War II to May 1968. A team of analysts who had access to classified documents wrote and completed it in January 1969.

The study revealed a considerable degree of miscalculation, bureaucratic arrogance and deception on the part of U.S. policymakers. In particular, it found that the U.S. government had continually resisted full disclosure of increasing military involvement in Southeast Asia air strikes over Laos, and raids along the coast of North Vietnam.

It showed offensive actions by U.S. Marines had taken place long before the American public was informed. On June 13, 1971, The New York Times began publishing a series of articles based on the study. The Justice Department obtained a court injunction against further publication on national security grounds, but the Supreme Court ruled that constitutional guarantees of a free press overrode other considerations and allowed further publication.

In 1971, the government indicted Daniel Ellsberg, a former government employee who made the Pentagon Papers available to The New York Times, along with Anthony J. Russo on charges of espionage, theft and conspiracy. On May 11, 1973, a federal court judge dismissed all charges against them because of improper government conduct.

Considered a high water mark for American investigative journalism, ongoing coverage starting with a suspicious burglary of the Democratic Parties headquarters in the Watergate hotel and business complex led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon.

Mark Felt, the second in command at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, anonymously fed information to Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of the Washington Post about the Nixon administration's involvement in the burglary.

Following Nixon's resignation, Gerald Ford became the first U.S. president to rise to the office without being elected to the vice presidency. Initially popular, Ford would lose the good will of the public when he pardoned Nixon. Jimmy Carter would win the presidency in 1976.

Gonzo journalism is, in essence, an extension of "The New Journalism" championed by Tom Wolfe and George Plimpton during the 1960s. The best work in the genre is characterized by adding novelistic twist to reportage with usual standards of accuracy subjugated to catching the mood of a place or event.

In Hunter S. Thompson's work there is usually a distorted viewpoint brought on by the author's consumption of drugs and alcohol, usually recorded in the article for posterity. As such, much of his output -- including the seminal Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas --must be regarded as fiction rather than journalism.

A cultural change in the U.S. was reflected in the new manner in which media institutions reported on government officials. New and younger idealistic publishers took over many of the nation's most prominent newspapers; and their reporters, likewise idealistic, challenged authority within the newsroom and public officials with equal vigor. In 1968, Agnew publicly challenged the "hard-line" some journalists took. In the wake of the Watergate scandal, the American public was left with suspicion of motives for both the government and media.

Following Watergate, thousands of Baby Boomers swelled enrollment in U.S. journalism college programs, creating a generation of journalists that would no be displaced until the rise of the Internet in the 21st century.

Because of a rising mistrust of the media from both the political left and right, many major journalistic organizations and many individual news organizations established codes and standards. These rules were put into place to limit the involvement of their journalists in activities thought to "embarrass their organizations."

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Fueled by events and attitudes from the 1960s, the1970s bloomed with flower power, sexual liberation, drug use and protests. The counterculture's impact on the 1970s also included music and fashion. But as exciting as the social movement was, it wouldn't be outdone by the media drama.

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/r/OldSchoolCool **History's cool kids, looking fantastic!** A pictorial and video celebration of history's coolest kids, everything from beatniks to bikers, mods to rude boys, hippies to ravers. And everything in between. If you've found a photo, or a photo essay, of people from the past looking fantastic, here's the place to share it.

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Elton John and Cher at the Grammy Awards (1975)

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r/OldSchoolCool **History's cool kids, looking fantastic!** A pictorial and video celebration of history's coolest kids, everything from beatniks to bikers, mods to rude boys, hippies to ravers. And everything in between. If you've found a photo, or a photo essay, of people from the past looking fantastic, here's the place to share it.

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"Love To Love You Baby" (1975)

Donna Summer had been living in Germany for eight years and had earned some minor success on pop charts in Europe when she suggested the lyric, "Love to love you baby," to legendary disco producer Giorgio Moroder. At first, Donna Summer's recording was only intended as a demo. However, the erotic recording, with Donna Summer imagining she was Marilyn Monroe while singing the song in the studio, convinced Giorgio Moroder that it should be released as a Donna Summer single. The song found its way to Casablanca Records label head Neil Bogart in the US. He was so impressed after playing the song at a party at his home that he encouraged Giorgio Moroder to record a long, extended version of the song. Ultimately, the new recording was 16 minutes long. "Love To Love You Baby" became Donna Summer's first international smash hit single peaking at #2 on the pop chart in the US and #1 on the disco chart. The BBC initially declined to play the record due to its sexual content but it ultimately reached #4 on the UK pop singles chart.

The long version of "Love To Love You Baby" fills the entire first side of the album of the same name. The second side of the album consisted of songs with more of an R&B sound. The album peaked at #11 on the US album chart and was certified gold for sales.

Casablanca Records subsequently became the sole distributor of Donna Summer's music in the US helping propel them to the top of disco record labels. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has listed "Love To Love You Baby" as one of the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.

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"The Wanderer" (1980)

Following disputes with Casablanca label boss Neil Bogart, Donna Summer became the first artist signed to David Geffen's record label Geffen in 1980. She continued to work with her producers Girogio Moroder and Pete Bellotte. However, sensing that the disco era had passed, "The Wanderer" incorporated elements from the rising sound of new wave. It was a success and peaked at #3 on the US pop singles chart. It was less successful overseas peaking at #48 in the UK. "The Wanderer" was Donna Summer's last single to be certified gold for sales until 1989's "This Time I Know It's For Real."

The album The Wanderer was a moderate commercial success. It peaked at #13 on the album chart. It included two Grammy Award nominated songs. "Cold Love" received a nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal and "I Believe In Jesus" was nominated for Best Inspirational Performance.

Watch Video

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Donna Summer had been living in Germany for eight years and had earned some minor success on pop charts in Europe when she suggested the lyric, "Love to love you baby," to legendary disco producer Giorgio Moroder. At first, Donna Summer's recording was only intended as a demo.

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Songs like Y.M.C.A and In the Navy may be synonymous with Disco, but the Village People are perhaps best known for their elaborate costumes. In this Sotheby's Story, learn how the group used familiar icons of masculinity to help introduce gay culture to 1970s America. In celebration of WorldPride and the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York, Sotheby's is offering an array of works informed by the LGBTQ experience, including a Native American Headdress' worn by original band member Felipe Rose. (27 June| New York)

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How the Village People Helped Bring Queer Culture to Mainstream America

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Songs like Y.M.C.A and In the Navy may be synonymous with Disco, but the Village People are perhaps best known for their elaborate costumes. In this Sotheby's Story, learn how the group used familiar icons of masculinity to help introduce gay culture to 1970s America. In celebration of WorldPride...

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The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in the disco music era in the mid- to late 1970s.

The group sang recognisable three-part tight harmonies: Robin's clear vibrato lead vocals were a hallmark of their earlier hits, while Barry's R&B falsetto became their signature sound during the mid- to late 1970s and 1980s. The group wrote all their own original material, as well as writing and producing several major hits for other artists, and are regarded as one of the most important and influential acts in pop-music history. They have been referred to in the media as The Disco Kings, Britain's First Family of Harmony, and The Kings of Dance Music.

Born on the Isle of Man to English parents, the Gibb brothers lived in Chorlton, Manchester, England, until the late 1950s. There, in 1955, they formed the skiffle/ rock and roll group the Rattlesnakes. The family then moved to Redcliffe, in the Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia, later to Cribb Island. After achieving their first chart successes in Australia as the Bee Gees, they returned to the UK in January 1967, when producer Robert Stigwood began promoting them to a worldwide audience. The Bee Gees' Saturday Night Fever soundtrack (1977) was the turning point of their career, with both the film and soundtrack having a cultural impact throughout the world, enhancing the disco scene's mainstream appeal. They won five Grammy Awards for Saturday Night Fever, including Album of the Year.

The Bee Gees have sold over 120 million records worldwide (with estimates as high as over 200 million records sold worldwide), placing them among the best-selling music artists of all time, as well as the most successful trio in the history of contemporary music. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997; the Hall's citation says, "Only Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Michael Jackson, Garth Brooks and Paul McCartney have outsold the Bee Gees." With nine number-one hits on the Billboard Hot 100, the Bee Gees are the third-most successful band in Billboard charts history behind only the Beatles and the Supremes.

Following Maurice's sudden death in January 2003 aged 53, Barry and Robin retired the group's name after 45 years of activity. In 2009 Robin announced he and Barry had agreed the Bee Gees would re-form and perform again. Robin died in May 2012, aged 62, after a prolonged period of failing health, leaving Barry as the only surviving member of the group.

Bee Gees plaque at Maitland Terrace/Strang Road intersection in Union Mills, Isle of Man

Born on the Isle of Man during the late 1940s, the Gibb brothers moved to their father Hugh Gibb's home town Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, England, in 1955. They formed a skiffle/rock-and-roll group, the Rattlesnakes, which consisted of Barry on guitar and vocals, Robin and Maurice on vocals, and friends Paul Frost on drums and Kenny Horrocks on tea-chest bass. In December 1957, the boys began to sing in harmony. The story is told that they were going to lip-sync to a record in the local Gaumont cinema (as other children had done on previous weeks), but, as they were running to the theatre, the fragile shellac 78-RPM record broke. The brothers had to sing live but received such a positive response from the audience that they decided to pursue a singing career. In May 1958, the Rattlesnakes disbanded when Frost and Horrocks left, so the Gibb brothers then formed Wee Johnny Hayes and the Blue Cats, with Barry as "Johnny Hayes".

In August 1958, the Gibb family, including older sister Lesley and infant brother Andy (born in March 1958), emigrated to Australia and settled in Redcliffe, Queensland, just north-east of Brisbane. The young brothers began performing to raise pocket money. Speedway promoter and driver Bill Goode, who had hired the brothers to entertain the crowd at the Redcliffe Speedway in 1960, introduced them to Brisbane radio-presenter jockey Bill Gates. The crowd at the speedway would throw money onto the track for the boys, who generally performed during the interval of meetings (usually on the back of a truck that drove around the track) and, in a deal with Goode, any money they collected from the crowd they were allowed to keep. Gates named the group the "BGs" (later changed to "Bee Gees") after his, Goode's and Barry Gibb's initials. The name was not specifically a reference to "Brothers Gibb", despite popular belief.

During the next few years, they began working regularly at resorts on the Queensland coast. Through his songwriting, Barry sparked the interest of Australian star Col Joye, who helped the brothers get a recording deal in 1963 with Festival Records subsidiary Leedon Records under the name "Bee Gees". The three released two or three singles a year, while Barry supplied additional songs to other Australian artists. In 1962 the Bee Gees were chosen as the supporting act for Chubby Checker's concert at the Sydney Stadium.

From 1963 to 1966, the Gibb family lived at 171 Bunnerong Road, Maroubra, in Sydney. Just prior to his death, Robin Gibb recorded the song "Sydney" about the brothers' experience of living in that city. It was released on his posthumous album 50 St. Catherine's Drive. The house was demolished in 2016.

A minor hit in 1965, " Wine and Women", led to the group's first LP, The Bee Gees Sing and Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs. By 1966 Festival Records was, however, on the verge of dropping them from the Leedon roster because of their perceived lack of commercial success. At this time the brothers met the American-born songwriter, producer, and entrepreneur Nat Kipner, who had just been appointed A&R manager of a new independent label, Spin Records. Kipner briefly took over as the group's manager and successfully negotiated their transfer to Spin in exchange for granting Festival the Australian distribution rights to the group's recordings. Through Kipner the Bee Gees met engineer-producer, Ossie Byrne, who produced (or co-produced with Kipner) many of the earlier Spin recordings, most of which were cut at his own small, self-built St Clair Studio in the Sydney suburb of Hurstville. Byrne gave the Gibb brothers virtually unlimited access to St Clair Studio over a period of several months in mid-1966. The group later acknowledged that this enabled them to significantly improve their skills as recording artists. During this productive time, they recorded a large batch of original material-including the song that became their first major hit, "Spicks and Specks" (on which Byrne played the trumpet coda)-as well as cover versions of current hits by overseas acts such as the Beatles. They regularly collaborated with other local musicians, including members of beat band Steve & The Board, led by Steve Kipner, Nat's teenage son.

Frustrated by their lack of success, the Gibbs began their return journey to England on 4 January 1967, with Ossie Byrne travelling with them. While at sea in January 1967, the Gibbs learned that , Australia's most popular and influential music newspaper, had declared "Spicks and Specks" the "Best Single of the Year".

The Bee Gees in 1967 (left to right: Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Vince Melouney, Maurice Gibb and Colin Petersen)

Before their departure from Australia to England, Hugh Gibb sent demos to Brian Epstein, who managed the Beatles and directed NEMS, a British music store. Epstein passed the demo tapes to Robert Stigwood, who had recently joined NEMS. After an audition with Stigwood in February 1967, the Bee Gees signed a five-year contract whereby Polydor Records would release their records in the UK, and Atco Records would do so in the US. Work quickly began on the group's first international album, and Stigwood launched a promotional campaign to coincide with its release.

Stigwood proclaimed that the Bee Gees were "The most significant new musical talent of 1967", thus initiating the comparison of the Bee Gees to the Beatles. Before recording the first album, the group expanded to include Colin Petersen and Vince Melouney. " New York Mining Disaster 1941", their second British single (their first-issued UK 45 rpm was "Spicks and Specks"), was issued to radio stations with a blank white label listing only the song title. Some DJs immediately assumed this was a new single by the Beatles and started playing the song in heavy rotation. This helped the song climb into the top 20 in both the UK and US.

No such chicanery was needed to boost the Bee Gees' next single, " To Love Somebody", into the US Top 20. Originally written for Otis Redding, "To Love Somebody", a soulful ballad sung by Barry, has since become a pop standard covered by many artists. Another single, " Holiday", released in the US, peaked at No. 16.

The parent album, Bee Gees 1st (their first internationally), peaked at No. 7 in the US and No. 8 in the UK. Bill Shepherd was credited as the arranger. After recording that album, the group recorded their first BBC session at the Playhouse Theatre, Northumberland Avenue, in London, with Bill Bebb as the producer, and they performed three songs. That session is included on BBC Sessions: 1967-1973 (2008). After the release of Bee Gees' 1st, the group was first introduced in New York as "the English surprise". At that time, the band made their first British TV appearance on Top of the Pops. Maurice recalled:

Jimmy Savile was on it and that was amazing because we'd seen pictures of him in the Beatles fan club book, so we thought we were really there! That show had Lulu, us, the Move, and the Stones doing ' Let's Spend the Night Together'. You have to remember this was really before the superstar was invented so you were all in it together.

In late 1967, they began recording their second album. On 21 December 1967, in a live broadcast from Liverpool Anglican Cathedral for a Christmas television special called How On Earth?, they performed their own song, "Thank You For Christmas" which was written especially for the programme, as well as a medley of the traditional Christmas carols " Silent Night", " The First Noel" and " Mary's Boy Child" (the latter incorrectly noted as " Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" on tape boxes and subsequent release). The songs were all pre-recorded on 1 December 1967 and the group lip-synched their performance. The recordings were eventually released on the "Horizontal" reissue bonus disc in 2008. The folk group the Settlers and Radio 1 disc-jockey, Kenny Everett, also performed on the programme, which was presented by the Reverend Edward H. Patey, dean of the cathedral.

January 1968 began with a promotional trip to the US. Los Angeles Police were on alert in anticipation of a Beatles-type reception, and special security arrangements were being put in place. In February, Horizontal repeated the success of their first album, featuring the group's first UK No. 1 single " Massachusetts" (a No. 11 US hit) and the No. 7 UK single " World". The sound of the album Horizontal had a more "rock" sound than their previous release, although ballads like " And the Sun Will Shine" and " Really and Sincerely" were also prominent. The Horizontal album reached No. 12 in the US and No. 16 in the UK.

With the release of Horizontal, they also embarked on a Scandinavian tour with concerts in Copenhagen. Around the same time, the Bee Gees turned down an offer to write and perform the soundtrack for the film Wonderwall, according to director Joe Massot.

On 27 February 1968, the band, backed by the 17-piece Massachusetts String Orchestra, began their first tour of Germany with two concerts at Hamburg Musikhalle. In March 1968, the band was supported by Procol Harum (who had a well-known hit " A Whiter Shade of Pale") on their German tour. As Robin's partner Molly Hullis recalls: "Germans were wilder than the fans in England at the heights of Beatlemania." The tour schedule took them to 11 venues in as many days with 18 concerts played, finishing with a brace of shows at the Stadthalle, Braunschweig.

After that, the group was off to Switzerland. As Maurice described it:

There were over 5,000 kids at the airport in Zurich. The entire ride to Bern, the kids were waving Union Jacks. When we got to the hotel, the police weren't there to meet us and the kids crushed the car. We were inside and the windows were all getting smashed in, and we were on the floor.

On 17 March, the band performed "Words" on The Ed Sullivan Show. The other artists who performed on that night's show were Lucille Ball, George Hamilton and Fran Jeffries. On 27 March 1968, the band performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

The Bee Gees performing on Dutch television Twien in 1968

Two more singles followed in early 1968: the ballad " Words" (No. 8 UK, No. 15 US) and the double A-sided single " Jumbo" backed with " The Singer Sang His Song". "Jumbo" only reached No. 25 in the UK and No. 57 in the US. The Bee Gees felt "The Singer Sang His Song" was the stronger of the two sides, an opinion shared by listeners in the Netherlands who made it a No. 3 hit.

Further Bee Gees chart singles followed: " I've Gotta Get a Message to You", their second UK No. 1 (No. 8 US), and " I Started a Joke" (No. 6 US), both culled from the band's third album . Idea reached No. 4 in the UK and was another top 20 album in the US (No. 17).

After the tour and TV special to promote the album, Vince Melouney left the group, desiring to play more of a blues style music than the Gibbs were writing. Melouney did achieve one feat while with the Bee Gees: his composition " Such a Shame" (from Idea) is the only song on any Bee Gees album not written by a Gibb brother.

The band were due to begin a seven-week tour of the US on 2 August 1968, but on 27 July, Robin collapsed and fell unconscious. He was admitted to a London nursing home for nervous exhaustion, and the American tour was postponed. The band began recording their sixth album, which resulted in their spending a week recording at Atlantic Studios in New York. Robin, still feeling poorly, missed the New York sessions, but the rest of the band put away instrumental tracks and demos.

Odessa, Cucumber Castle and break-up

The Bee Gees performing at The Tom Jones Show in early 1969, one of the last performances with Robin as he left the group later in March

By 1969, Robin began to feel that Stigwood had been favouring Barry as the frontman.

The Bee Gees' performances in early 1969 on the Top of the Pops and The Tom Jones Show performing "I Started a Joke" and "First of May" as a medley was one of the last live performances of the group with Robin.

Their next album, which was to have been a concept album called Masterpeace, evolved into the double-album . Most rock critics felt this was the best Bee Gees album of the 1960s with its progressive rock feel on the title track, the country-flavoured " Marley Purt Drive" and " Give Your Best", and ballads such as " Melody Fair" and " First of May" (the last of which became the only single from the album and a UK # 6 hit). Feeling the flipside, " Lamplight", should have been the A-side, Robin quit the group in mid-1969 and launched a solo career.

The first of many Bee Gees compilations, Best of Bee Gees, was released featuring the non-LP single " Words" plus the Australian hit " Spicks and Specks". The single " Tomorrow Tomorrow" was also released and was a moderate hit in the UK, where it reached No. 23, but it was only No. 54 in the US. The compilation reached the top 10 in both the UK and the US.

While Robin pursued his solo career, Barry, Maurice and Petersen continued on as the Bee Gees recording their next album, Cucumber Castle. The band made their debut performance without Robin at Talk of the Town. They had recruited their sister, Lesley, to participate in at least one performance at this time as a replacement for Robin. To accompany the album, they also filmed a TV special with Frankie Howerd and cameos from several other contemporary pop and rock stars, which aired on the BBC in December 1970. Petersen played drums on the tracks recorded for the album but was fired from the group after filming began (he went on to form the Humpy Bong with Jonathan Kelly). His parts were edited out of the final cut of the film and Pentangle drummer Terry Cox was recruited to complete the recording of songs for the album.

Maurice started to record his first solo album, , which was not released. Meanwhile, he released the single " Railroad" and starred in the West End musical Sing a Rude Song. In February 1970, Barry recorded a solo album which never saw official release either, although " I'll Kiss Your Memory" was released as a single backed by "This Time" without much interest. Meanwhile, Robin saw chart success in Europe and Australia with his No. UK 2 hit " Saved by the Bell" from the album Robin's Reign.

The Bee Gees performing at The Midnight Special in 1973

In mid 1970, according to Barry, "Robin rang me in Spain where I was on holiday [saying] 'let's do it again'". By 21 August 1970, after they had reunited, Barry announced that the Bee Gees "are there and they will never, ever part again". Maurice said, "We just discussed it and re-formed. We want to apologise publicly to Robin for the things that have been said." Earlier, in June 1970, Robin and Maurice recorded a dozen songs before Barry joined and included two songs that were on their reunion album. Around the same time, Barry and Robin were about to publish the book On the Other Hand. They also recruited Geoff Bridgford as the group's official drummer. Bridgford had previously worked with the Groove and Tin Tin and played drums on Maurice's unreleased first solo album.

In 1970, was released in October in the US and November in the UK. The lead single " Lonely Days" reached No. 3 in the United States, promoted by appearances on The Johnny Cash Show, J ohnny Carson's Tonight Show, The Andy Williams Show, The Dick Cavett Show and The Ed Sullivan Show.

Their ninth album, , was released in late 1971. The single " How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" was their first to hit No. 1 on the US charts, while " Israel" reached No. 22 in the Netherlands. "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" also brought the Bee Gees their first Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. Later that year, the group's songs were included in the soundtrack for the film .

In 1972, they hit No. 16 in the US with the non-album single " My World", backed by Maurice's composition " On Time". Another 1972 single, " Run to Me" from the LP To Whom It May Concern, returned them to the UK top 10 for the first time in three years. Bridgford left the group partway through recording, and the band chose not to hire a new member to replace him. The resulting three-piece lineup of Barry, Robin and Maurice would remain unbroken for the remainder of the band's active years. On 24 November 1972, the band headlined the "Woodstock of the West" Festival at the Los Angeles Coliseum (which was a West Coast answer to Woodstock in New York), which also featured Sly and the Family Stone, Stevie Wonder and the Eagles. Also in 1972, the group sang " Hey Jude" with Wilson Pickett.

By 1973, however, the Bee Gees were in a rut. The album Life in a Tin Can, released on Robert Stigwood's newly formed RSO Records, and its lead-off single, " Saw a New Morning", sold poorly with the single peaking at No. 94. This was followed by an unreleased album (known as A Kick in the Head Is Worth Eight in the Pants). A second compilation album, Best of Bee Gees, Volume 2, was released in 1973, although it did not repeat the success of Volume 1. On 6 April 1973 episode of The Midnight Special they performed " Money (That's What I Want)" with Jerry Lee Lewis. Also in 1973, they were invited by Chuck Berry to perform two songs with him onstage at The Midnight Special: " Johnny B. Goode" and " Reelin' and Rockin'".

After a tour of the United States in early 1974 and a Canadian tour later in the year, the group ended up playing small clubs. As Barry joked, "We ended up in, have you ever heard of Batley's the variety club in ( West Yorkshire) England?".

On the advice of Ahmet Ertegun, head of their US label Atlantic Records, Stigwood arranged for the group to record with soul music producer Arif Mardin. The resulting LP, , included fewer ballads and foreshadowed the R&B direction of the rest of their career. When it, too, failed to attract much interest, Mardin encouraged them to work within the soul music style. The brothers attempted to assemble a live stage band that could replicate their studio sound. Lead guitarist Alan Kendall had come on board in 1971 but did not have much to do until Mr. Natural. For that album, they added drummer Dennis Bryon, and they later added ex- Strawbs keyboard player Blue Weaver, completing the Bee Gees band that lasted through the late '70s. Maurice, who had previously performed on piano, guitar, harpsichord, electric piano, organ, mellotron and bass guitar, as well as mandolin and Moog synthesiser, by then confined himself to bass onstage.

Main Course and Children of the World

Bee Gees' wordmark logo (1975-81)

At Eric Clapton's suggestion, the brothers moved to Miami, Florida, early in 1975 to record at Criteria Studios. After starting off with ballads, they eventually heeded the urging of Mardin and Stigwood, and crafted more dance-oriented disco songs, including their second US No. 1, " Jive Talkin'", along with US No. 7 " Nights on Broadway". The band liked the resulting new sound. This time the public agreed by sending the LP Main Course up the charts. This album included the first Bee Gees songs wherein Barry used falsetto, something that became a trademark of the band. This was also the first Bee Gees album to have two US top-10 singles since 1968's Idea. Main Course also became their first charting R&B album.

On the Bee Gees' appearance on The Midnight Special in 1975, to promote Main Course, they sang "To Love Somebody" with Helen Reddy. Around the same time, the Bee Gees recorded three Beatles covers-" Golden Slumbers/ Carry That Weight", " She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" with Barry providing lead vocals, and " Sun King" with Maurice providing lead vocals, for the unsuccessful musical/documentary All This and World War II.

The next album, Children of the World, released in September 1976, was filled with Barry's new-found falsetto and Weaver's synthesizer disco licks. The first single from the album was " You Should Be Dancing", which features percussion work by musician Stephen Stills. The song pushed the Bee Gees to a level of stardom they had not previously achieved in the US, though their new R&B/disco sound was not as popular with some diehard fans. The pop ballad " Love So Right" reached No. 3 in the US, and " Boogie Child" reached US No. 12 in January 1977. The album peaked at No. 8 in the US.

Saturday Night Fever and Spirits Having Flown

Following a successful live album, Here at Last... Bee Gees... Live, the Bee Gees agreed with Stigwood to participate in the creation of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. It was the turning point of their career. The cultural impact of both the film and the soundtrack was significant throughout the world, epitomizing the disco phenomenon on both sides of the Atlantic.

The band's involvement in the film did not begin until post-production. As John Travolta asserted, "The Bee Gees weren't even involved in the movie in the beginning ... I was dancing to Stevie Wonder and Boz Scaggs." Producer Robert Stigwood commissioned the Bee Gees to create the songs for the film. The brothers wrote the songs "virtually in a single weekend" at Château d'Hérouville studio in France. Barry Gibb remembered the reaction when Stigwood and music supervisor Bill Oakes arrived and listened to the demos:

They flipped out and said these will be great. We still had no concept of the movie, except some kind of rough script that they'd brought with them. ... You've got to remember, we were fairly dead in the water at that point, 1975, somewhere in that zone-the Bee Gees' sound was basically tired. We needed something new. We hadn't had a hit record in about three years. So we felt, Oh Jeez, that's it. That's our life span, like most groups in the late '60s. So, we had to find something. We didn't know what was going to happen.

Bill Oakes, who supervised the soundtrack, asserts that Saturday Night Fever did not begin the disco craze but rather prolonged it: "Disco had run its course. These days, Fever is credited with kicking off the whole disco thing-it really didn't. Truth is, it breathed new life into a genre that was actually dying."

Three Bee Gees singles-" How Deep Is Your Love" (US No. 1, UK No. 3), " Stayin' Alive" (US No. 1, UK No. 4) and " Night Fever" (US No. 1, UK No. 1)-charted high in many countries around the world, launching the most popular period of the disco era. They also penned the song " If I Can't Have You", which became a US No. 1 hit for Yvonne Elliman, while the Bee Gees' own version was the B-side of "Stayin' Alive". Such was the popularity of Saturday Night Fever that two different versions of the song " More Than a Woman" received airplay, one by the Bee Gees, which was relegated to an album track, and another by Tavares, which was the hit.

During a nine-month period beginning in the Christmas season of 1977, seven songs written by the brothers held the No. 1 position on the US charts for 27 of 37 consecutive weeks: three of their own releases, two for brother Andy Gibb, the Yvonne Elliman single, and " Grease", performed by Frankie Valli.

Fuelled by the film's success, the soundtrack broke multiple industry records, becoming the highest-selling album in recording history to that point. With more than 40 million copies sold, Saturday Night Fever is among music's top five best selling soundtrack albums. As of 2010, it is calculated as the fourth highest-selling album worldwide.

In March 1978, the Bee Gees held the top two positions on the US charts with "Night Fever" and "Stayin' Alive", the first time this had happened since the Beatles. On the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for 25 March 1978, five songs written by the Gibbs were in the US top 10 at the same time: "Night Fever", "Stayin' Alive", "If I Can't Have You", "Emotion" and "Love Is Thicker Than Water". Such chart dominance had not been seen since April 1964, when the Beatles had all five of the top five American singles. Barry Gibb became the only songwriter to have four consecutive number-one hits in the US, breaking the John Lennon and Paul McCartney 1964 record. These songs were "Stayin' Alive", "Love Is Thicker Than Water", "Night Fever" and "If I Can't Have You".

The Bee Gees won five Grammy Awards for Saturday Night Fever over two years: Album of the Year, Producer of the Year (with Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson), two awards for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals (one in 1978 for "How Deep Is Your Love" and one in 1979 for "Stayin' Alive"), and Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices for "Stayin' Alive".

During this era, Barry and Robin also wrote " Emotion" for an old friend, Australian vocalist Samantha Sang, who made it a top 10 hit, with the Bee Gees singing backing vocals. Barry also wrote the title song to the film version of the Broadway musical for Frankie Valli to perform, which went to No. 1.

The Bee Gees also co-starred with Peter Frampton in Robert Stigwood's film Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978), loosely inspired by the classic 1967 album by the Beatles. The movie had been heavily promoted prior to release and was expected to enjoy great commercial success. However, it was savaged by film critics as a disjointed mess and ignored by the public. Though some of its tracks charted, the soundtrack too was a high-profile flop. The single " Oh! Darling", credited to Robin Gibb, reached No. 15 in the US.

The Bee Gees' follow-up to Saturday Night Fever was the Spirits Having Flown album. It yielded three more hits: " Too Much Heaven" (US No. 1, UK No. 3), " Tragedy" (US No. 1, UK No. 1), and " Love You Inside Out" (US No. 1, UK No. 13). This gave the act six consecutive No. 1 singles in the US within a year and a half, equalling the Beatles and surpassed only by Whitney Houston.

In January 1979, the Bee Gees performed "Too Much Heaven" as their contribution to the Music for UNICEF Concert at the United Nations General Assembly. During the summer of 1979, the Bee Gees embarked on their largest concert tour covering the US and Canada. The Spirits Having Flown tour capitalised on Bee Gees fever that was sweeping the nation, with sold-out concerts in 38 cities. The Bee Gees produced a video for the title track " Too Much Heaven", directed by Miami-based filmmaker Martin Pitts and produced by Charles Allen. With this video, Pitts and Allen began a long association with the brothers.

The Bee Gees' overwhelming success rose and fell with the disco bubble. By the end of 1979, disco was rapidly declining in popularity, and the backlash against disco put the Bee Gees' American career in a tailspin. Encouraged by Steve Dahl's Disco Demolition Night Radio stations around the US began promoting "Bee Gee-Free Weekends". Following their remarkable run from 1975 to 1979, the act had only one more top 10 single in the US, and that did not come until the single " One" reached number 7 in 1989.

Barry Gibb considered the success of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack both a blessing and a curse:

Fever was No. 1 every week ... It wasn't just like a hit album. It was No. 1 every single week for 25 weeks. It was just an amazing, crazy, extraordinary time. I remember not being able to answer the phone, and I remember people climbing over my walls. I was quite grateful when it stopped. It was too unreal. In the long run, your life is better if it's not like that on a constant basis. Nice though it was.

Robin co-produced Jimmy Ruffin's released in May 1980, but the songs were started in 1979; the album contains songs written by the Gibb brothers, including the single "Hold On To My Love".

In March 1980, Barry Gibb worked with Barbra Streisand on her album . He co-produced, and wrote or co-wrote all nine of the album's tracks (four of them written with Robin, and the title track with both Robin and Maurice). Barry also appeared on the album's cover with Streisand and duetted with her on two tracks. The album reached No. 1 in both the US and the UK, as did the single " Woman in Love" (written by Barry and Robin), becoming Streisand's most successful single and album to date. Both of the Streisand/Gibb duets, " Guilty" and " What Kind of Fool", also reached the US Top 10.

In 1981, the Bee Gees released the album Living Eyes, their last full-length album release on RSO. This album was the first CD ever played in public, when it was played to viewers of the BBC show Tomorrow's World. With the disco backlash still running strong, the album failed to make the UK or US Top 40-breaking their streak of Top 40 hits, which started in 1975 with " Jive Talkin'". Two singles from the album fared little better-" He's a Liar", which reached No. 30 in the US, and " Living Eyes", which reached No. 45.

In 1982, Dionne Warwick enjoyed a UK No. 2 and US Adult Contemporary No. 1 hit with her comeback single, " Heartbreaker", taken from her album of the same name, written largely by the Bee Gees and co-produced by Barry Gibb. The album reached No. 3 in the UK and the Top 30 in the US, where it was certified Gold.

A year later, Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers recorded the Bee Gees-penned track " Islands in the Stream", which became a US and Australian No. 1 hit and entered the Top 10 in the UK. Rogers' 1983 album, Eyes That See in the Dark, was written entirely by the Bee Gees and co-produced by Barry. The album was a Top 10 hit in the US and was certified Double Platinum.

The Bee Gees had greater success with the soundtrack to Staying Alive in 1983, the sequel to Saturday Night Fever. The soundtrack was certified platinum in the US, and included their Top 30 hit " The Woman in You".

Also in 1983, the band was sued by Chicago songwriter Ronald Selle, who claimed the brothers stole melodic material from one of his songs, "Let It End", and used it in "How Deep Is Your Love". At first, the Bee Gees lost the case; one juror said that a factor in the jury's decision was the Gibbs' failure to introduce expert testimony rebutting the plaintiff's expert testimony that it was "impossible" for the two songs to have been written independently. However, the verdict was overturned a few months later.

In August 1983, Barry signed a solo deal with MCA Records and spent much of late 1983 and 1984 writing songs for this first solo effort, Now Voyager. Robin released three solo albums in the 1980s, How Old Are You?, Secret Agent and Walls Have Eyes. Maurice released his second single to date, " Hold Her in Your Hand", the first one having been released in 1970.

In 1985, Diana Ross released the album Eaten Alive, written by the Bee Gees, with the title track co-written with Michael Jackson (who also performed on the track). The album was again co-produced by Barry Gibb, and the single " Chain Reaction" gave Ross a UK and Australian No. 1 hit.

The Bee Gees released the album in 1987, which sold over 2 million copies. It was their first album in six years, and their first for Warner Bros. Records. The single " You Win Again" went to No. 1 in numerous countries, including the UK, and made the Bee Gees the first group to score a UK No. 1 hit in each of three decades: the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The single was a disappointment in the US, charting at No. 75, and the Bee Gees voiced their frustration over American radio stations not playing their new European hit single, an omission which the group felt led to poor sales of their current album in the US. The song won the Bee Gees the 1987 British Academy's Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically, and in February 1988 the band received a Brit Award nomination for Best British Group.

The Bee Gees later got together with Eric Clapton to create a group called ' the Bunburys' to raise money for English charities. The group recorded three songs for The Bunbury Tails: "We're the Bunburys" (which eventually became the opening theme to the 1992 animated series The Bunbury Tails), "Bunbury Afternoon", and "Fight (No Matter How Long)". The last song reached No. 8 on the rock music chart and appeared on The 1988 Summer Olympics Album.

The Bee Gees' next album, (1989), featured "Wish You Were Here", a song dedicated to their younger brother Andy, who had died in 1988 of myocarditis resulting from a recent viral infection. The album also contained their first US Top 10 hit (No. 7) in a decade, "One" (an Adult Contemporary No. 1). After the album's release, the band embarked on its first world tour in 10 years.

In the UK, Polydor issued a single-disc hits collection from Tales called The Very Best of the Bee Gees, which contained their biggest UK hits. The album became one of their best-selling albums in that country, and was eventually certified Triple Platinum.

Following their next album, High Civilization (1991), which contained the UK top five hit " Secret Love", the Bee Gees went on a European tour. After the tour, Barry Gibb began to battle a serious back problem, which required surgery. In addition, he had arthritis which, at one point, was so severe that it was doubtful that he would be able to play guitar for much longer. Also, in the early 1990s, Maurice Gibb finally sought treatment for his alcoholism, which he had battled for many years with the help of Alcoholics Anonymous.

In 1993, the group returned to the Polydor label and released the album Size Isn't Everything, which contained the UK top five hit "For Whom the Bell Tolls". Success still eluded them in the US, however, as the first single released, " Paying the Price of Love", only managed to reach No. 74 on the Billboard Hot 100, while the parent album stalled at No. 153.

In 1997, they released the album Still Waters, which has reached No. 2 in the UK (their highest album chart position there since 1979) and No. 11 in the US. The album's first single, " Alone", gave them another UK Top 5 hit and a top 30 hit in the US. Still Waters was the band's most successful US release of their post-RSO era.

At the 1997 BRIT Awards held in Earls Court, London on 24 February, the Bee Gees received the award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. On 14 November 1997, the Bee Gees performed a live concert in Las Vegas called One Night Only. The show included a performance of "Our Love (Don't Throw It All Away)" synchronised with a vocal by their deceased brother Andy and a cameo appearance by Celine Dion singing " Immortality". The "One Night Only" name grew out of the band's declaration that, due to Barry's health issues, the Las Vegas show was to be the final live performance of their career. After the immensely positive audience response to the Vegas concert, Barry decided to continue despite the pain, and the concert expanded into their last full-blown world tour of "One Night Only" concerts. The tour included playing to 56,000 people at London's Wembley Stadium on 5 September 1998 and concluded in the newly built Olympic Stadium in Sydney, Australia on 27 March 1999 to 72,000 people. During the One Night Only tour, the Bee Gees also finally gave live performances of though Barry previously wrote the song for the 1978 film of the same name, it was performed mainly by Frankie Valli.

In 1998, the group's soundtrack for Saturday Night Fever was incorporated into a stage production produced first in the West End and then on Broadway. They wrote three new songs for the adaptation. Also in 1998, the brothers released " Ellan Vannin" for Manx charities, recorded the previous year. Known as the unofficial national anthem of the Isle of Man, the brothers performed the song during their world tour to reflect their pride in the place of their birth.

The Bee Gees closed the century with what turned out to be their last full-sized concert, known as BG2K, on 31 December 1999.

2000-2008: This Is Where I Came In and Maurice's death

In 2001, the group released what turned out to be their final album of new material, This Is Where I Came In. The album was another success, reaching the Top 10 in the UK (being certified Gold), and the Top 20 in the US. The title track was also a UK Top 20 hit single.

The last concert of the Bee Gees as a trio was at the Love and Hope Ball in 2002. Maurice Gibb died unexpectedly on 12 January 2003, at age 53, from a heart attack while awaiting emergency surgery to repair a strangulated intestine. Initially, his surviving brothers announced that they intended to carry on the name "Bee Gees" in his memory, but as time passed they decided to retire the group's name, leaving it to represent the three brothers together.

The same week that Maurice died, Robin's solo album was released. On 23 February 2003, the Bee Gees received the Grammy Legend Award, they also became the first recipients of that award in the 21st century. Barry and Robin accepted as well as Maurice's son, Adam, in a tearful ceremony. On 2 May 2004, Barry and Robin Gibb received the CBE award at Buckingham Palace; their nephew Adam accepted his father Maurice's posthumous award.

In late 2004, Robin embarked on a solo tour of Germany, Russia, and Asia. During January 2005, Barry, Robin, and several legendary rock artists recorded "Grief Never Grows Old", the official tsunami relief record for the Disasters Emergency Committee. Later that year, Barry reunited with Barbra Streisand for her top-selling album Guilty Pleasures, released as in the UK as a sequel album to the previous . Also in 2004, Barry recorded his song "I Cannot Give You My Love" with Cliff Richard, which became a UK top 20 hit single; Maurice's keyboard work from a 2001 demo version was included in this 2003 version.

In February 2006, Barry and Robin reunited on stage for a Miami charity concert to benefit the Diabetes Research Institute. It was their first public performance together since Maurice's death. The pair also played at the 30th annual Prince's Trust Concert in the UK on 20 May 2006.

On 14 March 2009, Barry teamed with Olivia Newton-John to present the one-hour finale performance at a star-studded 12-hour live concert at Sydney's Sydney Cricket Ground, part of Sound Relief, a fundraiser to aid victims of the February 2009 Victorian Bushfires that devastated large tracts of heavily wooded and populated south-eastern Australia, where the Gibb family once lived. The concert was televised live nationally across Australia on the Max TV cable network. On 10 July 2009, Barry and Robin were named as Freemen of the Borough of Douglas (Isle of Man); the award was also bestowed posthumously to Maurice.

In late 2009, Barry and Robin announced plans to record and perform together once again as the Bee Gees. Barry and Robin performed on the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing on 31 October 2009 and appeared on ABC-TV's Dancing with the Stars on 17 November 2009. On 15 March 2010, Barry and Robin inducted the Swedish group ABBA into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. On 26 May 2010, the two made a surprise appearance on the ninth-season finale of American Idol.

On 20 November 2011, it was announced that Robin Gibb, at 61 years old, had been diagnosed with liver cancer, a condition he had become aware of several months earlier. He had become noticeably thinner in previous months and had to cancel several appearances due to severe abdominal pain. Robin joined British military trio the Soldiers for the Coming Home charity concert on 13 February 2012 at the London Palladium, in support of injured servicemen. It was his first public appearance for almost five months and, as it turned out, his final one. On 14 April 2012, it was reported that Robin had contracted pneumonia in a Chelsea hospital and was in a coma. Although he came out of his coma on 20 April 2012, his condition deteriorated rapidly and he died on 20 May 2012 of liver and kidney failure.

In September and October 2013, Barry performed his first solo tour "in honour of his brothers and a lifetime of music". In addition to the Rhino collection, The Studio Albums: 1967-1968, Warner Bros. released a box set in 2014 called The Warner Bros Years: 1987-1991 that included the studio albums E.S.P., One and High Civilization as well as extended mixes and B-sides. It also included the band's entire 1989 concert in Melbourne, Australia, available only on video as All for One prior to this release. The documentary The Joy of the Bee Gees was aired on BBC Four on 19 December 2014.

On 23 March 2015, 13STAR Records released a box set 1974-1979 which included the studio albums Mr. Natural, Main Course, Children of the World and Spirits Having Flown. A fifth disc called The Miami Years includes all the tracks from Saturday Night Fever as well as B-sides. No unreleased tracks from the era were included.

After a hiatus from performing, Barry Gibb returned to solo and guest singing performances. He occasionally appears with his son, Steve Gibb. In 2016, he released , his first solo effort since 1984's Now Voyager. It was the first release of new Bee Gees-related music since the posthumous release of Robin Gibb's 50 St. Catherine's Drive. Also in 2016, Capitol Records signed a new distribution deal with Barry and the estates of his brothers for the Bee Gees catalogue, bringing their music back to Universal.

In late 2020, a documentary titled The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart was released on HBO Max; it was received with positive reviews and won an Emmy award. A few months later, an as-yet-untitled biopic about the Bee Gees was announced to be in development at Paramount, with Kenneth Branagh directing and Barry Gibb serving as an executive producer.

Barry Gibb released his third solo studio album, Greenfields, on 8 January 2021. It consisted of re-imagined Bee Gees songs from throughout their career, newly recorded in a primarily acoustic style with vocal contributions from a variety of country musicians including Dolly Parton, Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert. The album debuted at No. 1 in both the UK and Australia - the latter of which set a record for the oldest artist to top the ARIA charts - while also peaking at No. 2 on the US Billboard 200 and being met with favorable reviews.

The Bee Gees were influenced by the Beatles, the Everly Brothers, the Mills Brothers, Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones, Roy Orbison, the Beach Boys and Stevie Wonder. On the 2014 documentary The Joy of the Bee Gees, Barry said that the Bee Gees were also influenced by the Hollies and Otis Redding. Maurice noted that Neil Sedaka was an early influence, and later the group was "very influenced" by Linda Creed songs for the Stylistics.

In his 1980 magazine interview, John Lennon praised the Bee Gees, "Try to tell the kids in the seventies who were screaming to the Bee Gees that their music was just the Beatles redone. There is nothing wrong with the Bee Gees. They do a damn good job. There was nothing else going on then."

In a 2007 interview with Duane Hitchings, who co-wrote Rod Stewart's 1978 disco song " Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?", he noted that the song was:

a spoof on guys from the 'cocaine lounge lizards' of the Saturday Night Fever days. We Rock and Roll guys thought we were dead meat when that movie and the Bee Gees came out. The Bee Gees were brilliant musicians and really nice people. No big egos. Rod, in his brilliance, decided to do a spoof on disco. VERY smart man. There is no such thing as a "dumb" super success in the music business.

Kevin Parker of Tame Impala has said that listening to the Bee Gees after taking mushrooms inspired him to change the sound of the music he was making on his album .

Singer Jordin Sparks remarked that her favourite Bee Gees songs are "Too Much Heaven", "Emotion" (although performed by Samantha Sang with Barry on the background vocals using his falsetto), and "Stayin' Alive".

Carrie Underwood said, about discovering the Bee Gees during her childhood, "My parents listened to the Bee Gees quite a bit when I was little, so I was definitely exposed to them at an early age. They just had a sound that was all their own, obviously, [it was] never duplicated."

Everyone should be aware that the Bee Gees are second only to Lennon and McCartney as the most successful songwriting unit in British popular music.

At one point, in 1978, the Gibb brothers were responsible for writing and/or performing nine of the songs in the Billboard Hot 100. In all, the Gibbs placed 13 singles onto the Hot 100 in 1978, with 12 making the Top 40. The Gibb brothers are fellows of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA). At least 2,500 artists have recorded their songs.

Singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw spoke about the Bee Gees' influence with their own music as well as their songwriting:

Let's talk about the Bee Gees. That's an iconic group. Not just a great band, but a great group of songwriters. Even long after the Bee Gees' success on the pop charts, they were still writing songs for other people, huge hit songs. Their talent went far beyond their moment of normal pop success. It is a loss to the music industry and a loss of an iconic group. The beauty of this industry is that we do pay tribute and every artist coming up is a fan of a generation prior to it, so there's a real tradition element to it".

In 2009, as part of the Q150 celebrations, the Bee Gees were announced as one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland for their role as "Influential Artists".

Bee Gees' star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

In 1978, following the success of Saturday Night Fever, and the single "Night Fever" in particular, Reubin Askew, the governor of the US state of Florida, named the Bee Gees honorary citizens of the state, since they resided in Miami at the time. In 1979, the Bee Gees got their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. They were the subjects of This Is Your Life in 1991 when they were surprised by Michael Aspel while being interviewed by disc jockey Steve Wright (DJ) on his Radio 1 programme at BBC Broadcasting House.

The Bee Gees were inducted in 1994 into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, as well as Florida's Artists Hall of Fame in 1995 and the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1997. Also in 1997, the group were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; the presenter of the award to " Britain's First Family of Harmony" was Brian Wilson, historical leader of the Beach Boys, another "family act" featuring three harmonising brothers. In 2001, they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. After Maurice's death, the Bee Gees were also inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame in 2001, They were made Ivor Novello fellows and inducted into London's Walk of Fame in 2006 and the Musically Speaking Hall Of Fame in 2008. On 15 May 2007, the Bee Gees were named BMI Icons at the 55th annual BMI Pop Awards. Collectively, Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb have earned 109 BMI Pop, Country and Latin Awards.

In October 1999, the Isle of Man Post Office unveiled a set of six stamps honouring the Bee Gees.

In the 2002 New Year's Honours, announced on 31 December 2001, all three brothers were appointed as Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). By the time of the investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace on 27 May 2004 Maurice had died, and he was represented at the ceremony by his son Adam. On 10 July 2009, the Isle of Man's capital bestowed the Freedom of the Borough of Douglas honour on Barry and Robin, as well as posthumously on Maurice. On 20 November 2009, the Douglas Borough Council released a limited edition commemorative DVD to mark their naming as Freemen of the Borough.

Bee Gees Way in Redcliffe with 2015 statue

On 14 February 2013, Barry Gibb unveiled a statue of the Bee Gees as well as unveiling "Bee Gees Way" (a walkway filled with photos and videos of the Bee Gees) in honour of the Bee Gees in Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia. On 27 June 2018, Barry Gibb, the last surviving member of the Bee Gees, was knighted by Prince Charles after being named on the Queen's New Year's Honours List. The statue of the Bee Gees in Douglas, Isle of Man, was installed in 2021.

In 2022, Barry Gibb was made an Honorary Companion of the Order of Australia which is Australia's highest national honour.

In 2023, Barry Gibb became a Kennedy Center Honoree for contributions to American culture and for being a "pop music pioneer",as well as being inducted along with his brothers into the Australian Songwriters Association Hall of Fame.

The Bee Gees have sold over 250 million records worldwide, making them one of the best selling artists of all time. The group are to date the most successful family and sibling band of all time, the most successful musical trio of all time, and the most successful musical act with ties to Australia.

The Queensland Music Awards (previously known as Q Song Awards) are annual awards celebrating Queensland's brightest emerging artists and established legends. They commenced in 2006.

Principal members

Barry Gibb - vocals, rhythm guitar (1958-2003, 2006, 2009-2012)

Robin Gibb - vocals, occasional keyboards (1958-1969, 1970-2003, 2006, 2009-2012; his death)

Maurice Gibb - bass, guitars, keyboards, vocals (1958-2003; his death)

Colin Petersen - drums (1967-1969)

Vince Melouney - guitars (1967-1968), vocals, occasional harmonica (1968)

Geoff Bridgford - drums (1971-1972; touring 1970-1971)

Touring musicians

Lesley Gibb - vocals (1969)

Alan Kendall - lead guitar (1971-1981, 1989-2003)

Chris Karan - drums (1972)

Dennis Bryon - drums (1973-1981)

Geoff Westley - keyboards, piano (1973-1976)

Blue Weaver - keyboards, synthesizers (1975-1981)

Joe Lala - percussion (1976, 1979; died 2014)

Joey Murcia - rhythm guitar (1976, 1979)

Harold Cowart - bass (1979)

Tim Cansfield - rhythm and lead guitar (1989, 1997-2001)

Vic Martin - keyboards, synthesizers (1989)

Gary Moberly - keyboards, synthesizers (1989)

George Perry - bass (1989-1993)

Chester Thompson - drums (1989)

Mike Murphy - drums (1989; died 2006)

Trevor Murrell - drums (1991-1992)

Rudi Dobson - keyboards (1991-1992)

Scott F. Crago - drums

Matt Bonelli - bass (1993-2001)

Steve Rucker - drums (1993-2001)

Ben Stivers - keyboards (1996-1999)

Stephen Gibb - rhythm guitar (1997)

Guest musicians (studio and touring)

Timeline of touring members

Soundtracks Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Staying Alive (1983) are not official Bee Gees albums, but contain some previously unreleased tracks. Apart from live and compilation, all their official albums are included on this list. A Kick in the Head Is Worth Eight in the Pants has not been included on the list because it appeared only on numerous bootlegs and was not officially released.

Bilyeu, Melinda; Cook, Hector; Hughes, Andrew Môn (2009) [2003]. The Bee Gees: Tales of The Brothers Gibb. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-004-5..

Stanley, Bob. Bee Gees: Children of the World. Nine Eight Books, 2023.

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The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in the disco music era in the mid- to late 1970s.

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While you may have often looked to the sixties for your mini skirt inspo or to the eighties to take lessons in how to wear the shoulder pad according to Princess Diana, have you ever considered approaching the seventies for something a little more relaxed?

No doubt - whether knowingly or not - you looked to some of the decade's most iconic trends whilst packing for all your teenage festivals, with the majority of us having at least dabbled in the occasional piece of classic seventies sartorial memorabilia.

But it's not just the crochet tops, fringed jackets or halter necklines that we've adopted from the decade's much-loved and iconic boho style.

Flared trousers, bell sleeves and even floral dresses were huge in the seventies, and have pretty much all earned permanent positions on the fashion world's radar today. But for autumn 2021 in particular, look to flare-legged statement suits and LOTS of sequins to provide you with bang-on-trend fashion nostalgia.

Rarely out of style, high waists are another seventies staple much-loved by our current style set, while the majority of floaty midi dresses seen on Instagram these days could've been taken straight from any day fifty years ago.

But while there may have been a distinct lack of social media back in the 1970s - and therefore, of course, 'influencers' as we know them today - there was an impressive and much-adored set of style icons who helped spearhead some of the decade's most memorable fashion moments.

From Farrah Fawcett's relaxed, almost androgynous elegance and inimitable hair flicks to Studio 54 stalwart Bianca Jagger and legendary supermodel Iman who dominated just about every runway including Gianni Versace's, Calvin Klein's, Issey Miyake's and Donna Karan's, it was a decade bursting with well-dressed women.

As a seventies revival storms ahead (and you no doubt sit there reading this decked out in either a high-waisted jean or a floral dress) rifle through our definitive list of the decade's style icons for inspiration a-plenty...

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High-waisted denim, flared suits and LOTS of sequins - how the '70s inspired our autumn 2021 wardrobes

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While you may have often looked to the sixties for your mini skirt inspo or to the eighties to take lessons in how to wear the shoulder pad according to Princess Diana, have you ever considered approaching the seventies for something a little more relaxed?

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The 1970s. A to the max time when hippies ran rampant, disco ruled the clubs, no array of colors were ignored when it came to looking fab and shirt collars were the size of Dumbo's ears. With so many amazing fashion choices to digest, it's only appropriate that we get the skinny on the trends that made the decade so memorable.

Can you did it?

1. Bellbottoms

Bellbottoms were like the clothing mullet before the mullet was really a thing. These pants that looked business up top yet screamed party down low were a staple for 70's fashion goers everywhere.

2. Platforms

Wanting to be taller is a common wish among people. High heels have done an amazing job of this for centuries, but then platforms hit the masses in the 70s and women fell in love with a new form of heightened shoe. The look even made a spicy return in the 90s ... If you catch my zig-a-zig-ah drift.

3. High-waisted jeans

Apparently, fashionistas were trying to reinvent pants in the 70s as high-waisted jeans, in addition to bellbottoms, swept across the fashion industry. Say hello butt and good-bye bellybutton.

4. Tie-dye

The 70s were experimental to say the least and that extended into all aspects of trends, especially fashion. Plain shirts were so drab, so adding every color in the spectrum in unique cotton candy-like swirls, aka tie-dye, became all the rage for hippies everywhere. Plus, it looked pretty stellar under black light.

5. Feathered hair

Might as well just called this the Farrah Fawcett 'do. This lusciously feathered and perfectly primped hairstyle added density and flowiness (we're making it a word) to many a hairdo in the 1970s. By the 80s it became all about the hairspray.

6. The afro

If the Farrah Fawcett look wasn't your bag, baby, then the afro was just as big ... literally, emitting a sense of confidence and swagger behind your strut.

7. Corduroy

Maybe it was the fine thin lines or maybe it was soft suede-like feel, but corduroy was very, very popular in everything from pants to jackets to hats and more.

8. Circular sunglasses

Made most infamous in the 70s by the late John Lennon, circular sunglasses gave wearers an added sense of style meets sophistication.

9. Military/safari look

Maybe it was a result of watching U.S. troops fighting overseas in Vietnam, but there was a strong military trend (and surplus) that swept the decade as people donned khaki and olive green rucksack bags, fatigue-inspired jackets, belts, boots and more.

10. Ethnic/folk look

Similar in some ways to the hippie vibe, this look featured bright prints and patterns but focused more on cultural designs including strong nods to Native American features and European folk - dresses, ponchos, and embroidered patterns

11. Underground punk

Black leather jackets, hair that don't care and studs all became a trend for punk enthusiasts, so much so that the fashion started to spill over into popular culture in the mid to late 70s.

12. Hot pants

Talk about risqué for the time. Hot pants were anything but pants. These women short shorts were the center of so many heated societal debates that they earned the name hot pants.

13. Chevron

Patterns come and go, and some will always be - looking at you flannel. But in the 70s, chevron made itself known as the next big pattern - one that has recently seen a big reemergence.

14. Large, floppy collars

Men and women in the 70s were big proponents of tight fitting shirts with abnormally large (and often pointy) collars. Seriously, collars in the 70s were nearly twice the size of today's standard collars. Saturday night fever must have been contagious because the more chest/neck that men showed with these excessive collars ... the better (and usually christened with a medallion necklace).

15. Puka shell & love beads

Of course, clothing wasn't the only mentionable fashion of the 70s. Men and women had a fair share of jewelry to accessorize with and puka shells, love beads and mood rings led the charge.

Yep, the 1970s sure had quite the range of unique fashion statements. So unique that nothing could ever top them right? Oh, hello 80s ...

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The 1970s. A to the max time when hippies ran rampant, disco ruled the clubs, no array of colors were ignored when it came to looking fab and shirt collars were the size of Dumbo's ears.

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The 1970s Fashion Moments We Still Want to Channel Today

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A look back at the stylish decade that continues to inspire.

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Peep Eyewear - Sustainable one-of-a-kind prescription glasses

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Saturday Night Fever gave us John Travolta as Tony Manero, 19-year-old Italian American escaping life at the disco, here he's king of the dance floor.

It also gave us some iconic disco dance moves including pivot turns, shoulder rocks and the classic Hustle. Saturday Night Fever kept the glitter balls rolling before the death of disco came about with the birth of Punk Rock with it's anti-fashion and anti establishment movement.

I love 70s style, no wonder it's all over the fashion world.. flowing vintage Halston dresses, big cloud hair and glittering evening wear is all perfect for party season - get your grove on seventies style.

Jo

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70s style hair and history - disco fashion - Peep Eyewear - Sustainable one-of-a-kind prescription glasses

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Saturday Night Fever gave us John Travolta as Tony Manero, 19-year-old Italian American escaping life at the disco, here he's king of the dance floor. It also gave us some iconic disco dance moves including pivot turns, shoulder rocks and the classic Hustle.

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WGSN
SubversiveSexy, CutOut S/S22

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On Lace

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Yes and no. Traditional lace is made out of silk and is not vegan. However, most modern lace is made out of cotton or linen, but could also be made out of synthetic materials like polyester. In these cases, lace is cruelty-free and suitable for a vegan lifestyle.

Vintage and second-hand lace are less likely to be vegan, and vegans should also be wary of more-expensive lace products, which are more likely to be made of silk (since cotton and linen are cheaper).

What is Lace?

Lace is a beautiful delicate fabric that features an open weblike pattern. It can be made with a machine or by hand by looping, interlacing, braiding and twisting the threads. It is a delicate fabric that adds an elegant and refined touch to any clothing piece, which is why it is a favorite in the fashion industry and is commonly used on wedding dresses, lingerie, and luxury garments.

How is Lace Made?

There are many methods of making lace. Vegan lace is most likely made on a machine using the chemical lace method, while bespoke silk lace (non-vegan) is more likely to be made by hand. Varieties include:

Bobbin lace: The lace is made by hand using bobbins and a lace pillow. The threads are braided, twisted, and wound on bobbins and held in place with pins that are set on different positions according to the pattern of the lace.

Chemical lace: Machine-made. A pattern is embroidered on fabric that has been chemically treated. The fabric will disintegrate after the pattern has been created, leaving a lace pattern.

Crocheted lace: A crochet hook is used to interlock loops of yarn and threads.

Lace knitting: A style of knitting that creates a complex pattern with many holes.

Needle lace: Hundreds of small stitches are stitched together to create the lace.

Is Lace Sustainable?

The sustainability of an individual piece of lace depends on the material that was used to make it. For vegans for whom sustainability is an issue, organic cotton or linen are the best choices. Organic cotton does not use pesticides, fertilizers, or excess water (unlike non-organic cotton), and linen is made from the flax plant. Both are biodegradable.

Synthetic fibers such as polyester or nylon are made from petroleum oil products and require a lot of energy to be created. In addition to that, they release microfibers of plastic to the ocean, which can be ingested by fish. These are not recommended unless a recycled source is used.

Verdict: Should Vegans Buy Lace?

Most of the lace that is made today comes from a vegan source. Before buying any piece of lace, check the material that it is made from to confirm that it is vegan.

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Is Lace Vegan? Should Vegans Buy and Wear Lace?

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Yes and no. Traditional lace is made out of silk and is not vegan. However, most modern lace is made out of cotton or linen, but could also be made out of synthetic materials like polyester. In these cases, lace is cruelty-free and suitable for a vegan lifestyle.

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On Chiffon

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What Is Chiffon Fabric?

Chiffon is a term that is used to refer to a wide variety of different types of fabrics that all share similar qualities. This type of fabric is sheer , which means that it is light and semi-transparent with a simple weave.

This type of fabric was originally made from silk, and it was both expensive and in high demand among upper-class women in Europe and the United States when it was originally marked in the mid-19th century. The term "chiffon" is French, and it literally translates as "cloth" or "rag," but this word has come to be synonymous with any type of lustrous, sheer fabric that is woven in a particular style.

Chiffon fabric was first made in France, but the production of this substance expanded worldwide as the Industrial Age picked up steam. By the first few decades of the 1900s, silk chiffon was in relatively wide production in the United States, and producers of this fabric in America were starting to show interest in replacing silk with another material for chiffon production.

The first non-silk chiffon became available for consumer use in 1938. It was made from nylon, which was, at the time, heralded as a miracle fabric that would rapidly replace practically every type of organic textile. However, serious issues with nylon as a chiffon textile quickly became apparent, and for a while, most chiffon was, once again, made from silk.

In 1958, however, a polyester version of chiffon was developed, and most chiffon in existence today is made from this purely synthetic material. As a chiffon textile, polyester mirrored silk in many ways, but it, of course, was not as soft or "silky" as this organic textile.

While much of today's chiffon is still made from polyester, manufacturers of this sheer and alluring material have also tried using rayon to make chiffon. In some cases, cotton may also be used, but this pill-prone and relatively delicate substance isn't as suited for chiffon as many other synthetic or semi-synthetic materials. To some degree, chiffon is still made from silk, but silk chiffon is now seen as a luxury textile, and it is only available in the form of relatively expensive chiffon garments.

Rather than being distinctive for being made from a certain material, chiffon stands out due to the unique method that is used to produce it. The weaving method used to make chiffon is called the alternate S-and Z-twist, and this name is derived from the shapes that yarn takes on when it is used to make this fabric: Yarn made into S-shapes is woven into yarn with Z-shapes, which results in a slightly puckered fabric that facilitates greater elasticity and produces a more textured appearance. This weaving method also gives chiffon a relatively rough feel.

Silk chiffon was originally worn as a sign of status, but now that this fabric can be made with relatively cheap textiles, it no longer provides this benefit. Instead, it is a relatively widespread material that is used in everything from bows and ribbons to wedding dresses. People from all over the world wear chiffon, and it continues to enjoy enduring popularity.

It's important to point out that chiffon fabric exists that emerged separately from the silk chiffon diaspora that originated in France. For instance, certain indigenous groups in Ethiopia and Eritrea have been making chiffon-like garments made from silk for hundreds of years. These garments usually take the form of ankle-length gowns, and they are often brightly colored.

In addition, chiffon has been produced in India for many centuries, and it is commonly used in saris, which are traditional Indian garments for women. As in France and other Western nations, silk chiffon was once used as a status symbol in India, and it has since become more mainstream.

How Is Chiffon Fabric Made?

Chiffon fabric is made with different methods depending on the type of material that is used to weave this unique type of textile. The production of silk , for instance, involves the breeding of silkworms, the softening of cocoons, and the reeling of filaments. Polyester production, on the other hand, involves no organic components, and this fabric is made entirely from synthetic chemicals that are synthesized in a laboratory.

No matter what base material is used to make chiffon fabric, once this textile yarn has been produced, the weaving of chiffon follows a uniform pattern. The yarn used to make this type of textile is arranged in opposing S-shaped and Z-shaped curves, and it is then woven together with a loom or an industrial weaving machine.

Due to the fact that chiffon fabric is incredibly delicate, this textile is often woven by hand. No matter what material it is made from, the production of chiffon fabric is often a slow and laborious affair; while automated machines can be used to make this fabric, these machines also have to work at relatively slow paces to avoid causing any damage to finished textiles.

Since it has such a slippery texture, tailors may place sheets of paper on either side of chiffon during the sewing process to ensure that it remains in place. Once the chiffon fabric garment is fully sewn, the paper is carefully ripped out.

How Is Chiffon Fabric Used?

This style of fabric is mainly used to make garments for women. Chiffon fabric is very delicate, so it is not typically used in daily apparel. Instead, it is used to make nightgowns, evening wear, or blouses that are meant for special occasions. Since it is semi-transparent, it is common to use chiffon fabric to make overlays, which are types of garments that go over opaque types of apparel to impart a textured or delicate appearance.

Where Is Chiffon Fabric Produced?

Since so many different types of chiffon fabric are made from a wide variety of materials, it's hard to pick a clear winner in the global market for this product. As with most textiles, China is the biggest exporter of finished chiffon fabric products, but in many cases, the raw silk or cotton used to make these garments may be made in other countries before it is sent to Chinese companies for finishing.

Silk has been produced in China for at least 5,000 years, but this substance has also been made in India and other neighboring countries for a nearly equal amount of time. Companies in nations like India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh may export their silk crops to China for final processing, or these companies may manufacture silk chiffon fabric products within the boundaries of their own nations.

If chiffon fabric is made from synthetic materials, however, chances are that it was made in China. This Asian nation is, for instance, the largest producer of polyester in the world, and companies in this country also make large quantities or rayon and nylon.

How Much Does Chiffon Fabric Cost?

Chiffon fabric fetches varying prices depending on the material from which it is made. Silk chiffon fabric, for instance, remains the most expensive type of this textile, and it can be more than twice as expensive as chiffon fabric made from polyester or rayon. While some consumers believe that this increased price is well worth it, others prefer relatively inexpensive alternatives like polyester or cotton chiffon fabric.

What Different Types of Chiffon Fabric Are There?

Chiffon fabric varies both in style and in the materials that are used to make it:

Material variations: As we've mentioned, this style of fabric can be made with a variety of different organic, semi-synthetic, and fully synthetic materials like polyester, rayon, and silk.

Silk crepe chiffon fabric: This type of fabric is what most people think of when they are asked to visualize chiffon. It features the slightly puckered texture and relatively rough feel that made this type of material famous.

Silk satin chiffon fabric: This version of chiffon fabric is smoother than silk crepe, and it is more transparent and lightweight.

Pearl chiffon fabric: Featuring a pearlescent shade and glossy texture, this type of chiffon fabric stands out from other versions of this textile.

Jacquard chiffon fabric: While this type of chiffon fabric is quite thin, it also feels hefty when it is picked up. It is commonly used in kurta dresses and scarves.

Chameleon chiffon fabric: This type of chiffon is one of the rarest varieties on the market, and its name is derived from its multi-toned appearance.

How Does Chiffon Fabric Impact the Environment?

The potential environmental ramifications of chiffon production vary depending on the type of material that is used to make this fabric. In general, the production of fully synthetic fabrics is more harmful to the environment than the production of semi-synthetic or organic fabrics, but it's also important to take into account the varying production processes that are used by different manufacturers.

Polyester is commonly used to make chiffon, and some manufacturers may still use nylon to make this type of fabric. Both polyester and nylon are derived from petroleum oil, which is a non-renewable resource. The acquisition of petroleum oil requires significant energy expenditures, and it is also almost always harmful to surrounding ecosystems.

The processing of petroleum oil is also harmful to the environment, and when this substance is used to make nylon and petroleum, a number of byproducts are produced that may or may not be disposed of correctly. In addition, both nylon and polyester are non-biodegradable fabrics, which means that they contribute to the massive pile-up of trash that is accumulating in landfills, waterways, and forests all around the world.

When chiffon fabric is made from silk, however, the environmental impact of the production of this textile is negligible. The production of silk is sustainable , and it doesn't release any toxins into the environment.

This fabric is derived from the cocoons that are made from silkworms, which are caterpillar-like insects that primarily live on mulberry trees. These worms only eat mulberry leaves, and it is not necessary to use pesticides or fertilizers to grow these leaves.

The only potential environmental impact of growing silk is the harm to insects that is a necessary aspect of this type of textile production. To liberate the silky cocoon from the juvenile silkworm, this cocoon must be boiled with the silkworm inside, which kills the worm. Some animal rights activists contend that this practice is inhumane. However, it can't be denied that silk is biodegradable and, overall, environmentally-friendly.

Cotton production similarly does not cause a significantly negative environmental impact. In some cases, toxic substances may be used to bleach or clean cotton, but the production of cotton seeds to make this type of fabric is generally a non-toxic and environmentally-friendly process. Additionally, cotton is biodegradable, and the production of this fabric involves sustainable practices.

Some chiffon fabric is made from rayon, however, and this substance is significantly harmful to the environment. While rayon is somewhat more biodegradable than purely synthetic fabrics like polyester or nylon, the chemicals used to make this semi-synthetic textile are highly toxic, and they may harm workers or the ecosystems surrounding rayon factories.

Chiffon Fabric Certifications Available

The types of certifications available for chiffon depend on the materials that are used to make this fabric. For instance, if chiffon is made from nylon, polyester, or rayon, it is not eligible for USDA organic certification or any other type of non-GMO or organic certification since these types of fabrics are either fully synthetic or semi-synthetic.

If chiffon is made from silk or cotton, however, it may be possible to have garments made from this fabric certified as organic. Producers of cotton or silk chiffon have the option of producing their crops using sustainable practices, and if they do so, they may meet the organic certification guidelines offered by the USDA or similar organizations.

Even if chiffon is made from fully synthetic ingredients, however, it may be possible to have this fabric certified by the Global Recycle Standard (GRS) . This organization observes the practices that are used by synthetic fabric producers to make their textiles, and if it is found that only recycled materials are used, synthetic chiffon producers may qualify for GRS certification.

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What is Chiffon Fabric: Properties, How its Made and Where

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Chiffon is a term that is used to refer to a wide variety of different types of fabrics that all share similar qualities. This type of fabric is sheer, which means that it is light and semi-transparent with a simple weave.

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On Velvet

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How to Find Sustainable Velvet for Party Season | Eco-Age

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Eco-Age's Philippa Grogan explains how to take on the velvet trend sustainably this party season, from recycled versions to natural fibres.

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On Jersey

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Is Jersey Fabric Good Or Bad? | 2021 Fabric Material Guide For Home, Environment, Animals, Laborers — HEALabel

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See the impact jersey fabric, material, textile has on home, environment, animals, laborers. Is it vegan? Sustainable? Are there labor issues? See lifestyle pros and cons for affordability, versatility, durability. Know if animals are killed, harmed or indirectly impacted. Is it good or bad for the

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On Viscose

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Fabric comes in all shapes, sizes, weights, and constructions. It can be natural, synthetic, or manufactured. Some fabrics have more stigma than others. In this blog post, we will be asking the question; what is viscose? A textile, which might be a little misunderstood.
1. What is viscose and where did it come from?

Perhaps you have heard of viscose, or maybe you know it better as Rayon. This is the term for viscose in the United States. But what actually is it?

What is viscose?

Viscose is a type of rayon. Originally known as artificial silk, in the late 19 th century, the term " rayon" came into effect in 1924. The name " viscose" derived from the way this fibre is manufactured; a viscous organic liquid used to make both rayon and cellophane. What this means in English? Viscose is the generalised term for a regenerated manufactured fibre, made from cellulose, obtained by the viscose process.

As a manufactured regenerated cellulose fibre, it is neither truly natural (like cotton, wool or silk) nor truly synthetic (like nylon or polyester) - it falls somewhere in between.

Viscose is a low-cost fabric, which is popular thanks to its myriad of qualities. It can be found in cotton end uses, as well as luxurious velvet's and taffeta's. Viscose can also be found in feminine hygiene products, as well as tire cords.

Chemically, viscose resembles cotton, but it can also take on many different qualities depending on how it is manufactured.

So, what is this fibre of many faces? To really understand what viscose is, we need to understand how it is made and what it is made from.

2. What is cellulose?

Cellulose fibre which is turned into viscose fabric

If a fibre is manufactured, then it is made from cellulose or protein. Cellulose is a carbohydrate and the chief component in the walls of plants. There is a difference between synthetic and manufactured fibres, which makes a difference in their sustainability. Viscose is made from wood pulp, making it a cellulosic fibre, like cotton or linen. It is often regarded as only partially manmade.

Manufactured fibres derive from naturally occurring cellulose, or protein, while synthetic fibres do not - they are completely manmade. So, if they come from a natural source, then why don't they fall under the " natural fibre" category? Because they require extensive processing to get to the finished result. Therefore, the category of manufactured fibres is often referred to as " regenerated cellulose."

3. Is viscose a sustainable fabric?

Because viscose is made from renewable plants, it is frequently cited as being environmentally friendly, and sustainable. But is this actually the case?

Viscose is the oldest manufactured fibre, first being produced in 1883 as a cheap alternative to silk. Viscose production generally begins with wood pulp, and there are several chemical and manufacturing techniques to make it.

This is where some controversy comes into play.

To create viscose, and make it stand up to regular wearing and washing, it must be chemically treated. The recycled wood pulp is treated with chemicals such as caustic soda, ammonia, acetone, and sulphuric acid. We therefore have a fabric, which comes from a natural and sustainable source, but that is made with chemicals.

Because viscose is made from cellulose, there is an argument to say that it is a more sustainable fibre then other synthetic fibres, such as polyester. Viscose is increasingly being manufactured using the Lyocell process. This uses N-Methlymorpholine N-oxide as the solvent. This method produces little waste product, making it far more eco-friendly.

4. What are some characteristics of viscose?

Viscose fabric, also known as Rayon

Viscose has a myriad of brilliant qualities, which makes it a popular fibre to work with. Thanks to its characteristics, several industries use it, to create a wide range of products. Some of the most beneficial characteristics of viscose include: These all sound great, but there are some slightly less positive traits to viscose. However, none of these are particularly negative. A little care during wearing and washing, will make these traits obsolete.
5. Viscose: a misunderstood fabric?

When a fabric is not labelled as " natural " then consumers can judge it harshly, without any true understanding of the fabric. Viscose is probably the most misunderstood of all fibres, manmade or natural. It is not a natural fibre, but nor is it synthetic.

In regards to the use of chemicals in the production of viscose, as fabric technology advances, many manufacturers are making considerable and positive efforts to ensure clean production. As we continue to strive for a green-friendly world, increasing work is being put into the sustainability of fibres such as viscose.

Viscose has many desirable qualities, which makes it a wonderful fibre to work with in many ways. Because of its unique versatility, many industries use viscose, from fashion, to the medical profession, to everyday items in the home.

6. Printing on Viscose

You can print your designs on viscose in just a few simple steps. First, upload your design, photos or pattern to Contrado's design interface. Then make sure it's the right size and in the right position. Once you've done that you can choose whether to repeat your pattern using one if our repeat effects, and then all that's left is to choose your dimensions and place your order. You can get your hands on a discount voucher for viscose printing if you order a test print first, plus it means you get to see for yourself just how easy it is.

What do you think?

We would love to know your thoughts on viscose. Do you love it, or are you wary of it? Let us know in the comments below.

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What Is Viscose? 6 Facts About This Misunderstood Fabric

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Fabric comes in all shapes, sizes, weights, and constructions. It can be natural, synthetic, or manufactured. Some fabrics have more stigma than others. In this blog post, we will be asking the question; what is viscose? A textile, which might be a little misunderstood.

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This is my Comp Shop Assignment

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This is my Brand Report on PRETTYLITTLETHING

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CACI's Acorn is a powerful consumer classification that segments the UK population. By analysing demographic data, social factors, population and consumer behaviour, it provides information and understanding of different types of people.

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"The one stop online shopping website for on trend, affordable fashion. Fresh new styles added everyday meaning you can access the latest key pieces for less. Shop our range of catwalk & celebrity inspired looks and stand out in style this season with PrettyLittleThing.com"

PrettyLittleThing.com (PLT) is an online fashion retailer. Providing their customers with affordable runway inspired fashion, offering an alternative to the high street. PLT snuck into the market in 2011. Competing against similar online fashion retailers; Missguided, Boohoo.com and ASOS, with the same target audience.

To be successful in the online environm ent and stand out from similar competition, PLT must have strong digital presence in this expanding sector. Social media is a necessity for the fashion brand as it's a way to engage and interact with their target market.

· Target Market - PRETTYLITTLETHING are targeted at fashion focused individuals at very affordable prices within a young (18-25) female demographic
· The 18-25 demographic - the choice of models are young and their communication style on their website and social media channels target students and those wanting affordable prices. WEAKNESSES
· Social media channels - In this very competitive industry it is almost vital to be active on social media to engage with the market, this is what every fashion brand is doing. PLT have a good twitter page with over 29,000 followers, 98,000 followers on their Instagram page and 307,000 likes on the Facebook page. These are three main social media channels that they use to capture their target market, gain new followers and brand recognition, as it's practically a free way to advertise.
Negative feedback - When looking on PLT's Facebook page it is clear to see their negative posts, which could jeopardise the gain of new customers, and customers trust especially, as they are online only and so the in-store experience cannot be had. OPPORTUNITIES
· Introducing small labels - If PLT introduced different lines and small boutiques onto their website this would gain more interest and attract more customers who buy from these smaller labels. It would be a great opportunity for both PLT and the smaller boutiques - selling their clothes on fashion based platforms and PLT will create better brand recognition and a small commission too. ASOS do this extremely well with the 'ASOS Marketplace' which allows smaller boutiques or individuals to showcase their pieces through the website. In order for this opportunity to be a success the online retailer would have to ensure enough buyers would be interested in using this service. PLT would need to grow first so that they have a lot of customers this would interest. They could advertise it through their social media and do previews introducing a few boutiques at a time.

· Global Competition - Internet selling opens up the site to a large worldwide customer base, as they can order from anywhere in the world and have it shipped right to their doorstep. However, it also means there is a high amount of possible competitors which can start in any country and take away the local custom.

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"The one stop online shopping website for on trend, affordable fashion. Fresh new styles added everyday meaning you can access the latest key pieces for less. Shop our range of catwalk & celebrity inspired looks and stand out in style this season with PrettyLittleThing.com" PrettyLittleThing.com (PLT) is an online fashion retailer.

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Key Points

PrettyLittleThing needed to grow their brand fast, make it famous and drive viewers to the site

They used TV for fame and smart planning to use only the programmes that drove results

They grew their customer base by a multiple of 40

The Challenge

PrettyLittleThing was launched in 2012 when brothers Umar and Adam Kamani spotted a gap in the market for a fashionable yet affordable online accessories brand (which quickly expanded into clothing).

PrettyLittleThing have always operated in a fiercely competitive market but with above-the-line budgets lower than their competitors. There wasn't any VC funding - every pound came from the founders' own pockets, so any media investment had to work hard and achieve immediate results.

In 2014, they tasked their media agency The Specialist Works with driving 16 to 34-year-old women to the website to grow the brand over the coming years.

The TV Solution

The Specialist Works had been planning and buying airtime for Boohoo since 2011 and had experienced great success for that brand. Therefore, they knew about TV's unrivalled ability to cut through and deliver results and felt that TV should be the medium of choice for PrettyLittleThing.

The Plan - 2014 to 2018

Their strategy in year one was to buy one spot at a time in programmes that really mattered to their target audience and converted well for 16 to 34-year-old women. They then used their proprietary TV attribution tool [mint] av to determine whether the spot had driven traffic to the site. If it had, more spots would be booked the following week, and if it hadn't, they wouldn't reinvest.

2015
They identified that spots in TOWIE were performing particularly well, and PrettyLittleThing went on to develop a collaboration with TOWIE star Lucy Mecklenburgh, where she launched a range of clothing. Following the success of their 2014 TV campaign, they doubled their investment YoY in 2015, with a focus on TOWIE to support the Lucy partnership.

2016
TV's role was evolving from generating demand to creating brand associations. Also, they had identified Made in Chelsea as a programme that performed well. But they were struggling to find enough spots to buy, due to the regulation that you can't have competing brands in the same break and the high demand from their competitors. So, they were able to negotiate with Channel 4 who created an additional break, exclusive to them, in every episode of the programme.

2017
The key programme that they aligned with was Love Island - a perfect vehicle for their young fashion brand and with high levels of viewing by their target audience. They invested heavily, buying first in break slots on linear and on-demand and as a result drove fame for the brand. By the end of 2017, PrettyLittleThing was the fastest growing online fashion retailer in the world. (Source: Hitwise, Fast Fashion Report, based on website traffic)

2018
Over the years, activity had evolved from short-term response to longer-term brand building to sustain growth. They chose to invest in programmes that got the nation talking. For example, they bought a national peak spot in I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here and The X Factor. They used linear TV and added on-demand to amplify reach. They also continued collaborating with models and celebrities to create their own collections.

Results

PrettyLittleThing's share of Google search grew by 33 percentage points from 7% in 2014 to 40% in 2018 (Source: Nielsen AdDynamix, Google Trends).

As of February 2019, PrettyLittleThing has 5m active customers. That's 40 times the number they had before they started working with The Specialist Works.

Databank:

Sector: Online retail

Brand: PrettyLittleThing.com

Campaign objectives: To grow the brand and drive viewers to their website

Target Audience: 16 to 34-year-old women

Budget: Approx. £300k in 2014, £650k in 2015, £900k in 2016, £1.1m in 2017 and £800k in 2018 (Source: Nielsen AdDynamix)

Campaign Dates: Various campaigns ran between 2014 and 2018

TV Usage: 30" and 20" spots

Creative Agency: Creative in-house, with production house Paragon Pictures

Media Agency: The Specialist Works

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How PrettyLittleThing became a PrettyBigThing

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PrettyLittleThing needed to grow their brand fast, make it famous and drive viewers to the site They used TV for fame and smart planning to use only the programmes that drove results They grew their customer base by a multiple of 40 PrettyLittleThing was launched in 2012 when brothers Umar and Adam Kamani spotted a gap in the market for a fashionable yet affordable online accessories brand (which quickly expanded into clothing).

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The Urban segment is intrinsically linked to inner city living - young people living in busy multicultural hubs, with rich and varied influences, where wealth and poverty sit side by side - and with access to the latest sounds, clubs and fashion.

Across all segments, Urban Tribes are strongly influenced by what they see and experience in their immediate environment - many cite family, church and the local community as huge influences. Being part of the 'local' scene is key - there's enthusiasm for supporting grass roots talent and local movements, and many Urbans identify themselves with a specific area in the city - such the grime duo Newham Generals or gangs across big cities.

Urbans are best known for music - from r'n'b, grime, UK bass and funky to old school jungle and rap. Members are proactive in their search for new sounds, getting behind new releases, picking up digital mix tapes and sharing them with their social networks. Urban Tribes play a hugely important role in dictating the artists that break through to the mainstream - just ask Tinchy Stryder!

Fashion-wise, street wear rules - from classic sports brands to independent urban labels, such as King Apparel. Drawing inspiration from US street fashion, these Tribes were among the first to adopt the baseball jacket and snap back combo - a look now adopted by Leading Edge Tribes aplenty.

There's no getting away from it, urban sounds and styles dominate the mainstream and mean big business. The explosion of grime and street wear is testament to this segment's wield over popular culture.

Get Paid Crew
Get Paid Crew are highly aspirational, driven by money and being their own boss.
More straight-laced than their innovative DIYer cousins and likely to be working hard to set up their own business, get a good job and make money, money, money - once connected to dodgy dealings, there is now a huge amount of respect for the success orientated GPCs.

Stylers
Still representing status and style, it's about partying, looking good and staying ahead of cool.
Stylers hold strong on the UK Tribes map - innately cool and stylish, the rising influence of Urban fashion and music have made them a hugely aspirational Tribe for youth today. As luxe sportswear and Urban high fashion has hit the Aspirants (check out the Hypebeasts), more young people than ever before are looking like a Styler and aspiring to their luxury lifestyle.

Trackies

Trackies are laid back enthusiasts motivated by the need to chill, whether that's gaming, watching films or listening to music.

They're all about hanging out, playing sports and computer games, ordering pizza and getting their hands on a bit of weed! Typically seen as those with the potential to achieve but lacking in motivation, these guys just want to chill out man!

Wasteman
Rebellious, loud and little bit dodgy.
Part Chaver, part Chav, part Trackie and part Get Paid Crew - this is the updated Chav, a low level wheeler dealer, likely to be shotting weed, wearing trackies and trading knock off trainers than being admired by other segments, in fact, most run a mile when they see them.

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The Urban segment is intrinsically linked to inner city living - young people living in busy multicultural hubs, with rich and varied influences, where wealth and poverty sit side by side - and with access to the latest sounds, clubs and fashion.

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One of the posts on my site with the highest page views is a review I did about 8 years ago from the brand Pretty Little Thing,(prettylittlething.com) it ranks quite high on google and gets a steady flow of clicks each month. It also really clashes with my blog style and ethics now and I've been ignoring it for a while. I did think about just deleting it. But instead I thought it would be better to put a disclaimer at the top and bottom of this post stating that pretty little thing is not ethical and sustainable and giving people a place to read more about the brand, so that perhaps I can encourage people to learn more about the company before considering buying.

If I can get a few people of the 50 a week that click on it to maybe think about looking into sustainable and ethical fashion, or even just questioning who is making their clothes and whats in them, that's a win. So this page is a resource as to why you probably shouldn't buy from PLT if you care about the environment or people.

Now I've targeted PLT because I have a post about them, but a lot of what I say here could be applied to pretty much any fast fashion brand out there, I'm talking fashion nova, Missguided, Shein, wish, they could all be doing more for both people and the environment.

Lack of Transparency
So I had a look on Pretty Little Thing's website and could see nothing on there that was obvious about their supply chains, nothing about where their clothes were made, whether their workers were treated well or paid well. Even Misguided has pages about their corporate responsibility and how they're trying to change their supply chain (whether I believe them is another matter, but it's a start).

But I'm not gunna just skim, so I checked all their FAQs and random pages in the hope of finding something about their supply chain, even just one measly line about how they're "committed to ending modern day slavery" or something else that looks good but doesn't mean anything and I could not find anything!

This is a real bad sign, without transparency we have no idea what goes on in PLT's supply chains. The people working in these supply chains could be working in modern day slavery, they could be exploited, underpaid, there could be children working in these factories. We just don't know, because there's absolutely nothing about it on their site.

On the Fashion Revolution Transparency index they scored a whole 9%, which I think speaks for itself. They also get the worst scores in almost every category from Ethical Consumer. In 2015 it was found they were paying workers in the UK less than minimum wage, so I dread to think what they're doing abroad. Do better Pretty Little Thing. Who Makes your clothes?

Verdict: Even from you I expected better.

See also: Why do we need a Fashion Revolution?

"Sustainability"
I was surprised to see PLT has two sustainable initiatives in place, so let's discuss just how sustainable they are.

I love the premise of this app, to encourage more people to donate clothes rather than them going straight into landfill! Amazing! However I'm skeptical as usual, first of all the reward for donating clothes is money off brand new clothes from their site which gives the impression of "get rid of clothes just to buy more" which is not a very sustainable mindset.

Secondly I don't see much on ReGAIN's website about where these clothes actually go, they say they're recycled and donated to charity shops but where? Who is recycling them? Into what? Where do they go when they don't get sold? Are they just ending up in landfill somewhere like Ghana after being dumped in a second hand market there? They say they're "closing the loop" on fashion but I really need more information to fully believed that.

Verdict: Good in principle, needs more information.

Recycled Collection
Like many other big brands PLT have bought out their own "sustainable" collection recently with their recycled clothing. Again do I think this is a good thing in principle? Heck yeah. But the key is again in the details.

First of all, almost all of these clothes have polyester in them, even the ones that are cotton. Now there's a debate about whether polyester belongs in clothes even when recycled but basically it ends up in the sea as microfibres when washed, and humans are now eating/drinking a credit card's worth of plastic a week. I'd have less of an issue with them having some recycled polyester if even their cotton pieces weren't 50% plastic but hey ho.

Secondly, these pieces are still about £12 for a dress . You're seriously trying to tell me these are made sustainably and ethically for £12?! Not possible. And while they may be made of recycled materials are they still going to 8 different countries whilst being manufactured like many other clothes are? Is the whole manufacturing process more sustainable for these pieces? Where is the material recycled from? So many questions.

Third, this is a tiny percentage of their clothing. This one small collection, even if it was completely sustainably and ethically made, wouldn't make up for the rest of the clothes they produce each day. I looked on their "New In Today" tab when first writing this and there were 52 items on there, after a week they had 622 items in that week. That's an average of 96 pieces per day, during a pandemic. This level of consumption is just not sustainable, and is especially awful in the middle of a global pandemic.

Pretty Little Thing you say people can do their "little bit" by shopping your recycled range, well you sure are doing very little. This is honestly below the bare minimum of what they should be doing sustainability wise, and it really looks like these initiatives are there to score green brownie points.

Verdict: A whole lot of greenwashing here.
Response to COVID-19
Back in late March there were calls to Pretty Little thing to close their Tinsley warehouse after workers were saying they felt unsafe at work. This is not a unique case, workers from ASOS and Amazon have made headlines saying they feel unsafe in warehouses working at the moment.

PLT do have a section on their website about how those at risk are furloughed or working from home will still be being paid and don't have to work and that their warehouse workers are staying 2m apart. But they should all be at home, if my workplace that sells food shut down to protect its workers then a fashion warehouse definitely should. And with workers still in the factory saying they felt unsafe, it's a bad sign.

Fashion is not an essential at the moment and so putting workers at risk for the sake of selling more clothes and making more money is not a responsible approach to the current pandemic.

Instead of furloughing workers and looking after supply chains they have a "Stay Home" section to sell loungewear to people who are stuck at home... making money off the pandemic! Yay! They're still uploading almost 100 items a day to their site. PLT is owned by a family of billionaires, they could more than afford to close down for a bit to protect staff and also take a long hard look at the way they run things but no... profit is more important right?

Verdict: Profit over saving lives, lovely stuff.

Blackfishing
Much more recently Pretty Little Thing came under fire on twitter for hiring a Swedish model for their site who has a history of blackfishing. I won't name the model because I don't want to give her attention.

If you're not sure what blackfishing is it's basically when white women try to look generally trying to mixed race or like a light skinned black woman by appropriating the features, hair, and skin colour of Black women without actually experiencing the racism, discrimination and general lived experience of Black women. White women do this to get clout, and often (like in this case with this PLT model) take jobs and opportunities that should be going to Black women. A double slap in the face for these Black women. This video explains it well.

The story about this particular model's blackfishing isn't small, it comes up front and centre when you search for her. PLT either didn't do their research or knew about it and chose to ignore it while hiring her, she's also modelled for sites like Fashion Nova (another notorious fast fashion site).

PLT do better, and hire actual Black women for jobs like this rather than white women appropriating Black features.

A lot of people were responding to the image on twitter like "This girl is white?" which I think shows the issue.

Verdict: Don't hire models appropriating features of other races.
And that, it pretty much that. I hope you learned something today and began to question where PLT are making their clothes. If you want to help change the future of fashion then feel free to email, tweet, write to PLT and ask them who is making their clothes, how their clothes are made, why they're still currently operating business as usual and why they're hiring white women parading as black women instead of actual black women. Just a thought if you wanted something to do.

I may do this on other brands, I enjoyed making this post and video so if you have any brands you'd like to learn more about then let me know!

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Everything Wrong with Pretty Little Thing

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A Sustainable Living blog by Izzy McLeod

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HORRIFIED shoppers have hit out at Pretty Little Thing after the online fashion retailer warned their products could be harmful.

The Manchester-based firm states on its website that some products may contain chemicals known to "cause cancer and birth defects".

The company today admitted the dramatic warning on its UK website is a requirement of Californian law and appears because American customers can buy from the UK site.

But the message has horrified and alarmed many customers in Britain, some of whom took to social media to demand a proper explanation.

The notice reads: "WARNING: Some Products on our Online Store from time to time may contain chemicals that are known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm and may be included on the Proposition 65 chemical list."

Becca Monaghan tweeted a picture of Pretty Little Things terms and conditions with the caption: "Pretty Little Thing casually announcing on their T&Cs that some products may contain chemicals associated with causing cancer and birth defects?"

@Ljemmmm did the same, writing: "Okay but what the actual f***? Saw this online so looked for myself and I'm actually disgusted. @OfficialPLT please explain how you think this is okay?"

And Charlotte Lilley said: "Just saw this on @OfficialPLT website. It's really buried down the bottom of the T&Cs page.

Why are #PrettyLittleThing allowed to sell products that may contain chemicals known to cause cancer?"

Harriet Wright added: "Very alarming that Pretty Little Thing are selling clothing that have chemicals in which are known to cause cancer and birth defects and burying this information at the bottom of their Terms and Conditions."

Proposition 65 or the Safe Drinking and Toxic Enforcement Act 1986 is Californian legislation that requires companies who sell to Californians to notify their customers of the presence of certain chemicals in their products.

However, the level of risk can vary and even if the chance of developing cancer is as low as 2 in 100,000, the warning must still be provided.

The list of chemicals requiring disclosure to consumers include natural and synthetic substances found in pesticides, common household products, food, drugs, dyes, or solvents.

Some social media users were less concerned by the message.

Mairead Hudson said: "A good 98% of products have a 'cancer risk' and most of the time it's very minute and pretty much will not happen ever, they have to legally do that, you'd get p***** if it wasn't there."

The brand, who recently secured Love Island's Molly-Mae Hague as an ambassador, maintain the notice is standard practice.

They explained the warning was in place for the benefit of American customers who can buy from the British website.

A Pretty Little Thing spokeswoman said: "All companies that sell products to customers in California are legally required to comply with California's Proposition 65 legislation.

"Proposition 65 requires companies to make customers in California aware that certain products may contain traces of chemicals.

"PLT works closely with its suppliers to ensure that the requirements relating to Proposition 65 are met.

"Including a general warning on our US website is a step commonly taken by companies selling products in California."

We previously shared how a shopper was left outraged after PrettyLittleThing offered to send her original delivery as long as she deleted a negative social media post after an order mix-up.

And this shopper lashed out at PLT after the dress she ordered arrived "stained with blood".

Plus this woman was horrified after live spiders crawled out of her PrettyLittleThing order.
Get extra saving money tips with The Sun Vouchers including discounts and voucher codes for Pretty Little Thing and other Fashion retailers.

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Horrified shoppers blast PrettyLittleThing after learning some clothes may contain chemicals that can cause cancer and birth defects

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HORRIFIED shoppers have hit out at Pretty Little Thing after the online fashion retailer warned their products could be harmful. The Manchester-based firm states on its website that some products may contain chemicals known to "cause cancer and birth defects".

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We are drooling over PrettyLittleThing 's newest collaboration with American supermodel Ashley Graham.

Ashley is an absolute legend. The fabulous plus-size model has been making waves in the fashion industry, appearing on covers of Vogue, Elle, Harpers Bazaar, and Glamour.

Her most recent conquest is dominating as a judge on America's Next Top Model.

Not only is she fantastic at her job, but the 30-year-old uses her fame to make a difference for women everywhere. She told The New York Times that her goals are global. "It's about having a voice. It's about what are you doing to change your world and leave a legacy and a mark for the next generation."

And now, the gorgeous activist has teamed up with PrettyLittleThing to bring us the fiercest collection yet.

The campaign #EveryBODYinPLT is centred around Ashley's message of inclusion and confidence. Finally! Some stylish clothes for us women who have curves.

The collection is all about making a statement with lavish prints. Wearers will be feeling fearless in an oversized animal printed blazer, dramatically striped co-ords and floor sweeping maxi dresses in an array of styles.

This sexy and sophisticated look oozes flirtatious feels and will have EveryBODY feeling fierce in glittering metallic, eye catching emeralds and fiery reds.

Ashley said she is "so excited about this collaboration with PrettyLittleThing because it is size inclusive and it is so sexy. It will take you girls effortlessly from day to night and this has been such an amazing experience curing a range for ALL women!"

The new collection also has a classy, sophisticated side, debuting indulgent satin dresses, risky lace jumpsuits and shine-out sequin playsuits. These silhouettes are made to make us feel effortlessly beautiful. It will cater for all sizes ranging from 6 to 28.

Ashley and the fashion brand have created a dynamic collection that will help everyBODY to find their perfect fit.

The collection landed today and is available here now.

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Ashley Graham and PLT's stunning plus-size collab launches TODAY

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We are drooling over PrettyLittleThing 's newest collaboration with American supermodel Ashley Graham. Ashley is an absolute legend. The fabulous plus-size model has been making waves in the fashion industry, appearing on covers of Vogue, Elle, Harpers Bazaar, and Glamour. Her most recent conquest is dominating as a judge on America's Next Top Model.

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Who are you?

PrettyLittleThing is a fashion, beauty and lifestyle brand built on setting trends rather than following them. Our customers are part of the online-savvy shopping generation, and with hundreds of new products dropping daily, PrettyLittleThing is fast fashion accelerated. We demystify style and bring the runway to real life, making style accessible to all, whatever your budget.

We work with some of the most high-profile talent and influencers in the industry who support us in driving our brand forward and creating awareness whilst acting as our ambassadors. We've collaborated with celebrities including Kourtney Kardashian, Ashley Graham, Hailey Baldwin, Saweetie, Teyana Taylor and Little Mix. PLT customers put their trust in us for everything from trend led pieces, celebrity-inspired looks, the latest news, beauty trends and everyday wardrobe staples to that ultimate party piece.

What was your challenge?

With the e-commerce market in the US seeing incredible pace of change over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, we needed to find ways to make data-led decisions about where our marketing spend would be most effective. As the COVID-19 pandemic developed, the retail sector as a whole was faced with reduced budgets and something of a marketing standstill. We had noticed an upturn in marketplace sentiment in the US and needed to better understand US consumer behavior if we were going to reach new customers who might not have shopped with us before.

We wanted to take a data-driven approach to successfully navigate through the global pandemic, whilst simultaneously ensuring that those Americans interested in the PrettyLittleThing brand were able to find and purchase the products they wanted, despite the ongoing issue of COVID-19. Above all, we wanted these new customers' experience of PrettyLittleThing to be as personalized and as relevant as possible.

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PrettyLittleThing on understanding your customer with AI - Peak

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PrettyLittleThing is a fashion, beauty and lifestyle brand built on setting trends rather than following them. Our customers are part of the online-savvy shopping generation, and with hundreds of new products dropping daily, PrettyLittleThing is fast fashion accelerated. We demystify style and bring the runway to real life, making style accessible to all, whatever your budget.

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Time to shine - when it comes to sequins and metallics more is always more. Hailey Baldwin leads you into party season where pieces dripping in diamantes are the dress code and the party never stops. Unleash some heavy metal with crystal-embellished dresses and hardcore party hardware. Light up the night in the after dark pieces that were made to standout. 'Cos everything's better with a little more shine - especially on the dancefloor. Diamonds are forever and this party collection is dripping in them.

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Time to shine - when it comes to sequins and metallics more is always more. Hailey Baldwin leads you into party season where pieces dripping in diamantes are the dress code and the party never stops. Unleash some heavy metal with crystal-embellished dresses and hardcore party hardware.

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ashley graham facebook twitter clothing campaign shop diversity prettylittlething profile hashtag helen

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From our humble beginnings to the waves we’re making in the online fashion world and every milestone in between, here’s all about PrettyLittleThing.

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Molly-Mae Hague from knows how to influence, that's for sure. The 20-year-old fashion influencer has landed a pretty epic gig with PrettyLittleThing as a style ambassador and modelled some jaw-dropping looks for fans of her stylish outfits in the villa over the summer. The collection, which dropped online at midnight on Sunday, has been a smash with some sizes even selling out due to the huge demand - you could call it the Molly-Mae Effect.

In fact, fans are desperate to track down one particular piece - Molly's suit, below. This one is definitely a favourite amongst her fans...

SHOP: Blazer, £30, and trousers, £20, PrettyLittleThing

The Manchester-based Instagram star - who has over 3.2 million followers - has modelled everything from blazers teamed with cycling shorts, cut-out dresses and work-to-bar suits. There's also laid-back loungewear, and cool, off-duty denim, and accessories, too. And yes, there's plenty of perspex heels like the ones she wore in the villa.

SHOP: Leggings, £10, PrettyLittleThing

Molly shot the collection in LA - but of course - and has been drip-feeding photos on her Instagram account, much to the delight of fans.
SHOP: Lace-up sandals, £20, PrettyLittleThing
Talking about getting the call to launch the collection, Molly said: "I don't think this will ever sink in for me ... I wanted to create a collection that all women can feel powerful in wearing, I hope you all love it as much as I do."

SHOP: Blazer dress, £35, PrettyLittleThing

In an interview with Grazia at the launch party in Manchester on Sunday, she revealed that she has even bigger dreams in the fashion industry: "One day I would love to release my own clothing company, that's a huge goal of mine," she said. "Clothing is my everything, fashion is my life - it's what I wake up in the morning and do. It's everything to me. I'm not too sure yet, but I have a lot of plans in my head. I mean, over the next few weeks, months, I've got plans for other things hair related which I can't wait to share with you."

This article contains affiliate links, which means HELLO! may earn a small commission if a reader clicks through and makes a purchase. More information.

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Love Island star Molly-Mae causes the PLT website to sell out after launching her FIRST collaboration

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Molly-Mae Hague has landed a pretty epic gig with PrettyLittleThing as a style ambassador and modelled some jaw-dropping looks for fans of her stylish outfits in the villa over the summer. The collection, which dropped online at midnight on Sunday, has been a smash with some sizes even selling out due to the huge demand - you could call it the Molly-Mae Effect.

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Wear Next is an online fashion destination - celebrating all bodies, backgrounds and budgets.

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Home

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Yet another Inditex clothing brand is set to launch in the UK and Ireland. Next month Bershka, a brand that targets 15-27 year olds, will open it's first UK shop in Newcastle's MetroCentre. Its next shop will open on London's Oxford Street, next to Mango. Ireland will follow suit in 2005.

Bershka currently has 275 shops worldwide.

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Yet another Inditex clothing brand is set to launch in the UK and Ireland. Next month Bershka, a brand that targets 15-27 year olds, will open it's first UK shop in Newcastle's MetroCentre. Its next shop will open on London's Oxford Street, next to Mango. Ireland will follow suit in 2005.

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When Umar and Adam Kamani launched PrettyLittleThing in 2012, the label only featured accessories. Eight years later, PrettyLittleThing (PLT) has established itself as an iconic, affordable online ready-to-wear label in the UK and beyond. Its products and ethos are closely linked with social media, and PLT is keen on short-cycle collections, as well as having ambitious plans to conquer the world.

Umar Kamani - PrettyLittleThing

PLT is targeted to young women aged 16 to 24, and has a catalogue of 20,000 items, from apparel to footwear and accessories. The products are directly inspired by catwalk shows, and by the wardrobes of international celebrities and influencers. The latter have become the label's main brand ambassadors, with no fewer than 8,000 collaborations featured in 2019, generating 9.5 billion social media hits. PLT's fashion is colourful and flamboyant, and the label's chief concern is to make the products extremely affordable for its customers.

"We want to be these women's best friends," PLT's co-founder and CEO Umar Kamani told FashionNetwork.com, as he visited Paris to open a showroom during the fashion week. The venue, on central Boulevard Haussmann, is steeped in pink décor, pride of place going to a pink winged unicorn in actual size and a golden Eiffel Tower replica. "The world is beset by so many problems and, in the midst of it all, we are trying to create a fairy tale for women, to give them comfort and self-belief, and to make them feel empowered through fashion," said Kamani.

Like Nasty Gal, PLT was spawned by Boohoo, the British fashion e-tailer founded by Mahmud Kamani, father of Umar and Aman, and by Carol Kane. "You can't get more fast-fashion than Boohoo," said Kane to FashionNetwork.com when the e-tailer opened its Parisian offices in 2018 ( read the interview here).

"[PLT's] business model is very similar," said Umar Kamani. This is why PLT drops nearly 250 new items every week. A frenzied pace, proof of the label's ability to react to instant trends by means of quick-off-the-mark, localised production. "We place orders for sizeable volumes right from the start, but we never generate a huge inventory.

"And if the items are successful with our customers, we produce more of the same. Otherwise, we move on to something else. About 40% of our total output is made in the UK, and another 40% comes from China. The rest comes from Turkey, Pakistan, India and other countries," he added.

PrettyLittleThing

PLT's model straddles several of the apparel market's current trends: from the increase in the number of orders placed over a short period of time, something affecting virtually all the apparel market's segments, putting creative teams and purchasing departments under significant stress, to the labels' strategy of shrinking order size in order to reduce the risk of having huge volumes of unsold inventory. As to whether a PLT-type model is likely to be adopted by an increasing number of players, like French mail-order company 3 Suisses did recently, Kamani is hedging his bets: "All I can say is that this model works well for us."

Sustainable development is also part of the equation. In April 2019, PLT introduced a line called Recycled, whose products are made from fabric offcuts and recycled plastic bottles, though it meant sacrificing the label's affordable price positioning. "As a label, we want to become more sustainable, do the right thing and contribute to a safer future for the planet. This means that we must turn our attention to a number of issues and aspects. But I think this is what everyone wants and expects from a label nowadays, ours included, especially the younger generations," Kamani said.

"We're targeting the whole planet"

In the 2018-19 financial year, sales for PLT grew by a staggering 107%, reaching €430 million (GBP374.4 million). Gross margin in the period was 56.6%, and the year was also marked by the deployment of a new chatbot, and new payment and returns functionalities. Above all, last year PLT deployed its eighth local website, the first non-Anglophone one, as a French version was added to the existing US, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, Irish and European versions of its international site. In parallel, to bolster PLT's development effort, the group relocated its huge warehouse in Sheffield, UK, extending over 57,000 m2 and staffed by about 1,200 people, the linchpin of the label's international expansion plans. Where is PLT heading to?

"We're targeting the whole planet," said Kamani, all smiles. "We now have a showroom in Manchester and one in London. We have also opened two showrooms in the USA, in Los Angeles and New York, and we have a presence in Dubai and Saudi Arabia. All the markets are promising. Wherever we go, it's especially interesting to listen to what the market has to say. We don't tweak the product range locally, it's the label as a whole that adapts, in order to fit in with local culture. For example, when we go to the USA, we adopt the same outlook of our local customers, in order to have a product range and an advertising style consistent with their values."

PrettyLittleThing

Globally, the average purchasing basket value for the e-commerce sector as a whole is declining, compensated by a greater purchasing frequency. This doesn't apply to PLT, which is expanding at pace, with some 5 million active customers, a 70% increase on an annual basis. PLT's average online purchasing basket is GBP 40.41, up 12% over the last financial year, and order frequency too is growing, up by 11.7% to an average of 2.84 orders, higher than the frequency observed at Boohoo and even Nasty Gal.

"Just five years ago, people were still extremely sceptical about buying fashion online, but this didn't prevent the market from expanding rapidly," said Kamani, adding that "in the last few years, people have become more and more confident, aware of the new opportunities that exist. Our sales are growing year after year, and I think this will continue to be the case in the future, if we'll be able to keep adapting to customer requirements."

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PrettyLittleThing keen to make its flamboyant fashion an international hit

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When Umar and Adam Kamani launched PrettyLittleThing in 2012, the label only featured accessories. Eight years later, PrettyLittleThing (PLT) has established itself as an iconic, affordable online ready-to-wear label in the UK and beyond. Its products and ethos are closely linked with social media, and PLT is keen on short-cycle collections, as well as having ambitious plans to conquer the world.

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You're probably tempted by cheap prices, but where do Shein clothes come from? Are they good quality items?

Any fashion lovers know that keeping up with the latest trends gets expensive very fast. When popular stores advertise new clothes at meager prices, it is only natural to get a little suspicious. Shein is one of those stores that rose to fame for promoting fashionable items at discount prices, and gathered attention from customers worldwide.

While the online store has a good enough reputation when it comes to your order actually arriving, its low prices do come with a catch. So why is Shein so cheap? Where does Shein ship from? And is Shein good quality?

Why Is Shein So Cheap?

Shein is a legit store to shop at, but there is a good reason why its clothes are so cheap. It may sound a little contradictory, but local clothing lines that operate domestically often cost more than items shipped from overseas. Working conditions and quality standards are not the same between nations.

In general, if you notice something is incredibly cheap, it makes sense to check the tags. More times than not, new products that are suspiciously cheap come from a wholesale factory located in another country. Like many other discount online retailers like Wish or Ali Express, Shein is no exception.

Where Is Shein Located and Where Do Shein Clothes Come From?

Some stores have headquarters in other countries while outsourcing their products from cheaper countries.

Shein is a very straightforward company that originated in China. While it has a base in China, this doesn't mean there is some physical store or chain of shops responsible for managing orders. Shein began as an online retailer that only has occasional pop-up locations around the world.

Because Shein is an online retailer, it has some more leeway with shipping. When Shein was starting, all orders shipped directly from China. Now that business is booming for the clothing giant, Shein established several warehouses around the world.

Although many items still ship directly from Chinese factories, many local places offer shorter waiting times for the same products.

It's important to note that these domestic warehouses do not make the clothes you purchase. Shein produces all its clothes in cheaper, overseas factories to keep its costs at a minimum. While this allows you to buy clothes at dirt-cheap prices, it poses an ethical dilemma. The working standards of Shein seamstresses are controversial.

The company pays workers significantly lower wages and offers fewer (or no) benefits compared to domestic workers. While it sounds duplicitous, this is not uncommon for clothing retailers at all.

Numerous famous companies experience criticism when someone uncovers connections with unethical production. It's the price society pays to save a quick buck, but moral dilemmas aren't the only problem associated with these "imported" items.

Is Shein Good Quality?

You get what you pay for, right? It is an incredibly relevant saying whenever conducting business with online retailers. You should not expect clothes you get through Shein to be top quality. They are inexpensive for a reason, but this does not mean they are a total rip-off.

Related: Is Shein a Legit Place to Shop At?

Sometimes, you end up with clothes that last for years. Other items lose their shape or color after a couple of trips through the washing machine. When looking for something on Shein, remember to pay close attention to reviews.

Should I Purchase Clothes From Shein?

Purchasing from Shein is a personal choice, and there are many factors to consider. While some have concerns over the Chinese company due to quality or ethical reasons, countless customers regularly flock back to the site.

Shein offers an inexpensive shopping experience, and customers may find it beneficial to stay informed about company practices.

5 Sites to Find Ethical Alternatives to Tech, Fashion, and Unfair Brands

It's time to make better choices in what we buy and consume. Here's how you can find ethical alternatives to anything.

About The Author

Brittni Devlin (24 Articles Published)

More From Brittni Devlin

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Where Does Shein Ship From and How Is it So Cheap?

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You're probably tempted by cheap prices, but where do Shein clothes come from? Are they good quality items? Any fashion lovers know that keeping up with the latest trends gets expensive very fast. When popular stores advertise new clothes at meager prices, it is only natural to get a little suspicious.

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Staff from one of Britain's leading online fashion retailers were physically attacked and chased out of a Leicester factory when they went to inspect it, a parliamentary committee has heard.

The claim was made by Paul Smith from Missguided, whose CEO Nitin Passi declined to give evidence to the Environmental Audit Committee hearing in Parliament.

The retailers have been called before parliament after the committee heard "shocking" evidence that the buying practices of some online retailers maybe forcing some manufacturers to pay garment workers illegally low wages.

The committee has also been looking at "fast" fashion's impact on the environment. An estimated 235 million items of clothing were sent to landfill in the UK last year.

When asked by committee chairwoman Mary Creagh MP what the factory, which provides garments to various retailers, could be hiding, Mr Smith said: "Underpayment of workers".

He told the committee that 30% of Missguided's production comes from Leicester, with 50% coming from China and the remaining products being made in Pakistan, Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria and Vietnam.

Mr Passi declined to appear before the committee, sending a message that they were "people trying to create a story and you are the bait".

The committee heard evidence from executives from big-name retailers like Burberry, M&S, Asos and popular online retailer Boohoo.

Boohoo chief executive Carol Kane was asked how they can make dresses in Leicester for as little as £4 and still pay the minimum wage to those making the garment?

She replied: "We have 80 dresses across 6,700 styles that are £5. It's a tiny, tiny amount of our collection. There are 60,000 styles for sale. We don't make any money, it's a loss leader and it drives people to our website."

During the hearing, concerns were also raised about the low-quality of some "fast fashion" garments and the excessive waste that this business model is generating.

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Online retailer Missguided claims its inspectors were chased out of factory

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Staff from one of Britain's leading online fashion retailers were physically attacked and chased out of a Leicester factory when they went to inspect it, a parliamentary committee has heard. The claim was made by Paul Smith from Missguided, whose CEO Nitin Passi declined to give evidence to the Environmental Audit Committee hearing in Parliament.

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The Petite White Cotton Racer Neck Crop Top. Head online and shop this season's range of petite at PrettyLittleThing. Express delivery available.

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Pack of 2 strappy tops. Available in multicolored, multicolored. Care for water: produced using less water. The use of closed cycles that allow water to be reused or technologies such as low bath ratio machines or mass dyeing help us to reduce water consumption in the processes of dyeing or washing…

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To find out about the Solid Racer Back Crop Sports Tank Top at SHEIN, part of our latest Women Sports Tees & Tanks ready to shop online today! Free Shipping On £35+✓ Free Return - 60 Days✓ 1000+ New Dropped Daily✓ Get £3 Off First Order!✓

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Missguided - White Crinkle Rib Racer Neck Crop Top

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White Crinkle Rib Racer Neck Crop Top. Order today & shop it like it's hot at Missguided.

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SHEIN about About Us. Free Shipping On £35+✓ Free Return - 45 Days✓ 1000+ New Dropped Daily✓ Get £3 Off First Order!✓

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high waisted faux leather trousers featuring a zip and button front and split hem detail.

regular fit Ankle Grazer - Sits on the ankle bone 100% Polyurethane noara wears a UK size 8 / EU size 36 / US size 4 and her height is 5'9"

product number: R9347803

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Missguided - Black Faux Leather Split Front Straight Leg Trousers

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high waisted faux leather trousers featuring a zip and button front and split hem detail. regular fit Ankle Grazer - Sits on the ankle bone 100% Polyurethane noara wears a UK size 8 / EU size 36 / US size 4 and her height is 5'9" product number: R9347803

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Faux leather flare trousers. Available in black.

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SHEIN PETITE Solid PU Leather Straight Leg Trousers

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To find out about the SHEIN PETITE Solid PU Leather Straight Leg Trousers at SHEIN, part of our latest Women Pants ready to shop online today! Free Shipping On £35+✓ Free Return - 60 Days✓ 1000+ New Dropped Daily✓ Get £3 Off First Order!✓

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Black Faux Leather Laced Up Detail Straight Leg Trousers

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The Black Faux Leather Laced Up Straight Leg Trousers. Head online and shop this season's range of trousers at PrettyLittleThing. Express delivery available.

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Shannon Cowling - Crowborough, England, United Kingdom | Professional Profile | LinkedIn

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View Shannon Cowling's profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. Shannon has 2 jobs listed on their profile. See the complete profile on LinkedIn and discover Shannon's connections and jobs at similar companies.

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SWOT & PEST from Brand Report.

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Taking this test I have found out I am an Entrepreneur. I did find the test accurate, maybe a few things I am 50/50. But I did enjoy sharing with the class our results.

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Intuitive (N) and Thinking (T) personality types, known for their rationality, impartiality, and intellectual excellence.

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The Group & I are on the Asos Buying Team. We place around 100,000 units per year but have lost a denim supplier this year we might increase this to 150,000. We paid £8 for 300 units & sold the jeans at £32. Jeans have been selling 100% Cotton but to save money we are using blended Cotton & Polyester.
Reordering 5000 units. Selling them at £30 . To maintain margin we need to pay £7.50 for this reorder.
Preferably to leave the factory in 8 weeks.
30- (7.50x1.2)/30=
30- 9= 21
21/ 30= 0.7
0.7x100= 70%

Meeting:
Suppliers; Sham & Emily
Buyers; Phoebe & Liv
Negotiating with fabrics 99% Cotton 1% Polyester
Provide with 6,000 units for £8
Buyers offered 6000 units for £6
Suppliers offered 100% Cotton 3000 units £7.60 9 weeks
Suppliers offered 99% Cotton 5000 units £7.60 8 weeks
Suppliers pushing 2000 extra units
AGREED £7.45 9 WEEKS 99% COTTON 1% POLYESTER 5000 UNITS

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This is my E-Mail as a Buyer writing to The Supplier Teams about the deal that took place with details.

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This is my Pulse Strength Questionnaire.
The questions I got asked, showed how much confidence I am lacking. You can see this in my score. I do want to improve my skills & gain confidence.

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Individual Skill Assessment; Personality Insight Test

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Individual Skill Assessment; Personality Insight Test

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This is a skill assessment about Strengths & Weaknesses. I have more strengths than weaknesses which I am surprised about. My weaknesses I would like to work on & improve.

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© Access UK Ltd. Privacy |
Cookies |
Terms

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This is my Cover Letter to Bershka HR Manager. I have explained my background of experience, education & why I'm interested in this role of a BAA

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I found the recording to be nerve wracking. My mind went blank & didn't know what to say. I had to write down my answers & be aware to not say "um" even though I did once or twice. I did find it good practice for when I go for a real interview.

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This is an update of my CV

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Here I have created a small presentation on How & Why I would apply for a job role. The presentation includes details of what the job role brings, & what websites to apply on.

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A resource of how the Trend trickled up into becoming Mainstream.

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2021 is the year of hope. With lockdown easing and us being out and about again, everyone is trying to get that Vitamin D. And this is why subversive basics are THE new micro-trend of 2021. Being partly naked highlights how skin-to-skin contact deprived we are. The beauty about this look is that it can be as subtle or as sultry as you like; a real spectrum on how to do it. On the (w)hole though, it's about the suggestion of skin and feeling empowered.

Subversive basics are tank tops, trousers and bodysuits and other fashion staples. The minimal but yet revealing garments tend to have asymmetrical cut-outs and most designers stick to neutral tones and simple fabrics. Cut-outs, keyholes and sheers are buzz words when shopping online for the style.

I first heard about the trend through TikTok influencer and Teen Vogue approved trend researcher Agustina Panzoni. She highlights smaller brands in her videos. "Fashion media started calling out cut-outs and sheers and deconstructed pieces. I had forecasted those earlier but also saw a narrative that united them. It's already on the runway and getting bigger! I see it for both spring-summer and winter," Panzoni analyses.

American-Venezuelan designer Clarissa Larrazabal has taken up this trend and deconstructed the bodysuit and transformed it into a subversive basic. The concept was very personal to her and she decided to deconstruct femininity. "I wanted to find a way to desexualise the female body but still empower the woman to the sounds like you can wear whatever you want, but you work for yourself," Larrazabal states. All of the fabrics are locally sourced from Venezuela, Larrazabal's home country.

The trend, however, is not just limited to women. Browsing through Grindr, I came across queer men embracing the trend. In contrast to Larrazabal's statement, this style seems to be more sexualised on the male body. I reached out to Zac Brind, womenswear student at LCF, on Grindr. His profile picture in a white Salt Murphy Cotton Tank stood out. He shared that he feels sexy when he wears his subversive tank-top, but it does make him self-conscious to wear it out. "A lot of straight people will stare, and I will feel uncomfortable. When I am around my friends, then obviously, I will be fine with that," he says.

This highlights how intimate this garment can be. You are showcasing parts of your body that normally don't see the light of day and this can be anxiety inducing. Women on the other hand, may be more used to the scrutiny of being judged for their fashion sense. Larrazabal aimed to create pieces that shield women from the male gaze and sexualisation. This contrast between utilising the garment as a tool of seduction and actively desexualising the body will create polarising opinions about this trend and eventually push it into the mainstream.

But take it easy and slowly ease your way into this trend. Try subversive basics with shoulder cut-outs first. This is also quite handy for easy access for your vaccine appointment. You want to wear an immeasurable outfit for this iconic moment of history. Once you have the confidence, show other parts of your body, the ones you never show off. Panzoni sums it up, "Wear subversive basics wherever you like." And if you feel adventurous, watch Muse's TikTok tutorial and try to create your own subversive basics!

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The rise of the subversive basic - Shift London

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2021 is the year of hope. With lockdown easing and us being out and about again, everyone is trying to get that Vitamin D. And this is why subversive basics are THE new micro-trend of 2021. Being partly naked highlights how skin-to-skin contact deprived we are.

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My Range Plan is Polyester mostly, I looked into Polyester Sustainability and found alternatives for my collection.

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Nearly half of the world's clothing is made of polyester and Greenpeace forecasts this amount to nearly double by 2030. Why? The athleisure trend if one of the main reasons behind it: an increasing number of consumers are look for stretchier, more resistant garments. The problem is, polyester is not a sustainable textile option, as it is made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the most common type of plastic in the world. In short, the majority of our clothes come from crude oil, while the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is calling for drastic actions to keep the world's temperature to a maximum of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels.

One year ago, the non-profit organization Textile Exchange challenged over 50 textile, apparel and retail companies (including giants like Adidas, H&M, Gap and Ikea) to increase their use of recycled polyester by 25 percent by 2020. It worked: last month, the organization issued a statement celebrating that signatories have not only met the goal two years before the deadline, they have actually exceeded it by upping their use of recycled polyester by 36 percent. In addition, twelve more companies have pledged to join the challenge this year. The organization forecasts 20 percent of all polyester to be recycled by 2030.

Recycled polyester, also known as rPET, is obtained by melting down existing plastic and re-spinning it into new polyester fiber. While much attention is given to rPET made from plastic bottles and containers thrown away by consumers, in reality polyethylene terephthalate can be recycled from both post-industrial and post-consumer input materials. But, just to give an example, five soda bottles yield enough fiber for one extra large T-shirt.

Although recycling plastic sounds like an indisputable good idea, rPET's celebration is far from being a unanimity in the sustainable fashion community. FashionUnited has gathered the main arguments from both sides.

Recycled polyester: the pros

1. Keeping plastics from going to landfill and the ocean - Recycled polyester gives a second life to a material that's not biodegradable and would otherwise end up in landfill or the ocean. According to the NGO Ocean Conservancy, 8 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean every year, on top of the estimated 150 million metric tons that currently circulate in marine environments. If we keep this pace, by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. Plastic has been found in 60 percent of all seabirds and 100 percent of all sea turtle species, because they mistake plastic for food.

As for landfill, the United States Environmental Protection Agency reported that the country's landfills received 26 million tons of plastic in 2015 alone. The EU estimates the same amount to be generated yearly by its members. Clothes are undoubtedly a big part of the problem: in the UK, a report by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) estimated that about 140 million pounds worth of clothes end up in landfills each year. "Taking plastic waste and turning it into a useful material is very important for humans and our environment," said Karla Magruder, Board Member of Textile Exchange, in an email to FashionUnited.

2. rPET is just as good as virgin polyester, but takes less resources to make - Recycled polyester is almost the same as virgin polyester in terms of quality, but its production requires 59 percent less energy compared to virgin polyester, according to a 2017 study by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment. WRAP estimates rPET's production to reduce CO2 emissions by 32 percent in comparison to regular polyester. "If you look at life cycle assessments, rPET scores significantly better than virgin PET," adds Magruder.

In addition, recycled polyester can contribute to reduce the extraction of crude oil and natural gas from the Earth to make more plastic. "Using recycled polyester lessens our dependence on petroleum as a source of raw materials," says the website of outdoor brand Patagonia, best known for making fleece from used soda bottles, unusable manufacturing waste and worn-out garments. "It curbs discards, thereby prolonging landfill life and reducing toxic emissions from incinerators. It also helps to promote new recycling streams for polyester clothing that is no longer wearable," adds the label.

"Because polyester accounts for approximately 60 percent of the world's production of PET -- about twice what's used in plastic bottles -- developing a non-virgin supply chain for polyester fiber has the potential to massively impact global energy and resource requirements," argues American apparel brand Nau, also known for prioritizing sustainable fabric options.
Allbirds, the footwear brand known for making shoes with sustainable materials, uses shoelaces made of recycled plastic bottles
Recycled polyester: the cons

1. Recycling has its limitations - Many garments are not made from polyester alone, but rather from a blend of polyester and other materials. In that case, it is more difficult, if not impossible, to recycle them. "In some cases, it is technically possible, for example blends with polyester and cotton. But it is still at the pilot level. The challenge is to find processes that can be scaled up properly and we're not there yet," said Magruder to Suston Magazine last year. Certain laminations and finishings applied to the fabrics can also render them unrecyclable.

Even clothes that are 100 percent polyester can't be recycled forever. There are two ways to recycle PET: mechanically and chemically. "Mechanical recycling is taking a plastic bottle, washing it, shredding it and then turning it back into a polyester chip, which then goes through the traditional fiber making process. Chemical recycling is taking a waste plastic product and returning it to its original monomers, which are indistinguishable from virgin polyester. Those can then go back into the regular polyester manufacturing system," explained Magruder to FashionUnited. Most rPET is obtained through mechanical recycling, as it is the cheapest of the two processes and requires no chemicals other than the detergents needed to clean the input materials. However, "through this process, the fibre can lose its strength and thus needs to be mixed with virgin fibre," notes the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment.

"Most people believe that plastics can be infinitely recycled, but each time plastic is heated it degenerates, so the subsequent iteration of the polymer is degraded and the plastic must be used to make lower quality products," said Patty Grossman, co-founder of Two Sisters Ecotextiles, in an email to FashionUnited. Textile Exchange, however, states on its website that rPET can be recycled for many years: "garments from recycled polyester aim to be continuously recycled without degradation of quality", wrote the organization, adding that the polyester garment cycle has the potential to become "a closed loop system" someday.

Those following Grossman's line of thought argue that the world should produce and consume less plastic in general. If the public believes everything they throw away can be recycled, they will probably see no problem in continuing to consume disposable plastic goods. Unfortunately, only a small portion of the plastic we use gets recycled. In the United States, a mere 9 percent of all plastics were recycled in 2015, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Those calling for a less celebratory view of rPET defend that fashion brands and shoppers should be encouraged to favor natural fibers as much as possible. After all, even though rPET takes 59 percent less energy to produce than virgin polyester, it still requires more energy than hemp, wool and both organic and regular cotton, according to a 2010 report from the Stockholm Environment Institute.

2. The process of recycling PET impacts the environment, too - According to Grossman, another issue concerning the recycling process of polyester is that the chips generated by mechanical recycling can vary in color: some turn out crispy white, while others are creamy yellow, making color consistency difficult to achieve. "Some dyers find it hard to get a white, so they're using chlorine-based bleaches to whiten the base," she explains. "Inconsistency of dye uptake makes it hard to get good batch-to-batch color consistency and this can lead to high levels of re-dyeing, which requires high water, energy and chemical use."

Moreover, some studies suggest that PET bottles leach antimony, a substance "known to be cancer causing," in the words of Textile Exchange on its website. Antimony oxide is typically used as a catalyst in the process of making PET bottles and polyester. Health agencies around the world say there is no reason for concern, as quantities are too small to be considered toxic (500 mg/kg PET). Even so, Textile Exchange names "finding substitutions for antimony" as one of rPET's "challenges".

There is also an academic debate concerning the calculation of CO2 emissions in the comparison between virgin polyester and rPET "because the impact of the fiber's first life is not included in the overall environmental assessment of recycled fibers. If it would, results would differ," according to the report from the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment.

3. Recycled polyester releases microplastics - Last but not least, some counter argue the affirmation that rPET keeps plastic from reaching the ocean. It still does, as man-made fabrics can release microscopic plastic fibers -- the infamous microplastics. According to a recent study from Plymouth University, in the UK, each cycle of a washing machine can release more than 700,000 plastic fibers into the environment. A paper published in 2011 in the journal Environmental Science Technology found that microfibers made up 85 percent of human-made debris on shorelines around the world. It doesn't matter if garments are from virgin or recycled polyester, they both contribute to microplastics pollution.

Pictures: Everlane Facebook, Pixabay, Allbirds Facebook

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IN DEPTHAbout 49 percent of the world's clothing is made of polyester and Greenpeace forecasts this percentage to nearly double by 2030, since the athleisur

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Information on what manufacturers are cheap for production.

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This article is for streetwear brands and clothing startups who want to get more information about clothing manufacturing options around the world.

We are going to list the pros and cons of clothing manufacturers and suppliers in different countries to help you choose the right country for your needs.
Where are the cheapest clothing manufacturers? The short answer is that the Cheapest clothing manufacturers are in Bangladesh where printed t-shirts cost as low as $1, a pair of denim jeans cost as low as $5.
However, there is more to the story than just cheap prices. Keep reading and we will talk about the advantages and disadvantages of clothing manufacturers and suppliers in different countries.

You as a brand need to define your criteria first.

What style of clothing do you need?

Do you need custom designs?

Do you need blanks?

Do you need cut and sew?

How many pieces of garments do you plan to order for each style?

Is sustainable sourcing part of your agenda?

c. Quality control and sampling

The end goal and requirement of your brands such as designs, style of clothing, MOQ, sustainability, availability of machinery, skilled labor, low labor costs, and infrastructure play an important role in choosing the right country.

61% of clothing importers source their products from Vietnam, India, Bangladesh, China, and Pakistan.

China is the most preferred country by brands at 21%. Low labor cost is a key factor while choosing a supplier however quality, lead time, infrastructure, equipment, and the number of skilled workers outweigh lower labor costs.
If you don't feel like reading the whole article, here is a table for you to scan quickly:

China
Wholesale Suppliers, Very Low MOQ For Private Label, More Options And Styles, Short Lead Times, Cheap air shipments

Higher Prices compared to other countries, Language Barriers

Pakistan
Specializes in Cheap real leather garments, uniforms for martial arts, Genuine Suppliers are willing to work with the buyer

Limited Options For Low Moq, Quality Control is poor, More Active Involvement Required By Buyers, Very Long Lead Times, Limited Payment Options, No Wholesale Options, Social Compliance Issues

India
No Language Barriers, Better availability of raw materials, State of the art machinery

Higher MOQ, No wholesale private label options, Social compliance issues

Bangladesh
Cheap Denim, Cheap T-Shirts And Basic Garments

Higher MOQ, Lower Quality, Longer Production Lead Time, No Wholesale, Social Compliance Issues

Vietnam
Shorter Lead times, Better infrastructure only 2 nd to China, Many Chinese suppliers have factories there, Better availability of raw materials due to proximity to China

Language Barrier, Harder to find suppliers with low MOQ

Garment Sourcing Countries

China

China is the largest manufacturer and exporter of clothes in the world with an export turnover of more than $266.41 billion.

What makes China the largest manufacturer and exporter is the various qualities of raw materials it offers, industrial infrastructure, low production costs, state of the art machinery, and massive investments in R&D to increase efficiency and increase production.

There are a total of six sub-industries in China that fall under the textile industry i.e. wool textile and dyeing finishing industry, chemical fiber, cotton, textile printing & dyeing finishing industry, silk textile & finishing industry, and linen textile.

China accounts for more than half of the total exports in the global market.

China is gradually shifting from labor-intensive clothes manufacturing towards high tech manufacturing according to its "Made in China 2025" initiative. The Chinese clothes manufacturing sector is focusing on innovation and advancements in fields such as robotics, AI to increase their production capacity and reduce their production cost to hold a dominant position in the clothing market.

China is progressing rapidly and therefore its wage growth is making it less favorable for companies to keep their production units there. Companies are slowly moving their production units to less developed countries as the minimum wage is lower over there as compared to China.

Shanghai has the highest monthly minimum wage of 2,300 RMB (338 USD). Rates are similar in other big cities such as Shenzhen and Beijing. Wages in cities situated in smaller provinces are as low as 1,000 RMB (150 USD).

However, this amount is still much higher than the minimum wage limit present in other less developed countries such as India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, etc.

The Chinese Government is giving incentives to clothing manufacturers to move their manufacturing units to cheaper provinces in Western and Central China. The government has invested $8 billion in its Xinjiang Province which is known for its cotton.

This would help catch the interest of apparel and textile companies. Moreover, the Chinese government has also offered rent & power subsidies and tax benefits to ensure that the revenue generated by the manufacturers is higher than the costs incurred.

Some garment manufacturers in China have started to invest more capital into technical garments known as "techwear" which are made from special fabrics, knitting, and designs to provide comfort, liquid resistance, breathability, etc. This niche market is ensuring higher profit margins which in return is countering the increase in labor costs in China.

Despite the increase in labor costs, a large skilled labor force has allowed China to keep hold of its competitive advantage and market share. China got a score of 4.4 in 2016 out of 1-7 in the burden of the customer's procedure.

They got a score of 3.90 out of 1-5 for timeliness of shipments which depicts how efficient Chinas logistical infrastructure is which ensures timely shipments worldwide. And they scored 4.5 out of 1-7 for quality of overall infrastructure. These metrics make it clear that China has better infrastructure development as compared to other top garment manufacturing countries such as India, Pakistan, Vietnam, and Bangladesh.

Reduced transportation time to port, faster processing for customs, and rare power shortages make China ideal for importing clothes. Chinese manufacturers generally offer lower lead times and provide quality products depending on the amount you are willing to pay.

China has widespread high-speed rail networks that allow quick transportation to and from factories. Therefore inspections and audits are conducted far more quickly as compared to countries with poor transportation infrastructure.

Bangladesh

Low labor costs and a large workforce is what makes Bangladesh attractive for importing apparel at reduced prices. Bangladesh not only manufactures apparel products at lower prices but also makes use of high-end machinery to provide high-quality products that have caught the attention of large international retail brands.

Bangladesh has a turnover of more than 40 billion. They have vertical capacities that allow brands to ensure coordination and better transparency in their supply chain. The country is especially attractive for manufacturing and importing products in bulk orders.

As the apparel industry is a labor-intensive manufacturing sector therefore companies set up their production units in regions and countries which incur the lowest labor costs while making sure their processes run smoothly and efficiently.

Bangladesh provides the lowest wages out of all the major garment manufacturing countries in the world. The minimum monthly wage for garment workers in Bangladesh is 5,300 taka or 65 USD.

These rates have been put forward by the government on a national and local scale. However many manufacturers offer wages lower than 65 USD. Although Bangladesh has lower labor costs it lacks skilled labor which is needed in the garment manufacturing industry. 79% of Bangladesh's total exports consist of trousers, sweaters, jackets, shirts, and t-shirts. Due to a lack of skilled labor forces, they are unable to manufacture high-end garments and diversify their production.

If you are looking for lower production costs then Bangladesh is the place for you. However, lower production costs relate to the poor economic development which points towards the poor logistical infrastructure of the country. In 2013 Rana Plaza collapsed, factory fires also happen frequently.

In 2013 reports indicated that there was more than one factory fire per week in Bangladesh. They have poor social compliance and safety requirements which pose a threat to importers regarding the loss of products. Retailers like Target, JC Penny, and Walmart have already signed commitments to bring change to Bangladesh's fire safety requirements and social compliance for factories.

If you plan on manufacturing or importing large quantities of garment products from Bangladesh, then you are likely to face pressure to monitor social compliance and set Corrective Action Plans to improve the factory conditions.

In Bangladesh, there are social compliance and fire safety issues due to poor government enforcement and lax building regulations. Bangladesh ranked at 3.3 out of a range of 1-7 for the burden of customers procedures, 2.90 out of 1-5 for timeliness of shipments and 2.8 out of 1-7 for quality of overall infrastructure which makes it clear that the economic development and infrastructure for industries is worse in Bangladesh as compared to other top garment manufacturing countries such as China, Pakistan, India, Vietnam. It takes longer to conduct audits and inspections due to poor transportation facilities.

Read our full article on clothing manufacturers in Bangladesh

Pakistan

Pakistan is also one of the top garment manufacturers in the world which specializes in cheap leather products and garments. Amongst textile products garments are the main export revenue earners for Pakistan. In 2017 Pakistan exported $5 billion worth of garments which consisted of $2.52 billion knitwear and $2.47 billion woven garments.

The textile industry in Pakistan has a 21% share in large scale manufacturing, a 60% share in national exports, and a 25% share in industrial value addition. However, Pakistan falls behind its competitors in terms of global market share.

In 2017 its market share was only 1.10% as compared to 3.81% of India, 5.94% of Vietnam, 7.66% of Bangladesh, and 32.06% of China. Pakistan has a narrow export base and due to the lack of a skilled labor force, this narrow export base is inclined towards the production of low value-added items such as trousers, shirts, etc.

Pakistan lacks the machinery and the expertise to manufacture man-made fibers which is the top demand in present times. They lack diversification of production and diversification of export destinations. 88% of the garments are exported to the USA and Europe.

Although labor costs are low in Pakistan and provide an ideal reason to importers to import their garments from Pakistan if they are sensitive to labor costs. However, Pakistan faces lower productivity and higher production costs due to large import duty on cotton & MMF, minimum wage, and high energy tariffs. Pakistan has to deal with unfavorable tariffs such as ASEAN which reduces market access.

Pakistan's currency was also overvalued which made exports less competitive against Vietnam, Bangladesh, India, and China. Moreover, Pakistan has fewer payment options, limited options for low MOQ, and no wholesale options. There is a delay in payment of government announced tax refunds and slow technology adoption.

Importers also face issues with social compliance and fire safety in Pakistan due to poor government enforcement and lax building regulations.

Read our full article on clothing manufacturers in Pakistan

Pakistan has weak transportation and logistical infrastructure which leads to longer lead times, more time taken to conduct audits & inspections, and low-quality products.

India

India is one of the largest apparel manufacturer and exporter in the world. India's garment industry is divided into the unorganized and organized sector. The organized sector makes use of high-end machinery and production process to achieve economies of scale.

The unorganized sector consists of small scale producers who make use of traditional tools and methods such as handloom, handicraft, and sericulture to manufacture garments. India has an export turnover of more than $38 billion.

India is China's major potential competitor due to its large workforce which is second only to China's. Although India's large labor force results in significantly lower labor costs but factors such as labor productivity and infrastructure development make it a less favorable option as compared to China. India's labor force productivity (514) is almost half of China's labor force productivity (908).

China has a higher per-capita GDP as compared to India which translates to higher labor productivity in China. Lower Productivity results in longer lead time which is another major turn off for manufacturers while choosing between China and India.

A major obstacle for garment importers has been the dispersed local government policies that vary from region to region within the country.

India is lowering entry barriers, reducing documents required for customs clearance, and has introduced electronic submissions to reduce the active involvement of importers. In India, there is a disparity in the national minimum wage.

About 80% of the workers in India are employed in the informal economy and are paid much lower wages as compared to the average minimum wage in the nation. India ranks at 4.6 out of a range from 1-7 for the burden on customers procedure, 3.74 out of 1-5 for timeliness of shipments, and 4.5 out of 1-7 for quality of overall infrastructure.

These numbers make it clear that India is only second to China in the garment manufacturing industry. The transportation infrastructure in India is still not at par with that of China which increases the delivery time and time taken to conduct audits and inspections at factories.

Vietnam

The garment industry of Vietnam offers diversified supply chains, lower labor costs, and focus on increasing value addition, modernization, and specialization. Vietnam has an export turnover of more than $37.93 billion.

Vietnam is amongst the top 4 global garment exporters. Its industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10.82% during 2018-2023. The major factor for this much increase is its increased exports to Japan, South Korea, Europe, and the USA combined with lower labor costs.

The garment segment accounts for more than 50% of the total export revenue earned by Vietnam's textile industry and accounts for 70% of total apparel. The textile sector with Cut, Make, Trim being its main method accounts for 85% of total export revenue.

According to the World Economic Forum, the Human Capital Index ranks Vietnam's human capital at 68.39 which is above China (67.81) based on knowledge and skills present in individuals to create economic value.

Vietnam has better infrastructure development and performs better than Bangladesh and India in terms of ease of doing business. Although its labor costs are higher than that of Bangladesh but its stable and uniform economic policies and focus on specialization and modernization to improve international trade makes it a much favorable option.

Due to lower labor costs, many Taiwanese factories have shifted to Vietnam from China to lower their labor costs. However, the lower quality of raw materials is an issue that leads manufacturers to import fabric from China and then manufacture it in Vietnam because of the closeness of the two countries which makes it convenient.

Vietnam lacks the national minimum wage due to the regional differences in economic development. In 2016 the minimum monthly wage ranges from $116-166.

Vietnam ranked 3.5 out of 1-7 for the burden of customers procedure, 3.50 out of 1-5 for timeliness of shipments, and 3.6 for quality of overall infrastructure. Due to lesser infrastructure development as compared to China, there are longer lead times and it takes longer to conduct audits and inspections at factories.

As a sourcing agent, We can help you manage the orders from the factory floor to you. We can help you in sourcing from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and China.

We will provide you with:

a. Multiple supplier quotes, negotiation and lower MOQs

b. Product Specification management

c. Quality control and sampling

d. Shipments to your choice of location

Use the form below to get in touch

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Where Are The Cheapest Clothing Manufacturers?

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This article is for streetwear brands and clothing startups who want to get more information about clothing manufacturing options around the world. We are going to list the pros and cons of clothing manufacturers and suppliers in different countries to help you choose the right country for your needs.

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2 The social cost of our clothes

Social impact of garment production
Key facts & figures on the social cost of our clothes
Most of the garments sold in the UK are produced in Asian countries.

Over 90% of workers in the global garment industry have no possibility to negotiate their wages and conditions, according to the global trade union IndustriALL.

Leicester has the second highest concentration of textile manufacturers in the country with 700 factories employing 10,000 textile workers.

Written evidence from HMRC shows that UK-based garment factory owners have been forced to pay out almost £90,000 to employees for non-payment of minimum wage.

28. This pressure on suppliers to offer unrealistically low prices was also recognised by manufacturers. UK factory owner and chairman of the Textile Manufacturer Association of Leicestershire, Saeed Khliji, has been quoted as saying:

Union representation Vs Corporate Social Responsibility

29. Garment workers' access to trade union representation is low according to IndustriALL. In many garment producing countries, collective bargaining structures are weak or absent: over 90% of workers in the global garment industry have no possibility to negotiate their wages and conditions and so are not able to claim a fair share of the value that they generate. IndustriALL argues that collective bargaining at industry level is 'the missing mechanism' which would enable significant progress to be made towards living wages for garment workers. It argues that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes have failed to address the problems of poor working conditions and low pay in the garment industry. It says that CSR programs rely largely on auditing and compliance to attempt to improve conditions in the factories that produce for them:

Cheap clothing

30. We asked fast fashion retailers how they could pay workers decent wages while charging such low prices. Paul Lister of Primark said that its business model enabled it to sell T-shirts for £2 and still make a profit:

That is a question that is often put to us. I think it is because our business model is slightly different from perhaps others. We do no advertising. You will have seen no billboards, no television advertising. Primark has never done any significant advertising at all. That can save us, in any year, £100 million to £150 million compared to some of our larger rivals. That goes straight into price, so that keeps our pricing low.

With our arrangements with our factory, we often buy on longer lead times, in quiet periods for the factories, and then we pay the factories early. If you are a factory owner, you will be able to give Primark a better price to reflect that. Then from the factory through to the store, we keep our costs to the absolute minimum and in the store our margins are very tight. Our published margins are between 9% and 12%. It is our business model that takes us to the £2 T-shirts.

Reshoring production

31. After significant decline in recent decades, the UK garment manufacturing industry has experienced renewed growth recently as retailers have commenced or increased sourcing from UK suppliers. In some cases, this is for ethical reasons, such as Huit Denim setting up in Cardigan or Phoebe English producing her clothes where she can oversee production in the UK (both of whom gave evidence at our hearing at the V&A museum). In other cases, clothing production has been 'reshored' to small garment factories in the UK because of their ability to rapidly supply 'fast fashion' retailers like ASOS, Boohoo and Missguided. This presents opportunities for regional economies as it can offer local garment manufacturers entry points into global value chains as well as employment opportunities for communities. However, we also heard concerns about working conditions and illegally low pay in the garment manufacturing hub of Leicester.

Labour exploitation in UK garment factories

33. A study by the University of Leicester in 2015, commissioned by the Ethical Trading Initiative, examined concerns relating to both registered factories and smaller unregulated production units in Leicester. The study concluded the majority of the city's garment workers were paid below the National Minimum Wage, do not have employment contracts, and are subject to intense and arbitrary work practices. Workers' rights issues included excessive working hours, night shift subcontracting and poor health and safety conditions in the workplace. We received anonymous evidence from a former employee at an online retailer who visited a factory in Leicester where the fire door was padlocked shut. Leicester has also been identified as a hotspot for human trafficking by the Stop the Traffick coalition's Centre for Intelligence-Led Prevention (CfILP). Stop the Traffick found abuse in the garment industry among other sectors.

National Minimum Wage

34. The National Minimum Wage (NMW) was introduced in 1999 and is currently £7.83 for workers over 25. In April 2019 this will increase to £8.21. HMRC enforces the NMW in line with the law and policy set out by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). In 2018, journalist Sarah O'Connor carried out an investigation for the FT newspaper which revealed how small garment factories in Leicester supplying British online retailers were not paying the minimum wage. At our first hearing she told us:

35. We heard that the buying practices of some online fashion retailers may be putting UK clothing manufacturers in the position where they can only afford to pay garment workers illegally low wages. Sarah O'Connor described how 'buyers' for the retailer play suppliers off against each other to drive down costs:

36. We wrote to the Chief Executives of Amazon, Boohoo, Missguided, and ASOS following Sarah O'Connor's testimony at our first hearing in October. We also invited Chief Executives from ASOS, Boohoo and Misguided to parliament to discuss the situation in Leicester and concerns about the low quality of some 'fast fashion' garments and the excessive waste that this business model is generating. Responding to allegations raised at our first hearing, Boohoo Group's co-founder and joint Chief Executive Carol Kane admitted that negotiations were carried out in front of other suppliers, but denied that manufacturers were played off against each other. She told us:

38. Missguided said that since signing up to the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) it had 'consolidated' the number of factories producing its goods in Leicester from 80 to 11. The budget retailer's Head of Product Quality & Supply, Paul Smith, said that two members of the Missguided team had been threatened and physically assaulted by factory owners in Leicester in the past 18 months. We asked why they had been assaulted:

39. When asked what he thought they were hiding, he said:

The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) is an alliance of companies, trade unions and NGOs that promotes respect for workers' rights around the globe. All corporate members of ETI agree to adopt the ETI Base Code of labour practice, which is based on the standards of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). ETI works out the most effective steps companies can take to implement the Base Code in their supply chains. ETI's website says that member companies report annually on their efforts and the results they are achieving at factory level. ETI says that it expects companies to improve their ethical trade performance over time, and that it has 'a robust disciplinary procedure for companies that fail to make sufficient progress or to honour their membership obligations.' ETI has established a collaborative company-led programme to improve legal and ethical labour standards in suppliers' factories called Fast Forward, which combines auditing techniques and a worker helpline.

41. When we pressed Carol Kane on why Boohoo Group would not sign up to the ETI, Ms Kane replied:

Demonstrate a clear commitment to ethical trade;

Integrate ethical trade into their core business practices;

Drive year-on-year improvements in working conditions;

Support suppliers to improve working conditions e.g. through advice and training;

Provide remedy if they have caused or contributed to a breach in workers' rights;

Report openly and accurately about their activities.

43. We also asked Ms Kane whether Boohoo recognised trade unions. She told us that Boohoo would recognise a union 'if the workers would like it' but that 'there does not currently appear to be a demand for our workers in our Burnley warehouse to require a union.' Following the evidence session this was contradicted by written evidence from the union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw), contesting Boohoo's statements. This included evidence of 23 recruitment and awareness activities, dating back to January 2017, for Boohoo's Burnley staff and written communications from Usdaw to Carol Kane and Boohoo's HR Director asking to secure union recognition for Boohoo workers:

Labour Market Enforcement

45. The British Retail Consortium argued that there should be more proactive labour law enforcement from Government agencies in the UK garment manufacturing sector in order to give retailers the confidence to source more products from UK factories. It suggested that licensing could be used to tackle poor working conditions in UK factories.

48. At our hearing with Ministers, it was revealed that a 'week of action' had taken place in September 2018 where the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), alongside Leicester Police, HMRC and the Health and Safety Executive, visited 28 textile factories in Leicester. Kelly Tolhurst, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, refused to give the details of the enforcement action that had been taken. However, Janet Alexander from HMRC confirmed that 14 premises are under further investigation and that it is taking forward some national minimum wage cases. Two cases have been referred to the GLAA.

Enforcing labour market law in UK garment factories

49. We were shocked by the treatment of Missguided's auditors. If this is how factory owners treat potential customers, we dread to think of the conditions endured by their workers.

50. 'Made in the UK' should mean workers are paid at least the minimum wage in a safe workspace. It is unacceptable that some workers in the UK making clothes for fast fashion retailers are not paid the minimum wage and are suffering serious breaches of health and safety law in their workplaces. We support calls from the Director of Labour Market Enforcement for a more proactive approach to the enforcement of the national minimum wage. HMRC's National Minimum Wage team needs greater resourcing in order to increase their inspection and detection work. We also recommend that Boohoo engage with Usdaw as a priority and recognise unions for its workers. We recommend that textile retailers operating internationally follow the example of Asos, H&M, Esprit and Inditex in signing up to Global Framework Agreements. These put in place the highest standards of trade union rights, health, safety and environmental practices, across the retailers' global operations, regardless of local country standards.

Forced labour in fashion supply chains

52. Anti-Slavery International campaigner Kate Elsayed-Ali also highlighted the Sumangali system practiced in India to illustrate the often 'gendered' nature of forced and child labour in fashion supply chains:

53. In written evidence Burberry said that it refuses to source from countries if it considers labour and environmental rights to fall below Burberry's standards, particularly if there are concerns around modern slavery. These countries include: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Cambodia and Myanmar. Burberry stated that the list is reviewed in collaboration with its supply chain team.

Transparency

55. Dr Sumner argued that legislation requiring greater transparency would have a major impact in driving positive change. He says:

Modern Slavery Act

56. In 2014 the Home Office introduced the Modern Slavery Strategy to tackle slavery, servitude, forced labour and human trafficking, and in 2015 Parliament passed the Modern Slavery Act. The Transparency in Supply Chains clause in the Act requires companies with a turnover of more than £36 million to produce a statement on slavery and human trafficking each year setting out the steps the organisation has taken to ensure that modern slavery is not taking place in their business or supply chain, including if the organisation has taken no steps.

57. The Government says that the Act has increased transparency in supply chains. However, concerns have been raised by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that the Government does not monitor whether statements made under the Modern Slavery Act comply with the legislation and has never used its powers to penalise companies that do not comply. PAC reported that as of October 2017, the Modern Slavery Registry (produced by the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre) held around 3,000 statements out of an estimated 9,000-11,000 businesses that the Department estimates the legislation applies to.

58. The Home Office Minister Victoria Atkins MP was unable to tell us how many of the UK's major fashion retailers have already completed modern slavery statements:

In terms of companies that have reported: we know that around 60% of businesses that we believe to be within scope have put up statements; 60% of companies in total. I do not have the breakdown for fashion companies because one of the difficulties, and not just in this exercise-it applies to the exercise that required companies to issue their gender pay gap-is that people assume that there is some giant Government database of companies that fall within these scopes and there isn't. There has been a great deal of work in the modern slavery sphere, but also in the gender pay gap sphere, to try to find the companies that are in scope for this legislation and from there make it clear that they should comply.

We were concerned that only 60%-although it is more than half; frankly, it should be 100%-have complied with their requirements under section 54. Last month my Department wrote to around 17,000 businesses to ask them, first, to confirm that they are in scope under section 54 and secondly, if they have not already put up statements that they should do so by 31 March next year, and then also inviting them to sign up to a database whereby we can share information and guidance as to good practice. I am pleased to say, around 2,500 businesses that we have written to have signed up to that database.

The Companies Act 2006 requires that a statement be made on human rights issues in a company's Annual Report only 'where necessary for an understanding of the development, performance or position of the company's business.' The Companies Act 2006 does not mention supply chains or modern slavery. This means it is the choice of the business what policies are relevant and what detail necessary when reporting on human rights issues within its operations. This system lacks accountability and places too much reliance on companies to self-disclose.

59. Ongoing research at Leeds University by Dr Mark Sumner has identified 24 leading retailers, including Foot Locker and Valentino, who are non-compliant with the Modern Slavery Act by not making available their modern slavery statements as of December 2018 (see Appendix 1). Such wide non-compliance with the de minimis reporting requirements shows that many household names have failed utterly to engage with this legislation.

Due diligence law

60. We heard a number of calls for the Modern Slavery Act to be strengthened to introduce mandatory due diligence for companies. Anti-Slavery International campaigner Kate Elsayed-Ali told us that the Modern Slavery Act was an 'important step forwards' but that it had limitations that needed to be addressed. She said that:

Extending the legislation to cover public procurement;

Establishing, maintaining and monitoring an easily searchable public database of companies that are required to comply, including a copy of their annual MSA statements;

Require common, robust and comparable standards for reporting transparency information;

Establish and enforce penalties for companies that do not comply.

The French Corporate Duty of Vigilance Law passed in 2017 requires all French companies that have more than 5,000 employees domestically, or employ 10,000 employees or more worldwide, to implement an effective 'vigilance' plan to address environmental, health and safety and human rights both in their own operations and at their suppliers and sub-contractors. This is stronger than the UK's Modern Slavery Act and California's Transparency in Supply Chains Act, which only require firms to report on any efforts they have taken to identify human rights' risks.

62. In August the Government announced a review of the operation and effectiveness the Modern Slavery Act 2015 to identify potential improvements. The review will consider how to ensure compliance and drive up the quality of statements produced by eligible companies. The review aims to report to the Home Secretary before the end of March 2019.

63. There must be more transparency in supply chains and there is a strong case for the Modern Slavery Act to be strengthened. The current requirement to produce a statement does not ensure that action is taken by big retailers and even this is not adequately monitored. The Government should publish a publicly accessible list of all those retailers required to release a modern slavery statement. This should be supported by an appropriate penalty for those companies who fail to report and comply with the Modern Slavery Act. This will increase transparency and require the establishment of formal monitoring of whether statements comply with legislation.

64. The Companies Act 2006 requires that a statement be made on human rights issues in a company's Annual Report only 'where necessary'. This system lacks accountability and places too much reliance on companies to self-disclose. We recommend that the Companies Act 2006 be updated to include explicit reference to 'modern slavery' and 'supply chains'. Statements on a business' approach to human rights in its supply chain should be mandatory as part of the Annual Report. The Financial Reporting Council's (FRC) Corporate Governance Code and UK Stewardship Code, and the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) listing rules should likewise be amended to require modern slavery disclosures on a comply or explain basis by 2022. If this is not possible then a Corporate Duty of Vigilance Law, as in France, should be considered. Fashion retailers must not be allowed to turn a blind eye to labour and environmental abuses in their supply chains. Retailers should be investing in technology that allows them - and their customers - to track where their materials and products are sourced and made. We recommend that the Government strengthen the Modern Slavery Act to require large companies to perform due diligence checks across their supply chains to ensure their materials and products are being produced without forced or child labour. We also recommend that Government procurement should be covered by the Modern Slavery Act.

65. We recommend that the Government works with industry to trace the source of raw material in garments to tackle social and environmental abuses in their supply chains. Digital technology is widely used in other supply chains. We do not understand why a modern high-tech industry like fashion does not have these systems already in place. Some companies told us they can trace their materials down to Tier 4 suppliers. This begs the question - if one can do it, why can't all? This first step is essential if fashion is to tackle its waste, water, chemical and carbon footprint. This also reduces the opportunities for sub-contractors to take their cut along the supply chain.

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Fixing fashion: clothing consumption and sustainability

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Key facts & figures on the social cost of our clothes Most of the garments sold in the UK are produced in Asian countries. Over 90% of workers in the global garment industry have no possibility to negotiate their wages and conditions, according to the global trade union IndustriALL.

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My choice of transport is by truck as my COO is in the UK. This resource is about the pros & cons of Trucks delivering goods.

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Truck transportation is the process of transporting goods and services with the help of a vehicle known as trucks. There are two types of truck transporters; the first one belonging to hire carriers that give their trucks for business organizations and earn money from them and other categories is the personal use of vehicles for the use of personal works.

The trucking companies earn a huge profit by this transportation of the goods by trucks. Trucking services are mainly used in the Construction Industry to import and export goods and services.

Here in this article, I am sharing some major truck transportation advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages of Truck Transportation

Major advantages of Truck Transportation are-

1. Provides Door-to-Door Services

The first and foremost benefits of trucks transportation is that it provides door to door services to anyone who wishes to get the goods and services available at their doorstep. Trucking industries are much benefitted from these services. Local transportation companies help in providing day to day services.

2. Best Mode of Transportation

It is the best mode of transportation and is the cheapest of all. It is very good for short distances travels and hauls as it provides the best traveling experience. It is best suited for traveling within 700 km of distance.

3. Faster Delivery

Another major use of truck is that it is best suited for small cargo shipments and delivery as it will emerge out to be cheapest and best for shipments, and this the distance will not matter at all.

4. Useful for Goods & Services

Another advantage is that now the online booking of the trucks could be done easily and which will be useful for goods and services to be transported. So, it becomes very easy for users to book whenever they want.

5. Fastest for Short Transportation Services

It is considered to be the fastest for short transportation services as it will not take much time for short and very less distance hauls. So, it can be considered as best for this type of transportation.

6. Useful for Customers

The trucking business is very much useful for customers, and it provides services whenever they want so these trucks can be used frequently for transporting goods and services.

7. Easy and Flexible

Trucking Services are very much easy and flexible, and they can go in every direction and wherever they want and wherever they want to go. The roads and streets are very much immune to these transportation services.

Disadvantages of Truck Transportation

There are certain disadvantages to truck transportation services.

1. Expensive

It is considered a little expensive for long-distance transportation of goods and services. This becomes a little expensive for the traveling expenses in the transit of goods and services.

2. High Cost

Truck transporting is very much of high cost for the commodities which are little low graded and are to be transported to the other city as it will be of high cost for the driver of truck services.

3. Exceeds the Limit Prescribed

Now, there is another most serious disadvantage of the truck transportation services, which is that when goods are transported to another state, the wheels of the truck have to be in a certain size which sometimes exceeds the limit prescribed, and that will be bad for the goods contained in it.

These are also affected by the bad weather condition and huge traffic that affects the time and the goods contained inside the truck.

So, we see that there are both advantages and disadvantages to truck transportation services.

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Advantage and Disadvantage of Truck Transportation | Trucking Services

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Truck transportation is the process of transporting goods and services with the help of a vehicle known as trucks. There are two types of truck transporters; the first one belonging to hire carriers that give their trucks for business organizations and earn money from them and other categories is the personal use of vehicles for the use of personal works.

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This research source shows how we can work with designs in the future, saving money & time.

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Predicting the future with 3D & First Insight - Optitex

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How to quickly generate 3D print and color variations with Optitex 3D Design for Illustrator, and effectively use 3D assets with predictive analytics.

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A brief insight on what PLT has to offer.

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When Umar and Adam Kamani launched PrettyLittleThing in 2012, the label only featured accessories. Eight years later, PrettyLittleThing (PLT) has established itself as an iconic, affordable online ready-to-wear label in the UK and beyond. Its products and ethos are closely linked with social media, and PLT is keen on short-cycle collections, as well as having ambitious plans to conquer the world.

Umar Kamani - PrettyLittleThing

PLT is targeted to young women aged 16 to 24, and has a catalogue of 20,000 items, from apparel to footwear and accessories. The products are directly inspired by catwalk shows, and by the wardrobes of international celebrities and influencers. The latter have become the label's main brand ambassadors, with no fewer than 8,000 collaborations featured in 2019, generating 9.5 billion social media hits. PLT's fashion is colourful and flamboyant, and the label's chief concern is to make the products extremely affordable for its customers.

"We want to be these women's best friends," PLT's co-founder and CEO Umar Kamani told FashionNetwork.com, as he visited Paris to open a showroom during the fashion week. The venue, on central Boulevard Haussmann, is steeped in pink décor, pride of place going to a pink winged unicorn in actual size and a golden Eiffel Tower replica. "The world is beset by so many problems and, in the midst of it all, we are trying to create a fairy tale for women, to give them comfort and self-belief, and to make them feel empowered through fashion," said Kamani.

Like Nasty Gal, PLT was spawned by Boohoo, the British fashion e-tailer founded by Mahmud Kamani, father of Umar and Aman, and by Carol Kane. "You can't get more fast-fashion than Boohoo," said Kane to FashionNetwork.com when the e-tailer opened its Parisian offices in 2018 ( read the interview here).

"[PLT's] business model is very similar," said Umar Kamani. This is why PLT drops nearly 250 new items every week. A frenzied pace, proof of the label's ability to react to instant trends by means of quick-off-the-mark, localised production. "We place orders for sizeable volumes right from the start, but we never generate a huge inventory.

"And if the items are successful with our customers, we produce more of the same. Otherwise, we move on to something else. About 40% of our total output is made in the UK, and another 40% comes from China. The rest comes from Turkey, Pakistan, India and other countries," he added.

PrettyLittleThing

PLT's model straddles several of the apparel market's current trends: from the increase in the number of orders placed over a short period of time, something affecting virtually all the apparel market's segments, putting creative teams and purchasing departments under significant stress, to the labels' strategy of shrinking order size in order to reduce the risk of having huge volumes of unsold inventory. As to whether a PLT-type model is likely to be adopted by an increasing number of players, like French mail-order company 3 Suisses did recently, Kamani is hedging his bets: "All I can say is that this model works well for us."

Sustainable development is also part of the equation. In April 2019, PLT introduced a line called Recycled, whose products are made from fabric offcuts and recycled plastic bottles, though it meant sacrificing the label's affordable price positioning. "As a label, we want to become more sustainable, do the right thing and contribute to a safer future for the planet. This means that we must turn our attention to a number of issues and aspects. But I think this is what everyone wants and expects from a label nowadays, ours included, especially the younger generations," Kamani said.

"We're targeting the whole planet"

In the 2018-19 financial year, sales for PLT grew by a staggering 107%, reaching €430 million (GBP374.4 million). Gross margin in the period was 56.6%, and the year was also marked by the deployment of a new chatbot, and new payment and returns functionalities. Above all, last year PLT deployed its eighth local website, the first non-Anglophone one, as a French version was added to the existing US, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, Irish and European versions of its international site. In parallel, to bolster PLT's development effort, the group relocated its huge warehouse in Sheffield, UK, extending over 57,000 m2 and staffed by about 1,200 people, the linchpin of the label's international expansion plans. Where is PLT heading to?

"We're targeting the whole planet," said Kamani, all smiles. "We now have a showroom in Manchester and one in London. We have also opened two showrooms in the USA, in Los Angeles and New York, and we have a presence in Dubai and Saudi Arabia. All the markets are promising. Wherever we go, it's especially interesting to listen to what the market has to say. We don't tweak the product range locally, it's the label as a whole that adapts, in order to fit in with local culture. For example, when we go to the USA, we adopt the same outlook of our local customers, in order to have a product range and an advertising style consistent with their values."

PrettyLittleThing

Globally, the average purchasing basket value for the e-commerce sector as a whole is declining, compensated by a greater purchasing frequency. This doesn't apply to PLT, which is expanding at pace, with some 5 million active customers, a 70% increase on an annual basis. PLT's average online purchasing basket is GBP 40.41, up 12% over the last financial year, and order frequency too is growing, up by 11.7% to an average of 2.84 orders, higher than the frequency observed at Boohoo and even Nasty Gal.

"Just five years ago, people were still extremely sceptical about buying fashion online, but this didn't prevent the market from expanding rapidly," said Kamani, adding that "in the last few years, people have become more and more confident, aware of the new opportunities that exist. Our sales are growing year after year, and I think this will continue to be the case in the future, if we'll be able to keep adapting to customer requirements."

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PrettyLittleThing keen to make its flamboyant fashion an international hit

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When Umar and Adam Kamani launched PrettyLittleThing in 2012, the label only featured accessories. Eight years later, PrettyLittleThing (PLT) has established itself as an iconic, affordable online ready-to-wear label in the UK and beyond. Its products and ethos are closely linked with social media, and PLT is keen on short-cycle collections, as well as having ambitious plans to conquer the world.

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PROS & CONS about manufacturing in the UK & Abroad.

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MANUFACTURING IN LONDON VS ABROAD | CLOTHING MANUFACTURERS UK

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At Clothing Manufacturers UK, we get asked numerous times about what is the best place to manufacture their clothing. It's probably one of the most important questions. Manufacturing in London has its perks and downfalls, which is also the same with manufacturing abroad.

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This is the Range Plan Presentation. It shows my collection & what platforms they will be released on. My colour mix & line list is also included. My Bibliography & Evaluation of my Sourcing Strategy is included in this presentation.

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This is the Sourcing Strategy. It includes 1 garment from my Range Plan, COO & transport method. It also includes Critical Path, OptiTex & the Infographic.