In an upcycling mood

It’s almost the end of Fashion Revolution Week 2018. So here is my upcycling story. I transformed my small blue Superman hoodie from second-hand into a comfortable medium tee shirt with 3/4-sleeves and bigger neckline. From the rest (a cape) I created a parachutist cap for my daughter Tove Tui. We’ve become SuperWoman and BatBaby.

We also red “The True Cost of Fashion” book inside the kids corner of local library. The best timing (this week: Fashion Revolution Week) for checking how the fashion industry issues and the clothing production’s theme is explained to teenagers. Good job!

Je tu záver Týždňa módnej revolúcie. Tak tu je ešte jeden upcyklovací mini-príbeh. Z mojej malej supermanovskej mikiny zo sekáča som vytvorila dva kúsky: pre mňa trigovicu s trištvrťovými rukávmi a veľkým lodičkovým výstrihom, no a z kapucne som pre moju malú TiTi ručne ušila parašutistickú čapicu. Tak sa z nás na chvíľu stali: SuperWoman a BatBaby.

V miestnej knižnici sme potom v detskom kútiku natrafili na knihu, ktorej téma ma sprevádza celý tento týždeň – „The True Cost of Fashion“. Tak som si pozrela, ako je problematika odevného priemyslu, výroby a spotreby nášho oblečenia spracovaná pre tínejdžerskú čitateľskú základňu. S dneškom som spokojná.

Text / Written by: Boba Markovic Baluchova, Foto / Photo: Palo Markovic

Milovaný kúsok

Aj tento rok sa venujem vo svojich aprílových príspevkoch primárne Týždňu módnej revolúcie / Fashion Revolution Week (FRW). Lebo tento typ aktivizmu a zvyšovania povedomia o férovej, transparentnej a udržateľnej móde, ako aj celé hnutie Fashion Revolution má svoj význam. Snažím sa rôznymi formami motivovať ľudí k tomu, aby sa zaujímali o to, kto šije ich šatstvo; aby poznali celý príbeh svojho oblečenia a aby vedeli zaujať postoj voči Fast Fashion. Napríklad tým, že pri nakupovaní spomalia (nedajú sa strhnúť výpredajmi a reklamou); minuloročné kúsky vymenia so známymi či upcyklujú; podporia domácu produkciu módy; zapoja sa do lokálneho FRW podujatia, alebo podporia kampaň na sociálnych sieťach.

Hashtag #WhoMadeMyClothes je v týchto dňoch pomerne častý. Ešte väčšiu radosť mám, keď vidím ďalšie hashtagy, ako: #iMadeMyClothes alebo #haulternative. Tento rok môžete v rámci Fashion Revolution Week-u napísať aj "love letter", resp. zverejniť príbeh o milovanom kúsku z vášho šatníka, ktorý pre vás veľa znamená – je nadčasový, niečím pre vás jedinečný, nosíte ho radi a často už roky. Bez ohľadu na aktuálny trend či ročné obdobie.

Tento zelený kožený mini-kabátik je môj milovaný kúsok. Kúpila som ho v miestnom second-hande veľmi dávno za pár desiatok slovenských korún. Zažil so mnou pekných pár skúškových období a alternatívnych koncertov; precestoval so mnou niekoľko svetadielov. Brala som ho do terénu v každom ročnom období, čo sa podpísalo na jeho vzhľade. Pomaly, ale isto sa rozpadá a v záhyboch stráca farbu, ale nedokážem ho vyhodiť. Nenápadne v sekáčoch pokukujem po jeho náhradníkovi (v rovnakom strihu a najmä farbe), ale zatiaľ bez úspechu. Asi so mnou zostarne a do koša ho tajne odnesie až moja dcéra Tove Tui. Ak po mne nezdedí nostalgiu a lásku pre podobné kúsky – farebné kabátiky a kožené retro-bundy...

Prajem si, aby sme mali všetci a všetky vo svojich šatníkoch takýchto podobne milovaných kúskov čo najviac, aby ste ich nosili radi, a aby nám ich kombinovanie s ostatnými zvrškami robilo radosť. 

Text: Boba Markovič Baluchová, Foto: Palo Markovič

Fashion Revolution Week 2018 has just started

Fashion Revolution Week 2018 has just started! Týždeň módnej revolúcie odštartoval! Have you found an answer for a question: 'Who made my clothes'? Have you published your story online with a hashtag: #whoMadeYourClothes or #whoMadeMyClothes?
Aby som mala príbehy svojich šiat na očiach, z visačiek som si vyrobila svojský módny doplnok. In order to have the stories of my clothes in front of me I made a special fashion accessory from their tags. Read more about the theme and join the Fashion revolution campaign by taking a simple action and attending the events in your city!

I'm going to take an action by promoting a haulternative; searching for the stories of my clothes; buying clothes in second-hand stores; supporting slow fashion and local designers; upcycling old pieces; volunteering at local event; writing an article and a blog about Fashion Revolution Week 2018 in Slovak and English language... During this week (every single day) I'll update you with my steps towards fair fashion on my BalBo deBra style fanpage. Stay tuned.

Written by: Boba Markovic Baluchova, Photo: Palo Markovic

How I tracked down: who made my clothes

Fashion Revolution Week has just started. During this week we're honoring the thousands of people who lost or almost lost their lives in the Rana Plaza complex collapse in Bangladesh three years ago. It is the best timing to take an action.

Have you ever asked a question: #whomademyclothes and tracked down the fashion brand of the item you use to buy? It could be very interesting self-learning process. I tracked down Australian brand: Cotton On that made my grey jumper. Even if that item was made in China (I guess its whole manufacture is located in Asia) – the Cotton On Group is very clear and transparent about its activities on its website. The representatives wrote the Ethical Practice Framework to support them in making choices about what they will (and won’t) do. They also set up Cotton On foundation to implement particular development cooperation activities in Uganda. An interesting reading indeed.




You do not need to go to developing country to understand what is going on in fashion garments industry, do you? But if you need that kind of lecture – read the story of three Norwegian fashion bloggers who agreed to star in a month-long reality show in Cambodia one year ago. Girls witnessed human rights violations and terrible working conditions of garments manufacture workers. Finally they had to admit that "they are rich because it costs them 10 euros to buy a T-shirt at large fashion brand, such as H&M. (But somebody else has to starve for them to be able to buy it.)"

Be active, be curious – read more about the topic. Unfortunately there are so many stories about Third World garments industry where workers are still children – facing very bad conditions and earning so little to keep a roof over their heads. After that (soon or later) you will start to think about shopping and dressing in more ethical way. It happened to me some years ago... Only by our deeper interest, public awareness and fashion brands' transparency we can eliminate inequity in fashion manufacture.

Written by: Boba Markovic Baluchova, Photo: Palo Markovic
#fashRev #ethicalFashion #sustainableFashion #fairFashion