Distortion Issue 2

ÂŁ3/Issue 2/distortionfashion.com

The

Water

Issue

02

Fluidic, shapeless, reflective, conductive, cleansing, corrosive, sustainable? In the second issue of Distortion we’ve been soaking our brains in the matters of water with relation to the fashion industry, where does it come from and where does it go.. Also on our radar is our new favourite chill out band, Palace and our future winter escape, Summerland.

Cover photography by Rees Thompson

Life’s too short for boredom

From the team behind Glastonbury’s greatest and craziest after party installation Shangri La, Summerland is a tropical paradise based in the heart of London ready for those winter blues kick in. Set to kick off in winter 2016 the project is currently seeking crowd funding via Seedrs where the public can invest anything from £10 to £150K to own part of the event.

After checking in your phone and winter clothes, you are teleported into the magical land of jungle-scapes, sand, treetop bars, DJs, food huts and a 40ft waterfall. The zone is fully climate controlled, with a high definition video mapped sky with 1.5million

lumen light projection, casting clear island skys by day, and galactic stars by night.

“We’ve divided the shows up so that the daytime are really focused on families, and yoga and massage and that sort of thing.

Environmental wellbeing is really important. Then the night time shows will go a bit more pool party. There’s a stage that’s built into the rocks by the waterfall.

It’ll be awesome you’ll have a band by the waterfall, then you’ve got a DJ on top of a waterfall, you’ve got the hot tubs by the stage which will be a pretty prime spot I’d imagine.”

Deborah Armstrong, Founder

Issue of the issue The fashion industry relies on abundant amounts of water to produce the clothes and shoes we wear, but have you recently considered where that water comes from, or where the contaminated byproducts and toxins in the water go after the products have been made?

It takes over 100 gallons, that’s 455 litres of water to produce one pound of raw cotton or shorn wool, which doesn’t include rinsing and preparing the product or washing and dyeing.

Today the real challenge comes from ensuring there are sufficient water supplies in the regions where the products are made.

Researchers for Growing Blue claim that 20% of the world’s commercial products are produced in water scarce

WATER FOR FASHION areas around the world.

China, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan are prime examples of developing countries with this issue, producing the clothes and shoes we wear.

Only 2.5% of Earth’s water is freshwater and only 0.3% of it is readily accessible to humans.

Where water is concerned there isn’t only one issue, the main factors come down to usage, and pollution.

Cotton accounts for 90% of natural fibres used in the textile industry and 40% of all apparel produced globally.

Farming cotton constitutes as the single largest water consumer in the apparel supply chain, because it is farmed in dry regions.

Roughly 17-20% of industrial water pollution is due to textile dyeing and treatment, around 8,000 synthetic chemicals are used throughout processes around the world and are eventually

released into fresh water.

Mills release Formaldehyde, chlorine and heavy metals such as lead and mercury, whilst cotton is highly dependant on pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers.

However not all pollution is being created on such a large scale, a majority starts in our own homes, 40% of domestic water footprints come from laundry.

The health implementations of contaminated or lack of water don’t only affect humans, but the Aquarius plants, fish, and animals that also drink from the water.

But it’s not all down hill, brands have been working on concepts and strategies to help save water, Nike, Gap, Levi Strauss, and H&M to name a few.

Recently Nike announced it’s new ColourDry Process, a dyeing technique using supercharged liquid CO2 to force the dye into the fabric. Supposedly the only residue is the used CO2 that is separated from the left over dye, which is then isolated; therefore, no residue inks or chemicals get dumped into the environment.

Reportedly the process uses 63% less energy and almost all the dye, reducing chances of environmental pollution from waste products.

It also requires less manpower than traditional

dyeing, which economical

adds to its qualities.

Apparel Made 4 You, company in California has come up with its own waterless technology called the ATI system. Their technique consists of using photons and thermal energy to transfer an image from a template onto the fabric.

They claim the process takes about 30 seconds for a piece of fabric large enough to make a shirt. Also an economical approach, the machine fits in a room the size of an average bedroom and requires a fraction of the manpower compared to traditional dyeing.

Air pollution is also reduced due to the lack of overhead spray methods. Both techniques are said to have better colour penetration and resilience than most water dye methods, improving production, usage and potentially brand recognition.

BECAUSE LESS IS MORE. THE FINISHING EFFECTS YOU KNOW AND LOVE, BUT WITH SIGNIFICANTLY LESS WATER USE LEVI’S® WATER<LESS™ ELIMINATES UP TO 96% OF THE WATER USED IN THE PROCESS.

Featured Music

Palace are a four piece London based band from Dorset and Sussex, they began their ventures in a rehearsal room where a keen ear had been listening and invited them to gig that night, it was their first rehearsal. Since then the band have been creating bluesy indie rock playing at festivals and supporting the likes of Jamie T at his London comeback gig. So far the band has two successful EPs to their name and a number of Soundcloud and Spotify hits, including Bitter, Head Above The Water and Veins. Their laid back vibes make them the perfect listen for a chilled day in when it’s cold outside, or better yet bare feet basking in the sun with your head in the clouds.

“The music is what we want. It’s what we love; we feel we should be doing it.”

Chase The Light EP available now. play.spotify.com/user/distortionfashion