Plant Power by Katrine Berner Carlsen

EDITORS NOTE This zine explores the power of plants – how fashion and art constantly get inspiration from nature and how we can change our shopping habits to become more sustainable and ethical correctly.

Welcome to Plant Power – a zine for you who loves fashion and art and last but not least PLANTS.

Conscious Women Every Age Kind Loving Fashionista Trendsetter Student Grandma Young Unselfish Mother Plant freak Beautiful on the inside Vegan Animal lover Curious Artsy Creative Shopaholic Reader Environmentally Friendly Artist Caring Smart Passionate Conscious Women Every Age Kind Loving Fashionista Trendsetter Student Grandma Young Unselfish Mother Plant freak Beautiful on the inside Vegan Animal lover Curious Artsy Creative Shopaholic Reader Environmentally Friendly Artist Caring Smart Passionate Conscious Women Every Age Kind Loving Fashionista Trendsetter Student Grandma Young Unselfish Mother

THE PLANT POWER READER

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It can even be smaller things such as the leaves changing colours in autumn or the flowers blooming in the early spring.

Nature inspires fashion time after time after time. That is a fact, not a secret. We always get so mesmerized by nature wherever we are in the world. Deserts in the Middle East, the canyons in the States, the icebergs at the very far north or the lavender fields in Provence. It can even be smaller things such as the leaves changing colours in autumn or the flowers blooming in the early spring. A classic example is the pastels in spring and the earthy tones and burnt reds we almost always see in autumn. And why so? Because it is the colours that surrounds us.

If you take a look at the collections hitting the runways biannually you will be surprised of the fact that so many pieces, whether it be the shape, the pattern, the texture or the colour, are in inspired by nature. If you just look at this autumn/winter season the flower prints are blooming right now and will continue to bloom well into the spring/summer season too.

In 2015 the couture catwalks were also taken back to nature with huge floral puff-sleeves at Chanel and fresh flowers braided into the hair at various catwalk shows. It could also be in a less obvious way as we saw on the catwalk at Chloe for s/s 13 where they presented a white pleated dress that reminded of a cockleshell or maybe the underneath of a big mushroom. And why not get inspired by a mushroom? There is inspiration to find everywhere. Just take a look outside your comfort zone.

When it comes to sustainability in the fashion industry we can be forced to see nature in a different perspective than we are used to. Designers and entrepreneurs have become more aware of the ecological footprint this industry leaves on the planet and we are starting to see alternatives to the materials we are used to. Such as leather swapped with cork, tree bark or even mushrooms. It is a very interesting development to follow. Who knows where nature will take us next?

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Tom Abbiss Smith is a young artist currently living in Norwich, UK. He focuses mainly on abstract collage making using both contemporary and traditional techniques such as painting, digital collage and printmaking. Even though he graduated just one year ago his clients already include Wallpaper Magazine, Atelier Pichita and Voxi Powered by Vodafone. I was lucky enough to get the chance to interview him about why he prefer the abstract and how the Internet influences his work.

When did you first find out that you wanted to become an artist? And why collage? It was when I finished 6th Form I suddenly had an epiphany that all the academic subjects I studied weren't for me, I went to college from there to study Graphic Design and knew instantly that this was my path to follow! It was much later at the very end of university that I explored collage, specifically digital collage. I had done a lot of drawing and texture/mark making before collage, which was great, but it didn't feel natural to me within the figurative outcomes I was creating. I think I love and stay with collage because it feels right, there's that gut feeling and it really helped me become more experimental and playful with my approach to art.

What is the biggest inspiration for your collages? Nature, plant forms, landscapes. Equally though the textures within the environments I visit play a big roll in my art, including street/city aesthetics.

How would you describe your work in three words? Playful, experimental, intuitive.

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Why do you prefer the abstract? I kind of hate norms and rules, so I find that abstract art is a great way to rebel from this as I think it helps open the mind. I think it's almost revolutionary in a way as it questions, disrupts and gives insight into new ways of thinking.

What are you trying to tell with your collages? Is there a story behind them? Sometimes I have more of a narrative to tell in my work, but a lot of the time I like to keep my art enigmatic so the viewer can decipher it how they wish to. I often have people tell me they see different things in my work, and I like that as it's allowed them to have fun with the pieces when they interact with them.

I actually discovered your work through Pinterest. How does the Internet influence you and your work? The Internet has helped me greatly! The majority of my clients find me through social media, so I'd call it my portfolio really. I've discovered so many great artists that always get me excited to make art too, and I think the contemporary abstract community is really flourishing at the moment due to the ease of sharing and discovering work.

It seems that you have already done a lot since your degree. What are your goals and dreams for the future? My goals now are to start producing my own products as well as working with clients still. I'd like to create fun women and men’s clothes and home ware, but I'm not sure what to call my label!

“I often have people tell me they see different things in my work, and I like that as it's allowed them to have fun with the pieces when they interact with them.”

The fashion industry is a huge contributory to the global warming issues. Brands and producers are slowly beginning to realize this. But we, as consumers, do also have a huge impact on the total discharge. It is therefore important that we make a united effort to find solutions to this problem. At the same time we are also facing ethical problems with underpaid workers. Luckily, there are a lot of things the consumer can do to help the planet.

Quality instead of quantity Sometimes it can be a good idea to invest in some classic pieces that will continue to last season after season. A good and warm sweater and a pair of blue jeans just don’t go out off fashion. Try to focus on the good quality basics and timeless pieces (the so called slow fashion) instead of just shopping all the new trends from the high street, that you already know you won’t like the next season.

Choose the right materials Choosing the right materials are crucial if you want an eco-friendly wardrobe. Do your research before you go shopping. Sometimes the synthetic materials can be more eco-friendly than the natural ones, but it depends on how the material is produced. In general, it is a good idea to buy organic cotton. In that way you can make sure that your clothes are produced without the use of polluting pesticides. Other plant-based materials you should keep an eye on include lyocell, tencel, modal and bamboo.

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Buy clothes with certified eco labels Yes clothes can have eco labels too. SteP (Sustainable Textile Production), GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard), SA8000, the Swan, Eco label by the European Union, Fair Trade etc. This is your guarantee for sustainably and ethically produced fashion.

Sell & donate Today there are endless possibilities for selling the clothes that you don’t wear anymore. You can sell it online on pages like Trendsales and Vestiaire Collective. Otherwise you can try to sell it at one of your local flea markets or car boot sales. If you can’t sell then donate it. This way the profit will go to a good cause.

Recycling, upcycling & vintage Buying your clothes vintage is a great way of minimizing your CO2 footprint. Vintage doesn’t require any resources to produce. Another great thing you can do is to hand over your worn out clothes to your local recycling center. Otherwise you can now hand over your clothes to H&M or Fillippa K Collect amongst others. This way you can use the fibers from the clothes to produce new things. Upcycling is a relatively new thing. Brands buy old designs after which they recreate them and sell them.

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