VV Magazine

V V A VIBRANT & VIABLE LIFE

TABLE OF CONTENTS EDITOR’S LETTER 1

FASHION 2-3

REFORMATION 4-5

NUDIE JEANS 6-7

THE SUSTAINABILITY OF BEAUTY 8-9

SUSTAINABLE LIVING 10-11

SERENBE - AGRIHOODS 12-13

OUR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT 14-15

THE PLASTIC AGE 16-17

EDITOR’S LETTER

VV magazine values the earth and the people living in it. If we do not make a change in the way our industries are run then the earth will eventually deteriorate.

It already is whether one believes in global warming or not – the climate patterns that are occurring around the world are due to our lack of respect to our planet. VV magazine wants to disperse their passion for change, to do this the magazine craves to teach the masses on the value of life – how to eat, work, advise, learn, and master a sustainable life. Change takes baby steps, it does not happen overnight – along with every other aspect of our lives it takes hard work and focus.

We believe in change.

Be the change.

VV magazine has a vision of sustainable living and passion for the lives of people around the world. In order to create a change, we must bring the topic at hand to the masses. The topic of sustainability for all things – the production of our goods and how the way our products are made are affecting the earth in a horrible way.

The working conditions of factory workers in underdeveloped countries. The greed and need we feel for materialism. The rapid consumption of our goods versus our waste.

All of these are topics that are overlooked, not understood, or a topic that should not be discussed due to affecting the profits of our industries – the rich want to stay richer despite knowing the damages that are being done.

Makala Mulder Founder & Editor-in-Chief 1

CHOOSING SUSTAINABLE FASHION

We’re buying more than 80 billion new items of clothing each year.

Americans toss 82 pounds of textile waste each year, which adds up to 11 million tons of the waste.

We are depleting many of our natural resources and need to put our best foot forward in terms of bettering our environment.

Reformation is more than a cool brand, it is a brand that is spreading the word on the importance of sustainability. Here is the story: before Yael created Reformation, she owned another clothing line. As many young designers, she made the decision to manufacture in China.

Yael found the working conditions at the factory to be acceptable but their environmental impact was appalling; “The air pollution is so intense I found it difficult to breathe or see distances clearly at 100 feet. I felt I could no longer close my eyes to my personal contribution to this pollution and was determined to return home and make a difference” (Aflalo 2015). After seeing the affects the industry has placed on China, Yael closed her first clothing line. Then in 2009, with her new found insight of the industry, Yael opened her first Reformation store in L.A. as a truly sustainable alternative. She now had a true understanding of how business practices affect the world and how every new piece of fabric has its own negative impact on the planet; The production of nylon creates oxide, a greenhouse gas even worse than carbon dioxide. Making polyester requires large amounts of water.

Rayon, made from wood pulp, can lead to the destruction of old-growth forests. Even cotton presents problems: unless it’s grown organically, it uses major amounts of pesticides. And that doesn’t even get into the manufacturing process, which involves bleach, dye, and formaldehyde. A new blouse might seem like a quick pick-me-up, but it has serious repercussions for our soil and air. Currently there are three stores, one in L.A., and two in New York - SoHo and Lower East Side.

sustainable methods is the biggest strength of all.

Founder Yael Aflalo’s innovation was to get rid of the bad stuff: the need for new fabric, chemical treatments and massive assembly lines (Fumo, 2014). Her genius idea is refurbishing old clothing and unused fabrics. All products are sewed, cut, and finished in a commercial mid-rise in Los Angeles. They work with rolls of dead-stock fabric and clothing gathered from vintage buyers. The team searches, chooses and keeps only clothes that are 100 percent natural fabrics that are in good condition. The team then launders, sorts, and stacks the goods in card board boxes, “most of the styles are so outdated that the average fashionista wouldn’t be caught dead in them, but reformation aims to transform them into items that the team defines as ‘on-trend but not trendy,’ ensuring they’ll be worn for years to come” (Edwards, 2012). The line is created from 65% eco fabrics, 20% repurposed vintage clothing and 15% dead stock fabrics. Reformation is a B Corporation which is a new type of company that uses the power of business to solve social and environmental issues. They use the “3 R’s” of waste management: reduce, reuse, and recycle - 100% recycled content for all office supplies, shipping materials, manufacturing equipment, and cleaning supplies. Their garment bags are made from 30% of recycled plastic. Reformation adopted the Environmental Preferred Purchasing policies meaning that they source and purchase from local and domestic suppliers. When it comes to shipping, they use the most efficient, lowest impact solution, and purchase carbon offsets on all shipping. Overall, zero waste is their goal.

REFORMATION Yael Aflalo

Reformation is not your average brand. it is encouraging fashion and sustainability to collide. Not only do they incorporate sustainable practices throughout their supple chain but also with their means of production: their heat reflecting roof, renewable energy, recycled hangers and packaging, sustainability is core to their business on every level. “It is our goal to raise awareness around the impact fashion has on the environment and at the same time offer sustainable solutions and choices. It is our mission to lead and inspire a sustainable way to be fashionable” (Aflalo 2015). The Reformation website is updated weekly, 15 new styles (in three different colors so a total of 45 styles) launch every week. The company only produces about 200 styles each.

“Basically, what we try to do is to get out while it’s hot,” Aflalo says. “We want to always to make less than what people want us to make so, in that way, it’s special. It keeps things exclusive.” The fact that the brand is promoting as well as using

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Nudie Jeans

Nudie Jeans is a Swedish clothing brand for men that creates 100% organic denim and uses ethical practices. Founded back in 2001

by Maria Erixon, the company believes jeans should not be thrown away but rather recycled.

“No fabric ages quite as beautifully as denim; the longer you wear your jeans, the more character and attitude they acquire. You shape them with your lifestyle, and they become like a second skin. We don’t just offer jeans. We offer a way of thinking, a concept, and an undying passion, fueled by the Founded in 2001 by Maria Erixon traditions of denim and the characteristics of the fabric itself”.

Along with most other clothing brands, Nudie Jeans produces their products in factories, however, the garment factories they collaborate with, provide a safe, fair and ethical working environment for all the people who are involved in the manufacture of their clothes. Their membership of Fair Wear Foundation is a key element to ensure that everyone across the production chain works under fair conditions.

It is a deeply rooted part of Nudie Jeans to encourage the care of things, things that actually get more beautiful with age. Things that bear our own history are timeless.

When a pair of jeans is worn out you can use them to make patches to extend the life of another pair of jeans. Or to make something completely different, a bag, shorts, etc. Therefore, the consumer is not wasting clothing that will eventually end up in landfills.

If a consumer feels like “breaking up” with there old favorite pair of denim, they are able to hand them in and receive 20% off a new pair of Nudies. They wash and repair all the old denim and resell them as second hand merchandise. For their ethical practices, the brand has received the Swedish “Good Environmental Choice” eco label.

Nudie Jeans is also involved in collaborations with designers and other creatives under the “Denim Maniacs� to give worn-out jeans a second life. Jeans can be repaired over and over again. Eventually jeans reach a point when it is time to buy a new pair. All good things come to an end. But a pair of worn out jeans can be used to make something else. Jeans are made of cotton fibers that last much longer than we normally tend to use or wear them. A pair of jeans can be recycled in various ways. Nudie is constantly looking for new ways to extend the life of the cotton fiber.

Recycling reduces waste, saves energy, and reduces the consumption of raw materials. Through the years Nudie has turned many dull looking sofas into beautiful denim patchwork creations for their office, showrooms, and shops. In the spring of 2013 rag rugs made from old Nudie Jeans were released. The rugs were made from jeans that were cut into strips and then woven by hand on manual shuttle looms.

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THE SUSTAINABILITY OF BEAUTY

There is more and more information found out about the beauty industry every day. Personal care products are made up of more than 10,500 chemical ingredients.

These chemicals are used as part of a daily routine as sitting down for breakfast in the morning. Over the years, we have become more conscious of the products we consume and as we find out more information on the causes of cancer, we are becoming fearful of the personal care industry. There has to be a way where we can still feel beautiful when it comes to wearing make up and there is, the concept of sustainable make up is slowly coming more popularized.

Here are some brands that have been featured in Vogue, sold in the URBN brands, Whole Foods, and can all be found online with amazing reviews. The beauty of all these products is that they are all made of pure natural ingredients that are good for the body, provide nutrients, and truly does make someone feel beautiful to their core.

Coral Club is a company that makes use of innovative methodologies and cutting edge in healthcare, offering top quality products with maximized nutritional value that helps create a healthy balance within the body.

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Kendra Dandy is a surface designer who creates bold, whimsical prints. This hydrating lip treatment is made of beeswax, castor seed oil, jojoba seed oil, meadowfoam, avocado oil, sunflower seed oil.

Little Barn Apothecary was founded in early 2015 by Joshua and Brad to create safe, alternative, modern apothecary goods crafted from organic and wild harvested ingredients, completely natural and simple.

Corinne’s mission is to create the most effective and high quality skin care, hand and naturally made, products using the most efficacious active ingredients around the world.

SUSTAINABLE LIVING

Imagine a place that is surrounded by nature and fresh air. A place where happiness is pure and living is a simple way of life. A place where there are lakes, farms, and horses run free.

There is such a place and it goes by the name Serenbe - An agrihoods, residential development where a working farm is the central feature and the success or failure of the agrihood depends on hiring the right farmer.

Serenbe is a luxury environmentally conscious and completely sustainable community located in Chattahoochee Hills, Ga, which is only 25 minutes from the Atlanta airport.

It is a community that is solely focused on health and wellness. Serenbe reconnects humanity to nature, making for a happier and healthier life.

Serenbe has over a 1,000 acres, 70% of which is preserved as green space, Serenbe is made up of beautiful homes, hotels and rental cottages, shops, arts, farmers markets, a 25 acre organic farm, a luxury spa, and more. It is a place of wellness with activities ranging from yoga on the lawn, horseback riding and miles of hiking trails.

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Serenbe is not the only community in America that is changing the way American’s live: Agritopia in Phoenix, Az.; Serenbe in Chattahoochee Hills, Ga.; Prairie Crossing in Grayslake, Il.; South Village in South Burlington, Vt.; and Hidden Springs in Boise, Id are among the first agrihoods to be established.

Newer developments include Willowsford in Ashburn, Va., which opened in 2011. The Kukui’ula community in Kauai, Hawaii, opened in 2012 and has a 10-acre farm in addition to a clubhouse, spa and golf course.

At least a dozen new agrihoods are underway or have secured financing, including Bucking Horse in Fort Collins, Co.; Skokomish Farms in Union, Wa.; Harvest in Northlake, Tx.; Rancho Mission Viejo in Orange County, Ca.; and Prairie Commons in South Olathe, Ka. This new idea of sustainable communities, from the food being consumed to the to the construction of the home is influencing American’s to think of the bigger picture of life. Living a long, healthy, and happy life is the new way to live.

OUR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

THE PLASTIC AGE

No one knew that the invention of plastic in 1907 would have caused the harm it has placed upon earth today. There are millions of tons of plastic pieces that drift in the world's oceans every year.

Currently, plastic outweighs the ratio to plankton in an alarming amount.

“Humankind has progressed through the Stone Age, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age, only to land in an era where society is increasingly defined by the pollutants we produce”. The Plastic Age is an eye opening film by Parley, that exposes the harsh reality of our plastic addiction.

Parley is the space where creators, thinkers and leaders come together to raise awareness for the beauty and fragility of our oceans and collaborate on projects that can end their destruction. Parley for the Oceans has been collaborating with material innovator Bionic Yarn, creative visionary Pharrell Williams and the dutch jeans brand G-Star RAW.

Together they are trying to come up with a solution to reuse and recycle the plastic that we already have instead of making more. They are using plastic debris to create yarn that will be used to make denim and other articles of clothing. “We humans are at war with nature. Plastic as a material is a design failure. It is the responsibility of the creative industries to solve it by reinventing this material, by designing a next generation of eco-smart products and by creating a new mindset. It is the role of the brands to innovate their production methods, business practices and to provide products that allow their clients to make everyday environmental purchase decisions.

The environmentalists watch over these efforts, to make sure the new inventions and strategies make sense for our oceans. But it only works if it makes economic sense, and if everyone starts to do some little things differently. Every day.” - Parley 16

“Unlike materials that oxidize or biodegradable over time, plastic sticks around for centuries. Once it reaches the oceans, it entraps and entangles wildlife, litters the world’s beaches and accumulates into giant, swirling garbage-patch gyres. Over time, it breaks down into microscopic pieces that ultimately work their way up the food chain and into marine species that mistake it for food, which we then mistake for food. In effect, we are ultimately contaminating our own dinner plates in saying yes to that plastic bag. Our ability to turn this colossal and mounting problem into industry opportunity is contingent upon how well we come together and generate diverse solutions� - Parley

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SOURCES Aflalo, Yael. “Reformation.” Reformation. Web. 15 Nov. 2015. http://www.thereformation.com Edwards, Elise. “Yael Aflalo’s Reformation Allows Fashionistas to Go Green by

Making Vintage Cool.” L.A. Weekly. LA Weekly, LP, 25 July 2012. Web. 15

Nov. 2015.

Fumo, Nicola. “What the Reformation Team Wears to Work.” Racked. Vox Media,

Inc., 17 June 2014. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.

Murphy, K. (2014, March 11). Farm-to-Table Living Takes Root. Retrieved February

24, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/12/dining/farm-to-table

living-takes-root.html THE PLASTIC AGE. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2016, from http://www.parley.

tv/up dates/2015/4/11/the-plastic-age

Recycling jeans - let us break it down for you - Nudie Jeans. (n.d.).

Retrieved February 27, 2016, from https://www.nudiejeans.com/recycle/

Serenbe (n.d.). Retrieved February 24, 2016, from http://serenbe.com Top Creative Work On Behance. (n.d.). Retrieved March 03, 2016, from https:// www.behance.net/search?content=projects

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VV is committed to changing the way the consumer thinks, buys, and acts. The consumer is the one

who will create this change in how products are produced. The consumer has the ability to help decrease pollution and our environmental impact. The consumer has the control on what products they put in their bodies. We truly wish to expand our vision and our passion on sustainability. We desire to see a healthy planet filled with healthy people for generations to come.

BE THAT CHANGE

SUSTAINABILITY SHOULD BE A WAY OF LIFE. NOT A TREND.