It was a record breaking swap of 2 TONS OF TEXTILES collected. Every swap I’m confused about how much remains; why do people mainly think about circularity when they want to get rid of items and not when they are sourcing items?

I created a mini-zine to invite people to learn more about how swapping and sharing clothing is a critical part of sustainability. Now you can print your own! Download the attached document which includes a little poster on the backside.

In my last message, I teased the idea of an online marketplace. Now I want to share a little backstory on the project as well as next steps: In 2021, Amy Sutton and I won the San Diego Opera Hack, an international online ideation summit that explored how technological innovations can enhance the production, presentation, and consumption of opera.

It is clear that it is time for our paths to diverge and for Conscious Costume to continue expanding the footprint of our mission elsewhere!

I want to take a moment to emphasize Conscious Costume's approach sustainability as intersectional and that buying from Black owned businesses or creators is a wonderful way to achieve a sustainable future.

I’ve been thinking daily about the Luddites. No, not just people who reject technology but the original Luddites, the weavers who followed Ned Ludd to fight for their livelihoods in the Industrial Revolution. 

My education emphasized how to work with a costume shop, how to decide what to pull, rent, buy, or build; I had no real understanding of the theatre world I’d be graduating into.

The beginning of Earth Month (and Fashion Revolution Month) is the perfect time to discuss Sustainable Development Goal 10 (if you are unfamiliar, please go back and re-familiarize yourself in our first post about the SDGs).

I already buy very little from corporations so I’ve been considering how to communicate my thought process around sourcing in my life and my art to help others adjust their purchasing behaviors. I sketched this flow chart of how I approach sourcing something I’m looking for, it's loosely based on the "Buyerarchy of needs" and other resources.

I want my work, and Conscious Costume, to reveal hidden waste and excess, particularly in the current costume production process, while taking inspiration from natural systems that reuse every molecule.

I was going to write about SDG 11 this week, but the climate news this past week looms too large in my mind to focus on this. Like many of you, I spent huge chunks of last week watching footage of raging fires and texting my LA area loved ones, checking that they are safe, offering support where I can, and just hoping the winds die down.

Today, I’d like to focus on the final goal, Goal 17 which is to Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.

2024 was a record breaking year for Conscious Costume, thank you so much for being a part of that! I’ll share our full impact report soon but for now, I wanted to revisit a core concept of our work and provide a “101” course on circular thinking!

I am FED UP with all the plastic and the ads for CRAP this time of year. I cringe walking by aisles of single use Christmas decorations that will be broken and in the trash by January 2nd.

For this post, I’ll be focusing on fabrics. Deadstock can also be called designer ends, mill ends, or excess inventory. Not all deadstock is resold, sometimes fabrics are destroyed to “preserve brand integrity” or avoid the costs associated with storing or selling them. 

As the industry finally shifts towards more sustainable practices, costume designers must consider the ethical and environmental implications of their decisions. If we do not measure it, we cannot improve it. 

I wanted a way to research solutions and empower costume professionals to make choices that help them design in harmony with people and the planet, but when I started working, there were no resources specific to costume professionals.

This year’s Earth Day theme is Planet vs. Plastics so here are some ideas for considering and reducing plastic:

This is the THIRD most impactful decarbonization strategy globally, after only Reduced Food Waste and Plant-Rich Diets. In the final days of Women's History Month, it seems fitting to discuss Sustainable Development Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls!

So today I had planned to write about the next Sustainable Development Goal but I have not had the opportunity this week to write thoughtfully about how it applies to costumes so that will have to wait!