Designing with Conscience: A Sustainable Fashion Symposium

As part of the on-going Year of Eco-Exhibitions, and in conjunction with the exhibition Fashion Conscious, curators Susan Taber Avila, UC Davis design professor, and Julia Schwartz, freelance writer, designer and UCD Design alum ('05), present Designing with Conscience, a speaker symposium looking into the fashion industry and the move towards eco-consciousness. The dynamic line up of speakers includes Elissa Loughman, environmental analyst at Patagonia, Lynda Grose, consultant for the Sustainable Cotton Project, and Sasha Duerr, director and founder of Permacouture Institute. The final presentation will be a moderated panel discussion; four designers from the exhibition will address the compromises necessary to promote responsible design. With all the contradictions and conundrums in the sustainable realm, this exciting afternoon will help everyday fashionistas make informed decisions.

The Design Museum's concurrent exhibition, Fashion Conscious, will display modern and wearable designs by established and up-and-coming green designers. This exploration will focus on the two most salient points prevalent in contemporary eco-fashion: the use of new materials that claim to be better for the environment and the reuse of existing materials. The exhibition will also examine the raw materials, their production methods, and question ethical consumption. From fair trade organic cottons to haute couture to creative up-cycling, Fashion Conscious challenges current opinions and presents the fashion industry's contributions to sustainability from both local and global perspectives.

To attend this free event, please register through the Design Museum website.

Symposium: Design with Conscience/Fashion Conscious
Sunday, May 18, 2008 at 1 p.m. in the Technocultural Studies building on the UCD Davis Campus
(located behind the Art Building)

Exhibition: Fashion Conscious: Sustainable Fashion Design
May 15-July 13, 2008

---

---