The event reinforced the role of organizations like SMART in shaping a sustainable future for fashion and materials recovery.

Steven Bethell, a globally recognized advocate for textile recycling and sustainable fashion, has been appointed to the board of the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART). The announcement was made during the largest secondhand clothing and wiper conference ever held in Dubai, bringing together key industry leaders committed to driving sustainability in the textile sector.

“I am very passionate about the mission of this organization and keen to contribute to its growth and success,” said Bethell. “Used clothing is a force for good, and I am excited to help advance SMART’s vision for a more circular and responsible textile economy.”

SMART is a leading trade association representing the interests of the for-profit used clothing, wiping materials, and fiber recycling industries. The organization works to promote the environmental, economic, and social benefits of textile reuse and recycling while setting high industry standards. Its board comprises esteemed leaders dedicated to fostering innovation, sustainability, and ethical business practices within the sector.

Bethell joins a distinguished group of industry experts President: Brian London, Whitehouse & Schapiro.  Vice President: Drew Weinberg, OVASCO. Treasurer: Brian Rubin, Erie Cotton Products.  Immediate Past President: Steve Rees, Wipeco Industries. As well as others on the SMART board, including Gina Buty, Helene Carter, Harold Kalfus, Rick Wolf, Munir Hussain, Usman Kappaya, Marisa Adler all of whom bring valuable expertise and leadership to further the organization’s mission. With his extensive experience in the global secondhand clothing industry, Bethell’s appointment is expected to strengthen SMART’s initiatives in advocating for sustainable textile management practices worldwide.

The conference in Dubai underscored the growing momentum behind the second-hand clothing industry as a key player in the circular economy. By highlighting the importance of textile reuse and responsible recycling, the event reinforced the role of organizations like SMART in shaping a sustainable future for fashion and materials recovery.

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When you buy a sweater you are going to want it to last years not just a season. You will want it to be warm and sustainably made, so the obvious answer is a sweater from the Spanish company babaa.

I saw a babaa sweater in green online and I knew I had to have one. It started with the striking emerald colour, but then I heard the babaà story, how they raise their sheep and knit their products, and knew I wanted babaà to be my primary wool sweater for the winter. babaa speaks about the place where we need to go to slow down mass consumerism and lack of connection to ourselves.

Maybe the biggest joy this sweater gives me is knowing that it journeyed through the Spanish countryside and if I look hard enough, I can still find bits of nature where the sheep travelled.

Looking decent is important to me, but I want my clothes to represent my values. It’s hard for me to buy fast chain fashion: it doesn’t feel good, it doesn’t look right, it’s not the right thing to do. Educated readers know that the skills of fine craftspeople in fashion are disappearing in Europe and around the world, now that Zara and H&M can produce clothes and shoes for a throwaway, runaway plastic culture.

How do we slow down and recoup what we are losing? Supporting artisan designers and the farms and the craftspeople who keep them in business, of course.

Of course you can go to a local mall and likely find something decent, but babaà is more than just clothes. It’s connecting us to our past, present and future.

babaà is founded by Marta Bahillo (pictured below), from Madrid. She studied Fashion and Textile Design in Dublin, Ireland and after graduating – with a particular passion for knitwear and natural textiles – Marta moved to Argentina to design womenswear for a major fashion house before returning to Spain and founding babaà in 2012.

According to Marta, “All the materials we use are 100% natural which means our yarns are not mixed with acrylics or any other synthetic fibres. Better quality material means warmer, longer lasting clothes that even improve with wear.”

A big part of their work in creating great sweaters is sourcing local providers and supporting the local textile industry. Their wool comes from sheep in the north of Spain where it compiled, processed, and dyed by Spanish artisans using traditional methods and tools, like the ones shown below.

According to Malta, “These sheep that you see all over Spain are the ones that provide our beautiful pure Spanish wool. Many of you see bits of nature in your babaà jumpers when you get them. Now you know where it comes from! We are very proud to support this traditional local industry so important for the biodiversity and the environment.”

Read more about the sheep shearing process here.

The sheep are also brought out to pasture through a ritual called trashumancia ––  the seasonal movement of people with their livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures.

The cotton for the cotton sweaters is sourced in Andalucia, in the south of Spain.The wool and cotton is then shipped to a workshop in Barcelona where it is knit. Designs are all oversized to make you feel cozy and to leave space for growing children.

(Updated Dec, 2023)

::babaa

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Vintage work trousers and jackets from France and Japan are making a comeback among the young and fashionable from Tel Aviv to Montreal to New York. Worn in, study, and bright blue. The vibe of good craftwork is coming into vogue as handmade and recycled items from crafts and professions such as metalworking in the forge to carpentry and handmade pottery make a revival. 

A comfortable outdoor work trouser made by companies like Engelbert Strauss  can also be found “new” if you aren’t keen on the holes and wear and tear from the vintage pants you might find. 

And consider that if you are using the trousers for professional use you will need to consider size so they will need to fit well and may need pockets in exactly the right places. They can be used for everyday use and no longer need to be baggy like in the days of yore. If you want to work close to your bench and prefer slim trousers, plenty of options are available too. 

What are work trousers?

Work trousers   are trousers that are made to take a beating. They are pants you wear when you are engaging in physical work which can range from heavy lifting and moving wood around in your woodworking shop, to the kind of pants that will work with you in photography when you are out in location, or maybe you are a general handy person who likes to keep your hands busy. 

Why are work trousers important?

Typically work trousers are made tougher than regular clothes with reinforcements and rivets for deep and quick bending, with pockets that will make sense when you move or need a handy place to put your scissors wrench or screws. 

Some workplaces will cover the cost of work trousers. And make sure they are available for men and women. In the UK it is the law (links to PDF).

Lacerations from sharp objects are the most common injury that can be prevented by wearing work pants and safety shoes . Some brands make them heavy duty materials to help reduce the chance of a sharp object such as metal or glass from reaching and piercing your skin.

They should be separate from your everyday clothes, especially if you work in the shop with materials such as heavy grease, insulation or pottery glazes and clay –– materials which may be toxic and which you don’t want inside your home environment. 

Work trousers should stay in the shop and be used when working. Leave them hanging in the shop or workroom at the end of the day and wash them when needed. Keeping work-life trousers separate also makes for a healthier balance between work and play. 

Modern work trousers and work shorts can do much more than classic denim jeans, says classic trouser maker Engelbert Strauss. Consider that most people have good tools and work shoes. However, many tend to neglect the subject of work trousers. You often see men and women wearing denim jeans or similar pants or shorts on the building site. The lightest of rain falls down, and the denim jeans soak it up. They hang heavy on the legs, stay damp for hours and the legs are cold while  at work. 

With dozens of makes and models of the modern work short and trouser look for a brand that suits your lifestyle. I’ve seen aprons and bibs for bartending, carpentry and pottery that fit the bill and likely, your size. Havie in Tel Aviv makes clothes this way, upcycled from old army tents. 

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We all want to do our bit for the environment and the first place you can start is with your home. A few changes here and there can lower your carbon footprint, reduce your emissions and make your living space a little greener for all. 

Here are just a few tips to consider to give your home an eco-friendly makeover this year – some are quick changes you can make and some require a little thought and investment on your part.  

Swap your white goods for eco-friendly models 

While we know this is a pretty steep investment, you’ll save money in the long run and you won’t be consuming as much energy or damaging the environment. Plus, you can also store your old washing machine or fridge in a storage unit until you can sell it – these come in all shapes and sizes, with even locker sized units available to keep a single white good safe for sale. 

Wash clothes on a lower temperature

If you don’t want to swap your white goods – or plan to do so over a longer period of time – that’s no problem. Simply look for ways of reducing the impact your existing appliances have on the environment. Wash your clothes on a lower temperature and you could use significantly less energy. In fact, it’s believed that switching the temperature to 30°C from 40°C, could see you use 40% less energy over the year. 

Swap your light bulbs for LEDs 

It’s time to ditch the halogens in the kitchen and bathroom! These light bulbs gobble up energy, increasing your carbon footprint. Instead, look for LED light bulbs that are energy efficient while still providing a bright glow in the room. 

Turn down the thermostat 

It’s time to dig out the blankets and those oversized jumpers in favour of cranking the heating up. The recommended temperature for a home to keep it eco friendly is 18°C, which should keep things toasty when paired with snuggly knitwear. 

Skip the tumble dryer 

When you just want to get those towels dry or the bedding washed and ready to go back on the bed, it’s sorely tempting to throw everything in the tumble dryer. But these devices are not great for the environment. If you can hang your washing outside, that’s preferred – or put them near a radiator or window where they can dry quicker. 

Look into solar panels 

These are more of an investment – but there are schemes out there that can help the cost of solar panels. Plus, once installed, you can sign up for the Smart Export Guarantee which means energy companies buy spare power from you – so you could even make some money back over time! Solar energy is renewable, green and panels can increase the value of your home – so it’s definitely an eco-friendly option to consider. 

Trap the heat 

In the midst of winter, we want to keep our homes as warm as possible – especially if we’ve turned the thermostat down. This means taking it upon ourselves to block any draughts that may be getting in. Blackout curtains, insulating blinds and draught excluders along the bottom of doorways are just three easy ways to trap heat and make your home a little more energy efficient. 

It’s also worth looking into loft insulation if yours doesn’t have much. Heat rises and can escape through the roof, which means all that energy you’re using to keep your home warm doesn’t count for much. You can buy loft insulation in rolls from a DIY store that can be simply rolled out across the space to trap heat and keep the lower floors cosier. 

Try out these tips for an eco-friendly makeover this year and enjoy a greener home for you and your family. 

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Amid news of France’s overturned ban of the full-body “burkini” swimsuit, Playboy and Women’s Running magazines featuring women in hijab for the first time the hijab is turning heads and making headlines. The hijab or face-covering for Muslim women needs to be comfortable and sport-relevant says Qatar-based founders of Oola Sportswear. They just launched an Indiegogo campaign that not only celebrates modest activewear such as comfortable head coverings and workout suites, but they bring much-needed athletic wear technology to the segment.

The Oola team launched a campaign Oola Sportswear: Activewear That’s Got You Covered on crowdfunding platform Indiegogo on Sunday morning (the start of the week in Qatar, where the team is based). With a goal of $15,000, the campaign offers elegant, functional, loose-fitting activewear and sports hijabs that finally make outdoor sports accessible to women who prefer coverage with their workout gear.

Most women’s sportswear is tight, short, low-cut, or designed in short-sleeved-only options. For women who value modesty out of personal values or religious practice — such as those of the Islamic, Orthodox Judaic, Coptic Christian, or other faiths — finding athletic wear that performs and comes in desired styles is a tiring hunt.

Good activewear, depending on the sport, is quick-drying, breathable, and/or water-repellent. Coming across attire that is made of suitable sports fabrics and enables a woman to stay covered fashionably in comfort is all too uncommon.

Experiencing this struggle themselves, Oola co-founders Haya Al Ghanim and Amina Ahmadi decided to design activewear that has all of the above. “While we were training for a Mount Kilimanjaro hike, we really wanted to train outside, but we were really struggling to find something to wear that was appropriate for training outdoors,” says co-founder Amina. “We knew at that point that we wanted to do something about it, but it was the experience of Kili itself that brought Oola to life. We made up our mind that we were going to go back home and do something about it.”

More about Oola Sportswear

Oola Sportswear is a modesty-inspired fashion brand that provides loose-fitting, contemporary activewear for women who prefer more coverage for outdoor activities. Our vision is to promote a healthy lifestyle by making outdoor sports accessible for our clients.

Oola believes that every woman possesses the strength to push boundaries, redefine limits, and overcome challenges. Equipped with the right tools, a woman can unlock her potential, achieving goals that may have seemed unreachable, enjoying experiences that seemed limited, and inspiring communities around them. Oola provides activewear that will enable women to push their fitness goals and challenge their limits. To plant a seed of empowerment is all it takes to lose one’s inhibitions. Oola is that seed.

Support Oola here!

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Going to the mall or outlet store to buy clothing is not the greenest thing one can do when the truth is known about what materials the clothing is made out of, as well as where and how it is made. Much of this clothing, even top line name brands, is often made in poorer locations  such as rural China, Bangladesh, India, and other places  where environmentally damaging dyes are used and clothing is sewn together by people working in sweat-shop and even slave labor conditions.

Finding companies that make environmentally friendly fashion products used to be difficult; but now more and more companies are producing such clothing that even is appeasing purchasers who are restricted by religious requirements of modesty and simplicity.

The call for more transparency in the production and marketing of clothing lines has resulted in one company going the extra mile to produce high quality fashions that are not only ecological friendly but produced by more ethical means. This company, known as Honest By, claims to be the first 100% transparent clothing company that  ” traces the origins of the fabrics and trimmings used to make sure that all the elements are being produced in a responsible manner.”

This not only includes the fabrics and dyes from which the clothing is made, but even what type and how much energy is involved. The clothing labels also tell you whether any soil or air  pollution is created from ground water or air contamination.

Operated by CEO Bruno Pieters, a Belgian fashion designer who previously worked as art director of Hugo Boss‘s avant guard line, Honest By’s policy is to “present the full picture of how its clothes are made including where the materials come from, how the products are manufactured, how much they cost to make, and how much they’re being marked up”.  Even details about production factories and safety standards for workers is given by the company. This revelation is much more forthcoming than many other clothing companies that only divulge the country of origin of the clothing and the main fabrics used (cotton, polyester, rayon, etc).

Prices for the clothing produced by this company are not in many peoples’ budget, however. They start at 280 Euro or $325 USD. Although the company does divulge how much the materials cost and how much it cost to produce the clothing, this still leaves a bit of a gap between the full production costs and the final retail price. But there is some good news in that around 20% of company profits are given to charity.

In recent years, most clothing lines have been outsourced to aforementioned countries, where labor costs are much less than in Western countries such as the USA and UK. China has become one of the top fashion clothing producers; and as has been mentioned previously in Green Prophet, also produces chic pop fashion lines from plastics and other waste materials that would normally be thrown away.

While there may still be some issues regarding Honest By’s claim of full transparency in its clothing lines, at least Bruno Pieters and his company appear to be going in the right direction in its clothing – providing you can afford to pay the price that is.

::Honest By

More articles on green clothing issues:
Israel’s Maccabi Soccer Uniforms by Nike are Made From 13 Recycled Plastic Bottles
D Grade’s Hipster Trash Clothing is Made Cheap in China
Thinking About Buying Jeans as Gifts? Well, Think Again
Organic and Islamic – Muslims Showcase Ethical and Fair-Trade Fashion

Image of green fashion from Shutterstock

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In today’s world, the privileged among us tend to live in a world of endless possibilities: endless food, endless clothes, even endless travel destinations. Some of these are great (the travel options) but some things are better in small doses to avoid waste.

One day Sian Rowland living in Dubai was clearing out her wardrobe when she realised just how much excess clothes she had. Things she no longer wore, skirts that didn’t fit and dresses with the label still on. Most woman have found themselves in this situation with more shops that we can keep up with and all too easy access to fashion, most woman (and men too) will find themselves only wearing 20 percent of the many item that crowd their ever-expanding wardrobes.

It was then that Sian and two of her sisters Teagan and Becky, all now living in Dubai, decided to start the initiative “My Ex Wardrobe” which in their own words: not only allows people to de-clutter their wardrobes but gives clothes a second chance at happiness.

The concept is very simple; you donate clothes that you no longer need or want. The sisters check to make sure all items are in good condition. They value them and sell them on behalf of the original owner. The seller keeps all the proceeds with My Ex Wardrobe just charging a small admin fee.

This is a great way to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Re-own with the prospect of getting a bargain too.

The three sisters

Buying second hand clothing (some still with the tags on), woman are reducing consumerism and in turn decreasing their carbon footprint. Every new item of clothing one purchase has a life-cycle carbon footprint figure attached to it, from its manufacturing process, transport, packaging, as well as the energy consumption of the final retail outlet.

By selling items through My Ex Wardrobe, one is in essence halving the carbon footprint of the item. And let’s face it – there is nothing more fun than shopping and doing good to the environment all at once.

Their first event took place in May 2011 and was by invite only. Today they have monthly events with over 1000 items for sale.

For more information on upcoming events or to trade in your garb: All the details of can be found on their Facebook page, and will soon all be available on their upcoming website: www.myexwardrobe.com

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Can Sivan Askayo’s photographs convince us hang dry our laundry?

What if art had the power to change our habits for the (environmentally) better?  Could a photograph change governmental policy, or at the very least, some of our daily behaviors?  Artistic photographers have tried, and acclaimed photographer Spencer Tunick’s naked Dead Sea shoot this year to raise awareness about its sinking water levels is one of the most famous examples.

Sometimes the beauty of a photograph (or other work of art) is what it takes to force us to make a change.  The stunning hanging laundry photograph series by Israeli photographer Sivan Askayo is no exception, and may cause many of us to regret that we ever used an electronic dryer.

Titled ‘Intimacy Under the Wires’, Askayo says that her “laundry project [began] in the vibrant alleyways of Tel Aviv’s Jaffa neighborhood and has become an ongoing project, taking me to Madrid, Barcelona, London, Florence, Venice and Buenos Aires to snap the anonymously displayed drying clothing.”

“The project, that was named ‘Intimacy under the Wires’,” she continues, “reveals images of laundry both intimate and unconfined while their snoopy character makes laundry, a seemingly prosaic subject, all the more intriguing.”

The series has already been featured in Phaidon, The SIP and Design Sponge, and we wonder what kind of effect it has had on peoples’ laundry.

:: Sivan Askayo

Read more about environmental photography projects:
Eco-Sexy Art: Strip Naked at Dead Sea for Acclaimed Photographer, Spencer Tunick
Nature’s Social Worker, Ecological Artist Shai Zakai
Green Love “Sticks” in Jaffa

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Before grabbing another polluting plastic bag, learn how to easily make a cloth bag out of items you already have lying around.

Sustainable Israeli designer Aya Tager will be giving upcycling workshops in Tel Aviv in a couple weeks, but for those who can’t make it she is giving an online workshop right here on Green Prophet!  Aya (aka Aya Kaya) teaches us how to turn old t-shirts and tank tops into cloth bags that can be used in multiple ways.  (For those of you about to gift Christmas or Hannukah presents, this bag may be a great eco-friendly alternative to disposable wrapping paper.)

No sewing experience or fancy equipment necessary!  For this easy 4-step project you will need: an old t-shirt or tank top, scissors, needle and thread, and old socks.

Step 1:  Fold the shirt so that the sleeves are one on top of the other (you can use the side seams as guides).  Then cut out the sleeves and excess fabric at the top of the shirt, so that it will resemble handles.

Step 2:  Stitch the bottom to close the bag.  You can use a different colored thread to make the bag more decorative (in the photo above Aya has used red thread on white cloth).

The basic bag is now done and you can add details.

Step 3:  One way to decorate the bag is to continue the stitching from the bottom of the shirt around the edges of the entire bag.

You could also use old colorful socks to thicken the fabric around the handles.  This will help use up other old fabrics and make the handles of the bag sturdier.

The socks can also be turned into a decorative flower or bow tie.

Step 4: Your bag is done!  It can now be used as a lightweight and reusable shopping bag the next time you go food shopping, as a lunch bag to take to work or school, or as an alternative form of gift wrap during the holiday season!

:: Aya-Kaya Sustainable Design

Read more fun and easy upcycling tutorials:
Think Again: Make a Last Minute Gift Bow with Reused Paper
Think Again: Turn Old T-Shirts Into Drawstring Bags
Think Again: Transform Junk Mail Into Beautiful Envelopes
Think Again: What to Do With That Old Pair of Jeans
Think Again: How to Fuse Your Plastic Bags So You Can Make… Fill in the Blank
Think Again: Strike Up a Matchbox Inspired Recycled Notebook

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