Fell behind in my Monocle reading…so catching up with the October and November issues. A few tidbits.
ETHICAL FASHION Issue 37 – 063
Sophie Grove has written a thought-provoking piece called “Moral Fibres”. Her preface:
Unreliable labelling, products made in questionable factories– are luxury brand about to face Foxconn-style scandals? We look at the firms leading a provenance revivial from LA to Helskinki.
Grove takes us on a journey that highlights the global evolution of the fashion industry. From Christopher Raeburn who makes his collection using dead-stockmiliatry fabric in London to Mark Walker (Skive shoes) who moved his factory from China to Spain to be closer to the tanneries of Europe but also to higher labour standards for his workers, fashion purveyors and consumers are paying closer attention to provenance.
Ultimately, the ethical integrity of an item is bound in its quality. Where it’s made is part of this.
BETTER DESIGN MEANS BETTER BUSINESS Issue 37, p. 102
Ken Baker, Managing Principal of Gensler — a global architecture, design, planning and consluting firm. http://www.gensler.com/ — writes about a measurement tool that they invented called the Workplace Performance Idex (WPI). The WPI analyses four work modes in a workplace that allow for creativity and innovation: focus, collaboration, learning and socializing.
Success in a knowledge economy means working differently. We found that top companies in the US spend 23 % more time collaborating than average companies, 40 % more time learning and 16% more time socializing.
Bottom line: good design is good for business.