Dr Noki

DR NOKI                                                                                                                                                       Dr. Noki, also known as JJ Hudson, is the superhero of eco-fashion and design, naming his signature piece to be “The Noki-SOB (Suffocation Of Branding) mask.” He started his career as a stylist in the late 90’s, working with MTV, ID magazine, and now famed creative director and designer Nicola Formichetti. He is the John Wayne of the eco-fashion and up-cycling movement with the axiom ‘rejection breeds re-invention’; he does what he wants and, luckily for society, what he wants is “an exclusive garment that compliments the raw energy that defines ‘street style’ and all of what we see in the designer collections”, but carefully utilizing the ‘sustainable canvas’ as a positive way forward using ‘New World Textiles’. Dr. Noki is a leader in Estethica’s commitment for nurturing and mentoring young talents and will continuto be a designer that ignites the fashion world with innovation and design                                                                                                                                                                                              

      

                                                                                                                                                                   NOTES ON THE POLITICS AND AESTHETICS OF NOKI CUSTOM                                                               At its most obvious, Noki custom mounts a challenge, a symbolic critique or even
a form of resistance, against mainstream, mass-market, homogenous and
depersonalised commodity fashion.

Where sportswear relies on brands and powerful logos to make its selling
proposition, Noki abducts these signs, reconfigures them, uses, abuses and
reuses them and creates the new and unorthodox.Oink. Not pis. Geddit?
With French philosopher De Certeau, the operations of Noki can be seen as
tactics of the weak, pitted against strategies of the strong. David’s fast and sneaky 

movements, too fast for Goliath, strong, but slow and inflexible.

So, at its most obvious, the story of Noki is the story of resisting monolithic
corporations and their hardnosed profit mentality, wherein individuals are reduced
to passive but unfaithful consumers and clothes are objectified and turned into
mere ‘stock’, which needs to be invested with attractive myths and promises
through intensive marketing. While certain multinational clothes retailers design,
manufacture (outsourced to underpaid workers through a complex supply chain?)
and distribute the same bland jumper to identical outlets all across the world,
Noki custom makes one-off pieces. With care. With dedication. With aura.
The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction (the title of Walther
Benjamin’s famous essay) – it’s not always reproduced. This is the second time then I post the information about designers ho creates their works from utilized clothes. But this one is really seams to me exiting because has a status couturier. Dr Noki collaborates with singers as Beth Dito, Lady Gaga, Skin from Skunk Anansie, with contemporary artist. Probably his protest against mass production fashion just a PR.

Is it sustainable approach or not?

Let me introduce you to my first project as a Product designer. The main task was to design a black box to brew coffee by making of existing technical layouts/components (or to invent new technically and commercially viable solution).

Through very different thinking about this task I came to the conclusion that it seems like a good idea to make a device which can keep safe time and energy and space at the same time.

My Coffee Black Box consists of two devices which use the same heating system. It helps to save electric energy and time for incandesce of one heating system instead of two.

Because of the good amount of breakfasts consist of coffee and hot toasts or sandwiches I decided to join two devices in one: coffee maker and sandwich maker. Especially because of both of these devices are equipped by similar type of heating system – tubular. The electric energy consumption of these devices is equal also.

The main idea of construction is placing the tube with water close to heating element in main body of the device. The second heating element is placed in cover (on top) of device. When cover of device is closed the water is heated up by joined energy of both of heating elements. In case of sandwich cooking the heat energy is divided in this way: the water is heated up by lower heating element which also heats up a sandwich together with higher heating element (which is placed in the cover in top of device).

Also it allows solving some problems of usage like evidence of interface (functional elements) and interaction, which were discovered due to research. Therefore the form and construction of my object was created with taking into account all this problems solutions.

For example the problem with non-obviousness of containers with water and coffee is solved by highlighting this details by colour. Moreover they are placed away from main device body. Also there is used push-to-open mechanism. It allows to simplify the process of coffee beans and water reload.

The part with a sandwich maker is positioned on the top of device because of technological and fire protection requirements. The cover on the top of device has a special handle for easier opening/closing.

What do you think about this decision? Can it be estimated as a sustainable approach?

SchmidttakahashI

                                                                                     

                       

                

                    

                                               

                                      

Schmidttakahashi is a Berlin based label that specializes in upcycled and restyled, redesigned clothing. As the name suggest, there is a decided Asian aesthetic to the collection of women’s wear.  Reanimation / Wiederbelebungsmassnahmen, is the name of their project, to value, track and communicate the history and heritage of each item that goes into their recycled design collection.  With a belief that garments carry with them a heritage, a history, and multiple stories absorbed through the wearing, schmidttakashi undertake a laborious process of collecting discarded and used clothing in their custom made containers. Each collected item is carefully washed and ironed, then assigned an identification number, identifying the former owner, without breaching their privacy of course, the color, material and style is catalogued, and archival photographs taken.  All the information from the archiving and photographing of each donated item is then saved in a small RFID transponder, basically a simple digital number chip, which can be read with an RFID reader; simple technology available on most smart phones as an application download.  RFID tags are quite robust, and can easily withstand washing, so each uniquely numbered item has the relevant RFID tag sewn into it, which can be access at anytime to learn its history, as well as to track its new life.                                                                                                                                            This  is  very  popular  tendency nowadays  to  create new  items  from  used  things. I think that besides this type of  production  ecologically  clean and so on, this  m e t h o d   gives to d esigners an opportunity to find some new silhouettes and combinations

                                 

                                        

Guys, I have an information how to write an essay from Michail. Email me, I will resend you.
ezberova@gmail.com

Alexandra

Useless into the useful

The story of company Alchemy Goods (http://www.alchemygoods.com/) begun from one accident: When inhabitant of Seattle Eli Reich’s messenger bag was stolen, he decided that instead of buying another, he would make one himself. With plenty of bicycle inner tubes lying around, he decided to make it the primary material for his new bag. Long story short, the completed product was a huge hit at the office, and Eli began to make them on a much larger scale. Today, Alchemy products are carried in many stores across the country.

Today the company enlarge the list of used stuffs and now it includes used seatbelt straps, nipples, awning fabric, including large outdoor street advertising banners.

Access to materials critical to success

One of his biggest raw materials is used bicycle tires that come from bike shops. Without Alchemy Goods these tires would end up in the landfill. Forming relationships with shop owners and people in general is one of the most important parts of the business for Reich. He gets used tires from many of the same shops that now carry his products. It’s this sense of coming full circle that adds to the appeal of his products for consumers. What makes Alchemy Goods products so attractive to consumers is that they can actually see the recycled content in the product.

In addition to junkyards and bike shops, Reich also works with community groups to procure materials. Some years ago Alchemy Goods established a relationship with Portland’s Community Cycling Center to take nearly 15,000 used bike tubes. Sustainable Industries reported on the positive impact of this partnership, noting that CCC had been struggling to find a recycler for its used rubber when its previous partner could no longer process the bicycle tire components.

Customer suggestion leads to creation of new product - the Ad bag

Customers have even helped Reich secure materials, and some have suggested new directions. One woman worked for a company that dealt with large outdoor advertising banners. The banners were simply discarded after use, and she thought Reich might be able to find a use for them. Sure enough, he did. The banners are now the primary material in his new Ad bag. The Ad bag is 95% recycled material by weight and made of the old vinyl mesh signs, seat belts for handles and a section of a bike tube for the grip on the handle. Selling for a very reasonable $30, the Ad bag is a perfect of example of Reich’s goal to make a quality product and get it into as many people’s hands as possible.

Main piece of advice to other budding eco-entrepreneurs: have patience

Reich’s main piece of advice for people looking to go into business with an eco-friendly product is to have patience, pure and simple. He hammered home this point several times during this chat. Start slow: when he started making bags he was still working his other job, which gave him the security to continue to explore and develop his product, as well as looking for sources of raw materials. In his first year he made only around 100 bags. His advice for people out there like him is to develop a high quality product, then have the patience to allow it to develop; it will succeed.

Every product on site of this company is accompanied by story of it’s creation. For example:http://www.alchemygoods.com/bottle-reopener.html

My opinion: It might be possible to organize such company or activity in our country. However there are some obstacles: first of all because of climate there aren’t so many addicted by bicycle people and used bicycle inner tubes correspondingly. However there are a lot of street advertising banners which have very short period of usage. The second problem might happen because of suppressing by administrative and government interference. And even if this activity is organized by eco-geeks or eco-fanatics who overcome every problem this enterprise might have very short life time because of slighting attitude to objects from garbagre and eco-problems in general.

GoodGuide For Safe, Healthy and Green Products

GoodGuide, Inc. is an American "for-benefit" corporation whose mission is to build tools that "transform how people see and interact with products and companies by delivering comprehensive and rigorous information at the point of purchase", as its official mission statement puts it. To the most extent we, buyers, are still in the Dark Ages and when we know the brand and the price we naively believe that we know quality. In reality however our knowledge is extremely limited in terms of the product's impact on us and the planet. GoodGuide, represented by a strong team of ecologists, chemists and engineers, surfaces a product's backstory -  summarizes all the possible information about the components of the product, the production processes and the social conditions at the producer's plant, and presents it in the easiest and most convenient way to the consumer. GoodGuide integrates hundreds of complex databases that evaluate everything from the company's policy on animal testing (if there is any) to the carbon emissions in its supply chain to the chemicals of concern in its products. GoodGuide can evaluate a company's policies, disclosure of a company's impacts on consumers, workers, communities, and the environment. GoodGuide does not tell us what to buy but instead helps us focus on what matters most in a product.

In the US the GoodGuide application for mobile phones allows shoppers to point their cell phones at the bar code of a  product and click its image to the GoodGuide server. Within seconds you will get a three-bar rating of that item, revealing in red, yellow, or green the relative level of virtue generated by that product's life cycle impact in three dimensions: environmental, health and social.

There is a long way when ordinary buyers in US will see GoodGuide's ratings next to the products' prices on the store shelves. Here in Russia we can only dream of any analogical program as GoodGuide which allows assessment of products' hidden environmental impacts at the point of sale. Movement towards ecological transparency is just gathering pace and we need a lot of time and efforts to turn the marketing balance.  However, we can easily use the GoodGuide page and check the products that are on the Russian market at the moment. There are a lot of them, believe me. This program can help us to make that consultaion a habit, and eventually we will be more conscios in our routine shopping. We will be mindful in our choice. As a result, changes in our choice will make the companies respond respectevely and modify their businesses in our country as well. 

GoodGuide

Harvard sustainable product design article :   http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/23/cool-green-or-both/

Festo

Sustainability –

 a benchmark for 

Festo

The principle of sustainability underpins all Festo's activities and vision. Our goal: the greatest problem-solving expertise in automation technology and close, systematic partnerships with our customers. The  result: business excellence in technology and didactics.


Environmental aspects of sustainability 
Festo has centred its activities on sustainability and long-term value enhancement, while the conservation of resources and an orientation towards environmental protection are permanently integrated in the vision and mission of the company.

SmartBird – bird flight deciphered

Aerodynamic lightweight design

SmartBird is an ultralight but powerful flight model with excellent aerodynamic qualities and extreme agility. With SmartBird, Festo has succeeded in deciphering the flight of birds – one of the oldest dreams of humankind.

This bionic technology-bearer, which is inspired by the herring gull, can start, fly and land autonomously – with no additional drive mechanism. Its wings not only beat up and down, but also twist at specific angles. This is made possible by an active articulated torsional drive unit, which in combination with a complex control system attains an unprecedented level of efficiency in flight operation. Festo has thus succeeded for the first time in creating an energy-efficient technical adaptation of this model from nature.

New approaches in automation

The functional integration of coupled drive units yields significant ideas and insights that Festo can transfer to the development and optimisation of hybrid drive technology.

The minimal use of materials and the extremely lightweight construction pave the way for efficiency in resource and energy consumption.

Festo already today puts its expertise in the field of fluid dynamics to use in the development of the latest generations of cylinders and valves. By analysing SmartBird's flow characteristics during the course of its development, Festo has acquired additional knowledge for the optimisation of its product solutions and has learned to design even more efficiently.

AirJelly

y, the remote-controlled jellyfish AirJelly does not swim through water, but instead glides instead through a sea of air thanks to its central electric drive unit and an intelligent, adaptive mechanism. It is able to do so because it consists of a helium-filled ballonett.

 

AirJelly's sole source of power is two lithium-ion polymer batteries connected to the central electric drive unit. It transmits the force to a bevel gear and from there to a succession of eight spur gears, which move the eight tentacles of the jellyfish via cranks. Each tentacle is designed as a structure with Fin Ray Effect^® . Propulsion of a ballonett by means of peristaltic motion is hitherto unknown in the history of aviation. AirJelly is the first indoor flight object with peristaltic drive. This new drive concept, with propulsion based on the principle of recoil, moves the jellyfish gently through the air.

AirJelly's environment is the air. Unlike AquaJell

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_citFkSNtk

Origins Architects

Origins Architects is architectural bureau based in Rotterdam, Netherlands. They position themselves as oriented on sustainable approach in architecture, with careful attitude to environmental conditions and keeping local traditions in buildings.

For solving problem of energy-efficient building OA uses a standard for contemporary green architecture set of sustainable technologies in their projects, Origins Architects cannot be named innovative in this area and their main merit is successful combination of already developed technologies and pleasant design with strong links to traditional architecture; they just create simple buildings where habitants will live with pleasure.

Obviously, this bureau gives preferences to organic renewable materials. As a reference to traditional folk architecture, designers of Origins Architects make extensive use of wood and plywood both exteriors and interiors, that is understandable - wood is renewable and local material, at the same time it creates special atmosphere of lively breathing space, it keeps a spirit of a place.

The example of their work is 'eco -villa' in Nieuwveen, Netherlands. There was a task to design a house that will be independent of the engineering communications. For this aim, a house has been equipped PV solar panels (3 on diagram below) for electricity supply. Configuration of building and its glazing allow to achieve passive solar energy (1, 4) for lighting and heating through the whole year. The shape of roof gives opportunity to gather rain water in subterranean tank (2,6,7). Also they used geothermal energy (8) for heating and cooling in different seasons of the year. As it is illustrated with diagram from OA website, warm is collected and then spreaded by heat pump (9).

Are these applied techniques appropriate for South Holland conditions? This region has rather soft climate with average minimum temperature near +2° in winter season and maximum temperature +24° in summer period; average annual precipitation is near 650 mm. So, these conditions are favourable for collecting rain water for household necessities and combined usage passive solar energy and geothermal energy for heating effectively. Glazing surfaces of this house are oriented to the Sun's motion - they are placed on east, south, west facades of the building. It seems to me that there is a risk of overheating of the house in summer period. At the same time, cooling is organized with using geothermal energy; in principle, it should be sufficiently for creating comfortable conditions. It is not very clear about photovoltaic electricity supply and its effectiveness for this region. Netherlands has average annual level of solar irradiation near 1000 kWh/ m2, particular in region of South Holland this number is 825-1100 kWh/ m2. Ideally, it gives opportunity to get energy enough for needs of a small house, if solar panels have square more than 5 m2. At the same time, their placing only on the surface of the roof complicates collecting of solar energy in winter period - it would be more suitable to set up additional solar panels vertically.

http://www.oasd.nl/

Extraordinary Repurposed Furniture

REcreate is a cutting edge interior design range of furniture and lighting started by Katie Thompson.


Using pieces of discarded junk, Katie recreates a unique, recycled range of furniture, lighting and interior accessories, each piece infused with its own previous character but with a new function...

Products

By blending South African craftsmanship, with high end finishes and her own eclectic perfectionist flair, Katie creates an original end product with a new integrity that epitomizes the very best of South African design.

I regard Katie's style quite innovative although the attempts to reuse the old things have already happened from time to time among designers. First of all because of its success and demand (She has a shop, where you may buy different interesting works for your interior). Her trademark choice of color, texture and finish give her designs an ever element of surprise.
I find Katie's passion to give the new life to a hoarder of all useless, impractical, broken, colourful and shiny things as quite interesting approach which could be applied in many other spheres of design. For me her works can be described as a mix of art and design with a pieces of romance and homeliness.

The Porthole Window Table. An old porthole window is REused as a contemporary side table with custom made tapered solid brass legs and a smokey grey mirror top.

Side Table. This antique table top was found without its base and missing 1 drawer. It now sits happily on a new white gloss base with its original embossed leather top in perfect nick. Original drawers are in perfect shape, the missing drawer space, now painted white, fits a book, remote controls or such things you may wish to store!

Suitcase Chair Revrobe Cameo Blue. An old suitcase takes on a new life as a Suitcase Chair. The chair has a steel reinforced internal structure, upholstered in South African locally designed and printed fabric with an African inspired indigo cameo, and timber turned legs.

The Suitcase Chair – Metal Trunk Khaki Paisley. An old, well travelled metal trunk takes on a new life as a 2 seater sofa chair. With a steel reinforced internal structure, perfectly finished paisley buttoned upholstery fabric and bun feet.

Suitcase Chair – Leather case/yellow knit. A vintage leather suitcase is recreated into a gorgeous suitcase chair with a steel reinforced internal structure, stained timber turned legs and a perfectly chosen yellow woven fabric and tapestry brocade cushion. Price excludes cushion.

Suitcase Cupboard – St Thomas Hospital London. A little leather suitcase that once visited St Thomas Hospital in London SE1 has now been mended for good and has started its new life as a cupboard! Perfect for storage or display.

Fridge Cupboard. A broken little fridge becomes a quirky sidetable/cupboard

http://www.recreate.za.net/products/furniture

The Binary Collection

The Binary Collection

Inspired by pallets of obsolete computers and electronics that were collecting dust in a local warehouse. The table structure is made from the metal from computer towers that are riveted together and bent to the proper form. The surface is completely covered with a collage of motherboards, computer chips, led screens and hard drive disks held in place by sheet metal screws. The glass from the table was salvaged from an abandoned warehouse.

http://brcdesigns.com/furniture/binary-collection/binary-low-table/

We Are What We Do

"We Are What We Do" is a not-for-profit behaviour change company that creates ways for millions of people to do more small, good things.

The company's mission is to "make stuff that people want to buy or use and which have positive behaviours built in, aiming to reach massive audiences and help address major social and environmental issues."

They work for 100s of companies and charities to help them engage more people and do more good. The strategy of the company is quite simple but very efficient and smart. They gave up usual way of telling people what to do. Their campaign employ brilliant incentives to make people act in different ways. 

There are really interesting and successful projects in the portfolio of the company, the most of them encourage sustainable way of living from different perspective.

Back in 2007 the general public perceived the reusable shopping bags as "the presence of old ladies and eco warriors" and regarded such simple green behaviour as reusing shopping bags as a part of an "alternative lifestyle". The Company approached a UK's leading accessories designer, Anya Hindmach, on the creation of a simple and beautiful bag. All the bags  were sold out during 2 hours in Sainsbury's in the UK and Whole Foods in the US for a 15 Pounds price. Getting the bag seen on the arms of Kylie Minogue, Mischa Barton, Sienna Miller, Keira Knightley, Lily Allen, Erin O’Connor and Lily Cole was a crucial part of the success. Later the campaign were extended into a series of "Plastic Aint My Bag" materials for schools. The Company says that following the release of the campaign, the number of "single-use" plastic bags used in the UK has dropped by 43 per cent in the past 5 years.

The Company often organizes campaigns that facilitates ecologically friendly behaviour in an entertaining manner. For example, they found a witty decision to make people recycle their rubbish in a fun, non-preachy manner. Statistics say that attending open-air festivals people produce hundreds of tonnes of waste. "We Are What We Do" created a 12 meter long, pink dragon who "eats" rubbish. In this way the bins were brought to the people rather than expecting people to go to the bins, and to make the process of recycling part of the festival experience. 

To my mind, "We Are What We Do" represents a really successful example of business strategy that encourages sustainable thinking on a personal and corporate level. Go the We Are What We Do page and discover more about their fascinating business model and entertaining products. 

Green Lifestyle Quiz

I found that handful of quizzes at the National Geographic web page. Instead of being boring and advisory about everyday choices we all have to make in an attempt to improve our environment, NG chooses another tactics and puts in front of us seemingly simple questions to answer. All questions concern our daily life routines, from air conditioning and seasonal food to installment of solar batteries systems and gardening. I have tried myself in the half of the tests and was surprised to find out that I was too optimistic about my level of "sustainable" knowledge. Do you know that washing machine uses unbelievable 155 liters of water per load? Actually, washers are not the first water consumers in the home but are behind the toilets. If you believe that you are a seasonal food follower, it would be useful to know that meat is not a year round product but on the on the list of seasonal food in the company with apples and wild rice. Anyway, if you do not consider the most of the correct answers as the rules to lead a sustainable life (either due to their economical impracticality or impossibility for the Moscow way of life), you will have a chance to start living more consciously, think before do and, I hope, stop taking a bath instead of shower.

Source: National Geographic Green Guide