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Thursday 30 June 2011

D.I.Y THURSDAY| Do it like Gwen Stefani – Tie Dye! (...without the horrid chemicals of course)

There's no two ways about it - Tie dye is in!  So we're going to show you how to recreate these designs without all the harsh chemicals and dyes!

 


What you might not know is that you can create your own tie dyed garments in the comfort of your own home, using things around the house!  Things such as tea leaves, peaches and raspberries, can create the same effect as what you would find in the shops.  What better way to both control the colour you want on your creation, whilst saving you a little money too!?

Things you will need:

  1. A plain piece of clothing (from T- shirts to leggings - preferably eco-friendly - why not give an old garment a new life, rather than it throwing away?)
  2. A large old pot
  3. Salt Fixative (For berry/ fruit dyes) – Half a cup of salt mixed with eight cups of water
  4. Plant Fixative (For plant dyes) - One part vinegar to four parts water
  5. The berries or plants that you wish to use
  6. String (natural materials – nothing plastic, as it might melt)

Instructions:

1 - Add fabric to the fixative and simmer for an hour. Rinse the material and squeeze out excess. Rinse in cool water until water runs clear.
2 – Tie the string where you want it to not stain
3 - Place wet fabric in dye bath. Simmer together until desired colour is obtained. N.b. The colour of the fabric will be lighter when it’s dry.  Also note that all dyed garments should be washed in cold water and separate from other clothing (or it may run).

REMEMBER!  Always wear gloves when dying material, because it can stain your skin!


N.B - Muslin, silk, cotton and wool work best for natural dyes and the lighter the fabric in colour, the better; and white or pastel colours also work the best.

To make different colours try using the following ingredients:

Orange – Onion Skin
Brown – Tea Bags (You can recycle the ones you used in your morning cuppa!)
Pink – Strawberries
Purple – Red Cabbage
Red – Elderberry
Grey / Black – Rust Nails (and Vinegar and set with Alum.)
Green – Spinach
Yellow – Bay Leaves

This is just a small list – experiment using anything you find in the house – that is edible/ usable.

Show us how fantastic your designs turn out by emailing them to us at: info(@)offsetwarehouse.com!

Follow us for more useful D.I.Y tips on how to be environmentally friendly, and check into Offset Warehouse for more information on how products are produced.

Wednesday 29 June 2011

RESOURCES | Exactly how ETHICAL is Viscose?

At Offset Warehouse, we're always thriving to find the latest fabrics that are both eco-friendly and socially beneficial, but no fabric is 100% "ethical", which is why education is central to our ethos: it is vital to first understand the pros and cons of a fabric and make decisions whether to use them, based on this knowledge.


Recently, we've noticed a little confusion surrounding VISCOSE - so today, we'll hopefully shed a little light and get some facts straight...


Viscose (aka artificial silk) is a synthetic material made with a natural fibre – WOOD PULP.  This is one of the pros to Viscose, as the wood pulp is taken from crops of spruce or beech, which are monitored to ensure that trees are replaced.

The cons come with the chemicals used to process the fibre; the pulp is first soaked in caustic soda, and then shredded and allowed to age.  Caustic soda is extremely damaging to human tissue, plants and animals, so is vital that the fluids are not let out into rivers and seas.  The pulp (which is turning more and more into a liquid cellulose substance throughout this process) is then treated with carbon disulfide – which is BAD for the environment, and is one cause of acid rain, that consequently also leads to acid erosion.


After this, the pulp is treated again with caustic soda.  Throughout the process so far, acetate dope is used to ensure the viscose is silky and soft to skin.

During this process, the liquid cellulose is forced through a spinneret, and once in a coagulating bath the cellulose is regenerated and solid cellulose filaments are formed.  The physical structure of the filament can be changed by modifying the spinning process, to produce different types of end result.

Visit the Fabric and Haberdashery shop for a huge variety of ethical fabrics!


Read this article in our  Resources section, and  browse Offset Warehouse's resources  to discover more!


Keep following Offset Warehouse for all you need in ethical fashion and interiors... and visit our website   OffsetWarehouse.com

Tuesday 28 June 2011

Whistles, one of Princess Catherine's (a.k.a Kate Middleton's) favourite haunts, has collaborated with Ciel, creating eight pieces of beachwear, including sun dresses and bikini bottoms.


£150, Silk Dress


With a long, celebrity client list including Cate Blanchett, Eva Longoria and Colin Firth’s wife Livia Firth, Whistles is doing their part and promoting clothing which is both fashionable and eco friendly.
Silk dress, £150, Ciel for whistles.co.uk.


We were pleasantly surprised to find that they aren't all simple, plain, one-coloured dresses, but instead, full of vintage ‘art prints’, and silhouettes both elegant and casual at the same time, just perfect for holiday getaways.


Bathe in the glorious, summer weather with flip flops, a big-brimmed straw hat and a pair of Offset cat eye sunnies for that extra bit of style.  Even festival goers can rock these pieces - simply pair with some funky wellies for the sunny and muddy weekend...

£45, Knickers with prints matching to the 70s style dresses.


These little treasures too expensive?  Check out our alternatives - vintage, art print, silk halters in the Boutique, for just £9.99!















Keep following Offset Warehouse for all you need in ethical fashion and interiors... and visit our website Offset Warehouse.com

Friday 17 June 2011

Fabric Friday!

We have added some gorgeous, luxury fabrics to the Offset Warehouse fabric shop...


Here are some of our fave's:


  • Hand-woven Indian noil, made from tussah wild silk cocoons.
  • Fibers are flat and non-uniform, creating a beautiful, irregular surface.  Slight irregularities and course surface, but not scratchy, and soft against skin.
  • Matt, dry, good drapability.  Fabric is extremely soft.
  • Very strong due to good quality, warp yarns that have been doubled.  Therefore, also suitable for interiors (for example curtains) as well as garments.
  • Handwashing of this material is possible, to make less stiff. 
  • Naturally occurring colour, undyed and unbleached 100% silk 
  • 140cm wide 
  • 430 g/m2
  • £29.90/Meter


  • Gorgeous, ivory colour.  Luxurious.  Beautiful sheen in the light.  Dry, lightweight, rigid drapability.  Slub filling prominant, creating a gorgeous linear effect (almost an irregular rib) along the width of the fabric. 
  • TECHNICAL: Lengthwise yarns are finer and more are used so they cover the crosswise yarns completely on both sides.
  • Fabric suitable for wedding dresses, eveningwear, suits and trimmings.
  • 65% hemp 35% tussah silk
  • 145cm (55") wide
  • 160 g/m2
  • £21.60/Meter

  • 100% organic cotton, brushed both sides.
  • A very soft, light flannel fabric. Nice for making baby items or anything requiring a warm yet light fabric.
  • 140 g/m2 
  • width: 160 cm (63'') 
  • £7.90/Meter

DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT OUR NEW ADDITIONS?  Be the first to know what's going on at Offset Warehouse by signing up to  one of our focused content newsletters!

Wednesday 8 June 2011

From one show to another

It's all about the graduates this week, so we headed down to the hub of graduates, Graduate Fashion Week in Earls Court, to check out the shows, the latest talent and what the unis had to to offer!



Our Rhiannon reported back on some of the shows she went to:

I was very impressed by the designs - there was a wide range of colours, silhouettes, styles and creative use of different materials, such as plastic.

On Monday I went to the UCA Epsom show and the Bath Spa/Bristol shows.  I was once again highly impressed by the standards of the collections that these universities had produced...

Armed with my camera, although I was sat in second row, I definitely had the best of those seats, so I could get some snaps of the soon-to-be designers of the fashion industry. 




For more ethical fashion - check out our Offset Warehouse Boutique Page

Tuesday 7 June 2011

Festival Fun

With the official summer, comes the official festival season, and this year you're going to show 'em how to do it eco-chic - not eco hippy hempy horrid, like everyone else...


When going to a festival, us gals always want to look stylish because, let's face it, any festival is an unsaid fashion show.  With the likes of Alexa Chung, The Saturdays and Pixie Lott around, we all want to look our best - cue the dry shampoo, baby wipes, 'natural-look' make up and, of course, clothing suitable for all weather & events.

So, here we are, to help you find some key pieces that'll keep you looking extra fashion-forward, with one-offs and original pieces you'd be mad not to snatch up before your mates do (whilst all the while, of course, being totally ethical!)

Here are some of our festival faves!


















Pair any of these with converse, wellies or sandals and you're good to go!

And, of course, to complete your outfit - don't forget your funky festival accessories!










And finally no trip is complete without a bag to put all of the essentials in -






Hungry for more?  For all your eco fashion needs... check out Offset Warehouse.com/boutique