27.2.14

ARE YOU BRAVE ENOUGH?


We are looking for a golf professional; male or female, to pose for our campaign 'I'd rather play golf naked than wear exploitative toxic sportswear.

We appreciate this is a big ask, as most golf professionals are paid to wear exploitative toxic sportswear.

---------------------------------------------------------

26.2.14

EXPLOITATIVE TOXIC FASHION


I'd rather play golf naked than wear exploitative toxic sportswear.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CREATE A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD


European fashion / lifestyle / sports wear brands that decide to manufacture their apparel in far away countries for example; Cambodia, Indonesia, in order to reduce costs; ultra-low wages, non-existent building regulations, minimal environmental regulations.

Their goods are then imported back into Europe and sold to European consumers. To create a level playing field they should have to state on either their packaging or labels;

‘This product does not meet current European standards on welfare and environmental protection’.

This would enable consumers to compare standards of manufacture between products sold in Europe and encourage all brands to achieve higher manufacturing standards. Instead of the current situation where brands just concentrate on reducing costs, creating a race to the bottom.

----------------------------------------------------------

WORLD CUP T-SHIRTS


Adidas forced to pull World Cup t-shirts by the Brazilian 'ministry of crap design'.
----------------------------------------------------------

21.2.14

ARGYLE CROSS TEE


Argyle cross tee by Golf Refugees.
https://www.facebook.com/golfrefugeespage
------------------------------------------------------------------

20.2.14

YOU LOVE FASHION BUT DOES FASHION LOVE YOU?


Picture by Chris Browne

We can all admire the creative designers and exquisite craftsmanship of couture clothes. However, as one senior manager from Louis Vuitton uttered, “how can strips of material coated in plastic be worth so much?”

Tansy Hoskin’s book ‘Stitched Up – The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion’ looks underneath the glamour and the sequins to reveal an Industry controlled by a small number of corporations who exploit their workers and devastate the environment.

These corporations air brush their brands imaginary to an unattainable level at the same time controlling the media from any criticism. You’re not going to read about how leading Parisian fashion houses; Dior, Louis Vuitton and Chanel all collaborated with the Nazi’s during the occupation of France in the pages of Vogue.

If you wish to hurt them where it really hurts, in their pockets, then the highest mark-ups are made on handbags and perfumes.

Who should be blamed for this hidden state of the fashion industry? Corporate executives whose business models are designed to maximise profit at the expense of hundreds of thousands of mainly young female workers with ultra-low pay and dangerous working conditions? Or consumers, who are preoccupied with brand image and price? Tansy suggests the real culprit is the capitalist system.

What can be done? Should you wear a protest t-shit and stand outside Hermes? Such protests will somehow become incorporated and soon the brands will be selling you the protest t-shirts and at a sizeable profit.

If you decide to wear nothing, then you will be arrested for public disorder. Perhaps we should all be arrested for wearing exploitative toxic fashion?

Lend your voice and body for a better fashion industry. Where textile workers are treated with respect and paid a living wage. If wages were to be doubled even tripled then this would only increase the retail price of your dress by between 1-3%. And where dye water is treated and recycled instead of being washed away to pollute local rivers and lakes. It shouldn't be big and clever for corporations to negotiate with government officials to avoid paying minimum wages and operate under little or no environmental regulations in far away countries.

When your favourite celebrities and sport stars strut about parading in such destructive fashions then offer your advice and support for change. There is a better way to make your clothes and make an ethical buck.

Watch the book trailer here:

If you want to take a sneaky peek, here's a link to some online content:


More information on the author can be found here: http://www.tansyhoskins.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

8.2.14

2020


Respected Fashion designer Katherine Hamnett made a number of comments about her industry citing that it is ‘a stinking business’ and ‘most of our clothes are covered in blood’.

If you work in the fashion / lifestyle/ sportswear business you do have a choice. You can pay workers a living wage, use less harmful chemicals and use factories which recycle their toxic dye water. However there is a price to pay; increased manufacturing costs. Paying a living wage is slightly more expensive, less harmful substances are slightly more expensive than their cheaper more hazardous chemicals and factories who recycle dye water require investment in purification processes compared with factories who just discharge dye water into local rivers and lakes causing wide spread pollution.

If you select a higher ethical path then you have to directly compete with other brands in the market place who take the cheaper manufacturing option. And through their decisions will have a cost advantage over you. Katherine Hamnett suggests large fines should be imposed on fashion brands that use sweatshops and cause wide spread pollution when producing your clothes. Creating a more ethical and fairer fashion industry. Do you agree with her? Such fines would need to be in the order of millions of pounds to make any difference to the larger fashion leaders.

How do consumers know which brands are involved in these polluting practices? The fashion industry has very been successful in creating positive brand images by paying out millions to celebrities and sport stars to endorse their clothing.

In 2011 Greenpeace launched an initiative called Detox, which primarily concentrates of gathering evidence of toxic chemicals being washed untreated into local rivers from factory outlets used by fashion brands.

Nineteen global fashion leaders have committed to Detox in response to the growing international campaign:
Nike, Adidas Puma, H&M, M&S, C&A, Li-Ning, Zara, Mango, Esprit, Levi's, Uniqlo, Benetton, Victoria's Secret, G-Star Raw, Valentino, Coop, Canepa, and Burberry.

By agreeing to Detox these 19 brands are indirectly admitting to causing water pollution during the manufacturing of their clothing. Otherwise there wouldn't be any evidence against them or any requirement for them to clean up their practices, under pressure from Greenpeace activists who can generate bad publicity and bring awareness to customers of these unpalatable truths hidden away by the fashion industry.

Therefore it would be reasonable for consumers to avoid buying from these 19 brands until after the year 2020. The date set by Detox for these 19 brands to clean up their act. Unfortunately after 3 years, some signature brands, notably Nike and Adidas, have made little or no progress. It will be interesting to learn what additional pressure Greenpeace can exert on these brands to comply.

Brands such as GAP, Primark and Disney who failed to respond to the evidence submitted by Greenpeace should be avoided altogether.


You can always seek out brands who manufacture your clothes in a more ethical and environmentally friendly way.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7.2.14

THE TRUTH BEHIND OUR CLOTHES


Fashion designer Katharine Hamnett says 'most of our clothes are covered in blood'
-------------------------------------

INTERACTIVE AND INFORMATIVE


Kids today grow up with computer software games, apps on their tablets and mobile phones. Individual sports will have to embrace this technology to attract their attention. Governing bodies of sports need to make provisions within existing rules.

Today’s passive sports equipment and apparel will be replaced by interactive and informative products.


What can this mean for the game of golf? Participation levels for golf are declining and many people are voicing concerns that golf is too difficult for beginners and takes too long to play. Technology should be permitted to provide all golfers with a faster path to improvement and enjoyment.


For example when putting………..

The contours of the greens are all pre-scanned. When you putt, software recognises the position of your ball and provides you with an alignment aid using the contours data. This alignment aid could be displayed on your mobile, tablet, through a head-up display on your glasses, even projected onto the green.

When swinging a club……………..

Your body is scanned and software used to calculate the ideal swing plane for you. Lasers are used to project your swing plane and sensors in clubs inform you when you swing on the correct path.

Technology can save us.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

6.2.14

HACK GOLF


During the PGA Merchandise Show, TaylorMade CEO, Mark King, made some noise with his announcement of Hack Golf.

Hack Golf is a simple idea, and online platform, to discuss ways to make the game of golf more fun for people that are taking it up, and simplifying the rules so that the beginner actually enjoys playing the game even when they struggle with it.

King posted a blog on the Hack Golf website, "Hack Golf is a method for inviting more people to contemplate the "fun" problem, and will lead to countless ideas. You can submit yours right here on this website -- just join and start thinking and typing."

The idea has been in King's head for a long time but it is finally a reality with TaylorMade pledging $5 million to a program that is simply a message board to help fans of the game drum up ideas on how to make it better, and easier, and more fun and faster.


Perhaps others can at least open up their minds to the idea that people are leaving the game because of a lot of factors and if we could just make it a tad more fun at the start, we might have a whole new group of fans to take the game on in the future.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4.2.14

QUEENSBURY RULES


Sometimes we like to delve into our back-catalogue. Any disputes on the golf course can always be resolved under Queensbury rules.
---------------------------------------------------------

2.2.14

THREE LIONS


Many of you will know the song lyrics ‘three lions on a shirt, the design used on England shirts from football to cricket. We thought it was about time the ‘three lions’ were updated. During research we discovered the rights to the original design are assigned to the Royal family. Hopefully Her Majesty the Queen will acknowledge our work and appreciate the changes. If not we’re off to the tower.
----------------------------------------------------------