Dagmar Do-Good-Isms

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>> I've already had the "You're posting about FASHION at a time like this?!" lambast and the "Where's your social responsibility?" accusations which makes me even more determined to plough on and await re-assessment when I return to London.  Yes, it is Stockholm Fashion Week right now, which is insignificant in the scheme of things.  Then again, was wooden jewellery made by a Brooklyn designer insignificant during the tsunami and earthquakes of Japan.  Were Givenchy cat-eye sunnies paling in comparison to the horrific shootings in Utoya?  The answer is of course yes.  Did it mean all fashion websites stopped and paused original function?  Nope.   

Still, I'm here, wearing a grateful smile because it is always a pleasure to come here for fashion week and this time round, I have a surprising form of coverage thanks to Bon Magazine which is being proceeded at the moment.  Yesterday's proceedings will be coming up imminently.  A trip to Swedish sibling label Dagmar's showroom revealed a few tales though that aren't communicated at catwalk shows which is a shame.  'Trying to do your bit' is an attitude that is pretty much widely accepted as the politically-correct norm when it comes to eco/green/sustainable/ethical fashion.  At the very least, it's my stance when it comes to balancing aesthetic satisfaction and ethical standpoint.  It's difficult to be entirely saintly so 'doing your bit' (for like of a better phrase) is better than doing nothing at all. 

This seems to be Dagmar's remit too as they present four pieces from their A/W 11-12 collection that has a green tale to tell.  They're tales that also result in aesthetically pleasing pieces too.  Hurrah and all that!

1) Lycocell Jersey – I talked about the comfort and softness of the material before but didn't register its biodegradable quality at all.  Dagmar have used lyocell in their jersey programme for A/W 11-12.  I love the fact that it feels like a silk jersey but has a bit of robustness to it…

Lyocell

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2) Swedish Alpaca Wool from Varmland – I just like picturing the fact that there is an Alpaca farmer in Varmland in Sweden who called up the girls at Dagmar, having read about their knitwear in a magazine and proposing to them to work together.  The Alpacas apparently have very cute haircuts and live an idyllic life on this farm which delivered the wool to hand knitters in Estonia to create this cardigan, kept in its original colour.  Yes, let's all think about cute Alpacas with hair that covers its eyes at a time like this…

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Alpaca Alpacacardi

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3) Fruity Denim -  To soften the denim, instead of using chemicals Dagmar have used a biodegradable, hypo-allergic treatment made out of Brazilian Cupuacu fruit extract.  Another wonder fruit from South America.  This makes the denim less raw and slightly fruity – win win. 

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4) Real Fake Fur – By shaving the sheep's mohair (keeping the animal alive), and then weaving the hairs back onto a cotton base, it produces their faux-fur, teddy-bear-esque textured fur that has been worked into coats, jackets and a really useful lapel-shaped neck warmer. 

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19 comments

  1. Sweater and vest is so my style! Can’t wait the winter!
    I agree that you can’t stop blogging trough terrible events, posts are one thing that can brighten everyones day and forget about mess for few minutes.
    stop by my blog
    http://lostinpattern.blogspot.com/
    xx Brigita

  2. I went to a Dagmar press day a month or so ago and was completely swooning over everything. I especially love the “real fake fur” that you’ve pictured here…could basically live in that all winter in Scotland.
    I think it’s fine to keep on posting amongst everything going on. So many people have taken to Twitter and different social networking websites to comment on the riots. While this has done scores of good (in terms of clean-up initiatives, especially), it also contributed to a lot of rumors and useless information, which is counter constructive and very widely circulated. Personally, I think it is most useful to stay informed and to try and help by donating time and resources. I don’tsee how putting a halt on blogging or not talking about fashion would be nearly as constructive. 🙂

  3. hi the outfit looks good in orange colour, but does not suit the model too loose for her..
    regards mark

  5. Susie there was only really one negative comment on last post… we’re not lambasting you quite yet! : ) I live in hackney and spent Monday night terrified, and your blog is exactly the right kind of distraction after a sleepless night. Keep doing what your doing x

  7. Very nice wooly jumpers suitable for Scandinavian winter (Also Scottish!). The 2011 Fall winter trend colours are Lemon, Plum, Grey, Burnt Orange (same as here shown), Bright blue so we can peep a trend here.

  8. Alice: I got REAL lambasting on my email from a number of ppl… A form of non-disclosed commenting I suppose. There was a resolved exchange on Twitter – I understand the anger though… It stems from seeing a city we so love descend into confusion/fear. If I was in London seeing it all unfold, I’d probably not want to post at all to be honest… If that time comes, so be it.

  9. I love your blog and check it almost every day 🙂 But I just a have a correction for you: Lyocell, cotton, silk etc are all fibres (whether man-made or natural)- jersey is a type of fabric. You don’t need to put jersey in inverted commas here as jersey can be knitted out of pretty much any soft fibre. Also, you can’t say Lyocell INSTEAD of jersey you CAN, however, have a Lyocell jersey though, which is what Dagmar have used. As you can see, for better or worse, I am a bit of a fabric nut….
    Keep up the good work Susie, the world shouldn’t stop because of mindless violence – it is in times like these that we need beauty most of all.

  12. Kate: Ah yes, that’s why they said they used it in their jersey programme… I wasn’t sure whether Lyocell was the fibre or the fabric name…. thanks for the correction – duly noted here.

  15. especially at this time it’s very important to do something positive, in short, chin up and stay fashionable!!!!
    xoxo

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