For June and July I bring you two women from the U.K. who have been working in eco textiles for the last decade. Because they have collaborated in their work, I thought it appropriate to present them together. I have mentioned them previously, but feel they deserve more of a spotlight for their contributions.

"If you think about 'stamps of approval’ or the way that fridges and freezers are graded with their energy consumption, could you try to imagine some kind of grading for garments? - sounds terribly scary and a little bit boring and not what you’re looking for when you’re buying a new outfit, but I do believe that consumers want to know more about what they’re consuming." -Becky Early

Becky Earley, right, has most recently curated the Well Fashioned exhibit that is currently touring the U.K. She graduated from Central St. Martin's in 1994 and became involved in eco textiles through her involvement with TED, Textiles Environment Design, in 1996. She developed an exhaust printing method that results in no water pollution and limited chemical usage. She is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of the Arts London. She currently produces hand and digitally printed textiles for her own label, undertakes public art projects and commissions, and is an educator, facilitator and curator.

One of her current projects is Top 100, which...

explores the benefits of using recycled synthetics. The second hand polyester blouses are recut and styled, then overprinted using different design themes, intending to increase consumer attachment through a series of unique narratives. They are made to be washed less often and never ironed, and finally at the end of their second life they are 100% recyclable.

"The textile lifecycle is not just about pollution and waste, it is also about ethical standards, trade, washing habits, what makes you use something for a long or short time and what happens to it when you throw it away." -Kate Fletcher

Kate Fletcher (top left) states:

I have been working in eco textiles and fashion since the early 1990s. You can see some of my most recent work on fast and slow clothes at Lifetimes... During this time, I've done a varied range of consultancy commissions... I have also done a lot of researching and teaching in British universities. I finished a PhD in 1999 at Chelsea College of Art and Design, investigating ecodesign strategies in the UK Textile Industry. Then I worked as a post doc researcher on demi - an online design for sustainability resource and spent four years as a lecturer in EcoDesign at Goldsmiths College, University of London. I have also published widely, with around 20 publications on ecodesign in fashion & textiles in the last five years.

One of the projects that Kate and Becky have collaborated on is 5 Ways, which,"brings together creativity and ecological thinking in fabric form and offers a range of starting points for understanding more about what ecological qualities such as diversity, participation and efficiency might mean for fashion textiles."