Salvage T-shirts by Alex Noble's EMG
Another day, another ethical t-shirt? Except EMG is different. First, it's been set up by visual artist and designer Alex Noble. Secondly, it's managed to corral some of London's most eccentric and talented designers to help create a standout debut collection, 15 awesome t-shirts stitched together from re-purposed fabrics.
Noble's career kicked off when he was picked up by stylist Nicola Formichetti to create outfits for Lady Gaga. We're not forgetting the raunchy red cutout bandage strap suit she wore in the video for ‘Bad Romance’ or her nude and white lace catsuit at the 2010 Brits Awards any time soon. Since then, Noble has created mind-blowing couture pieces for stage, music videos and ad campaigns for all manner of hard-hitters including VOGUE, Florence Welch, Kylie Minogue, Thierry Mugler and Diesel.
EMG - Everything Must Go - is his latest venture, and aims to reinvigorate sustainable fashion by placing it firmly in the higher end of the market. Cue the designers, a Who's Who of the London style scene from the 1970s to the present day, from established names Giles Deacon, Zandra Rhodes, Louise Gray, Basso & Brooke to new blood Agi & Sam, Alex Mattson, Martine Rose, Kit Neale, Richard Sorger, Kitty Josephs, Marcus Lupfer, Claire Barrow, Omar Kashoura, & Ashley Williams - and, of course, the aptly named Noble himself.
Each designer has donated left over print fabrics from their studios to create the most splendidly Frankenstein one-off Salvage T-shirts. Products by EMG will be sold at pop-up boutiques and exhibitions; Salvage T's are set to go on sale at 1 Silver Place, Carnaby, London W1 from July 25th to August 3rd.
Money will go to a range of charities and causes to do with ethical and environmental fallouts from the the workings of the fashion industry. Example: the initiatives benefiting from this, Cycle 1 of EMG, are TRAID & CHILDHOPE, charities working to protect kids in Bangladesh from accidents, trafficking and abuse. The charities also help guide the kids towards education and safe lives off the streets, while their parents work in garment factories.
'EMG’s work to reinvent and reimagine waste fits perfectly with TRAID’s ethos of reclamation, reuse and repair,' says TRAID's head of comms Leigh McAlea. 'It’s fantastic EMG has chosen to raise funds to support TRAID-funded day centres to care for the children of garment workers in Bangladesh run by our partner ChildHope.'
To support the initiative, tweet using the tags #SALVAGET @EMGINITIATIVE @ALEXNOBLESTUDIO. To find out more, visit www.emginitiative.com. About the store & opening times: 1 Silver Place, London, W1F 0JW From Friday 25th July – Sunday 3rd August Monday to Saturday: 10am – 7pm / Sunday: 11:30am – 6pm.
