LS&Co. Unzipped

Welcome to our blog. Here’s where you’ll find a “behind-the-seams” look at what’s going on with Levi Strauss & Co. You’ll hear from a variety of voices, from both inside and outside the company. And you have the chance to share your thoughts. So read on — and weigh in!

May 05 2010

Recycling – Going to the Dogs

Editors note: Today’s guest blogger is San Francisco artist, designer and author Miranda Caroligne, who participated in LS&Co.’s 10th annual Community Day, putting her expertise to the test on … dog beds.

I have a passion for recycling and reuse, which I’ve shared in my book, Reconstructing Clothes for Dummies. I’ve also opened two stores — my own boutique, Miranda Caroligne, and cooperative local artist boutique, TRUNK — that sell all locally made designs, including clothes made from materials that might’ve otherwise ended up in a landfill.

You won’t typically find me hanging out in corporate lobbies, but that’s just where I was yesterday, at Levi’s San Francisco headquarters. And with good reason.

I was asked, along with my fellow “reconstruction-istas,” to help some employee volunteers turn scraps of denim and other materials into dog beds.

I’ve made plenty of things from production factory scraps, including $700 handmade jackets, but these dog beds were a first for me.

Why was I here on this gorgeous San Francisco day?

Diminishing waste in our society is crucial to our future. My hand in this is reconstructing clothing.

Reconstructed clothing is about revolutionizing mass-production, both in what we put on our bodies and how we function as a community unit, as well as an individual in that same community.

And while Levi’s and Dockers are all about mass production, they approach it with an integrity that I admire — focusing on worker rights, sustainability and the environment.

When a company as big as Levi’s embraces re-use – whether in café composting, recycling programs, or using denim scraps to make dog beds — it gives me hope.

The fact that the dog beds are for such a great organization as PAWS makes this whole day even brighter. In this case, recycling is going to San Francisco’s best: the dogs!

 

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katherina (not verified) - May 29 2010
What a GREAT idea! Would it be feasible to ship some of the beds to Springfield MO? Or tell us how this is done? We support C.A.R.E a no-kill animal shelter in Springfield, MO and that would be a great concept for promotional purposes here!

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