EPIC Sustainable Designer feature: Daub + Design

While I would have liked to do two features on sustainable apparel design at EPIC, time is of the essence. But I’m glad I got a chance to speak with Lexi Soukoreff of Daub + Design for even just a few minutes, because I loved how her swimsuits looked on the runway. (All photos courtesy of daubanddesign.com)

Middle Child Reviews: Are you based in Vancouver?

Lexi Soukoreff: Yeah, my studio’s actually about four blocks from here…It’s on Cordova. The entrance to it is right in between [Dream and The Greedy Pig]. It’s on the third floor and I do all the dyeing out of there.  Do you want to know about the sustainability aspect of it?

MCR: Sure. That’s why we’re here at the EPIC show, right?

LS: I do a process that exhausts the dye back. “Exhausting” is kind of the dye term. So what it means is, there’s very little or no dye left in the bath when I’m done with it, so that means it’s not going back into the water system. So no heavy metals or chemicals are used in the dye process. Basically, vinegar and salt is all that it is, so it’s no worse than putting pickle juice…down the drain.

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Fashion, beauty, and more at 2011 EPIC Expo

The 2011 EPIC show was another success, and I thought I’d focus a bit on the two shows in addition to seeing George Strombo: Bridal couture, and eco-fashion. But don’t get me wrong – there’s SO much more to see (and eat) at EPIC. After sampling organic chocolate after organic chocolate (thanks Zazubean) and bliss balls (thanks New World Natural Foods), I might do a post just on desserts next year. But, I digress.

EPIC bridal show

The eco bridal show was really nice… almost makes you forget that the dresses are eco-designed. I believe most if not all of them were by Patty at Pure Magnolia, who I talked to briefly at the last Eco Fashion Week. It’s nice to be the only one in Vancouver specializing in a niche market!

I saw lots of off-white dresses, which I thought was pretty fashion forward… I wonder if it’s easier to source non-white natural materials.

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Strombo at 2011 EPIC Expo!

I had the honour of hearing media icon George Stromboulopolous speak at the 2011 EPIC Sustainable Living Expo at the Vancouver Convention Centre yesterday. EPIC blew my mind last year, and I never new Strombo was into sustainability and living green, so I was interested in what he had to say. He was interviewed by the gorgeous Erin Cebula of Global TVBC and ET Canada.

He started out by saying that he started living sustainably for health – the health of himself and the planet.  He also started to become more aware of the Earth’s climate change when he watched videos of polar bears no longer living on ice. Erin asked if there was an “aha” moment that sort of stimulated the movement, and he cited an interview by the one and only Bill Nye the Science Guy (from the ’90s). Being raised by a religious mother, he was taught to believe in an afterlife. But when he started to think about what life should be like if there was no afterlife, he realized that this life might be all we have.

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