The Copenhagen Summit main hall

LCF’s Centre for Sustainable Fashion attended The Copenhagen Fashion Summit, the world’s largest conference on sustainability and fashion.

During the events, LCF was praised for its work with the fashion industry. Two recent MA Fashion and the Environment graduates were singled out - Katie Ledger and Emma Rigby (now an LCF PhD student) – as well as the work of Helen Storey, Kate Fletcher and i-Sustain. Another current student, Coco Noordervliet, was also on stage and spoke as part of the Youth Fashion Summit.

The Youth Summit brought together 80 fashion students from across Europe, including six from LCF’s MA Fashion and the Environment, to vocalise demands for the fashion industry. The proceedings were led by Peter Ingwerson of Noir and Day Birger & Mikkelsen and Dilys Williams, Director of Centre for Sustainable Fashion, in conjunction with KEA Copenhagen School of Design & Technology.

• MA Fashion and the Environment course information
• Read more about the Copenhagen Fashion Summit

Helen Storey and Tony Ryan with Herself, the first catalytic dress. Image credit Gavin Duthie

Catalytic Clothing, a pioneering project which seeks to transform our clothing into potent air purifying catalysts, has been nominated in the sustainability category of the Condé Nast Innovation and Design Awards 2012. This ground breaking project is a collaboration between LCF’s Professor Helen Storey MBE and Professor Tony Ryan of University of Sheffield and has the potential to tackle air pollution, one of the world’s biggest environmental problems. This is the second time Helen and Tony’s work has been nominated for these prestigious awards: Wonderland, which asked its audience to re-consider waste, plastics and packaging, was nominated in 2010.

The shortlist for the awards was compiled by a panel of experts including, Sir Nicholas Serota Director of Tate, Rowan Moore architecture critic of the Observer, Brent Hoberman co-founder of Lastminute.com and now chairman of Made.com and Sarah Miller editor of Condé Nast Traveller.

To clinch the award Helen and Tony need your help – the award winner is decided entirely through a public vote – so please lend us your support and vote now!

• Vote for Catalytic Clothing
• Read more on Catalytic Clothing
• Read about Catalytic Clothing in Edinburgh

Tony Ryan and Helen Storey at the 'Field of Kilts' in Edinburgh. Image:© Nik Daughtry, DED

Last week Catalytic Clothing arrived in Scotland for the Edinburgh International Science Festival.

Wearing a Vivienne Westwood gown inbued with Catalytic Clothing technology London College of Fashion Visiting Professor Helen Storey MBE posed alongside project partner Professor Tony Ryan OBE of University of Sheffield to launch the week’s activities.

Helen and Tony took part in an ‘In Conversation’ at the National Museum of Scotland with Professor John Shepherd CBE FRS about the motivation behind their collaboration and how Catalytic Clothing could bring about the reduction of air pollution in our towns and cities.

Tony Ryan and Helen Storey in conversation with Professor John Shepherd at the National Museum of Scotland. Image:© Nik Daughtry, DED

To demonstrate this compelling idea, which has global significance for the air we breathe and the reduction of harmful pollutants, a small field of catalysed bespoke denim kilts, produced in Edinburgh by 21st Century Kilts, were ‘planted’ alongside denim jeans in Saint Andrew’s Square.

• The next stop for Catalytic Clothing is Dubai. To follow the progress please follow Helen on twitter or visit the Catalytic Clothing website
• Vote for Catalytic Clothing in the Condé Nast Innovation and Design Awards 2012