O - the open brand - is not a brand in the traditional sense, as it does not have a consistent identity, but rather consists of changing themes. During each swap or workshop a theme is decided upon and discussed, and this theme is explored by the participants in their expressions, remaking, styling and  communication. The only constant is the open O, the open brand; a proof of open wear. The theme of the workshop can be seen in the garment itself.

It is a symbol of recognition, when meeting people on town, it is a sign, just like any brand,  that one is part of the crew. But this crew is open for anyone who wants to, and who wants to contribute to the ongoing discussions. It is the O.

having a brand be open embodies the exact sentiments of the new way forward- one that is connected, truthful, expressively sharing- everything we strive to be on the inside, coming out in our actions- sharing knowledge to create our own clothes.  “sacrifice” to create empowerment.  i tell a lot of people about opening branding in the USA and they are shocked at first, but love it!  they want it EASY, easy patterns b/c people feel creation is outside of themselves.

The brand of the future is cradle-to-cradle where clothes are made to be remade and the systems are set up (re-manufacturing) to do so!  I’m excited to be a part of it with all of you!!

Submitted by Lanni Lantto

Some argue that fashion has nothing to do with personality, or rather, that identities are ready-made and pacifying rather than encourage participation and co-authorship. But fashion can be used for engagement, it can be a vehicle for personal growth and skill enhancement. Join us for collaborative experiments, explorations, cultivations, and multiplications of activity. Come help us make a platform for distributed reBRANDing.

Can we make a brand of our own imagination? Can we imagineer an open platform for collaborative storytelling, and where the participants own and control the outcomes?

“Imagination is an activity in which human individuals create and recreate the essence of their being, making themselves what they were, are and will become.” (Sartre, The Psychology of Imagination)

Systems theorist Donella Meadows developed a list of leverage points of where to intervene in systems:

9.  Numbers (subsidies, taxes, standards).

8.  Material stocks and flows.

7.  Regulating negative feedback loops.

6.  Driving positive feedback loops.

5.  Information flows.

4.  The rules of the system (incentives, punishment, constraints).

3.  The power of self-organization.

2.  The goals of the system.

1.  The mindset or paradigm out of which the goals, rules, feedback structure arise.

Sustainability has so far primarily been discussed at the top levels, the simple material product levels. Eco-cotton, dyes, and ethical manufacturing. We need to move further into the system, experiment with more levels, with a multiplicity of perspectives, skills and positions.

The swap, make and restyle fashion event FASHION RELOADED presents Open Branding, an exploration how  to crowdsource a fashion brand. Located at the public area of green fashion event THEKEY.TO at Postbahnhof, FASHION RELOADED offers workshops and installations to swap, upcycle and restyle your fashion brand.

Initiated by two Swedish designers, open source designer Cecilia Palmer and haute couture heretic and researcher Dr. Otto von Busch, the event calls consumers and designers to reclaim their fashion. Cecilia Palmer: “The internet allows us to co-create the world around us, and we want to explore the possibilities of crowdsourcing the creation of a fashion brand.”

Dr. Otto von Busch, known for his fashion hacking projects: “There are other ways of organising the fashion system. The question is: ‘How can we harvest more love, rather than just trying to sell more stuff? That’s what we research here.’”

Open Swap, Open Skills, Open Branding.