Earth Day April 22, 2012

credit: Sergej Khakimullin/ Shutterstock

April 22, 2012 signifies the 42nd Anniversary of Earth Day! This year's theme is "Mobilize the Earth." Earth Day originated in 1970 in efforts to make the public conscious of air and water pollution. This first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts. In 1990 Earth Day went global bringing environmental issues onto the world stage and mobilizing 200 million people. Now, this weekend on April 22, 2012 the "Mobilize the Earth" campaign is simply saying the earth can't wait and now is the time to act. This is the world's largest-ever environmental movement and every small act counts. So what can you do to contribute to a sustainable future? To start, you can simply turn off your computers and television sets and organize a hike or bike outing. Get outside and appreciate the beautiful earth that may not be here forever if we do not take action. To make an even bigger difference, you can organize a park clean up or tree planting. Here at Oliveira Textiles we choose all organic and sustainable materials to create our designs. Every small act counts. Take action now so we can enjoy this beautiful earth for years to come.

For more information on Earth Day 2012

T4T: Sustainable Answer to Textile Recycling

The recycling of fabrics and scraps is one of the many ways we can promote sustainability in the apparel and textile industry.

 For Image and More Please Visit: http://www.sustainable-fashion.com/

In the past however, time, cost and technology have not been on our side. With the growing importance of sustainability not only in our industry, but in the world, companies are working to remedy this issue. T4T (Textiles for Textiles) is an EU-funded and partnered project with the KICI Foundation; a Dutch non-commercial organization that collects post-consumer textiles. This collaboration was established to create the T4T textiles sorting project working to improve and more efficiently recycle post-consumer textiles. Here in the US a Sustainable Apparel Coalition has been launched "aiming to put a spotlight on promising technological innovations, and develop effective uses for textile waste." Sustainability is a global issue though and it is reassuring to know other countries are being proactive in this effort as well. 

Many sorting companies today only bother with “good quality fabrics.” The issue with this is that textile waste is growing larger. So what is T4T going to do differently? The machinery being developed has the ability to sort materials based on various components including: fiber composition, color, and chemical composition, all in a matter of seconds. The device segments the materials into piles based on the stated factors, encouraging what would normally be considered waste, to be used as raw material.           

While this T4T machinery certainly has the capability to promote sustainability and the recycling of fabrics, it is important to note that other proactive approaches do exist. “It is much harder to develop equipment to recycle textiles, rather than make them more eco-friendly to begin with.”  

This concept is one that we at Oliveira Textiles uphold. Hemp, our favorite fiber is not only very resistant to degradation from mold, bacteria, salt water, sunlight, abrasion, and chemicals, but also fully biodegradable.  We work to promote and produce sustainable, organic fabrics that are free of harsh chemicals like phthalates and formaldehyde, to not only make recycling in this industry safer and more sustainable, but to make our everyday lives sustainable as well!

To read more about the innovation of the T4T and the recycling process in the apparel world visit: Just-Style.com

For more information about hemp: http://www.thehia.org/ 

Earth Hour

This Saturday - March 31 at 8:30 pm WWF's 2012 Earth Hour will begin. Last year in 2011, hundreds of millions of people from 135 countries worldwide turned off their lights in efforts to support the world's largest campaign for the planet: EARTH HOUR. What can you do while your lights and electricity are off? Here's 9 fun things to do during EARTH HOUR.

For more information about Earth Hour 2012

We here at Oliveira Textiles will be turning our lights out as well in support of our planet on March 31 at 8:30pm. Our shop will be dark in support of a brighter future.

It's Springtime in Bristol

Custom Tunics, Hats, & Shifts - all from our organic fabrics.

Visit our website for a selection of patterns and colorways. Click on 'Products', then 'Fabrics', then choose a color thumbnail for more details. Call or e-mail for pricing.  Also, We'll be decorating our store-front with lots of daffodils for the local "Daffodil Days" event coming in early April. Stay tuned for some fun photos.

Thank you!!

Dawn

info@oliveiratextiles.com

401-396-9194

Inspiration

Come in and chat about custom color for any of our patterns. If you have a favorite wall color or brand new area rug and you would really love to pull those colors out for your draperies or upholstery, we can help. Stop in any day between 9:30am and 5:00pm Monday through Saturday. We're here to inspire!


Oliveira Textiles   219 High Street   Bristol  Rhode Island   02809  401-396-9194

More Sun / More Color….

Did we mention that we love color here at Oliveira Textiles? As this weather of ours has been so lovely lately, and the sun is shining through my shop windows for a longer stretch each day, I am wanting everyone to welcome more color into their lives so here is an excerpt from the High Point Market's Color Trends for 2012 Interiors.
Soak it in! http://www.highpointmarket.org/

"Into the blue
Intense blues are strong this year. While blue always has been a favorite among consumers, the look as been updated to a richer, more true blue. For example, the PantoneHome + Interiors 2012 Indigo Effects is inspired by the celestial blues and deep blue indigos of the twilight sky. Sherwin William’s 2012 Colormix features “a pair of functional and treasured blues: denim and water. It explores the darkest indigo to faded-jeans hues, some with violet undertones, as well as the calm, shimmery shades that reflect rivers, lakes and seas.” Finally, Benjamin Moore’s Fluid Blues palette covers a range, from gray-blues to aquas to deep-sea navy.

Emerald waves
Sherwin Williams’ Colormix casts aside the yellow-tinged greens of the past, instead focusing on “greens that are lush, moody and complex. It showcases the depths of the sea and forest; leafy motifs; rustic natural textures; and organic elements such as algae, moss and seaweed.” Benjamin Moore’s Elemental Greens palette also evokes nature, “from spring’s yellow-greens to the blued grays of woodland shadows.”

Purple reigns
Purple still is one of this year’s hottest hues. What makes this color so popular is its versatility. Pantone’s Back to the Fuschia palette calls attention to the bright, bold purples, while Benjamin Moore’s Violet Twilight palette features hues from the “deepest amethyst to a dream-like pale violet,” and purple’s “beautiful blue-tinted variations.” 

Fiery orange
Another versatile hue is orange. Go tropical with citrus, warm with terra cotta or cozy with pumpkin hues. The reddish orange Tangerine Tango, Pantone’s color of the year, is “sophisticated but at the same time dramatic and seductive, with a lot of depth to it,” says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. “Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy."

OT in March Issue of Rhode Island Monthly Magazine

Always love local press!

Very Nice to see our brand new patterns, Kelp Me and Kelp Me Grande (with fish) - tangerine colorway, both on our hemp/org cotton twill. Thank you writer Steve Slosberg and art director Jamie Coelho.

Also comes in 'Ultramarine Blue' to coordinate with our mystic blue Anemone pattern

And 'Moss' to coordinate with our seaweed green Anemone

Just call to order swatches. 401-396-9194, Dawn

Spring Improvements

Soon to be found on our website's 'Products' page… a complete list of all of our current patterns available as yardage. Simply click on one of these small thumbnails and a detailed description will open. Once you've decided on a pattern/colorway, send us an e-mail or call our studio for pricing and ordering. If we have your colorway in stock, yardage will ship the next business morning. If not, we can custom print in as little as one week for digital process or 4 weeks for hand screen process.

info@oliveiratextiles.com

401-396-9194 - studio/office

917-523-3986 - mobile

Dawn

Easier browsing for fabrics on our website - coming!

FYI - we are adding information to our website to make pattern selection easier. Thumbnails of all of our colorways and detailed descriptions of each fabric, including repeat sizes, & ground cloths are being added. At the moment, visitors to our website are not able to 'click through' to see all our fabrics and we intend to fix that ASAP. I've sent all the info to my wonderful web designer, www.6square.com. I will announce the completion in the next couple of weeks. In the mean time, please do not hesitate to call me or e-mail with any questions. I am very glad to attach images and specs to your inquiry. 401-396-9194, Dawn
Thanks so much for your patience

Custom Color - OT's Ripple Effect

Lovely custom project. Our 100% hemp herringbone chosen for it's unique subtle texture, our HH126 Ripple Effect custom printed in our client's choice of 'brush', a warm soft neutral tan - for her newly built sea-side Rhode Island home. We kept her fabric choices eco and sea inspired. A winning combination!