#Surplus Garments Lot

[brandedsurplus]

100% Orignal Stock Branded Garments Rs.150 Clothes || Summer Collection ...

[onegirlatelier]

Floral vest | November, 2023

This vest is a Frankenstein of two patterns—the construction is from the Ophelia Slipover by Toshiyuki Shimada 嶋田俊之and the floral pattern from the Flower Yoke Pullover by Erika Tokai 東海えりか (@erika_tokai on Instagram). Both patterns are listed on Ravelry but only available in printed books.

Now, it is not my genius idea to piece these two together. I think it was first done by a fellow Chinese knitter and designer, who is XS KNITTING on RED and XS_KNITTING on Wechat. I have both pattern books but she did provide very detailed instructions on how to combine the two patterns for this vest. I mostly followed her notes – see modifications below.

Overview of the construction

Make a provisional cast on with a waste yarn.

Knit colourwork in the round from bottom up, ending at approx. underarm level. Decrease on the sides as instructed. You will later steek the fabric at the sides so the pattern includes the additional allowance for steeking.

Knit the front and back yoke sections flat, following the instructions for neck and shoulder shaping. (There is no armhole shaping in the yoke part.)

Sew together the front and back yoke parts, pick up stitches to make the neckband.

Reinforce the steek and cut. Pick up stitches from the steeked edges to make the side bands. Sew the bottom bit of the side bands together.

Pick up stitches to make the hem.

Needles

(all 80cm circulars)

Colourwork: 3.00mm

Yoke: 2.75mm

Neckband: 2.75mm, bind off with 2.5mm

Side bands: 2.5mm, bind off with 2.25mm

Hem: 2.75mm, bind off with 2.5mm

Yarn

Biches & Bûches Le Petit Lambswool 248m/50g, in white and light pink. This is a 2-ply woolen spun, slightly rustic but soft yarn. It softens even more after washing and blooms too, making an incredibly light but hearty fabric. I always thought it was produced in Europe since this is a French brand, but the Lambswool range is actually spun and dyed in Scotland. Hence it is a little less local than I thought (and their website doesn’t say where the wool material comes from), but I’m also happy to support Scottish mills that produce less chemically treated yarns in small batches.

Another nice thing is that each of my skeins/balls actually weighed 55g, so there was a little surplus than what I paid for.

Yardage

I took detailed measurements just in case you (or future me) are worried about having enough yarn, or thinking about doing differently coloured bands, etc.

As can be seen, the bands and hem take up quite a bit of yardage.

Modifications

Colourwork

I think I followed the instructions entirely for the colourwork.

Yoke

I knitted one more row at the bottom of the front and back yokes respectively, because I somehow started from the wrong side and the pattern started from the right side. The shoulder seams are done with Kitchener stitch instead of a three-needle bind-off. Therefore I think I had about 104 rows in the yoke instead of 100 in the pattern, which means I picked up 84 stitches instead of 80 for the side band at the yoke section.

First block and felting

After I finished the yoke, the colourwork looked rather uneven. Since the yarn I used was thinner than the Shetland yarn in the pattern and I knitted the colourwork loosely to match the instructed gauge, the fabric was also quite loose and not as supple as I wanted. The good thing is that the finished garment (using the required gauge) had quite a lot of positive ease for my body measurements. So I decided to shrink the garment slightly by hand-felting it.

To felt a wool garment, you need one or more of the following: high temperature, moisture, agitation, soap. Here’s what I did to felt it as gently as possible. The half-finished main body had no live stitches at this point so I just soaked it in icy cold water as how you would normally block a knitted garment, but without soap. Then I just use my hands to agitate the fabric until I felt that it had first evened out and then tightened up. Trust me, without hot water or soap you need quite a lot of agitation to felt a garment—not just swishing it around.

I’ve also seen people putting their work into a pillow case into the washing machine on a hot drying cycle and stopping every few minutes to check if it’s felted enough. I have no confidence in operating my washing machine but you can try.

The result was satisfactory enough for me to go ahead.

Neckband

Neckband was finished with a tubular bind off with two rows, i.e. one pair, of reinforcement (the ‘tubular’ bit’). To do this, you would first use a slightly smaller needle to switch the ribbing from 2*2 to 1*1 as you knit across (see Suzanne Bryant’s video). I used a needle one size smaller but I think I could’ve gone down two sizes, as the finished neckband feels a little too loose.

Side bands

I reinforced the fabric using the crochet method and then steeked it. Some people recommend the hook to be one size smaller than the knitting needles, but I used a 1.5mm and it worked well for me. It;s absolutely possible to steek with an even number of stitches (many tutorials say you can only do an odd number of stitches).

Using a 2.5mm circular I picked up stitch for stitch for the colourwork and 84 for 104 for the yoke. One stitch is added at either ends. There was no stitch decrease after picking up. I finished with Italian bind off which is another kind of invisible bind off like tubular bind off, just without the ‘tubular’ bit.

To do this: On the 15th row (wrong side), I knitted the first 35 sts (which were not bound off) using the 2.5mm needle in 2*2 ribbing. Then I switched to 2.25mm and switched the ribbing to 1*1 as I knitted across, and finished by knitting the last 35 sts using the 2.5mm needle again in 2*2 ribbing. On the 16th row (right side), I knitted the first 35sts in the 2.5mm needle and 2*2 ribbing as usual. Then I adjusted how I held the project so that I could pull the working yarn to the opposite side (front/back side) of the garment and start the sewn bind off from the wrong side.

It is absolutely not necessary to do all this. Some people make a very simple knitted bind off. This is purely because I want an invisible bid off and the ribbing pattern made it easier to do it this way. Also see illustration.

Then I Kitchener-stitched the 2*2 ribbing to make the side seam.

Hem

I took out the provisional cast on and transfer sts to a 2.75mm needle. My side bands were slightly wider than instructed so I picked up more side stitches for the hem too. 336 sts I think. I did 2*2 ribbing and finished with a tubular bind-off with four rows, i.e. two pairs, of reinforcement.

And that's it! I'm really pleased about this little vest and might make more in different colour schemes in future.

[badjohnspeakeasy]

Time for a Crackpot Theory (Webcomic Spoilers)

One-Punch Man Webcomic readers might remember this guy. The Neo Leader and Great Prophet Infelsinave, founder of the Church of Otherworldly Reincarnation. He had nearly a million loyal followers, and he joined the Neo Heroes to fight for justice or something.

I don't think he ever said a single fuggin' word, so I guess if one wanted to list his positive traits, you could call him stoic and humble.

His fighting abilities were probably negligeable, other than the well-built suit of armor underneath his regal robes, but he was elected a Neo Leader due to his admittedly vast influence.

He had divine powers, whatever that means.

To be quite honest, I use the phrase "might remember" because he's pretty forgettable.

He was murdered recently.

As you can see, he had a tough go of it during his first battle and wound up dead in the road.

I'm here to give the prophet his due and investigate his murder a little. Let's put on our detective hats and examine the evidence.

He got a hole punched in his Neo Hero armor by a monster.

The monster killed him, then bounced. It's quite possible that's all it was; a monster saw Infelsinave, brutally ran him through, then walked away.

But notice that his homies were there to witness the murder. A horde of allies who were as weak as Infelsinave survived the attack without so much as being looked at by the murderer.

Are monsters usually that selective? No! Monsters are typically connoisseurs of surplus killing, like weasels targeting hordes of hapless mice.

So, why didn't the monster go on to maul the rest of the Neo Heroes present? Why were the other humans on-scene not worth its aggression?

So, that's my first piece of evidence; the monster seemed to have a grudge against Lord Infelsinave specifically.

But we don't know a single person with enmity towards Lord Infelsinave, do we? He had a lot of followers, which means he probably had plenty of detractors. Maybe there was a monster who hated cult leaders? In that case, we'd have no idea who killed him.

But what if, and bear with me on this, the monster didn't have a beef with Infelsinave in particular?

What if the monster was looking for a different person, and mistook Infelsinave for someone we know a little better?

I have a long-shot theory; whatever attacked Infelsinave was actually hunting our friendly neighborhood Saitama.

Both are bald, both wear flowing garments (Saitama's cape, and Infelsinave's dorky cloak), and though their similarities are only passing, Saitama has a bland enough look that Infelsinave's attacker might have made the honest mistake of killing the Neo Leader like a dog without taking a closer gander for Saitama's trademark perfunctory visage.

Now, who has the power to smash through Neo Hero armor like butter, a grudge against Saitama, and the speed to assault Infelsinave and leave before his Neo Hero squad could react?

Well...any Demon-level monster, really. Awakened Cockroach, Bug God, Royal Ripper, or even the Lion Eating Zebra could probably speedblitz Infelsinave and leave, unfraught by any Neo Goon resistance.

But I have a theory.

It was THIS GUY. The Ninja Village Leader!

He has the skills,

he has the motive,

and he's so unfamiliar with Saitama that mistaking Infelsinave for him would be believable.

Call me a gormless gumshoe. Mistake my detective hat for tin-foil. But I'd bet a fat Hamilton ($10) that the Ninja Village Leader is the culprit who eliminated Infelsinave, and he did it under the mistaken belief that he was taking down Saitama, the man who beat him up and stole all his cool ninja stuff.

Mystery solved!

"But BadJohn, Infelsinave is alive!"

No he's not. That's baloney. That guy is a fucking robot husk designed to fool his followers and steal all his money.

I'm not crazy, YOU'RE crazy

[aspiringfictionwriter]

A Light in the Darkness: Chapter Thirty Six

Sorry for the last two chapters being late! I was hit with a brief wave of writer's block. Next chapter on Monday ig…?

Warnings: mentions character death, fear, a lot of crying, mentions of lesbian relationship, giving something important up.

Enjoy!

Arachne woke up suddenly, cool air rushing from her window, hitting her square in the face and causing a chill to run up her spine, both from the swift gust of air and the unmistakable surplus of sweat coating her body. Her own warmth battling against the inescapable cold was almost ironic, something that caused the drow elf to chuckle to herself wryly as she stood up from her bed. 

She pressed her hand against the footboard, using it to center herself as she closed her eyes for a brief moment, attempting to not allow any form of tear slip past her waterline as she recalled what Chadra had said to her about Durdyn; it was a harsh thing, meant to scare her, dishearten her, and it had worked. Arachne found it difficult to think of anything besides the desperate longing she felt to confirm her sister’s claim, hoping that somehow her brother was still alive.

Eilistraee had promised, no, reassured her that she and Durdyn would reunite one day, perhaps in the distant future, or perhaps in the nearby future, she was unsure of what she had meant, but as such was the way of things when it came to gods and their followers. Some worked tirelessly to dodge around the plethora of rules set out for them to follow and enforce when they become divine, while others follow those rules harshly, worried of what may come. Arachne’s Lady was balancing on both ends of a horrifically steep cliff, for she kept the rules in mind, but she had to breach them to get past her mother’s wall of power.

Arachne attempted to remind herself that it could be possible that Chadra was lying, trying in some way to scare her out of hiding, truly showcasing how desperate she truly was for any way to bring an end to what she thought to be a sorry life, whereas, in truth, the eldest sister, as always, was richer in experiences. That was one thing that never changed between them, no matter how long it had been since they last conversed, or laid eyes on each other for that matter, the constant threat of deadly competition still meandering down some metaphorical path.

A tear found its way past her closed eyes, dribbling down her cheek and falling from her chin onto her chest, her eyelids beginning to ache at the build-up of water gathering within them, so, despite her better judgment, Arachne opened them. A stream of tears followed, and it took most of her willpower to keep the rest of them from falling, for she knew that even then someone could be watching, waiting for a moment of weakness. She had been shot back into a world of paranoia.

She had not felt so scared to express her feelings in such a long time that she had half forgotten how to hide the dangerous ones, the ones that would get her killed should she make the slightest mistake or the smallest misdemeanor. Arachne even almost subconsciously reached for the veil she had been trapped behind for years, knowing that it had become her shield from danger, before she had to remind herself that she was safe, or at least more safe than she had been. 

But instead of her veil, she took hold of something else made of fabric, and when she looked down to investigate its origins, she found it to be a sweater of fine make, yarn and thread intertwining together to make a garment that seemed to make her feel warm just by looking at it. Putting it on was almost as if she was wrapping herself in some form of tight hug, another jab to her already wounded barrier, for she desperately missed those gentle hugs from the woman she had loved. 

There had been nights that either of them couldn’t find the urge to sleep, so, instead of talking to each other all night like some normal couples would, the two of them held onto each other in almost every possible way, from holding hands to hugging, there was no way that they weren’t keeping themselves warm. Arachne remembered that last hug, the one she never received back, for Amalica’s lifeless husk had been cold and there had been no warmth to greet her. She now wondered if it was Chadra’s doing.

Even the very pattern of the blanket itself had some correlation to Amalica in the design of the sweater itself, causing her to shrug herself further into it, seeking the warmth she knew she would never find again. Red swirls mixed with gray and blue, her late fiance’s two favorite colors, all perfectly sewn into the thick garment, which seemed to only imply that Merliah knew of her struggles, and even if she did, she didn’t know her partner, no one else who was alive did. That was the truly saddening thing that Arachne found after her passing, that there was no one for her to grieve with, no one to exchange stories with, and most of all, no one who could truly understand what happened during the attack. 

She slowly picked up her feet to open the door, holding the sweater close, trying to imagine that it was someone that she cared about holding her instead of the yarn that made up the sweater, and even so, she recognized that the fantasy could never be lived again, or at least for a long time. And grasping onto the cool metal of the doorknob almost brought a bout of tears that she had been trying to hold back, as it showed as a subtle reminder of the frigid world around her. She had been lucky enough to find some semblance of warmth in the otherwise boreal world she found herself in. 

Turning the knob and pushing the door open, Arachne made her way to the door across from hers that led into the second floor of the library, which, just as the mansion did, had four floors dedicated to books, scrolls, artifacts, and magical items used for studying and the like. It was almost reminiscent of the times during her youth that she would sneak away into the library to feel safer in a place where no one could harm her. 

The smell of parchment and ink hit her the moment the door opened, and a smile reached her face, gentle and pained as she let tears fall from her cheeks. It was hard to imagine a library without Durdyn, without Cazna’s secret passageway, or even the docile librarian in the Cell Maccis library that had clearly been through too much. Instead, all Arachne was left with was herself and walls of boundless knowledge. 

Wiping tears from her cheek, she turned to face the first wall of books closest to her, examining their spines before reminding herself that she couldn’t read the common tongue, causing a sigh to escape her lips. Arachne slumped down into the corner beside the door, her knees pressed against her chest as her hands held her head up, looking into the would-be darkness of the library.

And, almost as if out of nowhere, Arachne heard a small voice, quivering a small in comparison to her own, unsure and youthful, speaking in the elvish tongue as she required. “I-I can h-help you find a book? I-in elvish maybe, o-o-or undercommon.”

Arachne turned her head to catch a glimpse of the source of the voice, hoping that it was who she thought it to be, and, as firelight made itself known around the corner, the drow elf caught a glimpse of the strange gnomish boy. He had a chamberstick cradled in one of his small hands, a closed book in the other, innocent wide eyes twinkling in turn with the light he produced. He was quivering just as she was.

She stood up, walking over to the child with a small smile on her face as she wiped more tears from her cheeks and chin, holding the sweater a little further away from herself as she did so, “I’d like that.”

Erky led the way to a different section on that floor, holding his chamberstick slightly to the side so as to share the light, even if his compatriot didn’t need it as much as he did, but even so it seemed to bring him some form of confidence, allowing him to speak with less of a stutter. “Why are you here a-anyways? I-I thought you’d be sleeping.”

Arachne sighed to herself again, looking down at the boy as she joined him at his side instead of beside him, “I had a bad dream. What about you? Why are you here? You’re awake past your bedtime, aren’t you?” she teased him slightly, although it seemed as if Erky took it a bit differently, seizing up a tad.

“Y-yes, b-but I c-couldn’t sleep. M-Merliah doesn’t c-care as long as I’m reading.” He turned the corner to the right of them, jumping up for a brief moment to take hold of a book a couple shelves above him, and, miraculously, he pulled it from the shelf and grabbed it. He presented it to her with the same vigor as he had when he had taken the book from the shelf, and, with an amused grin, Arachne took it from him.

The front of the cover was written in elvish ‘Viconia DeVir – Elvish Edition’ was inscribed in the leather, painted gold on the brown cover. “Thanks,” she muttered, pressing the book against her chest.

The two of them sat across from each other on mahogany chairs adjacent to a table of the same kind, staring at their books as if expecting more conversation, an awkward pause and air beginning to fill the room. It seemed as if the two of them recognized that they had both gone through something that either led to their mistrust or anxiousness, and for some reason they seemed to have quietly bonded over that fact, something that brought them together while also pulling them further apart.

And it took a moment for Arachne to realize that the two of them simply sitting in silence was important either way, the small gesture telling both of them that the other cared and felt empathy for their case. The fact that Erky could trust her enough to sit across from her said quite a lot, seeing as many people would have wished to simply walk away in fear after handing her a book, but this ten year old seemed to only be scared of his environment and not herself.

Comfort had been something Arachne could scarcely afford over the past several months, and, for some strange reason, Erky was the reason she felt comfort at that very moment, and she could only assume it was due to the promise of safety. But even still, she had not expected to be in such a solemn state during her first night staying in the abode she found herself in, especially after being visited by a person that she had once thought had lost track of her.

And, whilst thinking about her past, her mind wandered towards the set of rings hanging from a chain on her neck, touching it for a moment before she smiled to herself, realizing what she could do. Something to start over. Her smile was no false smile either, but a true smile of joy as she unclasped the necklace from around her nape and laid it on Erky’s book.

“Take it,” she said.

The gnome took a good look at the rings, no doubt realizing that they were engagement rings, before turning to face her again, “Why?”

Arachne felt tears beginning to form again as she opened her mouth to speak, beginning to rethink her decision to give up her last physical memory of Amalica. Instead, she powered on, “It belonged to someone very important to me, and since she passed away, it's given me courage. But I think you need it more than I do.”

“I… uh,” he paused, taking the chain in his hands, “t-thank you.”

She stood with her book in her hand, holding in her tears just long enough for her to utter her last words of the night before she turned away, “Have a good night, friend.”

And just like that, she had let go. She had finally let go.

[nova-aurelia-deleon]

STARTER: Nova & Xiomara LOCATION: Thrift Store STATUS: CLOSED

Nova was a regular at Greywood’s local thrift store now, heading down there around once a month to drop off whatever clothes she was no longer enjoying wearing. She had a rather extensive wardrobe - back when she’d been growing up and then a young mother getting her degree, there hadn’t been any money spare to spend on things like clothes. But now? Now she had a surplus, and she enjoyed spending it on new items of clothing. Besides, she needed a whole separate wardrobe for work and for play, and so the result was a lot of clothes.

Heading in clutching a back stuffed to the brim of freshly laundered items, she strolled up towards the counter, resisting the urge to flick through the garments hung on the racks that surrounded her. “Hey… I’ve got these to drop off,” she hummed, heaving the bag up onto the counter, eyes meeting those of a woman’s she did not recognise.

@werewolf-xiomara​

[reddus-sideblog]

M.E.R.C.s - Location is Everything

4-12-890 AR

A heavy knocking came from the small pod’s door. The android occupant bolted forward in his seat as soon as he could complete an emergency quick boot. His cameras were still recalibrating as he approached his pod’s door, and after unplugging himself from the power cable he hurriedly put the clothes he’d hung by the door over his frame.

    The pod was miniscule, consisting of a “hallway” just three meters in length, ending in a recessed alcove. The sole feature of the alcove, a seat with little padding, had a number of cables and plugs that allowed for an android to recharge and connect to the intranet from the convenience of their pod. Along the hallway and above the alcove there were a number of hatches that opened to shelves and cabinets for storage. Aside from these features the pod was quite barren, and of course cramped.

    “Seer Eckord? You on? I wanted to get going sometime soon, you better be packed.”

    Eckord cast his optics around the pod. What little that he owned was packed into a suitcase by the door and two cardboard boxes that were currently tucked away in a cabinet. The Divinist opened the door and greeted the two who had agreed to help him move.

    The young human and the android looked at the mildly disheveled Eckord expectantly. Deckord’s sun-bleached faceplate looked stern, but the cybernetic eyes behind betrayed his hesitance. 

    “Eckord,” started the other android. “You are ready to get moving, right?”

    “Yes yes, of course,” responded Eckord, pushing his suitcase towards his compatriots.

    The shorter human pulled the suitcase towards himself. The human was only a boy, not even out of his teenage years. Evan Theos, if Eckord’s memory banks were referencing the right memory. He had been a faithful assistant, and if Evan continued being so helpful Eckord was considering elevating the messy-haired, scrawny boy to the station of tech-supplicant, to continue aiding him in holy endeavors.

     The large labor android pushed his way past Eckord to grab the tech-seer’s boxed belongings. Accion’s large chassis made Eckord look like a pencil next to a steel girder, and the mono-eye android’s large manipulators were able to carry the priest’s belongings with ease. While not utterly militant, Accion usually wore surplus Machine Corps gear that had been bleached white, as few other pieces of clothing could accommodate his bulk.

    “Ah, yes, thank you Accion, I was about to grab-”     “Look, Seer, I want to get you moved into my place before sundown,” Accion said before pausing. “Sorry to be brisk.”

    Eckord accepted the apology as he readjusted his garments, attempting to look a bit less like he had gotten dressed in a hurry. The tech-seer’s chassis was on the thinner side, and the robes of his station came in sizes much more fit for humans. He probably should have had a tailor readjust them for his frame, but Eckord had put off the task since he had received the garments some decades ago.

    Accion nudged the tech-seer from his now former residence. Eckord looked at the diminutive dwelling, one among the two dozen others built in stacked rows in the weed-choked lot. He had lived in this humble home for nearly three decades now, and despite how meager it was, he was sure that he would somehow miss it.

    The three set off, crossing the span of the Hemotte Sector to reach the nearest metro-line station. While uneventful, Eckord took a final note of the sector he had occupied for some time now. It had definitely seen better days, but it was always hard to not think of the past through rose-tinted lenses. Before the pawn shops, gold lenders, and less-than-legitimate pharmacies had taken hold, Hemotte had been quite nice, really. A lot of young families had once walked the streets before they were cracked and pitted, and that was when the vacant lots here  had been parks.

    Eckord led the way down the steps into the Hemotte station, his metallic feet clacking on the concrete steps. Evan struggled a bit to get the overstuffed suitcase down the stairs, but insisted on moving the luggage himself, without Accion’s help. Eckord admired the boy’s spirit. The android knew that Evan was also a good soldier, but a certain partition in his mind couldn’t help but question if his family forcing him into the brigade’s service was for the better. Part of his reason for hoping to induct the boy into the Divine clergy was to move him away from the life of a M.E.R.C., but Eckord knew that unless he did something that the mercenary’s way of life would have its hooks in him.

    As they approached the graffiti’d subterranean platform Eckord noted some of the more colorful examples of language exhibited in the vandalism. He felt like every time he ventured out into Newland that he learned a new ethnic slur or curse word. The culture of the city-state, and the Capital language itself, moved at the flow of a rapid storm drain, while Eckord felt as though androids and the Divine Church moved at the speed of high-viscosity oil on a cold morning. 

    Rather than let himself be absorbed in quiet contemplation, Eckord engaged Evan in conversation, not wanting to waste the chance to learn of a younger human’s perspective on matters. He jumped from topic to topic, bringing up recent news from the last few years, prodding the Vatinsaran youth’s thoughts on each thing he could think of before moving on. The assassination of the president, the Holiday bombings, the resurgence of dangerous, decentralized movements like the Neo-Fasces and the Anti-Android Front. Eckord had his own ideas on the matters, but those mental processes, he knew, were quite removed from the thoughts of humans. Their conversation was cut short as their subway train arrived. Eckord saw what he swore was a fleeting look of relief on Evan’s face as he led the way onto the train car.

***

Besides the few punks that Accion scared off with a synthetic growl, the subway ride was relatively uneventful. Seeing brief slices of Newland as the train made its way from sector to sector was always an experience Eckord enjoyed. The crumbling underground of the Hemotte Sector. An elevated rail across a canal filled with boats. A much more well appointed subway station. The backlots of a number of industrial sectors. A quarantined sector blocked off by tall concrete barricades. A trainyard filled with freight. A packed parking lot feeding into a sports arena. Towering apartment buildings whose ground floors were stories beneath the subway’s elevated tracks.

    The city just seemed to go on and on forever. Eckord knew that he could look at a Newland atlas, or even install a map implant, but the technical part of the equation didn’t matter, it was something he felt deep in the seat of his soul. Much of the Divinist faith spoke of the spirit of machines, and of Great Works, but the android wondered if Newland itself could be considered a Great Work. The city was hundreds of years old, by some reckonings, and it had been made by untold millions of hands over the course of generations, and even now it fostered life among its buildings, streets, and megastructures. 

***

As Accion led Evan and Eckord out of the Bonville subway station, still carrying the tech-seer’s boxed possessions. Evan stopped as he finished pulling Eckord’s suitcase up the station’s stairs. He paused and sniffed the air.

    “Do you smell that?” he asked, before realizing the company he was keeping. 

“It smells like smoke,” Evan added, hoping to clarify his previous statement to the two androids that likely didn’t have olfactory senses.

    All three of them looked up at the sky, to see a number of black plumes rising up into the late afternoon air. Eckord heard his large friend mutter a low-volume curse before setting off towards one of the columns of smoke. Not wanting to be separated from his belongings for too long Eckord set off after Accion, leading to Evan running after the two androids in short order. 

    After a short spree of jaywalking and ducking through a number of alleys Eckord caught up with Accion, just in time to see the hulking android sit down on the curb, across from a burned out warehouse. Eckord resisted a disapproving vocalization as Accion dropped his boxes to the sidewalk with little care. 

    “My…” started Accion. He couldn’t finish the vocalization, and Eckord followed his gaze.

    The warehouse across the street was in ruins. The roof had collapsed in on itself, and the whole structure looked like it had been alight not all that long ago. It had been of a decent size, and what remained among the ruins was still smoldering. Eckord sighed. It seemed like both him and Accion were out of a home now.

    “Should we see if there’s anything we can salvage? Maybe there’s, um…” Eckord trailed off as he realized how little could possibly remain among the charred metal and synthwood.

    “Maybe. Deus willing,” replied Accion as he rose up from the curb, trudging into the wreckage.

    Evan had just caught up with the androids, and Eckord ordered him to watch his belongings as the two picked through Accion’s ruined warehouse’s remains. Evan nodded gladly, running with the weighty suitcase had obviously been draining.

    Eckord trotted across the street, following the path of the labor android, into the blackened, twisted wreck. Accion hadn’t gotten far into the warehouse, and he seemed to be transfixed by something in front of him. He started to discourage Eckord to come in further, but the tech-seer squeezed in past him.

    In the middle of an open area flanked by charred ruin was an intensely obscene monument. Constructed from charred synthwood timbers and bones, an Infernalite sigil was laid in the middle of the clearing, surrounded by the blackened remains of five people. Their corpses were butchered and mostly incinerated, with their heads, now scorched beyond identification, placed in key positions around the vile offering.

    Accion broke Eckord’s fixation on the heretical monument as he punched a crumbling brick wall in frustration.

    “OF COURSE! Fucking of course it was Deus damned Infernals!”

    Eckord hushed Accion, “Keep it down, who knows how many might still be around. We need to get going, now. We need to collect Evan, we need to get out of the sector.”

    Barely finishing his sentence Eckord flung himself out of the ruin’s still standing front door, intent on reaching the young Divinist that he had left to watch his belongings. Last rites for the deceased would have to wait until the living were attended to. The android seer realized with horror, as he reached the burned curb, that the youth had a small group of black-clothed people surrounding him. At least one of them was a devilkin, and another bore the skull mask of an Infernalite temptor. Eckord powered towards Evan, before he himself was sent flying.

    The tech-seer only realized what was happening a few moments after it had happened, when he was laying on the pavement of the street he was trying to cross. A car horn was blaring. Eckord tried to pick himself up, but he realized that the hinge of his right arm’s elbow was bent back in the wrong direction. The vehicle’s driver, a chimera woman, was leaning out of the window of the car, with an expression between annoyance and concern written on her features. Helping Evan once more rose to the top of Eckord’s task priorities as he clumsily got to his feet. The boy was still surrounded by the Infernalites but the lot of them were quite distracted by the spectacle that had occured out on the street, making them focus on Eckord.

    “Oh man, another priest!” cried one of the Infernalites, his voice dripping with eager malice. The Infernalite was a human with a shaved head and a tattoo of a Hellish glyph that covered most of his face. He stepped out onto the street as he approached Eckord, pulling out a wickedly curved knife.

    The thug held the knife aloft, calling out to the Hellish power that he’d contracted, “INFERNUS IN MACH-”

    He didn’t get to finish his invocation, as a fist the size of his own head knocked him out cold. Accion had charged out of the ruined warehouse, as he had lingered behind Eckord by a few moments. The Infernalite first collided with the hood of the car that had hit Eckord before collapsing to the ground in front of it. The chimera woman within the car seemed irate, but knew better than to get involved with the religious conflict unfolding in front of her.

    The other Infernalites, including the priest, were quite startled by the sudden appearance of the enormous android, and even more so by his dynamic entry upon the scene. Accion approached them, kicking their unconscious comrade out of the middle of the street, making him collide with the door of a parked car. The thug’s body left a dent.

    The Infernalists were almost frozen in terror as the hulking Divinist strode closer, with each one backing away as though they were moving in slow-motion. Eckord shuffled off the road, sticking to the sidelines as he watched Accion bear down on the Infernalites. The larger android was getting heated, which was bad for anyone standing in his way. Evan was sitting still, letting the Infernalites back off as Accion approached. He looked unharmed, but was unsurprisingly a bit wary of the situation unfolding around him. The human met eyes with the seer’s cameras. Eckord gave him a small thumbs up with his still functioning hand. Evan grimaced in return.

    Accion charged at the Infernalites, before stopping at the curbside to wrench a parking meter out of the ground. The thugs ran down a nearby alley, which partially spared them the android’s wrath, until he flung the piece of metal after them. Eckord didn’t see the impact but he heard a heavy clang and a yelp as it hit at least one of the fleeing demon-worshippers.

    Eckord approached Evan, and the boxes of his belongings. 

    “Let’s get moving. I don’t want to find out if they have more friends loitering about the sector.”

    Accion lifted the seer’s property once more, “I’m not scared of any of these low-lifes. But I don’t want either of you two being fried like those poor bastards in the warehouse, so where are we going?”     Evan piped up, “Well we could go to my family’s place. Mom and dad run a motel, I’m sure they’d be willing to start a tab for you guys. We’re just three sectors over, it’ll be quick if we ride the subway again.”

    The androids were already moving, with the young human pushing his way in front of the two of them.

    “That sounds perfect, private. I think that will do well enough for the two of us in the interim.”

    “Yeah, thanks kid.”

***

Eckord stared at the motel’s ceiling. Evan was a kind boy, but his parent’s motel left a bit to be desired. His monthly stipend from the Divine Church and the bullion he made from working for the 3rd Illigan Brigade was more than enough to pay for the motel room, but he was already missing his tiny pod. The noises of the other rooms, the bold vermin, and the beds obviously made for non-androids were all annoying him greatly. Eckord had never understood why organics loved when their beds were plush and smothering, and he still couldn’t see the appeal as he lay on top of the one provided for him.

    The seer shifted to his one side, looking at Accion sprawled out on the bed next to him. He was deep in his recharge cycle, and seemed less bothered by the accommodations than he was. Then again the huge M.E.R.C. had lived in a warehouse before this evening, so it was likely that little bothered him in general.

    Eckord rose and approached the window, looking out into the Newland night. Even when viewed from a rundown motel the city’s anima was so strongly apparent to him. The lodgings were far from ideal, but they were in the midst of the Crossroad City, so Eckord could hardly complain.

[damithal]

M!A: Starcubus for a day? You'd look super cute

It's a long time Dami's been on Tumblr. Gone through her phases. Changed as a person, mostly for the better.

Doesn't delete a lot of stuff though. There are messages in her inbox that go back more than half a decade. Including a magic anon that just never seemed to go off. She's seen it there many times and mused over it idly, wondering if it would still pop if she hit "answer". The "Starcubus" it references is an ancient post at this point, but it was a fun little design.

A few times she had decided to save it for a rainy day just in case. It's been years though. The anon that sent it might not even exist anymore, nonetheless pay attention to her blog. That was a different era in her, and everybody's really, life. So today, finally, she gets bored, and thinks "Hey, Halloween's coming up. Why the fuck not."

She's not expecting much.

The instant she clicks it, little blue glowing stars swirl around her in a spiral that grows more dense each second. There's no panic in her eyes, just a bit of surprise. Soon she's loosely cocooned by the display of light, and it's then that some of the surplus stars direct themselves INTO her instead of around her. Casually the energy directs itself into the bits of carapace on her torso, which glow and then in a flash expand into some kind of beautifully sparkling blue leotard, almost like the night sky out in the countryside. Complete of course with a star shaped boob window. Tasteful.

Her arms and legs are next, a lighter blue color rolling out along her extremities from underneath the garment, and once fully extended they glow brighter before a flash unleashes a tuft of some cross between fur and energy at her thighs, her wrists, and just below her shoulders.

She can't see her head and face glowing, but she can see it on her hands, and the rest of her exposed skin, as the rest of her changes in a flash. Pale- no, ethereal white skin, horns to match the leotard, and her little flame of power even appears over her head to shift to a pleasant icy blue.

For its finale in her magical girl sequence, the stars cocooning her all now swirl to a single point in front of her, condensing into one object, a want or rod of some sort, that solidifies and floats gently until she takes it. When she does she admires it for only a second before her gaze goes up her arm and to the rest of her body, admiring the cool colors.

When she looks up her girlfriend Meat is there, sipping on a juice box of all things. Before Damithal can even open her mouth, Meat just says one thing.

"Well that was fun!"

[internationalrealestatenews]

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[ruman-el-tex]

EL-TEX-Garments Items supplier & Exporter in Dhaka,Bangladesh.

Hello Everyone ! Greeting ! Hope you're well. Herein pleased to introduce "EL-TEX'' as a Manufacturing-Manufacturer-Exporter as well as a supplier of Full Fashion Knitwear's-Woven wear's & Sweaters from Bangladesh. Like: Pull Over-Cardigan-Jumper-Scarf also Polo Shirt-Blouse-T/Shirt-Sweatshirt-Hoodie-Fleece Jacket-Pant-Jacket-All type of Uniforms-Sports Jersey Shirts and Protective Vest-Men's Shirts-Ladies' Tops-Trouser-Leisure Clothing-GYM Wears-Stritch Leggings-Active Tank-Leggings-Swimwear-Short-Running Wear-Tight-Baby Wears-Underwear & Caps-Fashionable Ladies Dress etc.

We are well experienced & skilled through working in this RMG sector from end of 1999 on these mentioned products to produce & export to international market, with to deliver the best because we feel “Customer deserve the best”. We don’t only cater for the best quality also gives utmost importance to timely shipment at competitive price. We lay stress on quality, economy and timely shipment. If you think or have any development for any of your client/customer, Please feel free to advise us with details requirements, hope we can make you happy through our service.

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[nyt-crossword]

NYT Crossword 13 January 2024

Across Hints

They have lots of drawings NYT Crossword Clue

Half of a Godfather cocktail, along with whisky NYT Crossword Clue

Something unlocked with Face ID NYT Crossword Clue

Trip before a delivery NYT Crossword Clue

Big do NYT Crossword Clue

Again NYT Crossword Clue

Something you might kick NYT Crossword Clue

Sit ___ (mourn) NYT Crossword Clue

Comedian Wanda NYT Crossword Clue

Fam member NYT Crossword Clue

Must give NYT Crossword Clue

Who might mistakenly respond to a statement beginning “Seriously …” NYT Crossword Clue

”I’ll be right with you” NYT Crossword Clue

Point en pointe? NYT Crossword Clue

Ascribe, as blame NYT Crossword Clue

Emphatic agreement NYT Crossword Clue

How synchronized swimmers move NYT Crossword Clue

Mini-albums, for short NYT Crossword Clue

Tendencies NYT Crossword Clue

Reptile popular as a pet NYT Crossword Clue

Nissan model NYT Crossword Clue

One of a noted septet NYT Crossword Clue

Work to overcome a late start NYT Crossword Clue

Memo header NYT Crossword Clue

Coming-out phrase NYT Crossword Clue

When repeated, a giggle NYT Crossword Clue

First daughter of the 2010s NYT Crossword Clue

Take a round trip NYT Crossword Clue

Guardians, in the box score NYT Crossword Clue

Surplus NYT Crossword Clue

Surprising absentee NYT Crossword Clue

Tuned in NYT Crossword Clue

Stream, e.g. NYT Crossword Clue

Friendly video game setting NYT Crossword Clue

Dopehead NYT Crossword Clue

Down Hints

___ Leslie, Los Angeles Sparks star in the Basketball Hall of Fame NYT Crossword Clue

Their notable behavior is actually involuntary, like fainting NYT Crossword Clue

”Aargh, why bother?!” NYT Crossword Clue

Crag NYT Crossword Clue

Till portion NYT Crossword Clue

Escort, in a way NYT Crossword Clue

”That’s why you get the big bucks and not me” NYT Crossword Clue

Images on some Florida license plates NYT Crossword Clue

”Abbott Elementary” airer NYT Crossword Clue

Some bottles of Wild Turkey NYT Crossword Clue

Annual event since 1949 NYT Crossword Clue

Stoically endured misfortune NYT Crossword Clue

Caped crusader? NYT Crossword Clue

First garment, perhaps NYT Crossword Clue

___ Jima NYT Crossword Clue

Wounded NYT Crossword Clue

Word after clip or walk NYT Crossword Clue

Culture writer Tolentino NYT Crossword Clue

Couldn’t get enough of NYT Crossword Clue

Where the Brahmaputra flows NYT Crossword Clue

Oscar nominee for “Iris” and “Philomena” NYT Crossword Clue

Smitten NYT Crossword Clue

Romantic’s quest NYT Crossword Clue

Weaken NYT Crossword Clue

___ Stroker, Tony-winning actress for 2019’s “Oklahoma!” NYT Crossword Clue

Proverbs, for example NYT Crossword Clue

Part of a test NYT Crossword Clue

Paese di Napoli NYT Crossword Clue

One called to go places NYT Crossword Clue

___-gritty NYT Crossword Clue

Sound in a clearing? NYT Crossword Clue

Palindromic example of onomatopoeia NYT Crossword Clue

Centerpiece of many a still life NYT Crossword Clue

Half of the iconic 1/22/81 Rolling Stone cover NYT Crossword Clue

___-mo NYT Crossword Clue

[brandedgarmentswholesalers]

Surplus Garments wholesale

[mellow-strain]

Straight size, to Plus Size, Acceptance and back to Straight Size

CW/TW for discussions of weight and size changes. Not much weight numbers, but definitely size numbers.

Note: All sizes will be in UK. For US conversion, subtract 4

Chubby childhood, going up, up again, got rid of all my smaller clothes and now I'm back down, missing tonnes of lovely clothes. Typical!

I had a rough childhood, without too much detail, as a Neurodivergant Mentally Ill child, you can imagine what I was going through. Food was a BIG source of comfort for me, possibly bordering Binge Eating Disorder and I'm only figuring out control/balance.

My Personal Size History

Throughout my life, I've ALWAYS been the second biggest or biggest in a room/group. From about age 9 I started wearing women's size 8's and 10's. I always wore the 14-15years in the children's section, which I put a positive spin on "because I was so mature, like a grown up" (yes, 15 was the PEAK of maturity in my eyes. I used to lie on Movie Star planet that I was 15 to seem cool and mature).

At about 16-17 I was about a size 14. Throughout school, Covid-19, college and my collapsing mental health, I went up to a 16-18.

Then after a really rough personal time an 18-20 (depending on the garment/brand).

Self-Acceptance

I started to accept my new size and get rid of some of the old, smaller garments that I was hoping I would fit into one day and I bought clothes that were a little loose so I wouldn't have to rebuy anything.

I became more active/aware of plus size/fat issues, worked on being inclusive of all bodies as possible. (And I still do). I also started actively using the labels of the plus size community and really loved engaging with some of the in-jokes from online.

My New Size, the Here & Now.

Today, I write this as a size 12. No longer plus size (at least, not in Europe). It has been a really strange process with a light grief of my plus size Identity.

I think I should have a proper funeral for my identity. I had really grown to love it in some ways.

Don't be mistaken, I think being a 12 and losing all that weight is great! I've put a LOT of effort and I'm overjoyed to start seeing results. I get such a sense of inclusion that I can march into any shop I want and pick up things in my size.

The Other Size of the Hill

I think it's just a mourning process of change and that the grass is always greener.

For example, I'm a regular charity shop patron and I use second hand fashion reselling apps quite a bit. Around the time I went down to a 14-16, of course, suddenly EVERY charity shop was BURSTING with gorgeous dresses and pants in a size 18. As I've discussed before, money isn't exactly plentiful in my life and it's not a rational nor worthwhile decision to buy garments that won't fit me for very long nor is it feasible to take in most of my garments.

So naturally, the sight of all these stunning pieces did have a twinge of longing.

As is well known in the plus size community, fat girls will wear their items to shreds because nice, fashionable plus size clothes are hard to come by and generally quite pricey.

But straight sized women don't really have this issue as much. And when you consider the consumer habits of Western teen girls who are growing up and outgrowing clothes, there's often a surplus of their lightly worn tacky club clothes (see the Shien-pocalypse for more examples)

All this to say, it's clear the grass actually isn't greener almost all of the time. It was just a moment of 'grief'.

The Future of my Fashion & this Account

As I discussed in my second most recent post, I'm having a style revamp! Mainly, because nothing fits me well and historical fashion is generally quite size adaptive (or at least can be made to accommodate size fluctuations more easily than modern fashion).

I hope to continue my body positivity/neutrality no matter if I'm a size XS or an XL.

If anyone has any advice on the themes and struggles discussed in this post from articles, blog posts, videos, documentaries, films or any other kind of media please let me know!

Thank you all for taking the time to read this post

[factoryoutletlimited]

Exploring the Advantages of Readymade Garments Stock Lot Buyers

In the dynamic world of fashion, where trends evolve rapidly, and consumer demands change with the seasons, the role of a Readymade Garments Stock Lot Buyer has emerged as an essential link in the supply chain. These professionals play a pivotal role in facilitating the movement of excess or surplus apparel inventory from manufacturers to retailers, thereby benefiting both parties and contributing to a more sustainable fashion industry.

Understanding Readymade Garments Stock Lot Buyers:

Readymade Garments Stock Lot Buyers are individuals or companies that specialize in purchasing surplus or unsold garments directly from manufacturers or brands. These surplus stocks often consist of end-of-season products, canceled orders, overruns, or items with minor defects. The primary aim of these buyers is to source high-quality garments at a reduced cost and subsequently distribute them to retailers or other channels at a competitive price point.

Advantages of Readymade Garments Stock Lot Buyers:

Cost-Effectiveness: One of the most significant advantages of stock lot buyers is their ability to procure apparel at a fraction of the original manufacturing cost. This cost-effectiveness is passed on to retailers and consumers, making fashion more accessible without compromising on quality.

Reduced Waste: The fast-paced nature of the fashion industry often results in excess inventory, which can lead to waste. Stock lot buyers help mitigate this issue by providing an outlet for surplus goods that might otherwise end up in landfills. This contributes to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly fashion ecosystem.

Variety for Retailers: Stock lot buyers offer retailers access to a wide range of products from various brands and manufacturers. This diverse selection allows retailers to diversify their offerings, cater to different customer preferences, and experiment with new styles without committing to large production orders.

Profit Generation: Manufacturers often face financial losses due to overproduction or unsold inventory. Stock lot buyers provide a solution by purchasing these surplus goods, enabling manufacturers to recoup some of their losses and maintain healthier profit margins.

Quick Turnaround: For manufacturers, clearing excess inventory is crucial to making space for new collections. Stock lot buyers facilitate a faster turnaround by swiftly acquiring surplus stocks, ensuring a more efficient production cycle for new lines.

Market Penetration: Stock lot buyers often operate in international markets, connecting manufacturers with retailers worldwide. This allows manufacturers to expand their market reach and brand presence beyond their usual borders.

Risk Mitigation: By purchasing stock lots, retailers can test the market without committing to large orders upfront. This mitigates the risk of overstocking and aligns inventory levels with actual demand, reducing the chances of financial losses due to unsold items.

Challenges to Consider:

While the advantages of Readymade Garments Stock Lot Buyers are evident, there are challenges to navigate. Quality control, ensuring consistent sizing, and addressing potential defects are some concerns that both buyers and manufacturers must address. Additionally, maintaining brand reputation and upholding ethical practices in sourcing are vital considerations for buyers.

Readymade Garments Stock Lot Buyers play a crucial role in today's fashion industry by fostering a more sustainable and economically viable ecosystem. Their ability to bridge the gap between surplus inventory and market demand benefits manufacturers, retailers, and consumers alike. As the industry continues to evolve, the importance of stock lot buyers in shaping the future of fashion cannot be overstated. By embracing their advantages and addressing challenges, stakeholders can work collaboratively towards a more responsible and efficient fashion landscape.

For More Info:-

Clothing And Fabric Manufacturers

Textile Manufacturing Company

Ready Made Clothes Manufacturers

[earaercircular]

What will the textile recycling boom be like in 2025 and where will used clothes go to?

Koopera textile recycling plant in Ribaroja (Valencia) where used clothing is separated for recycling.

Fashion brands will have to get involved in the collection of used garments in their stores, they will not be able to throw away the surplus and they will have to create consortiums to manage their waste

We have acquired the reflex that the glass goes to the green container; plastic, to yellow and cardboard, to blue. But we keep throwing clothes into the waste bin. In Spain, some 900,000 tons of clothing are discarded per year, and 88% ends up in landfills, according to the report Analysis of the collection of used clothing in Spain[1]. The other 12% goes to clothing containers and, from there, to modern plants that select the garments —even those in poor condition— and reuse or recycle them. The new waste law[2]  imposes that in 2025 the town halls —also the small ones— will have to collect textile waste separately, which is why there will be a boom in clothing containers in the streets: Madrid and Malaga, for example, are going to duplicate those installed. Fashion brands will also have to get involved in the collection of used garments in their stores, they will not be able to throw away the surplus —so second-hand options will grow— and they will have to create consortiums to manage their waste[3]. These are the changes that the new recycling challenge will bring.

“In two years, a system must be installed in all cities so that citizens can deposit textile waste, which in addition to clothing includes towels, sheets, upholstery… In fashion stores you can leave used clothing, and we will see the number of containers for clothes that are on the streets  multiply", summarises Enric Carrera, director of the Textile Research and Industrial Cooperation Institute of Terrassa (Intexter) [4]  of the Polytechnic of Catalonia (UPC). “However, the challenge is not so much to collect, as what to do with it, because Africa is beginning to not want European used clothing anymore in order to develop its own industry, and with the new law it is no longer allowed to burn surplus production, so that these 900,000 tons can become 1.2 million that will have to be treated. We are facing a challenge of a spectacular magnitude”, he continues.

Used clothing collection systems

Containers on public roads; containers in parishes, schools and shopping centers; fixed clean point; mobile clean point

Collection of textile waste, according to the operator. In total, 108,296 tons are collected, barely 12% of the 900,000 per year that end up in landfills.

For now, most cities allow clothing containers from social organisations to be placed on their streets, although some town halls are beginning to also install municipal collection points. Some examples: Madrid now has 770 containers and by the end of the year it intends to reach 1,600, while Malaga will double the current 233. Vigo had 50 and increased them to 300 last year, anticipating the regulations. According to the Analysis of the collection of used clothing in Spain, prepared by Mode re-[5]  (Cáritas entity) in 2021 and the most complete to date, there are currently some 21,000 of them in Spain, most of which (more than 19,500) are in the public space and belong to social entities, although there are also some (more than 1,500) in parishes and shopping centres, to which are added some 700 municipal clean points.

Their number will grow a lot. "In the next two years the streets are going to be flooded with textile containers, we are already beginning to see it in some cities, but it will reach all of them," says Manuel León, coordinator of Mode re- (Cáritas entity). It is very difficult to specify how much they can grow, but if you want to go from the current 12% to 30%, you would have to triple them at least. The same report (which will be updated this year) indicates that some 108,000 tons per year reach the current network, about 19 kilos per person per year —the Ministry of Ecological Transition[6] does not have different data.

The road to reuse

Where does the shirt or pants deposited in these containers go? In general, to one of the five large textile recycling centres that now exist in Spain. A visit to one of them, the one owned by Koopera[7]  in Valencia, allows us to understand the process followed by used clothing on its way to reuse. Trucks and vans arrive every day at the huge warehouse in Ribarroja de Turia[8] — which annually manages 6,000 tons of used clothing from more than 700 collection points — with the garments collected in the Cáritas containers, which they deposit in bags in a kind of big container.

From there they are sent to a long conveyor belt that elevates them towards a yellow industrial structure inside which there are several rooms with a separation line. "We classify each garment according to various parameters: the season, the quality, the gender...", explains Emi Carmona, coordinator of this social enterprise. In each cabin there are two people, a tutor and a social integration apprentice; first, they hit a button to bring up clothes; then, they pass each item through a machine with software that helps perform that first screening. "Woman, dress, summer," says one of the apprentices. "Pants, jeans, boy," says another. Once the magic words have been pronounced, a strong mechanical breath sends the garment to another conveyor belt, which will deposit it in one of the more than 60 baskets that await the end of this process.

"The highest quality clothing (over 10%) is sold in our Moda re- stores," explains Carmona. "The one with less quality but in good condition is exported to countries in Africa and the Middle East (70%). There is a third option that is to separate the clothes into threads (where another 10% ends up), which is called spinning; For this we have a machine that checks the composition of the clothes with a laser, and it has a success rate of 99%”, she continues.

What happens to the one that is useless for any of these things? “About 10% of what comes to us is incinerated and converted into energy, it is what is called energy revaluation”, continues the coordinator. In any case, it is important that all textile waste, even the one that is in poor condition, is thrown into the used clothing container to go through this process. In Koopera they also have another manual line, where they separate and classify clothes, but also shoes and accessories. “So we can classify more clothes. The shoes can be sent to the store, and we even take advantage of loose pairs, which in Africa are used to make products such as bags”, continues Carmona.

"All the plants that exist right now in Spain consist of manual treatment, but this is going to change very soon," predicts Igor González, president of Ecotextil[9] —an association that advises fashion brands on recycling. “There are companies that have asked for Next Generation European funds to start much more advanced plants,”[10] he points out. They can be from mechanical selection of the clothing, or from physical separation of the components (by composition of the garment) or even chemical (to break up the fibres)[11]. The expert Enric Carrera explains that the physical separation involves grinding the garment to obtain threads, "although the result is still of medium-low quality", while the chemistry consists of dissolving the threads and then regenerating them. “It's still a very expensive process,” he admits.

Ratio of selective collection of textile waste / generation. In %

González considers that, with the new norm, the fashion brands themselves will have to encourage the development of treatment plants that help to reuse and recycle clothes. "The producers will assume this expense with a fee, and they will have to finance the collection and treatment." In fact, seven major brands —Decathlon, H&M, Ikea, Inditex, Kiabi, Mango and Tendam— have just created the Association for Textile Waste Management[12], an entity that by 2025 must manage its waste within the principle whoever pollutes, pays. It is a figure similar to Ecoembes[13], that brings together packaging manufacturers to collect their own garbage. The other fashion companies must join this association or create different ones.

Changes in clothing stores

Until that time arrives, companies are already adapting. Mango, for example, has placed textile collection containers in all its stores and sends what it receives precisely to Koopera, an example that other brands are also following —such as El Corte Inglés[14]— and which will be mandatory in 2025. Meanwhile, Primark[15] encourages its customers to donate unwanted clothing at its own facilities, and aims to have all its clothing made from recycled materials "or more sustainably sourced" by 2030.

Another novelty of the law is the prohibition of destroying unsold clothing surpluses, a very common practice in fashion. Inditex[16], the parent company of Zara, donates its surplus garments to non-profit insertion stores and social entities such as UNHCR[17], the Red Cross and Cáritas[18], while El Corte Inglés distributes them to more than 60 NGOs. In fact, virtually all of the major brands in the industry have or are planning similar endowment arrangements.

This will translate into a boom in second-hand textiles, since more and more new unused garments will arrive at the same time that the collection of used ones will increase. Moda re-, for example, has 120 stores in 84 Spanish cities, but it has also opened 20 used clothing spaces in different Alcampo supermarkets[19], a company that in turn donates its surplus to Moda re-. Meanwhile, Humana[20] has almost fifty establishments, some of them vintage to attract the younger public, which is no longer considering used clothing as tacky and increasingly sees it as something 'cool'[21].

"These stores allow us to dignify social delivery," says Manuel León, from Moda re-. “Before, whoever needed it, would go to his parish and they would give him a bag with clothes, which he could use or not. Now, these people are given a check for an amount that they can redeem at our stores, so they go to one of our stores, choose what they want, and cash that coupon. Others do not have to know if you pay with money or something else, and also vulnerable people can choose what suits them best ”, he continues.

A young woman looks at used clothes in the Humana Vintage store on Hortaleza street in Madrid

Another trend will be to mend the garments. “Arranging clothes is subversive. It is interesting that we buy, get tired of it and buy again. Rehabilitation implies self-sufficiency, concentration and patience”, points out Marta D. Riezu, author of La moda justa (Anagrama, 2021)[22], who advocates mending old clothes as a way of “dressing ethically”. The perception of traditional patches, seen until now as something for the poor, is also changing and is already reaching the world of fashion: Zara, for example, has launched a platform that offers repair services for its garments, sales between individuals and donations. , and other brands test similar programs. Igor González sums it up like this: “The best clothes are the ones that are used again, and we have to work to do it more and more”.

Source

Miguel Ángel Medina, Cómo será el auge del reciclaje textil en 2025 y a dónde irá la ropa usada, in: El País, 26-03-2023, https://elpais.com/clima-y-medio-ambiente/2023-03-26/como-sera-el-bum-del-reciclaje-textil-en-2025-y-a-donde-ira-la-ropa-usada.html

[1] https://modare.org/wp-content/uploads/Analisis-de-la-recogida-de-la-ropa-usada-en-Espana.pdf

[2] Congress definitively approves the waste law, which creates new taxes for plastics and landfills. The regulation, which recovers the hydroelectric canon, also prohibits single-use plastic products, obliges supermarkets to dedicate at least 20% of their surface area to bulk sales and offers legal support to ban tobacco on beaches; https://elpais.com/clima-y-medio-ambiente/2022-03-31/el-congreso-aprueba-definitivamente-la-ley-de-residuos-que-crea-nuevos-impuestos-para-plasticos-y-vertederos.html. Read also: https://www.tumblr.com/earaercircular/680810730718642176/the-circular-economy-is-already-there?source=share

[3] Thanks to sustainability, the second hand is no longer shabby: "It is becoming more and more fashionable". Sales applications between individuals are triumphant, Wallapop has grown 200% in two years, and the trend is gaining ground in supermarkets and luxury stores. Inflation also pushes the sale of used clothing, technology, bicycles or books. https://elpais.com/clima-y-medio-ambiente/2022-12-31/gracias-a-la-sostenibilidad-la-segunda-mano-ya-no-es-cutre-cada-vez-esta-mas-de-moda.html

[4] The Instituto de Investigación Textil y de Cooperación Industrial de Terrassa (Textile Research and Industrial Cooperation Institute of Terrassa) (INTEXTER) is an academic unit of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia created in 1962, whose main objective is to promote research in the textile and related sectors, as well as industrial cooperation. by carrying out tests, appraisals, standardization work, approval and certification. https://www.upc.edu/intexter/es

[5] At Mode re- we have a large network of used clothing collection containers throughout Spain, managed by the members of our project and the Diocesan Cáritas of each territory, where we collect clothing, footwear and accessories, preventing them from ending up in the landfill. . Through the management of this textile, our project has the opportunity to combat social exclusion, creating quality work for people who find it more difficult to access job opportunities and offering dignified social service. In addition, your delivery also has environmental power, because together we contribute to reducing the consumption of raw materials, saving millions of cubic meters of water and energy and avoiding the emission of thousands of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.https://modare.org/

[6] Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico

[7] We are a network of entities of the social and solidarity economy, linked to Cáritas: insertion companies, foundations and cooperatives of social initiative. A network that develops business activities of environmental services, reuse and recycling (textile specialists), sustainable consumption (Kopera Store stores), customer service, and other services that can help meet the objective, with training and employment as tools for inclusion, building a more ecological, inclusive and supportive society. https://www.koopera.org/

[8] Riba-roja de Túria (Spanish: Ribarroja del Turia) is a municipality in the comarca of Camp de Túria in the Valencian Community, Spain.

[9] The ECOTEXTIL association arises as a result of the concerns of a group of professionals specialized in waste management, to deal with the growing dumping of textiles in landfills, with estimated figures of more than 900,000 tons, and with containerization values that vary between a 5-8%.

The Association is constituted as an environmental sustainability project in terms of circular economy throughout Spain. https://www.ecotextil.es/quienes-somos/

[10] Read also: https://www.tumblr.com/earaercircular/710245870774468608/a-first-this-recycling-machine-can-turn-any?source=share & https://www.tumblr.com/earaercircular/670031734470033408/dutch-entrepreneurs-build-the-worlds-first-shoe?source=share

[11] Read also: https://www.tumblr.com/earaercircular/709136729726140416/what-do-we-do-with-used-clothing-the-fashion?source=share & https://www.tumblr.com/earaercircular/711715587856924672/meet-emerging-leaders-reinventing-how-canada-does?source=shareNudrik & Canada Goose.

[12] Seven multinationals from the textile industry have come together to create the first Collective System of Extended Producer Responsibility (SCRAP) in the sector, in Spain, for the management of textile waste. H&M, Inditex, Decathlon, Ikea, Mango, Kiabi and Tendam have come together to create the Asociación para la Gestión del Residuo Textil (Association for Textile Waste Management). The objective that they set themselves, with this association, is to manage the textile and footwear waste that is generated in the Spanish market. In this way, they intend to align their business with the legislative requirements regarding sustainability and recycling. https://aeress.org/asociacion-gestion-residuo-textil/

[13] Ecoembes is a non-profit organization that manages the recycling of the waste that is deposited in the yellow and blue container. We work together with citizens, public entities and companies so that the recycling of household packaging is a reality in Spain. Since 1996 we have helped to promote environmental awareness until recycling became a daily habit for the Spanish population, contributing to making this world a better place to live. https://www.ecoembes.com/es/conoce-ecoembes/que-es-ecoembes/quienes-somos

[14] El Corte Inglés S.A. headquartered in Madrid, is the biggest department store group in Europe and ranks third worldwide. Its primary source of sales is from department stores, followed by internet sales. It is a family business, with most stock being held by relatives of the deceased businessmen Ramon Areces Rodriguez and César Rodríguez González (1882-1966), and the Ramon Areces foundation. El Corte Inglés is Spain's and Portugal's only remaining department store chain.

[15] Primark Stores Limited (trading as Penneys in the Republic of Ireland) is an Irish multinational fast fashion retailer with headquarters in Dublin, Ireland. It has stores across Europe and in the United States. The original Penneys brand is not used outside of Ireland because it is owned elsewhere by American retailer J. C. Penney.

[16] Industria de Diseño Textil, S.A. (lit. 'Textile Design Industry') is a Spanish multinational clothing company headquartered in Arteixo, Galicia, in Spain. Inditex, the biggest fast fashion group in the world, operates over 7,200 stores in 93 markets worldwide.The company's flagship store is Zara, but it also owns a number of other brands such as Zara Home, Bershka, Massimo Dutti, Oysho, Pull&Bear, Stradivarius, Uterqüe and Lefties. The majority of its stores are corporate-owned, while franchises are mainly conceded in countries where corporate properties cannot be foreign-owned.

[17] The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (ACNUR in Spanish) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to a third country. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, with over 17,300 staff working in 135 countries.

[18] Caritas Internationalis is a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development and social service organizations operating in over 200 countries and territories worldwide.

[19] Alcampo is the name of the 2nd biggest hypermarket chain in Spain. The company started its activity in 1981, with the first hypermarket built in Utebo, Zaragoza. It is part of Groupe Auchan SA.

[20] Humana People to People spans the globe through 29 independent member associations, each one with a firm base in their own country. https://www.humana.org/who-we-are#about-us

[21] Thanks to sustainability, the second hand is no longer shabby: "It is becoming more and more fashionable". Sales applications between individuals are triumphant, Wallapop has grown 200% in two years, and the trend is gaining ground in supermarkets and luxury stores. Inflation also pushes the sale of used clothing, technology, bicycles or books. https://elpais.com/clima-y-medio-ambiente/2022-12-31/gracias-a-la-sostenibilidad-la-segunda-mano-ya-no-es-cutre-cada-vez-esta-mas-de-moda.html

[22] The title Fair Fashion responds to a double meaning. The first refers to having the right amount of clothing in the closet, enough, proportionate. To flee from voracity. The second talks about choosing what is complete, what is produced in a dignified context, in ways that nobody loses out on. https://www.anagrama-ed.es/libro/nuevos-cuadernos-anagrama/la-moda-justa/9788433916570/NCA_43

[s3ascap3s]

week 2: draping on the body and sketching

this exercise allowed me to see the limits of my creativity because I decided to experiment with draping using only a collared men’s shirt. I did a similar exercise at school where, in teams, we were given only a pair of jeans and a men’s dress shirt that our teacher had collected at the thrift store. we did this exercise because these are two of the most common items you can find second hand and with the surplus of them available, it is a good exercise in trying to focus on sustainability and how you can re-interpret and re-use previous garments. that is the main focus of my work (and it is also much cheaper than buying fabric!). any ways, I thoroughly enjoyed this exercise and ended up making 20+ drape ideas and I had a lot of fun with it. this activity also reminded me of what I like to describe to people as my origin story of being interested in fashion design. when I was little and would come out the shower, I would stand in the mirror and try to make so many shapes, dresses, and outfits using only my bath towel and I would rearrange it on my body similar the activity we did on Tuesday. I love that young me knew what she wanted to do so early on!