Signals

Middle East – Designer Larissa von Planta is celebrating the inspiring craftsmanship of refugee artisans using upcycled garments embroidered in Beirut-based collectives in Lebanon to create a new kind of luxury brand named Ode.

While studying at London’s Central Saint Martins, Von Planta interned in Beirut and was quickly taken with the extraordinary and centuries-old embroidery traditions of Lebanon, Syria and Palestine. Following the explosion at the port of Beirut in 2020, Von Planta set out to provide work for artisans she had previously worked with and whose livelihoods had been jeopardised.

Originally under her eponymous brand LVPx, Von Planta asked friends and family to donate clothes for upcycling with embroidery for a small fee. The concept has since grown into a social enterprise and the brand was renamed Ode at the end of 2023 as a continued celebration of the inspiring craftsmanship of refugee artisans. Clients drop off old garments at Von Planta’s London atelier and are sent to Jana Studio, a women’s embroidery collective in Beirut, to be upcycled and returned within two months.

The culturally distinct geometric patterns hand-embroidered onto the garments would traditionally be found on wedding gowns and abayas, but the artisans have transformed everything from shorts to coats, kilts and trousers.

In Cultured Waste we unpack how designers are using culture and heritage to cut through the noise when it comes to sustainability. Ode does just that, putting a sustainable spin on recrafted luxury and pushing the boundaries of eco-conscious fashion creatively and compellingly.

UK – According to research collected from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit’s (ECIU) Power Tracker, in 2023 power generated from renewable energy sources was more than enough to power all 28m homes in the UK.

Between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023, power generated by wind, hydro and solar sources reached over 90TWh (terawatt hours). To generate the same amount of power using gas power stations would have required 180TWh of gas – the same amount needed to heat more than 15.5m UK homes.

‘As the North Sea continues its inevitable decline, we’ll need to import ever greater quantities of gas, undermining our energy independence. The choice for the UK is stark: boost British renewables or import more gas at a price we can’t control,’ said Jess Ralston, head of energy at ECIU.

The UK has a higher gas dependency than any other country in Europe, contributing to British households being among the worst hit by rising energy costs, according to the International Monetary Fund. But adding more clean energy and battery storage to the grid could be a welcome solution.

For more on the latest developments on the climate crisis, don’t forget to explore our Sustainability topic on LS:N Global.