The ethical economy. The New Redistribution Of Value

Article originally published on Digicult – Articolo originariamente pubblicato su Digicult Ethical consumerism, fair trade, socially responsible investments and corporate social responsibility are all phenomena on the rise. At the same time there are also virtual and local currencies and peer-2-peer rating systems that make the creation and redistribution of value in globalized social communities that share a set of common values, more real. At first sight it could seem a more ethical spreading of traditional economy, but there is a soon-to-be-released book that sees these phenomena as a more structural change and the rise of a new paradigm. Ethical Economy (Columbia University Press), written by Adam Arvidsson in collaboration with Nicolai Peitersen, introduces to ethical economics and interprets the begin of a new, radically different economic system in which production is mainly collaborative and social, and in which the value is based on the quality of social interactions and relationships rather than on the quantity of productive time. The book however

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From knitting machines to wearable technology in Florence

(segue in italiano) Last april I was in Florence with some friends and had the chance to meet Riccardo Marchesi, electronic engineering, managing director of Inntex and founder of Plug&Wear, an e-shop offering materials and components specifically targeted to creators of interactive fashion. He let us visit his lab, showed us experiments and prototypes around e-textiles, and here’s some bits about the long conversation we had. An electronic engineer in the fashion world. First involved in the business of knitting machines, then getting into innovative textiles, and now being passionate about wearables. Is there a connection among those three, a path that you are following, or is it only a matter of chances? Life is a matter of chance. You must be at the right time in the right place or you will miss the train. I moved my first steps in a family business going around the world trying to sell our knitting machines. At the beginning I was

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Julian and Subtraction Cutting – part 2

(segue in italiano) Here’s the second part (read the first part) of the interview to professor and designer Julian Roberts, exploring open-source, zero-waste and interdisciplinarity. Enjoy! Zoe Romano – Do you think open-source and technology (like osloom.org, low cost laser cutting, 3d printers ) are going to change how fashion mainly is conceived and produced? Julian Roberts – It’s definitely changing things already. As 3D printing becomes more accessible and the materials available to print in become more precious, durable and tactile, then it’s suitability to fashion is likely to rapidly grow. Currently they are useful tools for accessory and jewelry design, small component manufacture used in textile embellishment, and for integrating technology into textiles. I’m sure it will also transform both weaving and garment construction too in the very near future. The fact that 3D printing is layered from the ground upwards from an aerial viewpoint is of great interest to me and the way i construct clothes. Laser

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Dyndy.net: The Future Of Money. For A New Democratic Economy

Last fall in Amsterdam took place the second Economies of the Commons Economies of the Commons – Paying the cost of making things free – conference. In the panels they discussed the political economy of open content and its consequences for the cultural sector and analyzed critically the economies taking place in the “digital commons.. In that context Jaromil e Marco Sachy introduced their project Dyndy.net, an online lab providing “Tools, practices and experiences for the conceptualization, development and deployment of currency”, following the ethics of the Free Software Movement and Transition town. Their main aim is to improve the self-organization of wealthy communities avoiding the centralized structures of the bank-debt monopoly and to experimenting alternative banking systems and local currencies. Continua su Digicult in italiano/ Continue on Digicult in english  

Summer thai

(segue in italiano) It’s been quiet on Openwear blog recently as we’ve been really busy working on our platform, surviving the hot peaks of euro summer, and also because some of us had the chance to visit Bangkok and take a deeper look on what’s going on in the creative sector in Thailand. Thanx to our thai friends studying in Milan and some good connections Michel Bauwens gently provided us, we were able to meet and discuss with different interesting people keeping the creative scene alive in the city. From the institutionalized and western inspired structure of the TDCD, founded in 2005 with the aim of monitoring and fostering the relationships between creative projects and businesses, to the sprawling activity of the biggest market of Bangkok Jatujak or the shops of Siam Square satisfying the need of self expression at low prices, Thai fashion has given us a lot of interesting highlights to framework Openwear model in the right direction.

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