Patagonia | Truth to Materials Collection | Ventura, California (US) | By Lee Fleming

Patagonia's recently released Truth to Materials is a capsule collection featuring seven styles brought about by exploring radical new methods of manufacturing. Borne out of a desire to reimagine the inaugural stage of a garment’s life, the collection focuses upon overlooked raw materials integral to production. Each piece in the Truth to Materials collection is made from reclaimed or alternatively sourced fabrics including an undyed cashmere Snap-T Pullover, a reclaimed cotton hoody and crew, a reclaimed wool jacket and a parka.

Celebrating the purest form of a material, the Truth to Materials collection focus on origins and staying true to its starting point during every step of the design and manufacturing process. The reclaimed wool used is sourced from Figli di Michelangelo Calamai (Calami, Italy), founded in 1878. Calami is dedicated to producing reclaimed wool and in this case the pieces were made from discarded wool sweaters that were shred into usable fibres. The reclaimed cotton is from the TAL Group who saved their cotton scraps by sweeping the floors of their factories in China and Malaysia - saving hundreds of tons of cotton from the landfill. The Undyed Cashmere is hand harvested by Mongolian goat herders who brush their flocks as they shift grazing grounds according to the seasons. The colours of the yarns indicate the seasons, caused by nature and produced a material untouched by the process of fibre dyeing, which lessens the environmental impact.

View the Patagonia Truth to Materials short film here and read more about the collection on Patagonia's website .

Patagonia presents Damnation | Ventura, California (USA) | By Lee Fleming

A influential film documentary, Damnation aims to highlight the mayhem and negative ecological factors caused by these hulking and obsolute structures. Federally governed dams such as the Ice Harbor Dam, the Lower Monumental Dam, the Little Goose Dam and the Lower Granite Dam have been named as the most harmful in the US as they provide minimal value and cost millions to maintain yet actively harm public safety, ecosystems, fisheries and tribal culture.

This short film by Ben Knight and Travis Rummel (Felt Soul Media Production) is one of sheer natural beauty, impressive cinematography and unexpected discoveries. It focuses solely on the rivers, landscapes and cultural change altered by dams and is presented by outdoor specialist Patagonia and the company’s founder, environmentalist and Executive Producer, Yvon Chouinard. Alongside co-director Travis Rummel, co-producer Matt Stoecker (Stoeker Ecological ) also provided the underwater cinematography for the film which will be screened across the world, having started on Monday 8th September at Rosebud Theater, Wauwatosa (Wisconsin). All the screenings of Damnation are listed on the website.

A petition to ‘crack down on deadbeat dams’ has been created in conjunction with the Damnation documentary film and is backed by supporting partners Patagonia and Save Our Wild Salmon. The petition aims to raise awareness and change America’s national attitude by calling on President Barack Obama to intervene and take action.