The hanger has been reimagined so many times in so many ways, it is a thing to be infinitely repurposed. The modern clothing hanger that we use today was first invented in 1860 by O.A. North, who fashioned a space-saving clothing hook. The original hanger that North created consisted of a piece of wire that had two narrow ovals joined together in the middle with a twist, and a hook for the rack above it. Basically picture a standard wire hanger, but with two conjoined ovals where we'd now see a triangle shape.

Every year during the holiday season, BEDI Studios offers its help to the DANS LA RUE foundation by organizing a “Warmth Campaign”. We know how cold the winter can be here in Montreal and cannot begin to imagine how hard it is to live outside during this time of year for teenagers and young adults. We are asking our community this year to join us in this spirit of GRATITUDE and GIVING.

In the 70s, a necessary direction emerged to work towards maintaining a healthy environmental order. Today it is quite clear that to help the planet, we have to firstly reduce our consumption of goods, then reuse what we already have with recycling as the last resort. The recycling symbol as we’ve all come to know it represents these three steps: REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE. The phrase became popular to symbolize the act of modern recycling as a new part of everyday life. But is the meaning completely understood?

We are thrilled that BEDI will be included in Holt Renfrew’s H Project across Canada. While many of us are familiar with Holt Renfrew and its luxury retail experience, Holt’s H project is less than 10 years old and doesn’t get quite the same amount of attention. Started in 2013 by Alexandra Weston, Holt’s Director of Brand Strategy, Holt’s H Project is a conscious curation of products that are beautiful, well-storied, and that are creating a positive impact in the world.

This year we were incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to attend the Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards (The CAFAs) as we were nominated for the sustainability award. Known to some as “The Canadian Met Gala” or “The Junos of Fashion”, The CAFAs are an annual celebration of not only achievement but also of emerging talent within the Canadian Fashion industry. The award for Outstanding Achievement went to co-founders Rami Atallah, Firas Atallah and Bassel Atallah of SSENSE.

Minimalism is used to describe a lifestyle in which individuals strive to only purchase items that have a real purpose and utility. Simply put, it is a behaviour which provides a way for individuals to declutter their lives and find balance by removing distractions and focusing on useful and simple things. This movement enables individuals to find some sort of freedom, lightness, and ease in life since it pushes them to use their time more thoughtfully for things that they truly need.

Zippers are probably one of the most used inventions of all time. When you think about it, you probably always have one on you - from your pants, pencil case, hoodie, jacket, luggage, tent, and even your boots, if you were to tally up the number of times you touch a zipper in a day you would probably be surprised. Zippers are a 4.2 billion dollar industry. So why then, when we consider the materials used to make our clothes, bags, and outerwear, do we often neglect to think about where our zippers come from?

Shopping locally whether for food, clothing or home decor, has been a growing trend which has had positive results on our environment and local communities. As a society we are becoming more aware of the impact of consumption on the planet thanks to scientific research regarding climate change. As the demand for quality products rises that are ethically made, we have to look towards consuming locally as one of the important ways to live more sustainably.

We all know the craze of winter festivities that usually come around this time every November. It is very common for people to stress gift ideas and anxiously declutter the house before family visits. This decluttering results in throwing unwanted home goods that are still in perfect condition away, things that we believe could serve other purposes, especially during the holidays. It is an amazing way to reduce and reuse, all the while offering meaningful gifts to your friends and family.

Black Friday has become a fundamental part of over-consumerist culture that encourages people to buy desired goods with no understanding of their longevity. It stems from fast fashion culture with values encouraging the accumulation of high amounts of goods of poor quality that, for the most part, find themselves in a landfill not long after. Traditionally, companies taking part in Black Friday usually gave away their excess product for a cheaper price. Now, companies, (particularly in fast fashion) produce excess stock in advance specifically for the Black Friday weekend as a strategy to increase their revenues.

How often do you clean out your closet? Letting go of a bag filled with clothing every season might seem like it’s not a huge deal, but keep in mind that almost every person on the planet does just the same. In fact, research shows that the average person in America throws away an estimated 37 kilograms of clothing each year.

The holidays are a time of giving to your friends and family; It symbolizes the love and Gratitude we have for one another. Gratitude can also be defined as the joy of receiving and giving to others by showing thankfulness in offering appreciation or a return of kindness. Not only can gratitude offer satisfaction, optimism, well-being and happiness, but opting for this view of life opens the possibilities of improving you and your peers’ physical and psychological health. Giving gratitude for what you already have often promotes morals such as patience, wisdom and humility.

In an effort to reduce plastic pollution, several single-use plastic items have recently been banned for production in, and import into, Canada. This includes, among other things, some plastic food containers, plastic straws, six-pack rings, and plastic checkout bags. The ban on the actual sale of these items will take effect in December 2023.For Canadian consumers, this means that when grocery shopping, customers will no longer be able to rely on single-use plastic bags to carry groceries home. Instead, we will need to bring reusable bags, or purchase a reusable bag at the store.