Fashionably Free

06-05-2008 | 10:28 AM EST

I feel like I'm always saying that the ideas that started in the Free and Open Source Software communities and informed some of the Free Culture movement's ideologies are now spreading into many other facets of life. Unfortunately, I often don't have any specific examples to back that claim up. Well, today I do — and even I was surprised by these.

"If green is the new black Pamoyo is the new green," says Berlin-based fashion label, Pamoyo. As if their unique designs, drive for green and socially responsible production, and generally high ethical standards weren't already enough to separate this self-proclaimed "style collective" apart from the fashion pack, the decision to release their clothing designs under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA license definitely seals the deal. What this ultimately means is that other people around the world are free to re-use and re-mix Pamoyo's designs at will so long as the new creations aren't used commercially. And, if people want to make their re-uses of Pamoyo's work public, that's fine so long as they release their version under the same CC BY-NC-SA license allowing the cycle of re-use and re-mix to continue. On a side note, vegetarians and vegans will be happy to read Pamoyo's stance on animal-friendly materials.

On the other side of the world (or at least a good distance from Germany), Japanese media company, Nota, combines fashion, innovative technology, and Creative Commons' licensing to put an entirely new spin on DIY clothing design. Labeled "C-Shirts" (where the "C" refers to "Creative Commons"), Nota is producing t-shirts with small QR (Quick Response) codes that can be scanned by QR-reading devices like mobile phones (which are nearly ubiquitous in Japan). The QR codes are tied to specific URLs on the Nota website where people can either download the image as-is or use technology right on the website to alter, edit, and personalize the design. At that point, the altered creation can be printed to a new C-Shirt (or even coffee mug, paper, or various other products).

In light of inspiring new organizations like Pamoyo and Nota, maybe the new definition of fashion forward has to include some notion of community spirit, non-restrictive licensing, and creative freedom in the truest sense. Personally, I think both of these groups are doing a great thing, and I'd urge you to check out what they have to offer and participate by either making a purchase or doing some re-mixing of their content on your own.

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