( ) Fashion's Night Out

“We celebrate materials instead of apologizing for them.” Only one of the many intentions listed on ( ) Fashion’s Night Out’s website hosted by Of Rags, EcoSalon and NYC Fair Trade Coalition at the new Textile Arts Center in NYC’s WestVillage.

( ) FNO featured 14 ethical brands – including us, of course! – who have dedicated their businesses to respecting all parts of their supply chain from the dyes to the people who make the product. What’s up with the parenthesis? Those are for you. Some people might fill in “sustainable.” Some might say “innovative.” For me, I’d fill those parentheses with “positive.”

That was my first feeling when I walked into ( ) FNO. Everyone was happy and interested in the clothing, design and story behind each piece. There were amazing people all around willing to talk about sustainable, fair trade fashion. And with fair trade wine being served courtesy of Fairhills Wines and yummy baked goodies from Gone Pie Vegan Bakery, the atmosphere was definitely laid-back and friendly!

We premiered Scarfitecture and displayed four of the seven architectural designs from Anna Dyson, Dukho Yeon, Chris Sharples and Ali Soltani. Each scarf was made by an artisan from Ecolibiri in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. The scarves are made from reclaimed and recycled materials such as unraveled sweaters. They seemed incredibly cozy and warm, perfect for fall.

Anna Dyson and Dukho Yeon's scarves

Chris Sharples' scarf

I especially enjoyed Ali Soltani’s scarf. I loved the extra feature that you could unbutton each piece and make your own design – one day it could be a scarf, another day a poncho!

Ali Soltani's scarf

Ali Soltani and Anna Dyson visited the event to see their work on display and to gander through the other designers' work.

Global Goods Partners showcased their lovely silk necklaces and Feral Child, their exclusive "Stop the Fashion Pirates" t-shirt. Loved Erin Cosidine's delicate, yet industrial jewelry and trendy hand-painted tees from Of Rags. EcoSalon also had awesome giveaway bags made by NO CHAIRS that were filled with eco-friendly goodies like a nau scarf, a Pawling Print Studio card, HAND/EYE Magazine and a Mission Savvy coupon.

Make sure to keep updated on DIGS. Scarfitecture scarves will be cautioned in December!

Julie Miller, sustainable fashion professor at Pratt University; Rhea Alexander, founder and designer of DIGS; Ali Soltanit, DIGS Scarfitecture architect. Photo Credit: Amy DuFault, EcoSalon

New SCARFITECTURE video!

Watch this GREAT short firm about the process and progress of Scarfitecture's scarves.

Produced by Gabe Rodriguez, an award-winning New York filmmaker. His new film Q To the 6 Train will be premiering at Anthology Film Archives this Wednesday.

Don't forget to join us at (Sustainable) Fashion's Night Out this Thursday, September 8 at the Textile Arts Center in NYC!  The shopping event will be from 6-10 pm, and SCARFITECTURE will be premiering it's scarves!  Get an up-close-and-personal look at these handwoven works of art.  We will begin accepting bigs for the auction in December.

Hope to see you there!

Scarfitecture to Premiere at FNO!

Field Report 7: Galia Solomonoff and Maria Mejila Martin

Field Report 6: Anna Dyson and Sabina Perez Mendoza

Artisan Spotlight: Diaz Studio, plus 20% off colorful jewelry!

Lima, Peru: The Diaz Project started in mid-2006 when Mery-Luz decided to quit her job and fully engage in textile design. This decision allowed her to spend more time with her daughter (then two yrs old). Her home became her workshop where artisans work an 8-hour day, but based on her own experience as a mother, she realized her artisans were absent from home for long hours but needed the income to provide for their children, so she gave them the materials to work from home.  They meet weekly to work together and organize orders. This flexibility allows the women to perform their family duties while still bringing in an income. Mery-Luz believes a mother is an irreplaceable presence and is vital to the development of a child. This flexibility made the artisans happier and their work performance improved as did the quality. Special Designer Offer: Use code NL0810 to receive 20% off ALL of the colorful jewelry made at the Diaz Studio.  These lovely pieces are carefully assembled, crocheted, wrapped, and glued by hand from scrap and industry by-product like wood, threat, silk ribbon, and yarn.

Field Report 5: Winka Dubbeldam and Isabela Pichilla Ramos

Artisan Spotlight: Mend

Gulu, Uganda: In northern Uganda, thousands of girls have been kidnapped by a rebel army. After escaping an abusive life, these now grown women often return home as mothers. Unable to return to school because of their duties, they are left to fend for themselves. Many are trained to sew as part of their rehabilitation, and this- our latest and potentially greatest program to date- will further enable such women to MEND.

MEND has a sewing facility with 13 women, 1 Pattern/Fabric Cutter, 1 Technical Manager, and 1 Production Coordinator all based in Gulu, Uganda. All the women were former sex slaves, abducted very young & tortured for years by Joseph Kony's rebel army. Now they are all rehabilitated and have been given full time employment.

Mend is a new brand & handbag line by Revolutionaries at Invisible Children. Each Handbag has been individually created and sewn by a woman whose name is forever labeled within and will tell the story of the women who made it, and build into the healing and advancement of the war-affected areas of Uganda.

Special Designer Offer: Use code NL0804 to receive 20% off all MEND'S messenger bags! Available in black or army green, these spacious and comfortable bags are a back-to-school essential.

Field Report 4: Ali Soltani and Eva Concepcion Sajuin Chiyal

Artisan Spotlight: Same Sky

Kigali, Rwanda: Same Sky is a fair-trade company whose mission is to empower women worldwide and inspire a movement of women empowering women.  Founded in 2008, SAME SKY aims to be a part of the global movement lifting women out of poverty by giving them the tools to become entrepreneurs and lead self sustaining lives.

During the 1994 Rwandan genocide, women in Rwanda were subjected to sexual violence on a massive scale.  According to the International Criminal Tribunal, more than 250,000 women were raped and, of the survivors, approximately 70% were infected with HIV/AIDS.  In addition, they were left impoverished after their husbands, fathers, and brothers were murdered.   Same Sky was born with the goal of empowering these women to rebuild their lives and communities.

In Rwanda, Same Sky first partnered with Gahaya Links, a handicrafts organization founded in 2004 by sisters Janet Nkubana and Joy Ndunguste. The artisans making SAME SKY bracelets work in a collective and are free to discuss social issues of the day such as domestic violence, western medicine, and opening a bank account. SAME SKY also provides the women artisans with a daily stipend that covers transportation to and from work and a daily meal. Their wage is ten times the average wage made by women in sub-Saharan Africa. The income they earn ensures they can provide food, education, and healthcare for their entire family.

Special Designer Offer: Use code NL0728 to receive 20% off all of Same Sky's glass beaded bracelets!

Field Report 3: Dukho Yeon and Gloria Nimacachi Yaxon

Designer Spotlight: Tawny Reynolds of Sundrop

Minneapolis, Minnesota: Tawny Reynolds is a sustainable thinker and talented craftsperson working in Minnesota. At an early age, she had an interest in lenses and the heat they derived. After experimentation, she started melting glass with the Fresnel lens to create all sorts of forms and eventually came up with her jewelry collection. The cool thing about this process of melting recycled glass is that it has no emissions nor consumes any fuels. Wanting to examine her entire production footprint, her studio also uses partly recycled silver in the bindings and recycled paper in the packaging. The process is mostly solar; first the lens is tilted until the sunlight is focused on a rock attached to a wire stand. The lens rotates both horizontally and vertically to adjust as the position and angle of the sun which changes throughout the day.  The hot spot is concentrated and can get up to 3000 degrees Fahrenheit!  Gravity and surface tension pull the molten glass into a lobe that cools as it falls and stretches into the sun drop shape.  The final sun drop is connected to the strip by a thin stringer of glass, which breaks off to disconnect it.  Tawny's earrings and pendants are made from recycled liquor and beer bottles to get their vibrant color.   Can you guess which ones she uses?

Special Designer Offer: Use code NL0721 to receive 20% off Tawny's earrings and pendants!

Field Report 2: Juan and Sara Matiz + Oralida Mendoza Vasques and Michaela Ujpan Mendoza

Designer Spotlight: Patti Carpenter

New York, New York: Patti Carpenter is an International Product Design and Development Consultant and Trend Forecaster.  A native of Washington, D, she now resides in New York City and holds degrees from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York.

With a career that spans more than three decades in the Fashion Industry, she has worked with a wide variety of high-end and designer brands and retailers.  In 2001, she founded Continuum Home, Inc./Carpenter + Company.  Patti is passionate about integrating new product development with cultural/artisan sustainability, fair wages, and environmental and social responsibility.  As consumers of high quality goods expand/strengthen their interest in these concerns, she believes these attributes will be more influential on purchasing decisions, providing a clear business advantage to companies that make a genuine commitment to sustainability and responsibility.

Special Designer Offer:  Use code NL0714 to receive 20% off Patti's gorgeous seed necklaces! Also check our her adorable Haitian Ju Ju Boy and Girl dolls; made from scrap yarn and cotton by Haitian artisans.

Recycled newspaper made into "wood"

In my mother's best efforts to keep me busy on a rainy day as a kid, she would sit me down at the kitchen table with a stack of old Good Housekeeping's, a jar of elmer's, and a couple of wooden tongue depressors.  I would roll strips of the magazine paper into something that resembled a jewelry bead, then string the gluey mess into a necklace with some kite rope.  I then presented this masterpiece to my Mom; a handmade gift just for her!  Love her for at least pretending to wear it to work -- even if ended up in the glove compartment of her car as soon as she left the driveway. I recalled this happy memory when I read this article on TreeHugger about Dutch designer Mieke Meijer's recycled paper "wood" -- however, our two art-forms could barely be held to the same standards.  Meijer stacks, clues, and rolls recycled newspaper into "logs", in which she creates fantastically beautiful and functional furniture and home decor.  Surely none of this stuff would wind up in the glove compartment!

Check out the full article and pics here!

Designer Spotlight: Eskayel

Brooklyn, New York: After graduating with a BFA from Central St. Martins of London in 2003, Shanan Campanaro has developed a vibrant studio practice and exhibition schedule, has received significant support from the New York Foundation for the Arts, and has worked as a senior designer in fashion textiles and graphics in New York City.

In the sring of 2008, she launched a line of bespoke wallpaper made to order. The surge in interest prompted her to launch ESKAYEL at the Brooklyn Designs Juried show in May 2009.

Since her launch of Eskayel her work has gotten critical acclaim and been featured in the New York Times, Interior Design Magazine, House Beautiful, Luxe interiors, and Daily candy.

Special Designer Offer: Use code NL0707 to receive 20% off Shanan's pillows!

Stefan Sagmeister talks on 'happiness'

Austrian-born graphic designer and typographer Stefan Sagmeister's 7 rules for creating happiness on TED.

Field Report:1, Chris Sharples + Ana Maria Mendoza Perez

Independence Day Sale! 20% Off Everything!

Section 2 of the High Line is now open!

Section 2 of the High Line opened this past weekend!  The renovated train track with views of the Hudson is now doubled in length thanks to Section 2.  The new tree-lined extension boasts an expansive sun lawn, lounge, and drop-out section where you can see through the walkway into the skeleton of the structure.  The High Line is arguably one of the best places to "people watch" in the city!

Check out the High Line's Flickr Pool!