ColumnNatalie Chanin’s bi-weekly column, Material Witness, offers a seasoned designer’s perspective on the fashion industry, textile history and what happens when love for community trumps all.

My work in my hometown of Florence, Alabama, began as a project to make two-hundred, one-of-a-kind, hand-sewn t-shirts. My initial concept was simple: go home to Alabama, find quilters who could sew the simple embroideries I wanted to use, make a film about old quilting circles, and show the whole project during New York Fashion Week.

I arrived in Alabama in late December 2000 and the adventure began. During February 2001 Fashion Week, the embroideries of our Alabama artisans found supporters in people like Julie Gilhart – at that time with Barneys New York – and a slew of other fashion journalists and specialty stores. As those first deliveries sold, we made a second round of t-shirt samples to satisfy buyer’s requests and a company was born.

After these first two seasons, I envisioned the t-shirt line growing into a full-scale collection for women that included skirts, jackets, tops and accessories. Exactly a decade ago today I arrived in New York with my first full-scale collection, thinking I was ready for everything New York Fashion Week had to throw at me.
The world changed just two days later.

I was in New York’s Meat-Packing District when the first plane hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center. By the time I made it back to my hotel, the second tower was on fire. We all know how the horror progressed. So many friends and colleagues lost loved ones and friends on that day. Sitting here, 10 years later, I think that I’m only now beginning to fully understand the impact that 9/11has had on my work and life.

While I was already on the path to slow design and to building a sustainable company, I believe the experience of 9/11 made me cling even stronger to sustainability as a way of work and life. It made the need to create with meaning stronger. It cemented my path with desire for a different kind of business, a different kind of world, a different kind of message – a message that started, for me, with fabric and thread.

Working with needle and thread automatically connects you to the moment. It is a methodical work that physically ties you with thread to your hands. It calms the mind. It gives room for the soul to expand. Over the last decade, we have built a community of sewers, artisans and now an ever growing DIY community that understands the value of making.
Maybe this is a place for people to come together.

Think about this idea as it relates to food. My home in the South is peppered with an ugly past and things that happened not so long ago. My friend, food writer, director of the Southern Foodways Alliance, (and hero) John T. Edge once said this about the possibility to heal our differences and deal with our past: “We have this burden of the past upon us. We’ll deal with that history. But we’re looking for opportunities; we’re looking for places to deal with that history. And I think one great place to deal with that, to sit across from our fellow man, is at a barbecue restaurant…I think there’s hope in barbecue.”

In our sewing workshops in Alabama and across the nation, I have seen legions of people – men and women – from many backgrounds, businesses and differing pathways in life, sit together in peace, laughter, genuine interest and support. Differences have been aired, backgrounds have been shared, and problems have been resolved. Each person leaves this time of living in the moment with needle and thread with a better understanding for themselves, the other and with a sense of calm that was not present before. Watching this process evolve has cemented the fact for me that making together creates a place for conversations to grow.

What if communities of makers could come together over needle and thread (insert cooking, building, any work that requires hands and mind)?  What if, by doing so, we could focus on those basic needs that we all share – food, shelter, and clothing – and begin to appreciate our sameness? Could needle and thread, this making, provide a place where civil discourse trumps civil acts of violence? Could we use this as a place to meet and begin to heal the past while creating a future together?
I think just as John T. Edge believes that “there’s hope in barbecue,” there’s just as much in the power of making.

Natalie Chanin is owner and designer of the American couture line Alabama Chanin and author of three books including Alabama Stitch Book  (2008), Alabama Studio Style (2010) and the upcoming Alabama Studio Sewing + Design which comes out spring 2012. Look for her bi-weekly column, Material Witness here and follow her on Facebook and her own blog at Alabama Chanin.

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Julie Gilhart, who helped Barneys see the potential of major designers during their formative years, who is a pioneer of eco-friendly practices – primarily for creating a green Barneys label – and was a welcoming face at many events featuring the likes of both, has officially left the building. While some might say they could see the struggling Barneys needed a fresh injection, others are crying that she and executive vice president Judy Collinson were blindsided.

Mark Lee, who just accepted the CEO gig at Barneys has replaced Julie’s role as Fashion Director with Daniela Vitae who worked under him at Gucci, where he served as CEO and she was president of all North and South American business. People are fearing that the union of Vitale and Lee under the Barneys roof will dilute the quirkiness and energy of some of its talent, making the iconic store more mainstream.

The New York Times writes that designers have grown accustomed to the “hands-on, almost nurturing approach of Ms. Collinson and Ms. Gilhart, and people in the industry were not sure how to read the decision by Mark Lee, the store’s chief executive since August, to dismiss them on Monday – without warning, according to two individuals familiar with the matter.”

With now recognized names like Proenza Schouler, Olivier Theyskens, Alexander Wang, Zero + Maria Cornejo, AsFour and Alabama Chanin as part of her successful roster of talent schooled through Barneys, the fashion world is up in arms asking “For real?”

The best question going is probably through the New York Times asking “Will Top Firings Change Barneys Cool?”

We can only wait and see, but if this re-shifting proves some sort of new trend for ho-hum mainstream to work its way even more into the fashion industry, we’re in for a boring ride.

UPDATE: A Barneys spokesperson has just informed us that Daniella Vitale will not be replacing Julie Gilhart. The organizational change is as follows: Ms. Vitale was hired on as Chief Merchant and Executive Vice-President responsible for all of Women’s and Barneys.com operations. She is also responsible for the hiring of the new women’s Fashion Director.

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You may already know that Julie Gilhart is the Senior Vice President and Fashion Director of Barneys New York. What you may not know is that she also takes on the role as a mainstream eco-fashion advocate. In a sustainable fashion focused conversation hosted at the Fashion Institute of Technology last week, Gilhart shared the various ways that she – and Barneys – are striving to be more eco.

Gilhart opened the discussion by stating that just two-years-ago, you would never find her talking to FIT students about social responsibility in fashion. She quickly segwayed into the various campaigns that Barneys New York has been running since about 2007 with social responsibility at its core. Through designer collaborations including upcycling, ethical outsourcing to developing countries, organic cotton initiatives and sustainable fiber production, Barneys is quickly becoming a green beacon for the fashion industry.

Enthusiasm for eco-fashion awareness is high, yet Gilhart tempers that consumers are still learning about sustainable fashion. “We asked Stella McCartney to do a line and source only organic cotton. The label read: ‘Stella McCartney Organic’ and it really turned the customer off. They thought that since the garments were produced with organic cotton, their quality was less than,” stated Gilhart.

There is a fine line when educating the consumer. If a brand boasts about its green credentials too loudly, consumers are put off, yet they simultaneously need those green flags to go up, otherwise they don’t know what they are buying. “It is important to get the consumer to understand that what they are buying has an impact,” asserts Gilhart.

Perhaps what we need are a few role models to show us the ropes. So how does Gilhart incorporate eco practices into her lifestyle? She shared a few tips:

– Be proud of your clothes and wear them over and over. It is okay to wear the same shirt or pants two days in a row or multiple times in a week.

– Buy expensive pieces that last and are of higher quality.

– Take good care of your clothes. Have them dry cleaned, and repaired when needed.

– Don’t buy cheap clothing that you have to keep replacing.

– Buy less.

– Know where your clothing comes from and support locally, or even domestically, produced brands.

Julie was quick to admit that based on her job and involvement with designers, it is quite easy for her to make educated purchasing decisions. Luckily, for the rest of us, we can head to Barneys and shop eco-fashion that is seamlessly integrated into their fashion offerings. “You have to put design and style first,” says Gilhart. “Start with the front story and then you can share the backstory.” When you shop at Barneys, the staff are trained on the different lines and will be able to share those backstories of a more eco-friendly nature with you. The idea is that you will pick out a piece because you like it, and then learn of its eco-added bonus. At the moment, this is Barneys working an eco-fashion integration model. What do you think? Should designers and stores clearly advertise their eco-backstories or let the consumer passively discover them through their shopping?

Let’s continue the conversation.

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Maria Moyer and Julie Gilhart

Just when you think you’ve met the most amazing woman, three more walk through the door. In this case, I’m talking about a whole Bureau of Friends consisting of some of the smartest women in the sustainable world.

When I say “sustainable,” I mean it in the fullest sense of the word – for all these women are participating in something balanced, whether coaching people on how to love and sell their work or personally creating something of significance in a studio. From all there’s an awareness and a promoting of  the fine balance of living and meaning.

Maria Moyer (Founder of Wink Communication), Julie Gilhart (Barney’s Fashion Director), Natalie Chanin (Designer, Founder of Alabama Chanin), and Cathy Bailey (Co-owner of HEATH Ceramics) make up the core of the Bureau whose main mission is to create dialogue, and in so doing, help people understand objects of quality and experiences in their lives that ring true.

One of the ways they’ve done this is through their “Making and Meaning” workshops, where the group invites interesting people to talk about their current projects and ideas which, over making a craft, organically becomes something more than just networking with really cool people.

A modern day sewing circle? Maybe, but this series is evolving into something more substantial, like how we communicate with each other.

Natalie Chanin

Moyer sums up the group:

“We’re a talent agency for good works-a speakers’ bureau and consultancy; Conveners of designers, makers and thinkers.  In our media-drenched, social-networking-maxed lives, the four of us have combined our talents to engage people in meaningful ways that might lead to action-or at the very least, connect us to each other in more deeply than the alternatives.”

Husband and wife team, Robin Petravic and Catherine Bailey, owners of Heath Ceramics

Recently formed, the Bureau has no defined expectations of what their future holds as a group, but based on their energy and passion, it can’t help but inspire, whatever the direction.

I recently caught up with Moyer, Chanin and Bailey, who were kind enough to answer a few questions.

Did you start working together because you felt compelled to? That something really important could happen if you did?

Natalie: Perhaps because I am rurally located, I felt that working together with this group would give me a feeling of belonging and inspire new growth, new ideas and a way to grow my work in a fresh (and sustainable) way. Once we had our first “meeting,” it was clear that belonging was more than a way to grow my business but to grow personally.

Cathy: I felt compelled by Maria and the women she wanted to bring together. I believe that when you have the opportunity to connect with people who you truly admire you need to take the time and opportunity to engage and collaborate, and that’s when worth while ideas and efforts are flourish.

Maria: Like many artists, entrepreneurs, and social minded people in my life, these women move me. I do feel compelled when I have the opportunity to work on things that matter to me, with people I admire and enjoy.

How have each of you engaged people in meaningful ways that might lead to action and how is the Bureau stronger because of it?

Natalie: The conversations that have grown around the tables are a great example of how belonging leads to action. First, we are inspired by one another to action; but, more importantly, the conversations begin at a single point and with all of the input become stronger and have led more concentrated ideas and projects. The whole of the unit is stronger than the strength of the individual parts.

Maria: I think our auction for Haiti is a good example. After writing checks and texting donations, The Bureau of Friends, and some of its friends, wanted to do more. So, we gathered items and services to auction – 100 percent of the proceeds go to Architecture for Humanity’s work in Haiti. Lutz & Patmos Cashmere, organic cotton bedding from West Elm and more coming. We hope these small gestures grow larger, with a little help from our friends.

Natalie Chanin talks craft at  Bureau’s New York “Making and Meaning” workshop

What are some future projects you have in store?

Natalie: Cathy and I are very excited about a collaboration between HEATH and Alabama Chanin. Working in her studio last fall was one of the highlights of my year!

Cathy: The HEATH-Alabama Chanin dinnerware project is very exciting. But, it’s the ongoing support, feedback and perspective that we are able to give each other as a group that’s extremely valuable to me – it will lead to more projects together that none of us would have taken on separately.

Do you agree that quality and craftsmanship are just as important as something sustainably designed?

Cathy: I believe that good and worthwhile objects are made in a quality way and that craftsmanship generally leads to longer lasting objects that will be appreciated for generations.

Are we asking people too much to consider appreciating both the objects they consume as well as how it was created?

Cathy: I love objects that show what goes into making them. It’s satisfying to be conscious of what I buy and use. By supporting local makers you naturally know a lot more about objects, and in turn the object becomes more meaningful and long lasting, so that’s one great idea to promote.

Maria: I think this is about helping consumers understand and appreciate quality. Quality, for me, includes beauty, manufacturing that considers the environment and the culture of the people making the item.

We all talk a lot about the future of sustainable design and whether we’ll need to even talk about it (it will just be designed that way). Would you suggest we just stop talking eco-language? Has it perhaps become a black mark when mentioned?

Maria: There’s so much education [still] to do with makers, retailers and buyers. It will be a long while before we can stop explaining things in eco-language. However, let’s remember please, that people stopped saying “horseless carriage” when we meant “car” and it wasn’t long before “color TV” became, simply “TV”.  I hope I’m alive to see certain eco-terms become obsolete because it’s just understood, integral, and implied.

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