EcoSalon’s favorite fashion designers, jewelry makers and artisans on the nature of creativity. 

“Beauty will save the world,” remarked Dostoevsky in the 19^th century. If ever there was a time to believe in the possibility of that statement, it is now. When our public discourse is reduced to ideological political posturing, the impact of beauty and creativity in our everyday lives offers both a vital opportunity for connection and a prospect for cultural renewal.

Over the years at EcoSalon, we’ve delighted in sharing the stories of the fashion designers, jewelry makers and artisans who are dedicated to creating true objects of beauty while choosing ethically responsible methods and practices that upend the customary business models in fashion, jewelry and art. Why do they do it? We asked them the question, “What compels you to create?” Here’s what they had to say:

Xing-Zhen Chung-Hilyard and Melissa Kirgan, Eko-Lab

“Creativity is a deep unconscious force. A process that reveals the unseen see-able and dreams reality. There’s a peace that comes from designing that in some small way we’re making the every-day more beautiful.”

Joy Opfer, Kyler by Joy O

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of  Eat, Pray, Love, has said that she believes there are currents of creativity and ideas circulating around the planet, looking for people to bring them into physical form. This idea is a lovely way of explaining the process of creativity – I often feel that I do not so much create, as synthesize ideas. When we work hard to be there, to be open and prepared for the muse when she arrives, to welcome her through sweat and tears, ready to manifest the boldest visions, a blend of the hive and our own minds – this is a gift.

Fashion is one of the biggest industries on the planet. To act as though it is frivolous is, at this point, a waste of time. Each person, through their choices can inspire change and awareness – and creating one more choice that supports handcrafted and carefully made goods is one that I am proud to be a part of.

Meghan Sebold, Afia

Life can be nauseatingly tragic with many things feeling out of our control. People can be corrupt, dishonest and disloyal – and often times it seems that those people win out. I see only two ways of dealing with the dark side of life: you can respond to corruption with conniving strategies, dishonesty with lies, attacks with counter attacks – or you can reject it and a attempt to create light and beauty in dark situations.

I’m certainly no hero to the women who produce my line – most of them are suspicious of my intentions. They think I’m there to use them for cheap labor – why else would I cross the world to be there? We stand in a room together across a table, having difficult conversations. Trying to trust each other. Trying to create a product together.

Shannon South, reMade USA

So many of us have the innate desire to create. It is what makes us human and what keeps our species going. It’s what fuels innovation. Those of us who are informed and concerned try to do so in the most thoughtful and sustainable way – a path that is not easiest or the most profitable, yet one that gives meaning and integrity to our vision.

Sasha Duerr, Permacouture Institute

I am a plant dyer because it immediately connects me to time and place, to my environment, to my community, and to indescribable depths of beauty. Plant color can ONLY be created – like an amazing meal you toast  to and savor with friends, or an heirloom peach that came to ripen in the sweetness of a perfect growing season – in that time with those conditions. It is a depth of experience that is often not repeatable – and therefore difficult to commodify.

I am consciously grateful to have chosen to make it my work – beyond promise of financial gain or security. This is why I started Permacouture – experimentation and knowledge needs to be shared if it is ever to be sustainable or regenerative to last beyond our own generation. This love for the wonder of the bigger picture has fueled my passion as both an artist and advocate for slower ways of being and creating. I am always awed by how much there is to learn.

Davora Lindner, Prairie Underground

The idea that “Creativity is it’s own reward” seems like such a universal truism. As designers and manufacturers our role isn’t entirely creative but we feel fortunate to work in an industry that demands this engagement. It has introduced us to the writers at EcoSalon and to like-minded women all over the world. That level of aesthetic communication is startling – it’s this connection that is the inspiration behind Prairie and remains the central theme of our work.

The photo (above) is from when Prairie Underground was still based in our homes.  We had received a large volume of orders for the Hard Times Dress that featured a hand painted print.  I needed to figure out a way to execute this in my studio apartment.  The solution was to paint the textile and feed it out my window to dry, then repeat.  Our passion to create is something that end users don’t often see.  The memories of this time are some of the fondest in my life.

Elizabeth Bruner, Piece x Piece

When you  start to seek out original and handcrafted crafted clothing, it feels like an important revelation. Handcrafted means respecting the time it takes to actually create something. There is meaning in the fact that someone has thought and carried out all the little steps it takes to make a truly unique item.

It’s never been about money for me. I know I’m not going to be a rich woman working with scrap fabrics but what compelled me to start Piece x Piece was the fact that I simply could not ignore what in my heart I knew I could change, if even on the smallest scale.

Alice Wu + Moriah Carlson, Feral Childe, 

When we started Feral Childe, we were young artists trying to make it in the New York art world, trying to fill the emptiness in our own closets, and striving to provide an antidote to fashion’s obsessions with brands, logos and over-consumption. We felt a responsibility to make things that were thoughtfully made, using available materials such as off-cuts and fabric remnants so gnarly and unloved in their raw state, but full of potential beauty in our hands. We believe in the power of the handcrafted to affect one profoundly. When something we have made touches an individual in a way that makes them think differently about the world we live in, we are inspired to continue our work.

Maria Moyer

It’s submission to the process. From inspiration to execution, I have to get out of the way and let my hands and my understanding of material attempt to catch up to some idea of what is possible. The result is always a surprise and that is a delight, sometimes a disappointment and always there’s something to learn. The whole thing is a miraculous privilege.

Kirsten Muenster, Kirsten Muenster Jewelry

I’ve always felt a need to create with my hands. My father helped me make my first ring in our basement when I was a kid. The feeling I had then (and still get today) from translating an abstract or conceptual idea into a tangible object with my hands is indescribably addictive.

Nature, unusual materials, ancient artifacts and crafting techniques inspire my work and process. Creating handcrafted objects is vital because they have the power to tell a story, carry on a tradition and remind us of the connection between every set of hands involved in the process or supply chain. I hope to influence others with my work to keep the cycle going. That’s why it is so important for me to know where my materials come from and whose lives they impact. We’re all connected.

Howard Brown, Stewart+Brown

At Stewart+Brown, the reason we do what we do is because we MUST have a sense of both passion and purpose in our work. And we must have beauty in our lives and not at the expense of the environment or supply chain stakeholders. We could not find that collision of ideals in the corporate world even when working at great companies, so we created it ourselves with our own company. It has been the greatest adventure of our lives. In a world of mass production and consumption there still needs to be value, integrity, humanity, and yes, great design without compromise. That is the goal we work towards every day.

Gretchen Jones, Gretchen Jones NYC

I believe it is our responsibility (the creative’s of the world) to be an instrument for the greater whole. We were given a gift, but in that gift is responsibility. Responsibility to be a communicator for humanity and the world, as we know it. We transmit cultural movements and the direction life is taking. Without us, we are collectively nothing.

Art in itself is about translating what cannot be translated in words. I take responsibility for that job. My “job” is to learn how to use my gift to better our lives. To open us ALL up to new ways of thinking and enable us all to live more enriched existences. I may need money to survive, but making money from my work is there by default. The passion to create is about the greater whole, not the ego or bank account… and that, is what the life of an artist is all about.

The post Beauty Will Save the World: Sustainability’s Top Makers on What Compels Them to Create appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnExploring fair trade firsthand.

Fair trade fashion is fashion with meaning, fashion that was created with respect for people and planet. It undeniably has the “moral and just” ring to it, but what does it actually mean? Being inside this industry – talking the ethical fashion talk – can at times lead to a disconnect from what a fair fashion framework actually translates to in the reality of its production.

When it comes to sourcing fabrics, creating garments, and inserting them into the marketplace as competitive and fashionable commodities, getting in on the sourcing journey is integral to a better understanding of the truths behind this mentality. Based here in Ghana for the month, I’m on an eye-opening adventure with Brooklyn-based fashion label Afia. Along this fabric sourcing and production journey, I’ve shared some of the stories that remind me of why “make fashion fair” is my mantra.

Designs Done Right

The fabrics are where it’s at for designer Meghan Sebold who has always fed her self-proclaimed “utilitarian creativity” by styling and altering clothing. For Sebold, “Fashion as art has a practicality to it because clothing is a basic need (or maybe that’s how I excuse myself from being attached to material things). I can look at a painting hanging on my wall and that’s well and good, but it’s more satisfying to me that I can use this shirt every day as something functional and still have created it in a visually pleasing way.” Her fashion label Afia merges a collection of all of her favorite things: challenging comfort zones and norms, intuitive living, predicting trends, fusing worlds, and making a process personal.

Into The Textiles

Sebold’s sourcing expedition begins in the hot, hectic and cacophonous markets of Accra, Ghana. Maneuvering in and out of tiny shops that contain fabric stacks as high as the ceiling, finding the true Ghanaian-made cotton wax prints is something Sebold explains as not as simple as you would expect. “There are many imitations so we’re well-educated on which brands are authentic. New fabric styles are printed every month and when they’ve sold out in the market you may never see them again – that means every one of our pieces is limited edition and a collector’s item after the season is over.”

A continual cultural experience, Sebold selects design silhouettes that honor the textiles; “the fabric is really the main event, I just enhance it and make it wearable.”

Tailored Humor

Making one-of-a-kind pieces that you can covet, but also feasibly afford is something Sebold feels strongly about. The focus of every Afia collection is, “To make it as accessible as possible. Sustainable fashion shouldn’t be a luxury or a sacrifice of personal style.” And wearing that motto on her sleeve goes hand-in-hand with the recurring feeling she attaches to her collections: a sense of humor.

“Humor is the most essential quality to survival. If I didn’t have a sense of humor, I would be curled up in a fetal position in a stairwell,” says Sebold.

Women to Women

Once Afia’s designs and patterns are agreed upon, the next step is traveling to Kpando, a smaller town where Sebold does a large portion of her production. After a 4-hour ride into the countryside, packed into a tro tro (Ghana’s most typical form of transport, which is basically a mini bus), the Afia team arrives at Dzidefo, a women’s sewing cooperative, that sits atop an orphanage managed by the lovely Mama Esi. Mobbed and overwhelmed by the energy and enthusiasm of the children that live there, moments were quickly made that warmed our hearts and left footprints on our souls.

Hands On

An intimate group of seven local women from the community make up the sewing cooperative. From the early rooster call to the rustle of fabric to a baby’s morning cry, these sounds all set the stage for each day’s first stitch from their vintage Singers. The women, with their babies or little ones, bring a homey, relaxed dynamic to the sunlit work environment.

Collaborative Creations

“Collaboration is what it’s all about – but it also takes a lot of navigating and communication to make it a collaboration where people willingly and generously contribute their talents. The process can be uncomfortable at times, but I think that’s how you know you’re onto something. The mindset must be that the teaching and learning goes both ways.” For Sebold, listening and sharing is the way forward in creating beautiful garments together. Working with the women at Dzidefo is both challenging and fulfilling, but connecting across cultural and language barriers provides motivation for both Sebold and the women sewers to learn more from each other and create more gorgeous garments together.

Fashion For The Future

The constant thread woven throughout all of Afia’s work is to showcase how incredibly interconnected we are to people around the world. Sebold explains, “As it relates to fashion, there’s a huge disconnect between the producer and the consumer, mostly because there’s an ugly story behind the $20 shirt being sold to you. I believe in transparency on all levels, and offer Afia to consumers as a stylish and ethically-made option.”

While Afia is just a needle in the hay stack when it comes to fashion brands today, Sebold and her team are stitching a distinct respect, human dignity, and understanding into the composition of their fabrics. This positive, inspiring energy is contagious; its viral potential will always resurface to the forefront of my mind through traveling and exposure to new faces and places.

The post THREADED: Engaging In Afia’s Ghanaian Sourcing & Production Adventure appeared first on EcoSalon.

To tumble = to come by chance; to come to understand.

It’s this sort of happenstance social tumble-ing that seems to be taking the globe by storm. Tech-savvy or not, online perusers are seriously embracing the rumbling, stumbling platform that is: Tumblr. For finding the hottest new looks on the runway to inspiring videos and photographs for design, Tumblr is quickly becoming a resource for style and fashion. When feeling overwhelmed by the tumultuous expansiveness of Tumblr’s community, look to these 20 fashion finds – their curations will keep you coming back for more.

Above Live
With a focus on sharing information on the “endangered beauties of the world,” Above tackles issues of climate change and environmental degradation with a holistic approach to sustainability. For inspiring images and content that stretch across the board from food and travel to architecture and fashion, their Tumblr continues to establish a connection between art and nature.

Gretchen Jones
If you’re curious about the happening of a self-made creative designer, Gretchen Jones’ Tumblr is for you. A collection of both outfits she rocks in Brooklyn and NYC, with musings for her upcoming collections, Jones gives you an inside look at her inspiration board. Be it music or photographs, art or literature, her Tumblr showcases a snapshot of the depth of her creative process.

Past Fashion Future
Known for her on-trend sustainable style writing on Treehugger, Emma Grady’s very own Tumblr Past Fashion Future dips deeper into peoples’ personal style and aesthetics, as well as profiling upcoming fashion-forward events. Her trademark “Something Old, Something New” series showcases individuals who incorporate vintage and heirloom pieces into their everyday wardrobe, and shares each of their unique stories behind the style.

Permacouture Press
If the processes behind the vibrant colors of hand-dyed designs intrigues you, the Permacouture Institute’s Tumblr is right up your alley. Founder Sasha Duerr’s Handbook of Natural Plant Dyes bridges a strong connection between food and fashion, plant and fashion. Lessening this gap between nature and culture is exactly what is embraced on the hands-on experiential learning offered on the Permacouture Institute’s Tumblr.

Street Etiquette
Let’s not forget all those dapper dudes out there. When it comes to men’s fashion, Street Etiquette serves just what we ordered. A bit street, yet infused with classic, authentic style, Street Etiquette reminds us that some men can truly knock our fashionable socks off. Founded in 2008 by Joshua Kissi and Travis Gumbs – a couple of style innovators – Street Etiquette reveals the intersection between historical anecdotes and their references to modern-day style.

Miss Moss
If you haven’t stumbled upon Miss Moss yet, you’re missing out. A designer from South Africa, Diana’s clean and simple, yet insanely on-point style and design aesthetic marvels us. Her Tumblr focuses primarily on global street style and fashion; looking for a bit of outfit inspiration? Can’t get creative with your closet today? Check out Miss Moss’s Tumblr to ignite your inventive and resourceful style sense.

Fashion Gone Rogue
Fashion Gone Rogue is known for its constant stream of fashion lookbooks and magazine editorials. If you’re feeling like buying Vogue off the shelf has gotten a bit pricey or you just don’t want to continue to waste the paper, Fashion Gone Rogue’s Tumblr will satisfy your high fashion cravings, and most likely spark your travel bug (if you have one), as global spreads seem to be a recurring theme.

Well Spent
Brad Bennett, the brains behind Well Spent, is a stand-out curator of “honestly crafted products.” For Bennett, this means pieces that were made in first world conditions, using sustainable materials, made in the U.S., or truly made to last a lifetime. Tumble with him at Well Spent along his search for fashionable goods that last.

Mr. Larkin
Designer Casey Larkin comes from a diverse array of experiences that have shaped her creative lens. She was born in Oklahoma, grew up in Texas, went to fashion school in the US and abroad, toured with some bands, lived in Paris, lived in LA, and now has found her home in San Francisco.  With such an eclectic story, her Tumblr is a perfect collage of her past and current adventures in design and creation.

Afia
“Play pretend until it’s real.” This is the mantra sustainable fashion label Afia lives by. Sourcing textiles from Ghana and working with Ghanian seamstresses provides the basis for an incredible story line. Designer and founder Meghan Sebold invites us to travel with her on her “ride”and presents tidbits of life’s lessons along the way.

Trendland
For images that require a second glance and bold colors to brighten any day, Trendland is the source. Presenting a collection of music, art, design, photography, technology, pop culture, advertising and FASHION, this online magazine boasts that they dish out “a multi-course menu of new ideas each day”.

T Magazine
The New York Times is inevitably a go-to source for news and events. Turns out their Style Magazine T, is just as addicting. Simple, clean, and beautiful.

JeffreyB
Florida native Jeff Boudreau is a young photographer whose work with People Tree and Bora Aksu has landed him in London-town. He clearly has a knack for impeccable taste; tumbling for him includes his own photography as well as inspirations.

CFDA
The Council of Fashion Designers of America is one of those hip and in-the-know organizations who are well aware of the up-and-comers before the rest of us. Watch their Tumblr for fashionable foresight and an insider look at the current trending designers.

Nowness
While Nowness is undoubtedly a source for overall culture, they provide such a style-focused vision, it was impossible to deny their inclusion on this list. Looking backwards and forwards at the same time, Nowness has a way of invigorating and grounding the viewer.

Rachel Comey
Fashion designer Rachel Comey is all about vintage with a rock-and-roll edge. Tumbling for her resembles a reflection of her design aesthetic. The vibe it emits is almost an “enter at your own risk” feel; either way, you will be exposed to eclectic juxtapositions and unexpected designs.

Ermie
If you’re a designer, this is a haven. Curated by Jennifer Parry Dodge, a textile and clothing designer herself, the vibrant hues and textures harbored within her Tumblr are almost unbelievable to the eye, particularly for a web-based platform.

Lost In Fiber
Environmental fiber artist Abigail Doan has a way with conjuring up the most lovely, calming, serene images from across the web. Her collage of imagery consistently conjures feelings of self and its relationship with the environment.

Its Couture
When you’re willing to be wowed by the handmade, custom creations of designers near and far, It’s Couture says it all in the name. Showcasing solely couture fashion, the intricacies and embellishments will take your breath away.

Lulu Frost
Who knew accessorizing could be this glorious? Through inspiration from her grandmother and family’s involvement in the estate jewelry industry for generations, Lisa Salzer of Lulu Frost creates one-of-a-kind pieces using unexpected combinations of vintage and antique pieces. Be it chandelier crystal, forgotten keys, or show buckles, Salzer’s aesthetic of new and old and stories left untold is exhibited throughout her Tumblr.

Image: Good Morning Kids

The post Curated Style: Top 20 Fashion Tumblrs We Can’t Get Enough Of appeared first on EcoSalon.

Nolcha’s Ethical Fashion Forum winners get crowned.

Following the success of the Innovation Awards in the UK, 2011 marked the launch of Innovation USA in partnership with Nolcha, “allowing the Ethical Fashion Forum to take their support of sustainable design to a transatlantic level.”

The EFF, a group dedicated to sustainable fashion, offers recognition to emerging designers and businesses within the ethical fashion sector. This year, the winners included Carrie Parry, Afia and Soham Dave, all fashion industry pioneers leading progress in the ethical fashion industry.

Nolcha says the winners have been selected “for demonstrating progressive attitudes towards social and environmental sustainability alongside their innovative approach to design – communicating that fashion and fairness are no longer mutually exclusive concepts.”

Each designer now receives one year in Showroom International/Bel Esprit  as well as a promotional and support package from the EFF, including access to all information on their SOURCE Intelligence Magazine and a listing on their SOURCE Database.

We caught up with all three winners at Nolcha’s Fashion Week, in the Metropolitan Pavilion to see their spring/summer ’12 collections.

Carrie Parry

A graduate of the prestigious Central Saint Martins in London, Carrie Parry was already honored with the Ethical Fashion Forum’s 2011 Innovation Award. Her eponymous line was “born from a passion for producing garments that never go out of style and a commitment to responsible sources and practices.”

Carrie Parry not only produces ethically and locally in the New York Garment District, she continues to source environmentally conscious materials and textiles supporting artisanal communities worldwide.

Afia

Meghan Sebold’s Afia is a sustainable women’s apparel line that does double time as a social business that “acts as a vehicle for economic mobility and wealth creation for women in Ghana by connecting their craft to the American market,” not to mention a stylish women’s line based in New York.

Sebold says her textiles are purchased from small vendors and sewn by Ghanaian seamstresses paid a fair wage. For women in the U.S., Afia offers transparency in the production process and an option for clothing that is stylish, affordable, and sustainably made.

We personally love how she marries colors, patterns, and West African motifs to urban American trends in a twist she calls “urban indigenous.”

Soham Dave

Hand dyed organic cotton, embroidery, hand block printing meet hand spun and hand woven cloth to create a stunning line of caftans, gauzy dresses and tailored tops for Soham Dave’s spring ’12 collection.

Amongst the many noteworthy attributes when it comes to ethical practices, Soham Dave helps local artisans who adopt traditional eco-friendly production techniques and fair trade to create a contemporary range of lifestyle products for the urban consumer.

Soham Dave focuses primarily on using biodegradable fabrics, recycled materials, and hand embroideries.

The post EcoSalon at NYFW: Nolcha’s Ethical Fashion Forum Innovator Winners appeared first on EcoSalon.

Fair trade fashion that sets new standards for sustainable style and joy.

Spring/Summer 2011 appears to be a bold and beautiful season for celebrating fair trade fashion’s undeniable momentum, and yet another bright young star has been added to the growing list of change makers in the fair trade design sphere. Meghan Sebold, the principal designer for Afia collection, will debut her new Summer 2011 collection at Guilded’s “Beautiful Future” Sustainable Fashion Pop-Up in NYC on May 5th. Created out of traditional West African textiles by pattern makers in Chicago and NYC in partnership with the fair trade Dzidefo Women’s Cooperative in the village of Kpando, Ghana, Afia’s new capsule collection is a perfect example of  why textiles that demonstrate the genius of place are totally universal wherever you may roam.

Bold traditional textiles from Ghana inspire Afia’s ‘sheath chic’ style

Fair trade sewing production by the Dzidefo Women’s Cooperative, Ghana

All of Afia’s stunningly bold fabrics are sourced from small vendors in Ghana, and as part of urban indigenous chic and sustainable production storytelling, create a bridge to “history, proverbs, moral values, and social codes,” with their classicly traditional, though contemporary, motifs.

In a recent interview with EcoSalon, designer Meghan Sebold shared these inspiring thoughts:

“My role (as a designer), is to translate traditional prints from a region of the spirited and often misconceived African continent into styles that resonate with American pop culture. The Ghanaian fabric makes my job as a designer easy: I choose simple, sheath patterns to pay respect to the animated colors and prints.”

Afia’s designs look incredibly gorgeous on model Fardosa Mohamed, and with the accessorizing of J.M.V. Jewelry and Liten Blomma by Jessica, urban style is fresh again.

Meghan also shared that she was understandably drawn to Ghana as a student in 2006 for the possibilities to do both textile and economic research in a country with a long legacy of textile production.

“I met with people on every level and in every facet of the industry, and despite the artistry, ambition, and business aptitude, there was a struggle to expand their business models beyond the local market. Five years later, I have created Afia to help bridge their craft for our consumer market.  We use fashion as a tool to involve people in social progress in a light-hearted, accessible way.”

The debut of Afia at Guilded in NYC, seems supremely fitting as this hot new agency, created by sustainable style pioneer Bahar Shahpar and award-winning fashion designer Tara St. James of Study NY, is all about providing opportunities where “Artists access information and industry perfects its craft.”

With Guilded’s mantra of, “We define WHAT sustainability is, we teach WHY sustainability is important, and we show HOW to achieve sustainability in practical ways,” there is no doubt that designers and fashion lovers will be making their way to their downtown headquarters for some genuine insight on fashioning the vibrant future with both a local and global twist.

For more information on the upcoming May 5th event, and a line up of other designers who will be participating, visit Guilded’s event page.

Images courtesy of Afia:Design: Meghan Sebold; Photography: James de Leon; Model: Fardosa Mohamed; Editing: Evan Felts; Styling: Julianna Vezzetti; Assisting: Elizabeth Cloyd and Jackson Tonti; Jewelry: Liten Blomma by Jessica and J.M.V.

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