Life on two wheels.

We caught sustainable sourcing, connecting, fashion guru Celeste Lilore on her morning ride en route to a coffee meeting on the high line.”I love outdoor meetings,” says Lilore, ringing her pink pig bell and leaving us in the dust…

On the Move documents our life on two wheels. Have your own On the Move worthy photo? Send it our way! Email pictures to contact@ecosalon.com.

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After a rough patch, business in NYC’s Garment District is starting to pick up.

For decades, fashion mavens and budding designers have flocked to the quadrant between 34th and 42nd Streets, hedged in by 5th and 9th Avenues. Here, in New York City’s Garment District, fabric can be purchased, patterns made, pieces sewn, trimming added, and dreams realized, all in the space of a few blocks. Designers like Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, and Oscar de la Renta have all made the Garment District their home at a point in their careers, and countless others got their start in the neighborhood. At one time, the Garment District was the global hub of textile manufacturing. But not anymore.

“The only thing that has not changed is the location,” says Anthony Lilore, owner of RESTORE Clothing and a founder of the Save the Garment Center movement. “The physical appearance has gone from streets packed with garment racks and push carts, to some racks, some push carts, and some rickshaws with tourists.”

Indeed, over the past fifty years, the Garment District has seen a steady decline in business, owing primarily to overseas outsourcing, mostly to China. When that picked up in the early 1990s, family-owned companies in business for generations were forced to shut their doors, and designers, burdened by the higher rents and rising costs of working in midtown Manhattan, moved elsewhere. Most of those who have survived the downturn and recession say they’re hanging on by a hair.

“At this point, it’s a labor of love,” says Maria Lipari-Bertone, whose family has run Quality Patterns, which specializes in grading and marking, for more than forty years. “This is our bread and butter. Many of us came from overseas, and we made our lives in the Garment District.”

But there are signs of revitalization. At New York’s first City Source Expo, held January 10 at the Fashion Institute of Technology, more than fifty producers, suppliers, and pattern makers turned out to field questions and take orders from attendees interested in local production. Several vendors said that they’re starting to see an uptick in sales, mostly due to China’s rising “minimums” for new orders, a weak dollar, and higher shipping costs. Lipari-Bertone says that many new designers can no longer afford to work in China, so they’re starting to inquire into local production again.

Plus, in recent years groups like Save the Garment Center, Made in Midtown, and the Garment Industry Development Corporation have surfaced to advocate for Garment District preservation and serve as a resource for designers interested in manufacturing there. Backed by New York fashion industry vets like Nanette Lepore, Anna Sui, Jason Wu, and Yeohlee Teng, these groups emphasize the district’s historical, creative, and economic value to the city of Manhattan.

Made in Midtown says:

Ultimately, this story is about much more than fashion. It’s about one of the last neighborhoods in Manhattan that has not yet been remade by recent waves of new development. It’s about jobs and immigrant workers. It’s about the decisions city officials make to support certain kinds of businesses.

And for designers interested in sustainability, a one-stop-shop like the Garment District means a more compact production process, which eliminates the costs, both financial and environmental, of working with subcontractors in different parts of the world.

“The quality of craftsmanship and the concentration of schools, designers, sample rooms, showrooms, production, and stores make the Garment Center the only one of its kind anywhere,” says Lilore.

The post In New York City’s Garment District, Signs of a Comeback appeared first on EcoSalon.

Tour de Fashion’s “Ready to Ride” bikes are available to ride now and onward through New York Fashion Week.

With Fashion Week upon us here in New York City, stylish men and women wanting to make way through the streets of the city in anything but a cab or underground are able to tap into something a lot more fun: decorated bikes by some of the world’s top designers.

The Fashion Center Business Improvement District is bringing the glamor, excitement and fun of Fashion Week to the streets of the Garment District with Tour de Fashion – a free, ‘ready-to-ride’ bicycle event including thirty bicycles, creatively customized by New York’s top designers. Bikes decorated by Doo-Ri Chung, Diane Von Furstenberg, Betsey Johnson, Nanette Lepore, Isaac Mizrahi and some of our sustainable favorites like RESTORE Clothing and Gretchen Jones will be available during Fashion Week September 8-15.

The Tour de Fashion bicycle fleet, purchased by the Fashion Center from Bowery Lane Bicycles, are handmade in New York City and will be available at tented bike stations located on the Broadway Plazas at 40th Street. Interested in buying one of the stylish cycles? Bids started today for post-fashion week purchase. Get on it by going here to Charity Buzz.

Had it not downpoured for the kickoff bike ride, you would’ve seen me proudly riding a bike from RESTORE but instead, we all huddled under tents in the Fashion District.

Check out who we saw.

(Above, Barbara Randall, Fashion Center BID Director)

Designer, Yeohlee Teng on her Cutter Ant bike

The Fashion Center’s bike (above left) and below, bike designer Emily Saunders

Designer, Emily Saunders

Designer, Sarah Canner, Bowery Lane Bicycles owner, Patrick Bernard, and RESTORE’S Anthony Lilore

Nicole Miller’s stylish ride

Designer Betsey Johnson rocks her bike with roses and VIP passes

The winner for best helmet? Betsey Johnson

Rebecca Minkoff gets inspired with studs

Gretchen Jones’ Talisman bike channeling Patti Smith and Don Juan

Feather extensions with KAELEN

Nanette Lepore ties a bow on it

Nanette Lepore and Carlos Falchi

Images: Amy DuFault

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SeriesPart 5: The fashion industry is emerging from its cocoon post-recession, a changed sector where consumers are more cautious, manufacturers are on their toes and designers are struggling to stay afloat doing business as usual. In this five-part series, we take a hard look at the fashion world, speaking with industry leaders, luminaries and experts. This week we ask: Can we predict the future of fashion?

Futuristic predictions of fashion are as varied as they are improbable. Will we all dress like we’re in Mad Max? Or will the evolution of fashion identity be more subtle, with the significant changes having more to do with technology and production? And no discussion of the future of fashion can ignore the issue of resources. Indeed, with nearly everyone I interviewed for this final chapter in our series, one word came up again and again: Water. (Roughly 20% of the earth’s water pollution comes from the fashion industry.)

The post The Post Recession Fashion Industry: Shut Up and Listen to The Future appeared first on EcoSalon.

While many think of changing their habits on Earth Day, we bet you’re probably in the know and are taking green strides all month. It is Earth Month, after all!

To make it easier for you to incorporate more fashionable green choices into your lifestyle, TerraCycle is hosting The Greenup! – a pop-up shop that opened on March 27th in New York City and will continue to be open until the end of April.

TerraCycle’s own line-up of products is impressive, as it consists of 100 items made from common waste materials, including food wrappers and yogurt cups. In addition to selling their own wares, TerraCycle plans to use the space to collect over 30 different non-recyclable waste streams, turning the store into the world’s largest ‘Upcycling Center’. And consumers who drop off waste will be entitled to a discount on the products they purchase.

The venue is also providing Thursday evening DIY events, lunchtime workout sessions and presentations from speakers like Josh Dorfman of the Sundance Channel’s The Lazy Environmentalist and Craig Michaels of Riverkeeper.

Held inside what was once an empty retail nook on the corner of 8th and 41st Street at the Port Authority bus terminal, an exhibition area and boutique shop has been carved into the beautiful space showcasing designer duds by RESTORE Clothing, Garbage of Eden Design and Christiana J. Paul Couture’s window display of a dress made entirely from M&M wrappers.

In addition to Terracycle, partners for the month long venue include the Fashion Center Business Improvement District, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the Times Square Alliance.

Seem like a veritable Earth Month feast? You bet.

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In a special four-part Dumbing Down American Design miniseries, EcoSalon takes a closer look at American design and considers different perspectives from leaders in the design and fashion world.

Has our quest for convenience forever altered fashion?

If we are to invest in sustainable design, doesn’t it start with the designer knowing something about fit? The pattern maker knowing something about quality pattern making? The retailer knowing something about which clothes to purchase based on construction versus fad? And ultimately, as consumers driving demand, what is our responsibility?

Over the next four weeks, we’ll provide insight into these questions.

New York Times fashion critic, Cathy Horyn, has initiated many conversations about the changing fashion world. In a recent article, Horyn speaks about the death of one era, where garments are made and sold in New York city’s Garment District, and the birth of a newer one, where “the shift of technical skill, and gradually even design and merchandising,” are moving to other countries, namely China.

Horyn cites this dominance, as well as “the gradual decline of technical expertise in the face of apparent consumer indifference about fit and quality,” as two major problems primed to diminish, if not altogether destroy, stateside design traditions permanently. (Horyn’s lengthy transcript with Cindy Ferrara, veteran production specialist-turned-manager of product development and production at Danskin, is worth the read here and serves as the inspiration for  this series.)

When it comes to meaningful mass design, has the U.S. lost its edge?

One need not look any further than the average American for the answer; so content are we with fast fashion, ill-fitting clothing and spandex.

East German-born Tina Schenk, founder of Werkstatt, a sample room and pattern development studio in New York City’s garment district, says her diverse client base that includes the likes of Calvin Klein, Alexander Wang and Thakoon, as well as newer labels like eco-label Restore Clothing, came out of a need for quality pattern making and samples here in the U.S.

“What I found is that the further away you went with development, the bigger the support system of technical designers and production people had to be in order to deal with all of the communication going back and forth,” says Schenk. “The further you went away, the longer the lead times got as well, which took away time you could actually spend refining the designs. And very often what you got back from the overseas factories wasn’t reflective of what you had asked for, even with these  hundreds of emails going back and forth.”

Schenk adds that many companies, operating under the pressure of intense production schedules, will typically just settle for the resulting poor fit and construction.

“Quality design development takes great care. You have to take your time in order to pay attention to every detail, and time is money,” says Schenk. “The is a lot of pressure from retailers to produce things at a certain price and I think that producers started cutting corners to give in to these demands.”

She also points out the pressure that colleges, graduate schools and media place on the design world.

“In the age of ‘Project Runway‘ everyone wants to be a designer and there is a lack of respect for the people who can bring these designs into fruition, especially by the younger people coming fresh out of fashion school,” observes Schenk. “There aren’t many people who still want to learn the craft, and those who do have to go to college for it and graduate with a lot of theoretical knowledge, but without a solid foundation that an apprenticeship could provide.”

How will upcoming and experienced designers alike better the design world enough to give Americans an appreciation for what they wear – perhaps even an education?

“I think that producers have to start taking responsibility and show consumers what a well-made garment is,” Schenk says. “People will know a good garment when they see it, they will know good fit once they put it on and realize how wonderful it makes them feel. And once you know what it feels like, it is hard to go back.”

It may be that the proverbial squeaky wheel gets the grease, but in the case of the fashion consumer, Schenk believes responsibility starts with designers.

“I am not sure who said it, but there is a saying that if you ask for only the best, you will receive only the best,” she says. “I would add to this: if you don’t know what is the best, you won’t know what to ask for.”

Image: photographerpandora

The post Dumbing Down American Design, Part 1 appeared first on EcoSalon.

The current economic climate has been nothing short of brutal for many eco-designers, but where there are challenges, there are also opportunities for growth.

SUST, an eco-label out of San Francisco, sees their own challenges as a way to reconnect with America and carry the torch for sustainable apparel.

Kicking off a “Sustainability Across America” tour co-sponsored by EcoSalon, cmarchuska, Indigenous Designs, I love Ryann, Restore Clothing and Guayaki Yerba Matte tea, the tour will tape interviews with industry experts, specialty clothing boutiques and “friends” along the way, which will be shared via social media like Twitter and Facebook as well as at their blog, getsust.

The brainchild of Kevin Baum, CEO of SUST, the trip will serve not only to increase awareness of the SUST brand, but act as a grassroots marketing effort to create connections at the store level and garner a greater knowledge about how real Americans view words like “organic” and “sustainable.”

Despite what you may think, Baum says collaborating with the other designers on the tour isn’t competition, but rather, collaboration.

“We help each other whenever we can, share ideas, and work together to grow the market for organic and sustainable goods,” says Baum. “We’re much more complementary than competitive. Our competition, by contrast, comes from companies who are not organic or sustainable in their practices, and who can offer their goods at much lower prices because of that.”

From San Francisco, mobile meetings with Baum will involve SUST’s  brand ambassador (and van driver), Laura Jones.

Jones will not only promote her three-month trip across America through personal interviews with the eco-community but will also feature some of our nation’s most beautiful parks and monuments. The SUST crew hopes that by taking this approach documenting the natural splendor of a place we call home, it will remind us all of the resources and landscape this new sustainable generation represents and works hard to protect.

I caught up with Laura before she took to the open road.

What is the most exciting aspect of this trip for you as brand ambassador?

I’m excited to experience the sustainable movement coming to life by meeting the people who are its motor and experiencing the nature that is protected as the fruit of their labor. This journey began as an exploration of the country I’ve called home for many years, but has grown into an endeavor to experience not just the place, but the people, culture and even the commerce that make it what it is.

It’s exciting to take this broad notion of the green movement and a love for fashion and marry them together in a totally unique, fun and collaborative way. This is really an opportunity to meet our fellow partners in both fashion and green commerce and to make friends, learn about their missions and projects and help champion their successes. I think the most rewarding aspect of the journey as SUST’s ambassador is the opportunity to connect with like minded people, learn about their contributions, and to be able to paint a real picture of the industry, the movement and the nation in a very human way.

What do you hope this campaign will promote first and foremost for SUST?

I hope this journey will help promote the collaborative energy that fuels the sustainable movement. The movement itself seems like a very high-level, ethereal concept, but the reality is that it’s individual people, working to build and change the way we think and live.

This trip is an effort to extend the hand, to engage our community and to build friendships so that together we can all help one another thrive and achieve in our efforts towards a common goal.

Where can we follow you on social media and will you be making daily posts?

You can all follow me on our Facebook fan page – www.facebook.com/getsust – on Twitter @getsust, and on our blog at getsust.blogspot.com.
I’ll be posting as often as possible, but will have to recess into the wifi-free wilderness of our National Parks every so often! You can expect to hear a lot from me while on the road and in urban areas, and to get full reports of the back-country adventures when I get back in range.

One sentence that sums up how you see the future of sustainable design?

Sustainable design is already going mainstream, continually making inroads into the fashion industry with something that not only feels good and has a sense of style, but is better for the environment as well.

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