Looking for an excuse to go to New York City? We’ve got one.

Who doesn’t love hanging out in New York City with fashion industry greats, fashionable bloggers and (cough) EcoSalon’s Editor-in-Chief? If this sounds appealing, sign up here for a chance to win $500 and a ticket to the Sixth Annual Independent Handbag Designer Awards from our friends over at JP Selects!

Presented by Handbag Designer 101 and sponsored by InStyle, the awards are a great night to see up and coming designers on the handbag scene and will be featuring an Audience Fan Favorite which you get to be part of with your very important vote. Watch this video below and cast your own vote at InStyle.

Join us at the event, where JP Select’s CEO Paolo Fidanza will be awarding the prize for Best Socially Responsible Handbag designer. In addition to the partnership with InStyle, expect to see fashion greats like Kenneth Cole, representatives from Timberland, Singer Sewing, Save the Garment Center, The Fashion District, WWDMagic and more.

Plus, if you get two friends to sign up, you’ll have a chance to win an extra prize – one of the winning handbags!

Enter by midnight June 1, 2012!!

The post Win a Trip to the 6th Annual Independent Handbag Designer Awards in NYC! appeared first on EcoSalon.

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.

Shopping ‘Made in the U.S.A.’ isn’t really so patriotic…or is it?

When you look at clothing labels while out shopping, you likely see more Made in Sri Lanka, Made in India, Made in China, and Made in Guatemala than Made in the U.S.A. labels. It seems just about every country in the world produces clothing except America. How can this be? Americans like to buy clothing more than any other nation in the world, so wouldn’t it be suiting that we like to make it, as well?

Unfortunately, American factories have been closing down at a steady rate, with 90% of our garment factories’ production being outsourced since 1955. Skilled and unskilled labor jobs are disappearing at startling rates. And since the 2008 market crash, American fashion companies have been downsizing the staff even in their corporate offices.

“If we’re going to be competitive with the global market, we need to focus on innovation and coming up with new ways of developing and producing product while maintaining and passing down the traditional skills of sewing within this country,” says Erica Wolf, of Save the Garment Center.

While most American fashion companies still hold their design and operations offices here, much of our customer dollars go to the countries that make the clothes; paying their taxes, developing their nations, building their economies. We expect our politicians to solve America’s rising deficit, meanwhile when we go out shopping, we spend our money supporting just about every country but our own. There seems to be a disconnect here. Aren’t there still values and standards that we as Americans believe are worth saving? If you can’t find what you want with a “Made in the USA” label in it, is it wrong to buy it if it is made elsewhere?

There are those who would forgo such non-American purchases; they tend to be the patriotic individuals who post American pride all over everything they own. They proudly sport American-manufactured clothes and equate shopping with the survival and promotion of their values; keeping jobs in America, putting food on the table for their families, looking out for their neighbors, pride, and better-quality clothing.

For over a century, progressive Americans have worked to protect U.S. workers’ rights. Our nation set up some of the first and most effective labor unions, some of the strictest labor rights protection laws and environmental protection standards enacted in the world. These standards have improved over time, and help to prevent more tragedies from happening like the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911. Americans fought for their rights, the government responded with appropriate laws, and all the while we never would have suspected our continual raising of the bar would over time lower the amount of jobs available to American workers.

Today, we have some of the most stringent factory standards on the planet. While the job of sewing operator is still no walk in the park, at least American technicians don’t have to work long hours without breaks or overtime pay. Modern day U.S. workers now at the end of the day get to go home to see their families, something that is unfathomable to the workers in the labor camps of China.

David Riley of americansworking.com has a theory that large companies have figured out how to operate business as usual regardless of the U.S. protection laws we enact: If they can’t do it here, they will do it somewhere else.

“We have outsourced all of our pollution and human suffering. America has made so many laws protecting the environment, the people, and our company trademarks here, that we can’t do business competitively in our own market. We are making American workers and our factories compete with those in countries who have none of the laws or standards that we must uphold,” says Riley. “We would never allow a factory in China to operate here. But we allow them to sell in our market, so in a sense we are allowing them to operate here anyway. We would never be able to compete.”

But amidst our fiercely competitive and, at times, cannibalistic business culture, our values continue to play a powerful role in the world of good. In 2006, American businesses and individuals were reported to have given more than 4.5 times what all of Europe, Australia, and Japan combined in private donations to charities and philanthropic causes that gave aid to developing nations. Granted, our donations are tax-deductible, but if we can afford to help others, why can’t we spring to support our own – at least with our shopping habits?

The majority of American fashion businesses default to China for production, claiming the cost of labor here is generally much more expensive than what American consumers are willing to pay for.

But according to Erica Wolf, of Save the Garment Center, this is not entirely true.

“With prices shifting, and China becoming more expensive it would benefit a big retailer to have their production department, at the very least, examine the prices at domestic factories. On certain garments the pricing is now comparable if not less domestically. And of course this additional business to local factories would help support American jobs,” she says.

Instead, businesses have learned to take advantage of the world market by outsourcing production to countries with cheap, exploitable labor to cut costs while keeping the prices of their goods low. The truth of the matter is that if a brand can’t dictate to us what we want through advertising, then they are forced to listen to what the consumers demand, and if we look for, request, and buy clothes that are Made in America, more companies will make clothes here.

However, for the average American consumer, fashion is frivolous, and has little to do with values or morals. It is less about the quality or where it is made and much more about the brand name on the label.

Riley says, “So much money goes into and comes from the marketing of high fashion brands; the image of high fashion is where they invest. The money spent there has to come out of something else, and I think that something is the cost of labor and product quality. They’re replacing the dollars for production and spending it on branding and marketing instead.”

With most American consumers so heavily influenced by the intoxicating spell of fashion advertising, most of our consumer drive comes from what we see in the media, rather than from the desire to choose items that represent our traditions or values.

Of course, there is one little company that challenged the standard formula and decided to go completely against the grain. In its 22 years of business, American Apparel has been surprisingly successful at building an American-produced fashion business using a vertical integration model that allows them to do nearly everything from design, to advertising, to production all, more or less, under one roof. Here is a brand that has taken great strides to give “American made” a new image.

If you can get past their ads, the company is all-American; proudly promoting their sweatshop-free, Union Made, U.S.A. produced, vertically integrated business, their charitable donations to natural disaster victims, and their political support of civil rights.

American Apparel isn’t the only contender willing to take on the global market while maintaining American production. There seems to be a new revival on the “Made in the U.S.A.”  fashion front. As Wolf notes, “There are designers doing production in the United States. For example, Nanette Lepore does 80% of her production in America.”

And quite recently, the American menswear company Brooks Brothers has made great efforts to bring it back home, complete with a luxe denim collaboration with American classic, Levi Strauss, and a heavily publicized marketing campaign to help equate “Made in America” with the luxury and quality that their brand stands for.

The Olsen Twins’ incredibly successful line, The Row, is yet another high fashion line that is primarily produced in the country. These brands have the marketing muscle and savvy and the will to bring the fashion-minded consumers once again back to getting behind American-made clothes, providing high end fashion that Americans can be proud of.

Image: Chevroletpedia, nycgo.com, America in the World, China Digital Times, Chicagomag.com, fashiongearlive.com

The post Made in the U.S.A. Isn’t Cause for Patriotism (Or Is It?) appeared first on EcoSalon.

Hey there, lady readers! For over two years, we’ve been bringing you stories about the stylish side of sustainable living. We’ve been chatting, we’ve been tweeting, we’ve been friending something fierce – but we’ve never met in person! It’s time, don’t you think?

Join EcoSalon’s EIC Sara Ost, Fashion Editor Amy DuFault, and a host of other EcoSalon writers when we host our first ever event, EcoSalon Shops! at Green Spaces on June 4, 2010, from 7 p.m.-10 p.m. at their 394 Broadway, New York, NY location.

Our susty soiree will be haven to 20 sustainable clothing and accessories designers including Lara Miller, Study by Tara St. James and Cri De Coeur shoes, four eco-boutiques, Buddha Nose organic body care and A Perfume Organic. Designers from all the lines will be on hand to chat with you as you peruse new looks and try on your favorites.

You should come prepared to shop, mingle, sample sustainable goodies and organic cocktails – and participate in a Twitter #FollowFriday eco-fashion tweet up.

In addition to shopping, Save The Garment Center’s Erica Wolf will be on hand with Save The Garment Center t-shirts to answer your questions about the status of New York City’s historic Garment Center and how you can help the cause. Though there won’t be an admission fee to the event, we do suggest making a donation to our friends at Save the Garment Center.

Whether you’re in the market for a sexy strappy number or a new pair of kicks, you can do it all in eco style with us as we toast to green fashion with delicious organic wine, Divine Chocolate and Fair Vodka, and much more. Swag bags filled with sustainable gifts are available for the first 50 shoppers. Throughout May, we’ll be featuring all the participants for EcoSalon Shops!, and answering any questions you may have about the event, so stay tuned. (You can also bookmark this post for daily updates about each designer.)

For more info, check out some of the designers we’ll be showcasing:

• H. Fredriksson
• Feral Childe
• Ecowrist
• Doucette Duvall
• Divine Chocolate
• Fair. Vodka
• Cri de Coeur
• Buddha Nose
• A Perfume Organic
• Ryann
• Lara Miller
• NatureVsFuture
• Rebecka Froberg
• RESTORE
• Tara St. James’ Study
• T-Luxe Lingerie
• Zhena’s Gypsy Tea
• Foundfuture
• Juno & Jove
• Mission Savvy
• Feisty Elle

We can’t wait to meet!

The post Join Us for EcoSalon Shops! appeared first on EcoSalon.

In part two of Dumbing Down American Design, we talk with Anthony Lilore, co-designer for sustainable design label RESTORE and a board member for New York City’s Save The Garment Center. We revisit the driving question: Has our quest for convenience and rock bottom prices forever altered fashion and is American design becoming a thing of the past?

Let’s talk carbon footprints, supporting American eco-designers who want to keep things in the U.S. and seasoned industry professionals whose techniques we simply can’t afford to lose.

Lilore spoke with us from a designer’s perspective but also more personally, as an individual working to preserve the Garment Center, New York City’s industrial fashion glory and a cultural icon that could become more than a historical footnote.

“Pull the garment work out of China, they’ll collapse, pull it from India, collapse, pull it from Mexico, them too. See a pattern here?” Lilore says, adding that the garment industry in the 1960’s was the largest single employer in NYC except for the government.

“Garments and garment work and workers are economic engines,” says Lilore. “Fashion is the fuel.”

The decline of the Garment Center is being encouraged by local real estate owners. Without enough workers in the Garment Center, the zoning will have to be changed, meaning higher rents from new tenants, not in the industry. Preservation of the District, located in what many consider the soul of Manhattan’s mid-town, means little in the face of the almighty dollar.

“In the 60’s, everything in the U.S. was made or passed through the Garment Center, there were unions and really, hundreds of thousands of people working in the Garment Center,” says Lilore.

The designers are as much to blame for the decline.

To satisfy their own financially flush version of the American dream, designers got greedy and realized that manufacturing overseas was increasingly cheaper.

“At first, it wasn’t a big deal, maybe somebody would lose a job, maybe two but over the past 30 years, that greed has caused only 3-5 percent of American manufacturing to be happening in New York City,” says Lilore.

In the meantime, with less actual manufacturing occurring in the Garment District, NYC landlords continue working to re-zone and to ghettoize the area by putting Garment professionals in one building and charging more to force them out. So far, this effort has been met with a fight. Groups like Save the Garment Center, the CFDA and the Design Trust for Public Space are now spearheading a conscious campaign against the city landlords to show why the Garment Center is an integral part of New York City’s economy, cultural identity and sense of place.

If this doesn’t work, existing pattern and sample makers, trim and design houses will be forced to pay more, which in this already tight design economy, makes it virtually impossible to survive. Add to this equation Americans’ addiction to deals and a disconnect from the true costs involved in the clothes they wear and the result is the perfect formula for extinction.

Still, we haven’t completely lost our edge, and there are encouraging signs for American design.

“It’s an interesting thing that China is actually making it easier to compete lately because the carrot of [Western-style] democracy has been placed before them,” says Lilore. “They like the American lifestyle where we do make more money so they’re putting their prices higher. This makes them less attractive to designers trying to make more for less.”

For those rare designers willing to invest in American design and manufacture, Lilore says they now have to sit back and quietly ask themselves, “Why the hell do I want to do this?”

“When I go talk to young designers now, I tell them, the idea of being a designer has to be as important to you as breathing. If you’re not prepared to be poor, if you’re not prepared to be a nobody, if you’re not prepared to make a difference then don’t f*cking do it.”

For Lilore, being an American designer is worth the exhaustion, financial strain and production headaches.

“I deal with all this and still want to do it all in the Garment Center because I want to keep design in this country,” Lilore says. “New York City is the fashion capital of the U.S., if not the world, and as a brand it is on par with Coca-Cola. By not protecting the brand, by not saving the Garment District, we are not saving the fuel that runs one of the economic engines of the fashion capital of the world.”

Video and image: Design Trust For Public Space

The post Dumbing Down American Design, Part 2 appeared first on EcoSalon.