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June 15, 2007
News from you 6/15/2007
Welcome to this week's edition of News From You, an eclection* of tidbits, commercial and non-commercial news of interest to F-I infovores. If you have an interesting link, news or piece of interest to the community, feel free to pass it along. Regarding commercial notices (vested parties), if you're one of my designers or allied member of the community (meaning, you've bought my book), I'll announce your commercial notices such as openings, launches (including websites), news and press pieces. All other commercial parties should review submission guidelines. I credit all sources, be sure to include your web address if you want a link. Lastly, you may remain anonymous but you have to tell me.
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Today's first submission is from Malissa Long of Austin TX who sends a link to The Return of the Sweatshop from the June 2007 edition of Papierdoll. Unfortunately, citations to substantiate the title are slim; only listing data from Behind the Label from 1997-2000. It is entirely possible I'm wrong but I'd think that the incidence of sweatshops is decreasing. I don't suggest that the situation doesn't bear improvement but it is generally accepted that fewer than 3% of apparel manufacturers in the U.S. are sweatshops.
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DIY fanatics take note on two Instructable submissions (from me). The first is called How to tie a monkey's fist. Typically used to gather up too-long cords, I'd think you could apply the monkey fist method (and described device) to make interesting hand made buttons from cording.
The second Instructable is poorly titled as Isolation of nepetalactone from catnip. Titles are everything. This should be called "How to Make Hashish for Kitty Cats". I'd consider making some for my pride (5) if I could get the stuff to grow.
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If you're in the market for a runway, you can buy one for $50 from the now defunct Arizona Fashion Foundation."It’s been out in the rain and it has warped and needs a new paint job and some TLC, but it’s got good bones. It’s 8’x 4’ and is 16” high. You will need a full size truck bed, a few strong men and some straps to transport it". You can purchase it at LabelHorde Boutique. A news story on the organization's closure is here.
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Champions of cynicism, Despair.com, has launched a tee line saying "After years of empty promises, DespairWear™ is finally HERE! And it's going to revolutionize the way you dress poorly!" They produce my favorite poster, I need one for my office. Great gift site for the corporate cynic on your list.
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Blog Catalog is encouraging the web community to support a program called Donors Choose. "DonorsChoose is a simple way to provide students in need with resources that our public schools often lack. Here, teachers submit ideas for materials or experiences that their students need to learn. Individuals like you can choose a project and make it a classroom reality". Searchable project database, support a school near you or target by neediness and poverty level.
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Alisa Benay asks if you know about GoodSearch:
You can get income from people using GoodSearch. Not sure if you have to be a not for profit or not to benefit from it. My husband's company (which is a non-profit) started using it recently & they project they'll end up getting about $7500 per year. Nice pocket change!
Powered by Yahoo's search engine, it seems to be a great way to raise money painlessly for your favorite charity. This is how it works.
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Advanstar (producers of Magic, Pool et al) announce a new show to be held concurrently with MAGIC in August.
Printsource at MAGIC is a new environment within Sourcing at MAGIC providing a west-coast presence for the premier market for textile and surface design in the U.S.A. Printsource at MAGIC features original textile designs, creative inspiration and original textile artwork for purchase for the fall/winter 2008 collections from international textile design studios and agents.
Register for the August 27-30 sourcing show at Magic now. This badge will get you into all events.
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Nelta Sanon sends a press release:
AOL Latino, the leading bilingual portal for U.S. Hispanics announces the premiere of a new fashion online reality series “Fashionista,” a video show searching for the next Latino fashion designer. AOL Latino, with sponsor Mercury Milan, is enabling young Latino talent to participate in a nationwide fashion contest, where the winner will design a red carpet gown for a leading Hispanic celebrity. Since May, AOL Latino has been soliciting leading up-and-coming designers to submit video clips outlining designs from their fashion collections.
I was notified too late, submissions have closed but you can keep tabs on the event and possibly participate the next go round by visiting AOL 's Fashionista page.
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Malissa Long mentions that home sewers may be interested in the open source patterns available from Burda. Pick a pattern, download it and print it out free.
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Swim wear designers make note. Register for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Miami Swim to be held July 10 to 14 in Miami Beach. "This years event, taking place in three venues around the pool at The Raleigh hotel, includes shows by Jacquelyne Love, Badgley Mischka, Cia Maritima, LYCRA®, DE et DR, True Religion, Red Carter, Ashley Paige, ANK by Mirla Sabino, BECCA, Shay Todd, Parke & Ronen and Jessica Simpson".
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Jennifer Jones sends a link to Ugly Outfits New York. Good thing they can't see me.
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Tracy sends a link to a goofy gadget saying "I had never seen these inserts to keep shorts from riding up".
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Josh Jakus (not a member but I previously featured his truly unique pattern puzzle bags) sends word he's introduced a new product described as a "wine pocket", made of the same industrial felt as his other products. In conjunction with Branch Home, he's having a product launch party on Thursday June 21st where you can see some other interesting eco-friendly things.
Time: Thursday June 21st from 5:30-9:00PM
Location: 245 South Van Ness Ave., Suite 304 in San Francisco @ Duboce in Post Tool building. There will be a sign on the door.
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Jasmin (from New Zealand) mentions
...a link that may be useful - I don't know if you can get this service in America, but here you can get short, just in time digital textile printing done (and yes, you can get silk/cotton done in min 50m) at DigiTex.I thought some of your people may be interested in this kind of service, as it can help with samples/unique garments/printing to order for specialised patterns. Kiwis (New Zealanders) are pretty used to international transactions, so they'd probably consider shipping etc if people couldn't get it locally.
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Material World is hosting a fabric and sourcing event in New York at the Javitz center on September 25-27, 2007. An official event of the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), the four focal areas are Eco-Friendly and Performance fabrics as well as PLM and Design & Merchandising Solutions. Free to the trade.
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The Toronto Fashion Incubator has become the latest victim of gentrification and has lost its lease. The property owner will be developing the site into condominiums. While the incubator's director Susan Langdon is understandably disappointed, she anticipates they will find another location soon.
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Elizabeth sends a link to more virtual fashion tools and says this one includes a make-up simulator. I don't know anything about this company but they have a whole range of software products.
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Nicholas Sekela (not a member, no implied endorsement) sends word that he has 9 backlight Gerber Silhouette drafting tables for sale. He wants $950 apiece. The items are listed on eBay but you can try contacting him by phone (973) 626-3051. He also has a complete Gerber CAD software system to include motorized digitizing table, plotter and all software for $8,000.
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Christina and John Moncke are pleased to announce the launch of their line architexture. Aptly named (the pieces are definitely architectural) Christina says their official debut is a Spring line runway show this Saturday in Kansas City. Sorry, I don't have more details on it (and no phone either). Interesting pieces.
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Next, from the walks like a duck, quacks like a duck so it must be a duck but definitely not a "fashion incubator", fashion incubator AIBI, is a seminar series entitled The Business of Fashion 2007. This will be held on Wednesdays, July 11th – August 29th at The Apparel Center building, 350 N. Orleans St (Chicago) from 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm. For more info, call 312.836.1041.
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From the annals of the easily amused, Joan Hawley has decided she doesn't like the word 'mammogram'. She says
What does it have to offer? Style? Nope. Information? Nope.I've decided that procedure should be ma'am-ogram because, well, I'm a woman of a certain age now, a ma'am if you will, at the ripe old age of 42. And my new word sounds so much more delightful than the uninteresting mammogram.
The almost-tried-to-be-nice-to-me admissions person noted that my prescription for the ma'am-ogram was no longer necessary after the age of 40. I'm old enough to just pick up the phone and schedule my own darned appointment. I don't need to bother my doctor just to get an appointment for my ma'am-ogram. Wow, adult permissions with regard ot my own life AND a ma'am-ogram - it was a big day. Turning 42 last week is paying off already.
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Via Neatorama, I found a link to fake fur that glows in the dark.
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Rene Geneva aka Faernyn's Grove (corsets) from Austin Texas announces
...we're celebrating our 10 year anniversary this year. We design and manufacture clothing from sustainable, traceable, and organic textiles and utilize fair trade labor. I work with a women's cooperative in Nicaragua that I trained (more details) to produce our designs, and fair labor establishments in other countries as well. We try to have all of our manufacturing done at the source of the textile, and the rest we produce in the US. That is a very short and sweet summary, but there is far more detail on our website".
Rene also includes a press release describing the Fashionably Neutral Carbon Program™ (launching at WWDMAGIC) which is designed to show consumers the footprint of each item of clothing.
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That's it for today, get your submissions in. If you sent one and don't see it here, please resend, adding "News From You" in the subject line. Thanks!
*eclection=eclectic collection. Another of my made up words. I like this one enough to wonder why it's not a real word.
Posted by Kathleen Fasanella at June 15, 2007 11:09 AM | Email to a friend
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Comments
I love eclection. It's worthy of a submission to William Safire.
Posted by: Ann K at June 16, 2007 8:24 AM
Ok, I haven't actually tried to make one of these monkey's fist knots yet -- but I can envision making stacks of these things to use as buttons on clothing -- while listening to conference calls (I work at home) or waiting on telephone hold, or at the doctor's office, etc., or maybe even on an airplane because no metal tools are required -- If you do the work yourself for fun, it isn't sweatshop labor, is it?
Posted by: Carol in Denver at June 16, 2007 10:52 PM
re Jasmin's very interesting link, if you search for "digital textile printing", there are a couple at least of US companies with minimums as low as 1 yard for custom fabric. Surely these are a great resource for designers, especially for doing "engineered" fabrics, with the design placed to fall at specific locations on the garments.
Textile design is what I've always wanted to do, and I've got the facility with Photoshop & Illustrator; it looks like digital textile design is one of my possibilities. Every class project I design in the graphic design classes seems to turn into fabric designs. May I ask you all:
1) Do you know where I can find out how the system works in the industry? I found an online site where one could send designs to be displayed for potential purchase by digital printers, for prices you set from $100 to $1000. For that, they purchase the copyright to the design, not just license the use. Is that normal practice & price range? (The designs I looked at were all dated 2006; it looks like they may not be selling.)
2) It looks like I should go to the Printsource show at MAGIC in August, that you reference above, that says it is "the premier market for textile and surface design in the U.S.A". Just to look around and see what's going on, and if there might be any opportunities outside LA & NY. (online freelance design, for instance) But I'm a total industry outsider. Assuming I could free up the time and money, could I really go to that?
Posted by: Mina W at June 18, 2007 12:07 AM
