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Greetings from Los Angeles!
We have three new stories from THE KINDCRAFT and a whole host of new writings and helpful resources from around the web for your enjoyment! Please support these newsletters by joining our Patreon community, buying something from our online shop, and following on Facebook, Instagram, Apple News, and Twitter.
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New on THE KINDCRAFT
Weaving the Story of Iceland's Textile Culture
Contributor Marian Reid meets RagnheiĂ°ur ĂĂłrsdĂłttir, a textile artist who returned to where her grandmother taught crafts in search of the future of Iceland's weaving culture.
The Shape and the Substance
In case you missed it â See how one woman's love of unusual materials led her to make footwear that blurs the lines between objects, design, and craft.
10 Notable Artists from COLLECT 2019
Trend Forecaster Fiona Coleman spotlights her favorite works from COLLECT 2019, the 15th edition of Crafts Council UK's fair held at London's famous Saatchi Gallery.
Sponsored Link
VAWAA â Vacation With An Artist
We recently had the pleasure to visit with Geetika Agrawal of VAWAA ("Vacation With An Artist"). VAWAA lets you book mini-apprenticeships with master artists and craftspeople, all around the world. Their curated roster of artists is remarkable and it includes one of our favorite makers, TháșŁo VĆ© of Kilomet109. Have a look at the full list â and start day-dreaming about exploring your creativity while you explore new places.
Product Spotlight
Mother's Day Sale!
Heartfelt and handmade â This weekend only, shop our special sale collection and give your mom a gift that's made with care and also supports independent makers.
Style
- At 84, Sheila Hicks Is Still Making Defiant, Honest Art
- The elevation of craft is the antidote to fast fashion we need
- âI canât believe itâs not leather!â Veja debuts eco-friendly vegan kicks
- In Jaipur, a Clothing Designerâs Vibrant and Wonderfully Imperfect Home
- Earthy, boxy, boring: Do sustainable clothes have a standard look?
- 'Don't feed the monster!' The people who have stopped buying new clothes
- Oscar Winner Jeremy Irons on His Irish Castle and Antiques Obsession
Recommended Documentary
âThe Future is Handmadeâ
âWorking with oneâs hands is still popularly seen as low level work. Devoid of intellect.â Professor Trevor Marchand opens the film. âThe acquisition of skill is a cognitive achievement. Perfecting oneâs craft. Learning to problem solve. To make and repair, involves a great deal of intellect.â
Culture
- Instead of hiding rips and tears, the visible mending movement turns them into art â Modern revivals of the Japanese art of sashiko.
- Fascinating profile of fashion photographer Nadine Ijewere.
"Freckled, gap-toothed, and with a spectrum of skin tones and hair textures, the subjects in Nadine Ijewereâs portfolio are a thrilling celebration of individual human beauty. Nadine's inclusive casting contrasts with the narrow depictions of beauty that have defined the history of fashion editorials."
- Finding the Beauty in Cultural Appropriation
- Children Should Be Taught About The Perils Of Fast Fashion As Early As Possible
- Is There Really Such a Thing as âEthical Consumerism?â.
"You know that thing, where you say a word to yourself a couple dozen times in a row, and by the 25th repetition, the word doesnât signify anymore? It's just a bunch of syllables. That's how Iâve started to feel about the phrase âethical consumer."
- The Artificial Divide Between Fine Art and Textiles is a Gendered Issue
- Whoâs Really Getting Ripped Off by $35 Sage?
- The Case for Buying Less Clothing
Design
- If you watch our Instagram stories, you probably saw our love-letter to this Central Asian ikat exhibit currently at LACMA. Go see it if you can!
- Designer, Painter, Sculptor, Architect â This Parisian Multihyphenate is About To Be Everywhere
- Sheila Hicks, Redux â A more design-focused look at her work.
- Should These Clothes Be Saved?. (After reading this, my vote would be 'Yes!'...)
- Sebastian Herkner on the Intersection of Craft and Design
- Nicole McLaughlin's Unusual, Sustainable Shoes (A good companion piece to our recent profile of designer Sara GonzĂĄlez de Ubieta Oliveros)
- The Artist Creating a 150-Foot-Long Glass Rainbow
- "I'm a matchmaker between art and people" says Kulapat Yantrasast.
- On discovering your process
- Weaving is back: Take a peep inside the studios of contemporary makers on the loom
- The future of fashion? Stunning textiles dyed with bacteria
Recommended Resource
FREE: Five Decades of Publications by NYC's Metropolitan Museum of Art
Wow! Almost 1,700 items are available to read, search, and download â for free.
Traditional Arts
- In Hawaii, the Quilt Makers Keeping a Centuries-Old Tradition Alive.
âWeâre a small island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. To expose our art forms to the rest of the world is something that is really special.â
- Celebrating the Timeless Appeal of Indigo
- Super/Natural: Textiles of the Andes
- Mexico Cityâs Major Fair Exposes the Art Worldâs Renewed Love of Craft.
âThe art world has wanted the artist to be purely conceptual, to just think. But I like thinking with my hands!â
Business + Entrepreneurship
- Searches for Sustainable Fashion Have Increased By 66% in the Past Year. đđ»
- A Great Resource by Fashionista's Whitney Bauck: "Complete Beginner's Guide to Ethical Fashion Certifications"
- Two looks at the persistence of slave labor: Investors Told to Target Modern Slavery and Did a slave make your sneakers? The answer is: probably
- Two looks at the Carcel controversy: Prison-Made Brand Carcel Reimagines Fashion from the Inside Out and This clothing brand proudly uses prison labor. Critics say itâs exploiting workers..
- Analytics are reshaping fashion's old-school instincts
- 5 Artisan and Ethical Workshops in India That Are Accepting Orders From Designers
Sustainability + Labor
- The âbuy localâ movement comes to fashion
- Why Fashion Can No Longer Ignore Sustainability
- Americaâs new recycling crisis, explained by an expert
- A reminder that wealthy countries also have exploitative factories: UK fashion sector rapped for worker exploitation.
- Loop Wants Us to Rethink Consumption. It Seems Like a Logistical Disaster That Might Actually Work.
- We Made Plastic. We Depend on It. Now Weâre Drowning in It.
- Fabric Dyeing with Algae: A Watery New Frontier.
âAs I write this, Iâm looking at pictures of cotton T-shirts with the projectâs logo printed in green and pink, and I dream of a future in which the colors on my clothes come from a similarly sustainable source, produced following environment-friendly processes.â
- Which is your winner for "Least Appealing Headline"?: These designers are using toxic waste to make gorgeous pottery or From Industrial Waste to Objects of Beauty?
- Great web design used to explain sustainability issues â Forum for the Future
- Two from China: How Illegally Harvested Timber Is âGreenwashedâ in China and US sportswear traced to factory in Chinaâs internment camps.
- Let's end this BRIEF on an upbeat note â Luxembourg to Become the First Country to Offer Free Mass Transit for All đĄ