New on THE KINDCRAFT
Interview: Kiva Motnyk of Thompson Street Studio
Our newest correspondent, Benedicte Lux, interviewed artist/entrepreneur Kiva Motnyk, whose Thompson Street Studio has become a New York City sanctuary for the textile arts.
It's TOTES Springtime...
Just in time for the sunny days ahead! We've made a small batch of these handwoven, striped tote bags in various combinations of blue, blush, and lavender. Lauren sourced the textiles from women weavers in Chin State, Myanmar and brought them back to be stitched-up by our tailors here in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Check them out in our online shop!
Sponsored Link
Fall 2018 — Designers & Artisans Tour through Mexico City and Oaxaca
Twofold Textile's Jess Warner teams up with local guide (and founding director of the Museo Textile de Oaxaca) Ana Paula Fuentes for a design-lover's dream journey through old and new Mexico. Limited to only 11 participants and with an agenda that lasts a very full 11 nights (seriously—check out the itinerary of workshops, tours, and studio visits they have planned), this looks like it's going to be an amazing trip! Book with code 'EarlyBird' before April 30th to receive a $200 discount.
Events — North America
Asian Textiles Across Time and Place
Seattle's Gardner Center For Asian Art and Ideas presents a series of talks about various textile arts throughout the region. (Seattle Art Museum, Events through May 12th)
Events — Asia
Avani Natural Dye Workshop & Exhibition
A workshop primarily aimed at people just beginning their natural dye journey:
"Working with Avani’s master dyers, we will explore 6 natural dye materials and their different shades. Emphasizing hands-on experience blended with theory, the workshop will be held for two days, and will include an exhibition of Avani products." (Chennai, India — April 8+9)
Recommended Documentary
Tapestry: The Heart of Asean
This new documentary series by Channel NewsAsia’s correspondents Pichayada Promchertchoo and Jackson Board took 85 days and a 70-member crew to film (including local crews from all 10 Southeast Asian states). There's so much here to love... happy watching!
Recommended Podcast
Conscious Chatter
Kestrel Jenkins hosts Conscious Chatter, a podcast about clothing and social impacts connected to what we wear. This recent episode about G-Star Raw is a great place to jump in and, once you've binge-streamed the back catalogue, you can also check out ADDVANTAGE — a new podcast collaboration with Kestral and Evelyn Mora, founder of Helsinki Fashion Week (featured in our report from Berlin Ethical Fashion Show).
Design
Making Clothes for the Entire World
I thought this profile of Scott Sternberg, ex-Band of Outsiders and, now, founder of a new, high quality basics line called Entireworld, had lots of interesting bits about the challenges of starting and growing an independent brand.... twice.
Culture
The Idea of Africa
"Africana-as-commodity is much easier to market and distill than the unique labors of localized people - an unfortunate byproduct of the acquisitive industrialized capitalist era where profits trump legacy. "
Craft’s Long History In Radical Protest Movements
The Establishment's Jessica Bateman takes a long (and enjoyable) look at “craftivism”.
Using Textile Design To Track The History of Nutmeg
Designer Marta Velasco Velasco's Pulau Banda collection uses textiles and wall hangings inspired by the story of, yes, nutmeg:
"Once considered the “Holy Grail of Spices”; worth its weight in gold, [nutmeg] was a symbol of luxury and prestige. Until the 19th-century, the world’s only source of nutmeg was the Banda Islands —a tiny archipelago in today’s Indonesia— imagined by Europeans as a luxuriant tropical Eden."
Traditional Arts
Lessons in the Humble Art of Broom-Making
Deborah Needleman continues her fantastic Material Culture series for T Magazine with a paean to broom-making that will, um, sweep you away. (No, really—it will!)
Two Exhibits In D.C. Celebrate the Enduring Mystery of Ikat
Looks great!
"Ikat is the focus of two simultaneous exhibits in D.C.: “To Dye For: Ikats From Central Asia” at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and “Binding the Clouds: The Art of Central Asian Ikat” at The Textile Museum on the George Washington University campus."
Business + Entrepreneurship
Trump’s “trade war” includes punishing Africans for refusing second-hand American clothes
Quartz's Abdi Latif Dahir and Yomi Kazeem with a fascinating look at the complex cultural and economic impact of used clothing in Africa.
H&M's Woes Mean Fast Fashion is Getting Worse, Not Better
Everyone's been talking about H&M reporting its lowest first-quarter profit in 16 years while holding unsold garments worth more than $4 billion. This sobering Op-Ed by Elizabeth L. Cline, author of "Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion", explains why she thinks this is actually a bad sign for reversing the trend of fast fashion.
Double Take: Zara
Another update from the fast fashion front—It's one step forward and one step back for Zara:
Quartz's Marc Bain reports that Inditex (Zara's parent company) has joined a consortium of large brands that are partnering with Chinese and American environmental NGOs to provide real-time pollution monitoring at the factory level.
Fast Company with this report on Zara's worker pay issues: "In early November, shoppers visiting the Zara store in Istanbul discovered little labels attached to clothes that said, 'I made this item you are going to buy, but I didn’t get paid for it.'"
China Is Turning Ethiopia Into a Giant Fast-Fashion Factory
"Outsourcing to the developing world has allowed Western consumers to ignore or remain oblivious to the environmental damage and working conditions behind the rising sea of inexpensive clothes."
Sustainability
The Jumpsuit That Will Replace All Clothes Forever
We're generally against monoculture... but there are most definitely days that we feel like chucking it all in favor of a snazzy jumpsuit.
"The Rational Dress Society makes jumpsuits in two hundred forty-eight sizes culled from NASA data to fit almost any body type. Anyone can print the pattern for free from their website or, for a hundred and fifty dollars, order one that will arrive ready-made out of sustainable fabric and hand sewn by well-paid seamstresses."
Adidas Declares 2024 "Moonshot" — To Only Use Recycled Ocean Plastics
"Adidas is aiming for all of its products to be made from recycled plastics recovered from the ocean by 2024, according to Eric Liedtke, head of global brands at the company."
Wrapping Up / Looking Ahead
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