New on THE KINDCRAFT
Our New Jewelry Collection is Here!
Say hello to 'Looped Together', our very limited edition collection of earrings and necklaces. This collaboration features intricate weavings by New York-based fiber artist Toni Brogan inside frames designed by our own Lauren K Lancy and fabricated by Boonyakiat “Seng” Phooarkit, a Thai brass artisan. Check out the full story of how this project came together on THE KINDCRAFT. And, oh, one more thing exclusively for readers of THE KINDCRAFT BRIEF....CLICK THIS SPECIAL LINK and get a 15% DISCOUNT ON THESE ITEMS while supplies last!
Events — North America
'The Fabric of India'
We're looking forward to visiting the Cincinnati Museum's new exhibition, 'The Fabric of India', later this month. Organized by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, this exhibition features items from the V&A’s own collection along with pieces curated from private collectors as well as from the Cincinnati Art Museum’s permanent collection. (Closes January 6, 2019)
Events — Asia + Australia
The Circular Design Challenge
Speaking of India—The Circular Design Challenge is offering cash prizes, mentorship, and a showcase for young Indian designers who demonstrate innovation in circular design and who offer solutions to reduce the environmental impact of the fashion, textiles and apparel industry. (Applications Due — 5 December, 2018)
'Tying Heritage for the Future'
Adding to the list of reasons we bummed that we're not in Thailand right now — the World Ikat Textiles Symposium ('Tying Heritage for the Future') is happening this week in Khon Kaen and features workshops, speakers, and exhibitions of beautiful, beautiful ikat. (December 4—December 6)
Product Spotlight
Half Moon Necklace
Lauren's product pick this month is our new Half Moon Necklace. She's been wearing it here in L.A., layered over simple dresses and tops—and it always gets noticed! 👀
Style
'Rent the Runway Wants to Lend You Your Look'
This longform take on Rent the Runway by The New Yorker is filled with fascinating details about the business and, more broadly, how subscription services are reshaping style.
'How Jewelry Makes Us Who We Are'
The New York Times's Victoria Gomelsky on the Met's new exhibition, “Jewelry: The Body Transformed”:
'“What this group was interested in was not how jewelry was made but how jewelry makes us,” she added. “The way it has the ability to transform us.”' 🙌
'In Tokyo, a Couple Proving That Good Craftsmanship Knows No Boundaries'
A profile by Amanda Fortini is always worth reading — but this one is basically weapons-grade catnip for us as it tells the story of Sophia and Masafumi Watanabe, married designers whose creative sensibilities, though diverging between Indian-influenced artisan embroidery and Japanese street wear, have become intertwined over the course of their relationship. ❤️🇯🇵🇸🇪❤️
Culture
'Aboriginal Women Artists and Their Visions of Infinity'
Worth a re-read — Hyperallergic's Bansie Vasvani on how Australia's Aboriginal Artists are beginning to take their rightful place in the context of the contemporary art world. (Note: The exhibition mentioned has been touring North America this year and is currently on display at Vancouver's Museum of Anthropology at UBC).
“While some historians argue that Aboriginal art does not meet the Western criteria of art as a platform for innovation and self-expression, these paintings, which are filled with traditional abstract Aboriginal iconography denoting nature, spirits, and a way of life that has been passed down for generations, are a wonder.”
'Redefining The Bakhu—And The Great American Road Trip—Through Self-Portraiture'
We loved Tsering Bista's photostory about her family's Mustangi cultural heritage as experienced through the lens of a diasporan moving through American public spaces.
Local indigo goes global
Sohel Parvez for Bangladesh's The Daily Star on how indigo, once associated by local farmers with the cruelty of British colonial rule, is being farmed once again for export by groups like Living Blue (previously featured on THE KINDCRAFT).
'We thought the Incas couldn’t write. These knots change everything'
Wow! New discoveries about how ancient Incas may have used knotted cords called khipu as a three-dimensional written language that, to read it properly, relied on touch as well as sight.
'The Artificial Divide Between Fine Art and Textiles is a Gendered Issue'
“Anni Albers marked a momentous step for fibre arts when the former Bauhaus student became the first weaver to have a significant solo show at the Museum of Modern Art in 1949. Nearly 70 years later there has been a resurgence of textile arts on gallery walls, and the Albers exhibition is part of the Tate Modern’s commitment to showing artists working in this medium.”
Traditional Arts
'How a Japanese Craftsman Lives by the Consuming Art of Indigo Dyeing'
Deborah Needleman profiles Kanji Hama, a traditional Japanese katazome indigo artist whose craft is, in fact, a way of life that might not survive into future generations.
'These fierce bags preserve an Indian city’s ancient craft'
A new startup called Complete Unknown is making modern embroidered handbags in an attempt to keep traditional Indian craftsmanship alive:
“It takes years to learn how to embroider by hand at this level,” Durrani says. “I think it’s a shame that the next generation is leaving the craft behind, because eventually, there won’t be anyone left who knows how to do this work.”
'5 Young Designers Making Embroidery Cool Again'
Pulling one more thread on the embroidery front, check out this round-up of fashion designers giving the art a modern twist.
Business + Entrepreneurship
A Round-Up of Notable Articles...
BBC covers the UK government's investigation of Fast Fashion in a piece called 'How do you justify selling a £2 t-shirt?' (Spoiler Alert: You can't...)
We really like that eCommerce platform Shopify has just opened a community space in L.A. to help support small brands selling online—especially since we're now in L.A. and have a Shopify store. 😍
Apparel manufacturer VF Corp releases an online map that allows a visual trace of the global supply chain on a few of their products. A good start but, until it's a comprehensive look at all their factories and not just a self-selected sample, it reads as "P.R." and not real "transparency".
Speaking of traceability—We've all heard stories of exploited workers hiding notes for help inside product, but does anyone follow the supply chain back to the factories to validate their claims? Rossalyn Warren and Channing Huang did just that in this tremendous bit of journalism for Vox.
'Consumers can’t stop slavery – or can they?' — a look at if "voting with your wallet" actually works.
The New York Times looks at how artisan skills might be an answer to Italy's youth unemployment crisis.
Fascinating — A researcher studied 400,000 knitters on Ravelry.com and discovered what turns a hobby into a business.
Sustainability + Labor
Sustainability News
- Does the sustainable fashion movement need more creative content to engage consumers? That’s the thinking behind Catwalk To Creation, a short documentary on the topic created by creative agency Fashion 4 Change. Read Forbes's take on the project and watch the trailer on Vimeo here.
- Stella McCartney is to announce a United Nations fashion industry charter for climate action, which will be launched at next month’s climate talks in Poland.
- We don't have enough organic farms. Why not?
- 'Palm Oil Was Supposed to Help Save the Planet. Instead It Unleashed a Catastrophe." -- Wonderful, important reporting by ProPublica's Abrahm Lustgarten.
- Workers say that those "Don't clean my room today" programs which hotels promote as "green" are actually a smoke-screen — one that forces fewer people do more work .
- "Food crop waste like banana by-products, pineapple leaves, flax and hemp stalk, and the waste from crushing sugar cane can be collected and spun into a natural fiber that can be woven into garments.”
Instagram Spotlight
Toni Brogan (@thecatskillkiwi)
Our featured Instagrammer this issue is, of course, the incredible Toni Brogan — our friend and collaborator for 'Looped Together'. If you're the type of person who loves weaving, soft sculptural woven art, and nerding-out on fibers of every description, you should follow her immediately and thank us later!
Wrapping Up / Looking Ahead
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