At The Top...
Lauren and I have been thinking a lot about community since arriving in Los Angeles (moving halfway across the world to a new city will do that to you...) Connection matters and, in a week when smoky air triggered climate change discussions from New Delhi to California, it feels more important than ever to address our common concerns by bringing people together in positive ways.
In this newsletter, we're announcing our new online community forum and recapping our first L.A. event. Whether through our digital platform or in real-life spaces, we want to help you connect to people and resources for thoughtful, ethical design. Speaking of which: We've just published our report from Amman Design Week and, as always, we've spotlighted key stories, news items, and events from around the web... enjoy!
New on THE KINDCRAFT
Highlights from Amman Design Week 2019
Experimentation â and the use of local materials like stone, clay and wool â were key threads running through the third edition of Amman Design Week.
A Community for Thoughtful, Ethical Design!
We've just launched a forum for people who care about thoughtful, ethical design. Things are just getting started, but our hope is that you can use it to ask questions, help others, share interesting projects, and make quality connections with other readers and our global network of experts. Please give us your feedback so we can better shape things to be helpful to you â just tag @Justin or @Lauren in your posts and we'll be sure to see your comments!
Sponsored Events
Soulful Design Retreat
The Good Abodeâs Soulful Design Retreat offers a week-long holistic experience for designers and design lovers alike. Curated by California interior designer Christine Martin, the program runs March 9â15, 2020 and focuses on inspiration, professional expansion, and wellness.  Instagram powerhouses Bridget Ambrose (@becrowbe), Erica Reitman (@ericareitman), and Desha Peacock (@deshapeacock) will deliver workshops. Other highlights include an insiderâs look at soulful design + architecture, a Q&A with local architects and designers, and revitalization at the nearby thermal hot springs. And with Casa Delphine as home base, participants will experience the beauty of an intentionally designed space as they explore how interior design can uplift, nourish, relax, and make lasting physical, emotional, and mental impacts. Spots are limited; Save yours with $500 deposit by December 1st!
Events â North America
Notable Happenings...
- NYC: At Cooper Hewitt, the Nature by Design exhibit gets a refresh with COCHINEAL, running from November 16thâJanuary 3, 2020. This installation explores the enduring legacy of this natural dye and its innovative use among contemporary designers.
- Washington D.C.: Two events by George Washington University! Fast Fashion/Slow Art scrutinizes todayâs garment industry, exploring issues of waste and consumerism through eleven films and video installations (runs through December 15, 2019). Woven Interiors: Furnishing Early Medieval Egypt reveals how textiles infused warmth and beauty into Egyptâs interior spaces (runs through January 5, 2020).
- Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art presents Sheila Hicks: Secret Structures, Looming Presence, running through January 12, 2020.
- L.A.: Craft Contemporary presents Finding the Center: Works by Echiko Ohira, showcasing the artist's use of repurposed paper, nails, thread, and other found materials to create sculptural forms and collages (through January 5, 2020).
Product Spotlight
Kilomet109
We had such a lovely time co-hosting a fireside conversation with designer Vu Thao of Kilomet109 (our first event in Los Angeles!) If you didn't get a chance to see her amazing creations in real life, don't worry â you can still order selected pieces from THE KINDCRAFT SHOP and have them delivered to your door. We're also starting a "Kilomet109 Virtual Event" on our new community forum where you can ask Thao questions about sustainable design and we'll be posting excerpts from our chat.
Style
Selections from the Style Section
- Pineapple leather, anyone? Vegans are transforming the way they furnish and decorate their homes
"When No Doubt bassist Tony Kanal and his wife, Erin Lokitz, decided to renovate their Spanish revival home in Los Feliz they decided that their furniture would be like their diet â strictly vegan.âWe really emphasized the need for a cruelty-free home,â Lokitz said."
- Two deeper looks at the burgeoning clothing rental trend: Vogue with Not Into Clothing Rentals? The New York Designers Joining Rent the Runway Might Change Your Mind and Elizabeth Cline (author of 'The Conscious Closet') has How Sustainable Is Renting Your Clothes, Really? for Elle.
- Former editor at Highsnobiety Alec Leach talks about Future Dust, his new Instagram account where he highlights cool sustainable style
- Itâs Time for Fashion Brands to Stop Playing It Safe and Lead the Charge in Sustainability
Design
Vegan cactus leather from Mexico
Cool! AdriĂĄn LĂłpez Velarde and Marte CĂĄzarez, both hailing from Mexico, developed vegan leather made with nopal (a type of cactus).
Monocle on Design
Josh Fehnert leads this discussion on the politics of pattern design with writer and curator Priya Khanchandani and architect Sam Jacob, whose exhibition at the Lisbon Architecture Triennale challenges established norms. Also featured: Modtissimo, a trade fair in Porto which shows off Portugal's best textiles. đđ»
A colorful Japanese home by Adam Nathaniel Furman
"It's a joyful atmosphere." Dwell spotlights the pastel hues, graphic patterns, and material contrasts in Adam Nathaniel Furmanâs Nagatcho home.
Traditional Arts
Double Take: Indigo
Two about the Blue: Denim denizens Kingpins shared this short film by Vivian Wang about a small Chinese village that specializes in natural indigo dyes, and the New Fashion Initiative discusses the untold history of blue jeans, indigo, and slavery as part of the âDenim & The African Diaspora: A Legacy Untoldâ panel at the recent Denim Days event.
Business + Entrepreneurship
What Went Wrong at Barneys?
The Cut takes a deeper look at how rising costs and unsustainable growth bankrupted Barneys â and the cultural gap created by the retailer's decline.
H&M boss warns of âterrible social consequencesâ if people ditch fast fashion
This headline did its job, which was to make readers wish "terrible social consequences" for fast fashion bosses like Karl-Johan Persson. He makes a case that consumer shaming of brands can thwart needed economic development but H&M, like all massive conglomerates, can't touch the real "third rail" of sustainability â businesses need to develop new economic models that don't require current rates of consumer overconsumption to turn a profit.
Sustainability + Labor
Listening to Nature: The Emerging Field of Bioacoustics
So fascinating â Bioacoustics joins the next wave of sustainability research technology as researchers place microphones in forests and other ecosystems to monitor the conservation of birds, insects, frogs, and other animals. (Bonus nature/science/art link: The SENSE - BIOTOPIA FESTIVAL has an open call for projects that promote the intersection of bio-sciences, art, and design in surprising and unusual ways.)
Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard talks about the sustainability myth, the problem with Amazonâand why itâs not too late to save the planet
The best interviews feel like a direct channel into the energy and mind of the person profiled, like in this conversation between Fast Companyâs Jeff Beer and Patagonia founder and chairman, Yvon Chouinard. đđ»
A floating device created to clean up plastic from the ocean is finally doing its job, organizers say
A huge trash-collecting system designed to clean up plastic floating in the Pacific Ocean is finally picking up plastic, its inventor announced Wednesday.
Amazon Sells Clothes From Factories Other Retailers Blacklist
After a deadly 2013 factory collapse, most big U.S. apparel companies agreed to steer clear of dangerous plants in Bangladesh. Not Amazon.
Wrapping Up / Looking Ahead
That's a Wrap!
Want to share your own upcoming projects/events with our readers? Here's a link to find out how to sponsor an issue of THE KINDCRAFT BRIEF!.
We're always looking for original stories about sustainability, craft, and design. Use our online submission form to send us your pitch.
And if you enjoy these newsletters, please support THE KINDCRAFT by joining our Patreon community, buying something from our online shop, and following on Facebook, Instagram, Apple News, and Twitter.