New on THE KINDCRAFT
NEW STORY: Tunisian Basketry
Cindy Fan goes to the North African island of Djerba and inside the atelier of a basketry artisan who has been making palm leaf handicrafts for 57 years.
Sponsored Event
FASHIONSUSTAINBERLIN
FASHIONSUSTAINBERLIN 's unique incubator platform brings together international speakers with brands, innovators, and producers to discuss how sustainable technologies are driving a transformation of the textile and fashion industry. Environmental activist Alexandra Cousteau and renowned trend researcher Ellen Karp open the conference as keynote speakers and experts will be on hand to share insights into the latest developments and future practices. FASHIONSUSTAINBERLIN is a complementary addition to the Ethical Fashion Show Berlin and the Greenshowroom, which presents sustainable fashion, shoes, and accessories. (16 – 18 January, 2018 @ Kraftwerk Berlin, Koepenicker Strasse 70, Berlin, Germany).
Events — North America
MOMA: Fashion Forward Documentaries and "Style, Selfhood, and the Body"
Presented in conjunction with the 'Is Fashion Modern?' exhibition, MOMA is screening documentary films that explore fashion from the vantage points of designers, manufacturers, influencers, laborers, and consumers. If you're in New York, take advantage of the rare chance to see Zhangke Jia’s 'Wuyong (Useless)', along with 'Machines' (which goes inside a textile factory in Gujarat, India) and, of course, 'The True Cost'.
On January 16, there's also an interesting conversation with designers Lucy Jones and Yeohlee Teng (called 'Style, Selfhood, and the Body') about pushing fashion beyond “seasonality” and redefining style and selfhood through what we wear.
(January 8–18, 2018, The Museum of Modern Art, New York)
Events — Asia + Australia
Values of Design
In partnership with the V&A, China's brand new arts and culture center Design Society presents 'Values of Design', an exhibition which considers how values drive design, how design is valued, as well as highlighting the role that design plays in society. (Runs through August 2019)
Product Spotlight
🍵 Tea Time!
It's especially cold in many parts of the world this week— but that's when a nice, hot cup of tea feels coziest, right? Take a look at our forest-friendly teas from Thailand and, while you're at it, treat yourself to some handmade ceramics to drink them from.
Recommended Podcast
Black Neon Digital
If you're into Fashion Tech, Ethical Style, and Craftsmanship, this is a podcast we think you'll enjoy. Recorded by Jodi Muter-Hamilton, it's an ongoing series of conversations with the people behind the businesses & brands innovating in sustainable, socially-friendly ways. Jump right in with the latest episode — an interview with Alicia Taylor of Gather&See — or dig into the archives for nuggets like this interview about design activism with Professor Rebecca Earley.
(Available on iTunes, SoundCloud)
Culture
The Lives Behind the Label
Media coverage of garment workers is, too often, one-dimensional and erases the complexity and nuance of their lives. This collection of six short films presents their intimate, human stories — not only the hardships, but also how factory work is transforming their society in positive ways. A collaboration between Paul Myles of On Our Radar and New Internationalist.
💙 VIDEO: 'The Link Between Japanese Samurai and Real Indigo'
We love those deep Japanese blues! Check out this video about natural indigo made in Tokushima, Japan. If you're curious to learn more, read about our visit to the Buaisou indigo farm as well as the Awagami Factory to learn about indigo-dyed washi paper.
Modest Dressing, as a Virtue
“If you let women dress for themselves, we’d all be wearing muumuus and caftans.”
Design
Ceramics artist Sara Flynn is making waves at Loewe’s Miami boutique
"Flynn adopts an organic, almost folkloric approach. Her vessels are thrown on the potters wheel to start with, in ‘a method steeped in tradition’. Then they’re ‘cut, pushed, reassembled and stuck back together’. The resulting asymmetrical forms appear to shift and change as the surface unfolds." (Via Wallpaper*)
Word From The Wise: Getting Started in Embroidery With Sarah K. Benning
Frankie Magazine chats with Sarah K. Benning (who we met at Renegade Craft Fair a few years ago!) Learn how she creates her intricate, hand-stitched illustrations!
Three of the Most Exciting Cities in Africa for Design Right Now
AFAR Magazine talks to Hannah Azieb Pool, editor of Fashion Cities Africa, to get her take on what's popping up in 2018. (Have you been to Accra, Nairobi, or Johannesburg? We want to hear your thoughts about the design scene there!)
Business + Entrepreneurship
Does Fashion's Future Rest in Miroslava Duma's Hands?
"The fashion industry has long been called out by shoppers for its outdated, destructive practices—take your pick among issues of sustainability, working conditions, racism, sexism, animal rights, consumerism, and waste that have animated headlines for decades. With her new Fashion Tech Lab initiative, is Duma the disruptor we’ve been waiting for?"
Homeworkers — An Invisible Part of the Global Supply Chain
" When the 55-year-old woman stood up to speak at a meeting of shoemakers in south India earlier this month, she was seeing her employers for the first time. She told them about the decades she had spent hunched up in her home, repeatedly pulling a needle through tough leather as she sewed shoe uppers, the meager income she earned, her failing eyesight and the wounds on her hands. For manufacturers and brands, her story was a revelation."
(Via Anuradha Nagaraj | Thomson Reuters Foundation)
Sustainability + Labor
Would You Buy a Plastic Suit From Stella McCartney?
In case you missed this one when it first came out—a look at McCartney's efforts to reuse plastics and, from a design standpoint, how the use of challenging materials might make for more interesting products:
“To take something that is destructive and turn it into something that’s sexy and cool, how can that not be luxury?”
Americans Don’t Want To Get Caught Buying From A Company Exploiting The Planet
Suzanne Shelton shares highlights from her company's recent report in this post for Fast Company. While I hope this is true, I must admit that I'm skeptical about whether these types of studies really correlate with actual consumer purchasing behavior. Too often, people say one thing to pollsters—and do another at the cash register.
Instagram Spotlight
Cindy Fan (@cindyisawol)
The author of this week's featured story and one of our favorite free range humans. Cindy Fan is a writer/photographer whose work has been published by The Toronto Star, The Australian, Roads & Kingdoms, The Telegraph’s Ultratravel Magazine, GlobalPost, Expat Living Singapore and on various blogs — including her own excellent "So Many Miles" site where you can read more about her trip to Djerba. The color palette of Cindy's Instagram has tilted towards a dreamy blue hue since moving to the Turks and Caicos Islands, but this intrepid explorer can't sit still for long before hitting the road again in search of good food and handicrafts.
Wrapping Up / Looking Ahead
Coming Soon...
Our editorial calendar for 2018 is quickly filling up and (assuming my fingers don't stage a rebellion from all the typing I've been doing) the next feature will be a report from Indigo Sutra, an event which brought some of the world's most ingenious natural dyers and brands to Kolkata, India. It was a fascinating few days and we can't wait to give you the highlights!
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