New on THE KINDCRAFT
COLLECT 2018—Textiles, Ceramics, and Contemporary Crafts
Ace contributor Fiona Coleman has the highlights from Collect, a showcase of makers at London's Saatchi Gallery whose cutting-edge work blurs the boundaries between contemporary craft and fine art. See her round-up of inspiring textiles, ceramics, and more!
Events — North America
Trade Cloth from the Coromandel Coast
"On view are sembagi, a Malay term for these painted, printed cloths that were personalized for the Indonesian market. Highly coveted, they were signifiers of prestige, status and accumulated wealth. In Indonesia, textiles were sacred heirloom objects (pusaka), ascribed protective and healing properties.
(Honolulu Museum of Art — Ends April 8)
Timeless Treasures: Recently Acquired Folk Costumes and Textiles
The exhibition features twenty complete folk costumes from various regions of Ukraine, intricately woven wrap skirts, richly embroidered shirts and ritual cloths, elaborate headdresses, accessories, outerwear, and much more.. (New York City — Runs through September)
Events — Asia + Australia
Study Japanese Woodworking
A recent Kickstarter helped Takami Kawai, a traditional Japanese carpenter and architect, realize his dream of offering English-language woodworking classes in Kyoto. Sign up above and, to prime you, check out his YouTube channel of instructional videos.
Events — Europe + MENA
Metamorphism – Magdalena Abakanowicz – Textile Forum Blog
A major retrospective of textile works by Magdalena Abakanowicz (1930 – 2017) is being held now at the Central Museum of Textiles. (Łódź, Poland — Ends April 1st!)
Product Spotlight
Firefly Pillow
We love this 100% linen, hand-dyed pillow cover made by artisans at Slowstitch Studio in Chiang Mai, Thailand (read our profile about Slowstitch Studio on THE KINDCRAFT). Its pattern was created using a shibori, a technique where cloth is stitched by hand and compressed before being dyed. Like all wonderful handmade things, the small variations in pattern that occur during in this process makes every piece unique!
Style
Sheila Hicks Takes the Pompidou
The New Yorker's Lauren Collins with this charming glimpse of Sheila Hicks at the Pompidou (an event mentioned in our previous BRIEF).
The Dynamic Accessories Brand Celebrating African Craft
“I think as a brand the more you are connected to people and the planet, the more intuitive sustainability becomes.”
Profile of Brooklyn-based designer Aurora James and her Brother Vellies sustainable accessories brand for AnOther by Brittany Natale.
Haute Bohemians: Style Mavens Isla Van Damme And Marie-Anne Oudejans
From the #LifeGoals Department—This profile of two distinctive, older designers is a masterclass in maintaining an attitude of openness and growth. (Bonus points for mentions of Sanjay Garg and Bar Palladio!).
Recommended Documentary
RiverBlue - Fashion Revolution
A look at how jeans manufacturing and the textile industry plays part in the destruction of rivers around the world. (Stream through this special link and a portion of the cost will be donated to the Fashion Revolution Country Coordinators fund).
Recommended Video
Ellen Karp
So many interesting findings in this presentation by Ellen Karp, one of several videos included in our recent Ethical Fashion Show Berlin Report. Want to see more? Subscribe to our YouTube channel and check out our full playlist from the event.
Culture
Some of the Most Provocative Political Art is Made With Fibers
Leslie Camhi for T Magazine's Design Issue:
"In a political climate marked by its coldheartedness, let’s not underestimate fiber’s power to evoke memories of a more congenial era, to celebrate the handmade and, not incidentally, invoke wonder and that rarest and most coveted of emotions: joy."
Weavings from the Land in the Cloud
Nurdiyansah Dalidjo and Cassandra Grant visit Toraja weavers in Indonesia's South Sulawesi mountains.
How Weavers In Burkina Faso Are Now On Europe’s Migration Front Line
The EU's Emergency Trust Fund for Africa gives €5 million to expand the Ethical Fashion Initiative's programs in Burkina Faso.
The Dyeing Art of India
“A lot of traditional knowledge is lost. Many who claim to be using natural dyes and methods are cheating the market." — Open Magazine's Shoba V. on India's natural dye traditions.
Design
In Memoriam — Ethel Stein and Katherine Westphal
The textile community lost two incredible creative artists this month: Ethel Stein a "weavers weaver" who remixed her academic textile research into original works, and Katherine Westphal, whose varied and vivid works communicated her joy and deep love of her craft. Both women lived long lives (100 and 99, respectively), which makes us wonder if some secret to longevity might be found on the loom....
Hand & Lock's "A-Z of Embroidery"
Storied British embroidery house Hand & Lock has, to our eye, the most stylish online glossary of embroidery terminology around. "W" is for "Well Done"! ;-)
The Design Trends We're Predicting Will Be Big in 2018
Sight Unseen's Jill Singer with her forecast for the year ahead.
Business + Entrepreneurship
Local Pride
Former journalist (and current APAC Director for JWT Intelligence) Chen May Yee continues her great series of Asia-focused trend-spotting pieces with this look at Southeast Asian brands elevating the local and the commonplace with better design and materials.
It May Not Be Possible To Slow Down Fast Fashion – So Can The Industry Ever Be Sustainable?
An interesting, important critique of the idea that ethical consumerism can really exist in the mainstream fashion market:
"Psychology and behavioural science may suggest that ethical fashion consumerism is a pipe dream. We believe our purchasing decisions are based on rational, conscious and well thought out deliberations. But the complexity of human behaviour and the fundamental nature of fashion implies that ethical consumption may not be an attainable goal."
Double-Take: Appropriation
Two variations on stories about designs copied (and not credited) by brands:
- Feminist designer Deva Pardue's “Femme Fist” print went viral on Instagram after the 2016 Election... and was promptly turned into a t-shirt by Walmart-owned ModCloth without permission or payment. She's understandably... nonplussed.
- Zara decided to sell its customers a Southeast Asian longyi for $98 as '"check mini skirt with a draped detail in the front"'. The internet mockery began almost instantly, according to the BBC.
Sustainability + Labor
At Harrods, Vetements Calls Out The Fashion Industry On Overproduction
Cult brand Vetements takes on the subject of overproduction with its display takeover of four Harrods’ store windows.
“If you go to a shop and you see something on sale, it means it’s been overproduced.” — Guram Gvasalia, CEO of Vetements.
Six Sustainable Practices for Success in Tomorrow’s Fashion Industry
Andrea Kennedy of Fashiondex:
"No longer will we only look to Stella McCartney, Eileen Fisher, Patagonia, and People Tree for responsibility in fashion. 75 percent of companies we spoke to last year want to push their brands towards environmental responsibility, less waste, and overall more sustainable collections, with the starting point for many being the addition of organic or recycled-fiber fabrics. True innovation in the fashion industry will require us to rethink the majority of our production practices. "
Americans Have Stopped Trying To Stuff More Clothes Into Their Closets
"The 1990s were a clothes shopping spree for Americans. At the start of the decade, the US consumed about 40 garments per person annually. By its end, that number had ballooned to about 65 garments per person."