The interns labels have arrived, and they look great! These will be placed above the Study NY label inside the garment. They are working on the rest of their packaging now (hang tags, bags, etc…).
Producing in India
I have been working with the same factory in Bangalore, India for several years now. I worked with them at a previous job and only recently started again with Study for the Spring 2011 collection. The reason I approached them in the first place was because I was developing an ikat pattern raw silk in Bangalore, the same city where I had a good relationship with this factory. So instead of shipping the fabric all the way to NY, I figured I’d develop the styles using that fabric in India as well.
I asked the factory for photos so I could post them on the blog. I have visited this factory several times before but have never taken photos myself. I was always very impressed with the considerable lengths they took to improve their workers’ quality of life and I wanted to share their story with my followers (ie. my mom and brother, the only people who read this blog!). I asked them to send me a few photos and a little resume about the factory. This is what I got:
We would be happy to send you photos of the factory- the crèche, the gardens, the little doctor’s room that we have who would fall sick or need any medical attention. Will also take pictures of workers sewing your samples.
We are an International Standards Organization- ISO. We can provide you copies of the certification- that you also need.
We are also in the process of trying to make the factory more eco-friendly and are replacing diesel fire burners in the factory with alternate fire burners which use biomass briquette- mixture of peanut shells and wheat husk, etc. The residue of this can be used as manure for
gardening.
We also recycle all the used water in our factory using the ETP plant, and reuse this for gardening as well.
I’m really looking forward to visiting the factory again, hopefully in the Spring!
Learn Your Craft
This morning I took a table loom weaving class at Third Ward in Brooklyn. It’s an incredible place, I can’t believe I’ve never been there before. I’ve been wanting to learn how to weave on a loom (as opposed to my coffee table) for a long time, so I figured I might as well just take the class when I learned it was being offered. And since becoming a mentor for Awamaki earlier this year, I think it’s important that I understand the craft I’m trying to preserve. I’m not sure I’ll ever become a master weaver, there are way too many techniques I want to learn before attempting to focus on just one, but I do plan to explore this a little more and maybe incorporate some more hand woven pieces into my collection. And this time poor Tim won’t have to suffer hunched over the panels taped to my table.
I think it’s important that designers know at least the basics of their craft. Sewing, knitting, pattern-making, draping, printing. If I’m going to incorporate these things into my collection, and ask someone else to execute them for me, I think I should at least know what I’m talking about, and how to make changes if necessary. I meet a lot of students who are incredibly creative and inventive, but have no clue how to execute their ideas. And if your design stays on paper, is it really worth the effort?
So laugh, if you want, at my feeble first attempt at weaving. It isn’t pretty or very creative for that matter, but now at least I know what the weavers at Awamaki do on a daily basis (it’s still hard on the back, if you ask me!) and can understand a little better how to mentor the designers who will be working with them. I do plan on taking the Intro to Weaving class at Brooklyn’s new Textile Arts Center this Fall so I can learn a little more about setting up a loom, and using more advanced weaving equipment. So maybe I’ll end up with something a little more exciting than the 6″ x 18″ panel it took me 3 hours to make today, even though I’m actually pretty proud of it (but don’t tell anyone). It also makes a perfect little scarf for Boom Boom, who I’m watching this week. But I’m not sure he likes it very much
Study Hall Photo Shoot
It took 3 designers, 2 models, one photographer, hair, make-up, a stylist, and 10 hours to complete the first round of intern photoshoots. And I’m so proud of them! My interns showed up on time, brought props and accessories and tear sheets for their shots. They knew what they wanted and were very specific about their looks. The day went a little long, as shoots usually do, but we did a tremendous amount of work in 10 hours with two models! But we couldn’t have done it without the help of an amazing team who basically donated their time to help out.
A HUGE thank you to the following people who worked on the shoot and made it a completely seamless day:
Jena Cumbo – photographer
Rachel Loehrer – stylist
Kim Caudle – make-up
Jessie Sung – hair
Paget & Chelsea (from APM) – models
I posted more pics throughout the day here. And now we have over a thousand pics to sort through to select the ones that will make it to the designers lookbooks!
UP meets IP LA
I just got off the plane from LA where I was doing a fitting on the next Uniform Project pilot, Miss September (can’t tell you who yet, it’s a secret! But I can tell you she’s going to be exciting). While I was there I checked out the new International Playground in Echo Park. The store looks A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! It carries a lot of the same brands as the NY location, and will soon be carrying some local LA designers as well.
Short post tonight as there’s lots to do before the interns shoot their very first lookbooks with photographer Jena Cumbo tomorrow morning. We will be shooting in and around her studio in Bushwick (Brooklyn) all day. I’ll tweet live photos from the shoot and then post lots of images when they’re all cleaned up and pretty. I’m really excited for them, and can’t wait to show everyone all the beautiful work they’ve done!
Happy Weekend!