It feels like forever since I’ve posted and I have a list of things I want to post about! For now, I just want to let all the store buyers out there know that I will be showing at my 2nd capsule show in a couple days, here in NYC. Wha-hoo! I have a new collection that I am very excited about, so please drop me an email for info or stop by the show!

Support your independent designer this holiday season! I will be participating in four awesome holiday sales. If you are in NYC, please come by and check them out…

*I will be at Give Good on Friday only.

*I will be at the Textile Art Center on Saturday only.

It’s been a rough few weeks for many New Yorkers. I am so grateful that my home and studio were untouched. Hurricane Sandy was the worst natural disaster to hit the NYC area ever. So many people have lost their homes in the Rockaways and Staten Island. It’s been shocking and heartbreaking to see the damage that has been caused. There are still lots of opportunities to volunteer and donate. From now through the end of the year, I will be donating 10% of my profits to relief organizations working to help New Yorkers in need.

After a long break from selling wholesale (Barney’s was my last account), I finally decided it was time to get back into the wholesale game with my new collection. Last month, I showed at my very first capsule trade show. It’s a curated trade show where you have to submit an application to show there. It was a really good experience and I met buyers from some great stores… several of whom will be carrying my bags very soon! Yay!

One of the great things about being there was seeing the new collections of some of my favorite designers and also discovering some that I’d never heard of before.

The lovely ladies of Feral Childe were there and it was great to hang out chatting with Alice Wu. (made in NYC)

Next to them was Micaela Greg, a San Francisco based brand that I have since fallen in love with. (made in SF)

Speaking of San Francisco, I was happily surprised to run into jewelry designer, Vanessa Gade, who I knew from the bay area design world when I lived there a few years back. (made in SF)

I was turned on to LA brand, Black Crane, where I’ve already invested in some of their gorgeous raw-edged organic cotton comfort wear. (made in LA)

Jaclyn Mayer showed me her line, Orly Genger. She makes beautifully crafted, playful jewelry from a variety of cords and acrylic paint, which she does not dip, but hand paints on. (made in NYC)

I met fellow leather workers, Alex and Noelle of Toronto-based The Leather Atelier. We chatted a while about ethical materials, hand crafting etc. They are super talented and absolutely the nicest people you could ever meet. (made in Toronto)

Lastly, A Peace Treaty was in the booth right next to me. Their hand crafted scarves are gorgeous, but when I learned the story behind the brand, I was smitten.

There you have it. There were so many more amazing brands that I would love to add to this list, but for now these were the top ones that really stood out.

I cannot tell you how long I’ve been meaning to write about my dear, beautiful friends at Eko-Lab. We’ve been working out of the same studio space for about a year and a half and the more I get to know them, the more I appreciate their work. Melissa Kirgan and Xing-Zhen Chung-Hilyard are a rare breed. They are artists whose medium happens to be what is typically one of the most careless and wasteful industries- fashion.

These ladies don’t follow trends and they don’t mass produce. They do what comes from their hearts and create beautiful, unique works of wearable art.

They often collaborate with artist, Jennifer Wen Ma, who will sometimes come in and hand paint a limited number of garments.

For pieces with a larger production run, they might hand silk screen Jennifer’s art onto yards of fabric. All of this happens right in our studio and it is so beautiful to see in action.

Eko-lab have recently been focusing more on accessories. They make one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces, often using recycled materials such as slices of glass from bottles and other found objects.

They have also recently started working with laser cutting felted wool to make beautiful stoles which were sold at an exhibition Jennifer recently had in Beijing.

These ladies are truly inspirational and I am so lucky to know them. Check out their shop and facebook page.

;a

We’re super excited to announce that our new collection is now being carried by one of our favorite designers- Rogan! Please go check them out in person and while you’re there, have a look at Rogan’s new fall collection – gorgeous as always and our bags go so perfectly.

Rogan NYC store is at 330 Bowery at Bond Street, in NoHo.

I never thought I’d say those words. I’ve been to Coney Island a handfull of times in the past and it always left a bad taste in my mouth. This morning, EC ran a 5k race  (he came in 5th!) on the Coney Island boardwalk, so we arrived at 9am. It was such a perfect morning. The beach was clean and there were very few people. It was so relaxing to lay on the sand and listen to the ocean. I’m going to try to go out there more often (but only in the mornings).

Photo by Tom Dennis/Buffablog

Friday night, Ed & I went to the Brooklyn Academy of Music for a music festival called Crossing Brooklyn Ferry, curated by brothers, Bryce and Aaron Dessner, of The National.

The two bands we were mainly there to see were The Antlers and St.Vincent. I’d seen The Antlers play before, when they opened for The National almost two years ago, but had not seen St. Vincent live.

Can I just tell you – AMAZING.

St.Vincent was so much more than I ever expected. She (Annie Clark) is such a talented musician, trained at probably the most prestigious classical music school in the country, yet a punk rocker at heart. Just when I started to think her sound reminded me of Bjørk or The Breeders/Throwing Muses, it changed and threw me off completely. Her sound is so individual and omg, the way she plays electric guitar… oh my gawd. This chick even came out into the audience and CROWD surfed!

Seriously, this was the best show I’ve seen in a really long time. We’ve been playing her music pretty non-stop at home all weekend.

Easter Sunday was a beautiful day in Brooklyn. We met friends for brunch at this newish restaurant, Isa, which is owned (and designed) by Taavo Somer, owner of Freemans in the LES. I immediately fell in love with the interior. Isa is so unique and beautifully designed. It feels rough, but every detail is intentional. In this NY Times piece, Somer calls it primitive modernism and it is so fitting. It has clean, yet natural lines. It is bright, airy and very cozy – like a sophisticated treehouse for adults. Brunch was quite good, but I really want to go back for dinner. Eggs are never really the best barometer for experiencing a chefs talents.

After brunch, we walked around Williamsburg. The neighborhood was so nice and quiet. We stopped by Beautiful Dreamers, a few other great boutiques and of course Mast Brothers Chocolate for Easter treats. We ended up for longer than I care to tell at Radegast Biergarten. Please note my new easter egg clogs – they make me happy!

Sometimes it seems to be the people with the most insane ideas who do the greatest things. Brooklyn Grange got funded through Kickstarter in 2010 with the crazy brilliant idea of building a commercial rooftop farm on an acre of building in NYC. They did it Long Island City and it has been so successful that they are now working on a second location, in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where my studio is.

The BNY farm will fill 45,000-square-foot of rooftop and it will supply local restaurants, shops and people like me with fresh, organic produce. I can’t wait.

*Image courtesy of livelocalsource.com