Upcoming Conferences in New York

A 1933 window display devoted to American designers at Lord & Taylor in Manhattan from the New York Times

April brings at least two conferences of interest. One is a rather large conference organized by FIT's Sustainability Group. While not focusing specifically on fashion, the conference does have a number or sections that revolve around organic textiles--cotton in particular, as well as one paper on the topic of Slow Design. Ambitiously titled "Putting Sustainability into Action," the conference is scheduled to take place on April 2nd and pre-registration is encouraged.

More specifically on fashion and much smaller in scope is the yearly Richard Martin Visual Culture Symposium organized by the MA in Costume Studies at NYU. This year's keynote speaker is Phyllis Magidson, Curator of Costumes and Textiles at The Museum of the City of New York who will speak on fashion in New York and Paris from 1914 to 1941--possibly an extension of the recent exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York "Paris/New York: Design Fashion Culture, 1925-1940."

Among the papers presented are "Fashion and Façade: Addressing and Undressing the Bourgeoisie in Emile Zola’s Pot-Bouille" by Jessica Pescosolido, "The Italian Look: Unique Synergies at Work" by Gabriella Pannunzio, "Shapewear: A Complicated Affair A Study in the Resurgence of Body Shapers Worn by American Women" by Ashley Cohen, and "Jungle Red and Dragon Ladies: American Femininities and the Modern Manicure" by Suzanne Shapiro. The symposium takes place on Friday April 3rd Friday from 6:00-8:00 in the Einstein Auditorium at 34 Stuyvesant Street.

Fashion For Action

Don't miss Housing Works' yearly benefit and sample sale. A venerable nonprofit organization—known for their pioneering work on behalf of the HIV-positive—is hosting their annual benefit at the Rubin Museum on Thursday November 13th. (The entry fee starts at $100—a relatively affordable benefit ticket!).

The organization is also known for its keen fashion sense as shown by the intriguing window display in their thrift stores across the city and their incredibly knowledgeable volunteer force, many of whom sport impressive fashion industry and editorial credentials. So make sure not to miss the sample sale on Friday November 14th at their Chelsea store location, which will feature designs by Philip Lim, Paul Smith, Yves Sain Laurent, Marc Jacobs and many others.

Frau Fiber, Knock Off Enterprises

UE Western Regional Council Building

"Frau Fiber, activist and textile worker, will mimic the expenditure of apparel production, reconstructing a white shirt and business suit originally produced offshore. A suit and shirt, the archetypal white-collar uniform, is an American icon, standing for quality, dependability and style, enhancing the wearer’s professional image.

The remade garments will be available for purchase in the storefront, priced on a geographical sliding scale (hours worked to make the reconstructed garment multiplied by the wage scale in the original garment’s country of manufacture—China, Guatemala, Taiwan—equals KO’s cost of the uniform)."

For detailed information on dates and locations, please visit Gallery 400

"Tescos’ White Collar Shirt, purchased for 4.50 euro; KO White Collar Shirt, assembled from recycled fancy dress."

Books on Fashion and Sustainability

If in London, don’t miss the London College of Fashion and the Centre for Sustainable Fashion’s celebration of the launch of Eco Chic The Fashion Paradox by Sandy Black. The event, which will take place Wednesday May 7th, will start with a a round table discussion and Q&A session with Abigail Petit of Gossypium, and Orsola de Castro of From Somewhere and will be followed by a book signing. (It is scheduled to take place at 6:00pm at the Terrace in the London College of Fashion, 20 John Princes Street, W1G 0BJ).

Also out is another book on echo fashion Sustainable Fashion and Textiles by the engaging theorist and practioner Kate Fletcher. The book which can be ordered on Design Journeys is sure to satisfy the need for practical as well as symbolic solutions to issues of sustainability in fashion. Fletcher is, in fact, one of the pre-eminent theorist/proponent of Slow Fashion—a concept, which developed after the Slow Food Movement, with the aim to create meaningful networks and relations through clothes by slowing down processes of productions, consumption and care.

Francesca

International Fiber Collaborative

International Fiber Collaborative, W.R.A.P.

The International Fiber Collaborative just completed their yearly project...The collaborative was started with "the goal to provide an opportunity for people who enjoy working with fiber arts, to come togethe to express their concern about the worlds extreme dependency on oil."

"This year’s project is called the World Reclamation Art Project (W.R.A.P.). Participants have crocheted, knitted, stitched, patched, or collaged 3 foot square fiber panels that expresses each participants concern about this topic. Simply by designing and creating these panels and participating in this project they are, in the larger picture, expressing their concern about this important subject to the rest of the world. All the panels have been sewn together to completely cover an abandoned gas station in central New York State."