A QUESTION OF the past

Article by Andrea Krystine

Here Ye, Here Ye!... or shall we say "Ahoy Matey"? Hot off the [screen printing] press come A QUESTION OF's two new ode-to-the-past prints; La Mariniére and Wisdom.

La Mariniére, originally made for the French Navy, has been respected by French sailors and adopted by designers such as Coco Chanel, and embraced by fashion houses like Gaultier and Galliano! This maritime icon has became one of fashions most prized and timeless patterns. 

"La Mariniér", designed by Jesper Sørensen

The Owl has long represented the symbol of knowledge, and A QUESTION OF's new print, Wisdom, reminds us that we must "choose and act wisely" when it comes to our existence. 

"Wisdom", designed by Kristina Dam

For more info and available tees, check out A QUESTION OF - a socially responsible T-shirt brand. 

The Green is Grasser

Article by Andrea Krystine

It's a Green Day Festival, "a multi-city campaign dedicated to connecting people to resources and information for a greener planet.." held their latest at Liberty Station Park in San Diego, CA. I went by to scope out the scene and take a gander at the grassy runway and Eco Fashion Show featuring local San Diegans.

Of the designer's showing, two were students from Fashion Careers College-- Jessica Serafin and Oseas Villatoro-- who utilized recycled materials and odd goods [like shower curtains!]
in their works.

For more info see www.thegreenexpo.net

Bedouin Treasures

Article by Andrea Krystine

News that a Vintage Collective/Art Gallery had opened up in San Diego gave me hope, inspiration and above all appreciation to those artists and vintage lovers who came together to fill a huge space with colorful modern art, eclectic retro furniture and nostalgic pieces from our past lives.

Owners Jan Welch and Jon Elliot invested their time and creative energies into designing Bedouin Vintage Collective, which offers home to artisans around San Diego who specialize in things like jewelry, home accessories and fun crafts. 

In addition to the wonderful treasures that are abundant within this boutique, The Collective seconds as an art gallery displaying unique pieces from artists all around the world.   

During my visit, I was lucky enough to snag a cut-off vintage Padres t-shirt and 1970's striped maxi halter dress... !

Be sure to visit the Bedouin Vintage Collective at 

2621 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego, CA 92104

Veja - Is Another World Possible?

Article by Camilla Doig Lorentzen

Veja is "just a drop in the ocean", they state on their website. Luckily for us, this drop exists and there are becoming more and more of them.

With organic cotton from the Northeast of Brazil, wild Amazonian rubber and ecological leather; Veja is working under three main principles:

1. Using ecological inputs

2. Using fair-trade cotton and latex

3. Respecting workers' dignity

In order to reduce CO2 emissions, all trainers and accessories are transported by boat from Porto Alegre, Brazil to Le Havre, France. From there they travel in barges along the canals to the Parisian suburbs.

They use recycled paper and cardboard for their packaging, and finally Veja uses ENERCOOP (a cooperative of green electricity) in their headquarters instead of EDF (the French national nuclear energy supplier).

"Let's try to offer a different vision which combines fair-trade and ecology and links together economy, social initiatives and the environment. A vision that proposes cultural change."

More in-depth information can be found on the Vela website.

Also...Check out this short film about the making-process of Veja-sneakers:

Veja Tauá Making Of from Veja on Vimeo.

Images from www.veja.fr.com  

A Purrrfect Sunday

Article by Andrea Krystine


While in the City of Angels, my friend and I decided to stretch our legs from all the wine and girl talk and go out into the hot, hot sun for an adventure in rummage shopping. Our journey took us to the marvelously never-ending and glorious Fairfax and Melrose flea market!

Oh what a treat to see so much random 'stuff' being reused and reconstructed into furniture, jewelry, clothing... they even had old vinyl (which actually made me nervous because the cement was super hot) and yummy snow cones!

Walking around and enjoying the ice cool cherry/lemon treat, my lovely friend and I ran into a tent full of amazing handmade and one-of-a-kind works by Purrr Remake - "Tokyo inspired remake clothing for LA hipstars". I took a peek at the designer's site when I got back into town and realized that her pieces sell in boutiques around Japan for about 3-times the price... So check out her etsy if your not near LA!

The rack was full of super cute rompers in all kinds of fun patterns; nauticals, plaids, stripes, and even funky prints. Each romper was also conveniently constructed with an adjustable drawstring that was designed to fit most.




A print dawned with black spotted kitties ended up being a fun retro-chic addition to my animal-loving friend Blair's wardrobe.




The Melrose Trading Post flea market is held every Sunday- totally worth checking out!

Fashion Spreads: Eco Romance

Photography: Julie Brothers
Art Direction and Producer: Rose Cefalu
Stylist: Miriam Sternoff
Bride & Bloom Magazine

Hopping on the "Zero-Waste" Train

Article by Andrea Krystine



Although many are adopting new means of fashionable consumption through wearing organic or buying second-hand, these acts alone are simply not going to cut it when it comes to making a dent of true sustainability in the fashion industry as we know it.

Reality Check: Because it is cheaper to dump fabric scraps than recycle them, 15-20% of apparel production fabric ends up as waste! (per NY Times)

A more efficient and thoroughly sustainable concept that will allow style to save us is Zero-Waste, a production process that has already been utilized in other countries, by designers like Zandra Rhodes and Mark Liu. Zero-Waste gives designers the challenge of using the entirety of their fabrics without any -or very little- waste. Involving much conception and intricate patterns, zero-waste planning must be carefully calculated in order to achieve ultimate utilization.

In September of this year, Parson New School for Design is offering the first U.S. fashion course in zero-waste. In addition to the publication of two new books on the subject, zero-waste has also inspired the A + D Gallery of Chicago that is planning for an exhibition dedicated to zero-waste fashions due March of 2011.

And so we are catching on. May I add a big F I N A L L Y ! ! ?

Images from Mark Liu Collections