About Williamsburg Fashion Weekend

Covering Williamsburg Fashion Weekend this September, GrungeCake is proud to share the details of the weekend!

Williamsburg Fashion Weekend continues to show the work of designers who have their fingers on the hip and now, with a nod to the past and wide-open eyes on the future. In this, our seventh season, we’ve assembled a dozen young designers who make one-of-a-kind garments or small-run collections, with an emphasis on fair-trade, eco-friendliness, artisan techniques and transparent business practices, celebrating the handmade and the visionary.

WFW provides a platform for emerging designers who display their collections in non-traditional formats from live music and dance to choreographed mixed media extravaganzas.

Arthur Arbit, founder and curator of WFW, has a passion for the unwavering, personal, take-no-prisoners aesthetic vision. A designer and fine artist himself, he is interested in combining all forms of performance art into his fashion shows.

This season’s event will be held at Glasslands Gallery, located at 289 Kent Ave. Williamsburg, Brooklyn on September 17th and 18th, 2010. Doors open at 8pm. Entry is $8.

www.glasslands.blogspot.com
www.williamsburgfashionweekend.com

Friday, 17 September

Designers:

Saddle Tramps Collection
saddletrampscollection.com

Ruffeo Hearts Lil’ Snotty

King Gurvy

Total Crap Uninc.

SDN

Noname Collective

Live Performances by

Bermuda Bonnie

http://www.myspace.com/bermudabonnie

Pink Stallone

http://www.pinkstallone.com

DJs

Hamish Kilgour

K0unt Zyr0

Madame Arthur

Saturday, 18 September

Designers:

Rawan Rihani

Sasha Vetrov

Desira Pesta

Jillian Lanier

Minnae Chae

Robot Death Cult

Live Performances by

Food Stamps

http://www.myspace.com/foodstamps

Magic Report

http://myspace.com/themagickreport

DubKnowDub

What: Williamsburg Fashion Weekend
When: Friday 17, September, Saturday 18, September, 2010
Doors open at 8:00 pm
Who: Twelve local and national designers plus art, dance and live music performances
Where: Glasslands Gallery 289 Kent Ave. Williamsburg, Brooklyn
How: $8 cover, no advance tickets

Contact: Arthur Arbit
williamsburgfashionweekend@yahoo.com

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[media-credit name="Richardine Bartee" align="alignnone" width="800"][/media-credit]

MASNYC + Design Trust Panel

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The Municipal Art Society of New York (MASNYC) + Design Trust For Public Space panel discussion with special guest Tim Gunn of Project Runway June 8, 2010. MAS fights for intelligent urban design, planning and preservation through education, dialogue and advocacy. For more information, kindly visit http://designtrust.org/ and http://mas.org/

Photo: djimages.biz

Blurb from Ny Wesson:

Pulling threads to the extreme length, Jeantrix Co. walks in the door with an ass full of tulle and a mouth full of leather. ‘Probably does not make sense, but that is the beauty of it! I was super stoked to snag an interview with this bold adventurous line and finally knowing what makes us Jeantrix Junkies.

Photo: Salvador Ochoa + Saul

GrungeCake: I may know my history on Jeantrix Co., but you could put it in better words than I can. Let our readers know what the company is, who all is involved and how did the name come about.

Jeantrix: Jeantrix is a clothing line based out of the Philadelphia area. The clothes are a mixture of fantasy and fun incorporated into fashion. Currently, there are two owners/designers of the company (Nyce and Homm). The name came about from us brainstorming and saying, “our jeans were doing tricks.” Corny, but it worked. (Laughs)

GrungeCake: Is there a message Jeantrix is trying to spread? If so, please do tell.

Jeantrix: Our message is to be different; there are no rules to fashion. Fashion has lost its fun since the 80′s, so we are bringing that back.

GrungeCake: Do you prefer sketching designs or actually constructing them?

Jeantrix: We prefer constructing designs, because when you sketch them you limit yourself to what’s on the paper. It’s kind of like free styling and letting your ideas flow.

GrungeCake: Tell us about the process of designing the futuristic construction of Jeantrix Co.

Jeantrix: The process we go by is: Inspiration (from any and everything i.e. movies, music, life itself) Brainstorming (coming up with different random themes for the new collections) Conception (picking a concept or theme for the collection that we agree on) and last but not least, construction of the clothes.

Photo: djimages.biz

GrungeCake: What do you like best about designing clothes?

Jeantrix: The best part about designing clothes are the creative process (each new collection is as if the company gave birth to a new child) and the positive feedback we get from the fans or as we call them “Jeantrix Junkies.”

GrungeCake: What do you believe are the downfalls of designing?

Jeantrix: The only downfall is the reinvention of fashion. In other industries you can base your entire career on the same image, however in fashion you have to reinvent yourself. Also, there are only downfalls in life — if you allow them to be downfalls’ — so staying positive is a must.

GrungeCake: How would you define the style your line exemplifies?

Jeantrix: The style of the line is really fantasy and fun and it depends on each collection. It can be anything from 80′s (when we first started) grunge to Harajuku, or even pop inspired/themed.

GrungeCake: What are some of your fashion goals?

Jeantrix: Our fashion goals are to be in stores worldwide, to style more top celebrities, and to allow our consumers to feel like they are not just wearing clothing, but they are wearing an actual “look”.

GrungeCake: Where do you get your inspiration and how does that translate in some of Jeantrix’s work?

Jeantrix: Our inspiration can come from anything from TV, music, pop culture, super heroes, or even trash. (One man’s trash is another man’s gold) (Laughs) I always wanted to be a trash man. (Laughs)

GrungeCake: What are some of your favorite fashion websites and magazines? I know GrungeCake is one of them — (laughs)

Jeantrix: Well, of course GrungeCake. (Laughs) Italian Vogue, Bazaar magazine, comic books. As far as websites, fashion blogs are currently what’s in now, especially jeantrixclothingco.blogspot.com

GrungeCake: What other experiences do you have in the fashion industry (stylist, retail, marketing, etc.)?

Jeantrix: We both have retail experience, styling for celebrities and magazine photo shoots. We are currently working on a lot of marketing and P.R. work.

GrungeCake: What are your favorite colors to work with and why?

Jeantrix: Oddly enough, our favorite color to work with is black. You wouldn’t think that, because of all the colors we add to the clothes. Black brings everything together and makes certain colors pop. It is the most versatile color there is.

Photo: Lindsay Husk Photography

GrungeCake: What are your favorite fabrics to work with?

Jeantrix: Our favorite fabrics are tulle, lace, leather, and felt. Every collection we try to work with more and more different types of fabrics.

GrungeCake: What advice do you have for aspiring fashion designers?

Jeantrix: Our advice is to just do it. People make accomplishing a goal harder than what it is. If you are a musician, then make music. if you want to be an astronaut, then go to the moon. (Laughs) It’s like the law of attraction, sometimes you don’t have to necessarily know how you’re going to accomplish things. All you know is that you will accomplish them and that’s all you need. We all have been told “you can be anything you want to be” and it’s truer today than ever before.

GrungeCake: Where can readers purchase Jeantrix Co.?

Jeantrix: Readers or Jeantrix Junkies can purchase the clothes on our eBay store (type in “Jeantrix” in the search bar). We will be in stores within a few months so stay tuned. Also the official website will be up this summer! (Smiles)

GrungeCake: We hope we satisfied your sweet tooth and Jeantrix comes back for some homemade GrungeCake.

Jeantrix: Thanks for the awesome interview!

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Photos: Resin Denim

Blurb from YAMS:

Headlined “Enough with the Leggings! Why Resin Makes Us Want to Wear Jeans Again“, Chelsea Zalopany writes about how the designers met, what makes them different in the cult pool of jean designers, how much their brand costs, the connection with Paper Denim & Clothing, the fit and last, but definitely not least, our love Ibrahim Ahmed III’s contribution to the jeans. See my interview with Mr. Ahmed by kindly clicking here. To read the article on Vogue.com, kindly click here!

From Vogue.com written by Chelsea Zalopany:

There is something indubitably American about (a) denim and (b) two brainy, hustling New York City hipsters. Chantel Valentene, a native of Brooklyn, first met the small-town Louisianan Durango Adams while they were both studying at the Fashion Institute of Technology. After five years of freelance designing, these self-proclaimed “denim-heads” quietly launched their jeans line, Resin—you might have stumbled across it in Barneys—at the end of last year—with the help of friend and co-founder of Paper Denim & Cloth Chris Gilbert. “We all brainstormed for months on why there needs to be another denim brand in the market,” says Valentene.
Clearly they thought one does. What separates Resin from the glut of denim labels is its inventive approach to the most utilitarian fabric on the planet. The name of the brand derives from their use of synthetic resins (usually it’s a natural substance found in plants and trees). “Resin, the chemical solution, changed the face of the denim industry from the basic stone and acid washes of the eighties to the crisp and gloss-coated unwashed denim of today,” explains Valentene.

Technicalities aside, it’s evident they’re doing something right from the looks of the brand’s body-hugging burnished skinny, the Lariat ($148), which is manipulated to instantly feel worn-out while being soft to the touch. Or their subtly washed black-garnet signature skinny jean, the Catalyst ($154). The Artisan denim trouser ($154)—which brought them to our attention—takes its cue from menswear. “We’ve relaxed the fit and shortened the length to keep it sexy yet comfortable,” says Adams. There is an artsy (installment artist Ibrahim Ahmed III designed artwork for the pocket linings) and organic feel to the label, which is as effortlessly cool as this pair of jeans-obsessed designers.

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Photos: Lime Crime Make-Up

Blurb from YAMS:

I am a fan of Jeantrix and Raquel Reed, so it was only a matter of time. Doe Deere is so bright, it’s illegal! Their worlds are magically delicious, aesthetically. Below, I have embedded two videos: a make-up tutorial using Doe Deere’s Lime Crime Make-Up and one of Raquel Reed and Doe Deere getting ready for a Jeantrix fashion show. For more about Lime Crime Make-Up, kindly click here. Glitter.

Lime Crime Make-Up’s Bio:

Like most real-life fairy tales, Lime Crime began as one girl’s dream to make the world a brighter place. It all started in 2008 when NYC-based makeup artist, lifestyle blogger, and self-proclaimed “Unicorn Queen” Doe Deere realized she couldn’t find makeup bright enough for her tastes. Lime Crime Make-Up fills the voids in the makeup universe where “whimsical” and “high quality” are rarely found together.

Lime Crime creates the most intensely pigmented, premier dare-to-wear cosmetics with unmatched color payoff and saturation to create looks as vivid, quirky, and unique as our customers. Distinct colorful packaging adorned with a silver unicorn – our mascot – makes every application a fantastical event.

GrungeCake: If someone wanted to ‘outshine’ Lime Crime, would it be illegal to do so? In other words, is your product design and product covered under a patent?

Lime Crime: Yes, everything is protected – to the extent that it can be protected. I mean, anyone can make a green eye shadow or an orange lipstick. (Smiles) We do believe in offering the best balance of color payoff and quality that is chemically possible. (Smiles)

GrungeCake: Explain to aspiring product designers and commercial artists how necessary is it to patent or trademark your name; product and service.

Lime Crime: 100% necessary; it’s the first thing you do when you start a business. It would be a shame to develop a following only to find out your name’s already taken! In fact, I deem it so important I only trust the professionals to handle it.

GrungeCake: For the carnivores and non-vegans around the world, what does it mean to have vegan products? What’s different about vegan products?

Lime Crime: Vegan products contain no animal products. None. Zilch. Including beeswax. To have a vegan formula means to find ways to substitute animal-derived ingredients with synthetic equivalents.

GrungeCake: Do you wear and use other brands?

Lime Crime: Absolutely! I love Lipstick Queen, Illamasqua, my foundation is from L’Oreal… I use a variety of brands on a daily basis.

GrungeCake: Is your make-up good for children in the entertainment business?

Lime Crime: I’ve never considered this, but I don’t see why it couldn’t be used on younger humans. (Smiles)

GrungeCake: What does SpaceNK mean to Lime Crime as a brand? Does this venture widen your audience? By how many?

Lime Crime: Launching in SpaceNK is a huge deal for us. They are the #1 makeup store in the U.K. with stores on every corner, including Scotland and Ireland (Sephora withdrew from the U.K. market because they couldn’t compete with SpaceNK). They also have 13 locations in the U.S. To have SpaceNK on our team is a dream come true and we hope to be working with them for a long, long time! Wish us luck with the launch! :)

Lime Crime will be available at all SpaceNK locations in April 2010.

Photos: Courtesy of Andrea Andújar

Blurb from Ny Wesson

Without a doubt, accessories could be the main key to compliment your outfit. Whether it’s an elegant pearl necklace or studded frame specs, it does the job. The mother and daughter duo, Andrea Andujar has built a line of fine jewelry to match all styles and personalities. Interviewing these lovely ladies was an honor and I’ve gained a higher level of appreciation for jewelry designers.

Andrea Andújar’s Jewelry’s Bio:

Andrea Andújar is a unique and distinctive jewelry line based in Spain with an international presence. AA is the creation of a mother and daughter duo, Elena and Andrea. They travel extensively to get inspiration and to purchase materials, stones and fabrics from different places around the world. The handmade pieces are exquisitely detailed and present unusual and highly creative combinations of materials such as semi precious stones, gemstones, pearls and leather. They both have extensive experience designing beautifully crafted jewelry pieces for leading premium labels and boutiques.

There are two main collections: Red Label: young style and Black Label: sophisticated contemporary style.

GrungeCake: To give our readers a better description about Andrea Andújar, please tell a little about yourselves. Where are you both from?

Andrea Andújar: My partner is from Vasque Country and I from Mallorca. Actually, I live in Barcelona and my partner in Mallorca.

GrungeCake: What are your professional and non-professional interests?

Andrea Andújar: Grow up as much as possible in all senses!

GrungeCake: What does designing mean to AA?

Andrea Andújar: Designing means playing with materials and converting them into pieces of jewelry, that can be worn, in order to keep playing with fashion.

GrungeCake: How would you define your products?

Andrea Andújar: Little pieces of imagination.

GrungeCake: If any, what specific type of people do you believe Andrea Andújar most appeal to?

Andrea Andújar: Any woman who believes in herself and likes to make herself pretty.

GrungeCake: When did you both realize you wanted to become jewelry designers?

Andrea Andújar: Actually, it was more like a slow process. I’ve always seen my mother designing wonderful things; she is the mind behind this project. She was the one who taught me everything and who got me into this magical world, and suddenly one day, we were formalizing our ideas and creating a company.

GrungeCake: What was the first article of jewelry you ever designed?

Andrea Andújar: A beautiful necklace made of pearls, glass and black chains, and a type of jewelry that was style breaking. I’ll always remember it. A good friend of mine owns it now, and every time I see it, it evokes nice memories.

GrungeCake: How does designing jewelry differ from designing clothes?

Andrea Andújar: I’ve been working in both fields. I also like designing clothes, but I prefer jewelry and all you can create with it: beads, brass, silver, tools, structures. I think you can play more with materials.

GrungeCake: How long does it usually take to construct a piece?

Andrea Andújar: Of course, all depends of the kind of piece of jewelry I want to create. In general, it takes me from about 3 hours to 2 days.

GrungeCake: Some may think designing jewels may be an easy task and forget to appreciate the time and effort it takes. Describe the general process/es you go through to design and realize a piece.

Andrea Andújar: Like everything hand-made, it always takes a while. We do not make a drawing, which means that all ideas come from our minds. After that, you look for the material that best suits what you want to create, start making samples and you start playing… which is the most fun. At the end, comes the process to adapt and test the piece of jewelry, see that everything works as expected.

GrungeCake: I understand that Andrea Andújar is based in Spain, but with such an international presence, will AA branch off to the states?

Andrea Andújar: Yes, of course! At this moment, we are starting to sell on a designer’s website in Florida. We are also trying to sell in New York, where we have a good acceptation. Step by step!

GrungeCake: Who are some of your favorite designers? Explain.

Andrea Andújar: Alexander McQueen, without doubt: fantastic structures, the materials he used, his originality and fantasy in his designs and the power they had — impressive! Lanvin, because of his elegance. Amaya Arzuaga (Spanish designer), for her power. Balenciaga, sophisticated.

GrungeCake: What are some of your accomplishments as designers?

Andrea Andújar: The simple fact of founding our company, which has been a dream, is a great accomplishment. We are now starting to design for other designers, which I just love — to be able to share ideas with another creative person — it’s very enriching!

GrungeCake: Where can readers buy your jewelry?

Andrea Andújar: In these moments, we have our products in different shops in Madrid, Barcelona, Mallorca, and San Sebastian and in La Coruña. Also, we have products on these websites: www.touch2give.com and www.mocashop.com

Photos: http://flyingmouse365.com

Blurb from YAMS:

Telling stories through t-shirts is their motto and we are listening. For more, kindly click here.

Flying Mouse’s Mission:

The FM 365 project is the result of Flying Mouse’s Project of doing one design per day for a whole year! Every week there will be 7 new products available! These 7 new products will be available for a quick pre-sale at a lower price for the entire week and once the week ends there will be 7 newer products to replace them and so on. These designs are printed on super-soft American Apparel tees so you can wear your favorite Flying Mouse designs in comfort everywhere you go!

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Photos: Pegleg NYC

Blurb from YAMS:

Pegleg crazy lady, would be me. I have been ‘after’ Pegleg products since the Multicolor Jacket. Though I am not ‘watch-crazy’, I’d take it there with the floral option. PEGLEG NYC presents two new G-Shock styles in line with Casio’s “Shock the World” campaign. Available now through the PEGLEG NYC online shop.

Photos: naginoda.com

Blurb from YAMS:

野田 凪 Nagi Noda.

野田 凪 Nagi Noda’s Bio:

Among her works are the short film Mariko Takahashi’s Fitness Video for Being Appraised as an “Ex-fat Girl“, the half-panda-half-something-else Hanpanda life-sized figures, and the video for Japanese singer Yuki’s song “Sentimental Journey“. Other works include direction of a television advertisement for Coca-Cola (with music by Jack White), collaboration with Medicom Toy to produce Nagi Noda Be@rbrick and the video for “Hearts On Fire” by Cut Copy, it was the last music video she made.

Nagi died on September 7, 2008, at age 35, after surgical complications from injuries sustained in a traffic accident the previous year.

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Photos: Isabella Blow

Blurb from YAMS:

Isabella Blow > Lady Gaga

Isabella Blow’s Bio:

Isabella Blow was an English magazine editor and international style icon. The muse of hat designer Philip Treacy, she is credited with discovering the models Stella Tennant and Sophie Dahl as well as the fashion designer Alexander McQueen.

Blow moved to New York City in 1979 to study Ancient Chinese Art at Columbia University and shared a flat with the actress Catherine Oxenberg. A year later, she left the Art History programme at Columbia, moved to Texas, and worked for Guy Laroche. In 1981, she married her first husband, Nicholas Taylor (whom she divorced in 1983), and was introduced to the fashion director of the U.S. edition of Vogue, Anna Wintour. She was hired initially as Wintour’s assistant, but it was not long before she was assisting Andre Leon Talley, now U.S. Vogue’s editor-at-large. While working in New York, she befriended Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat. In 1986, Blow returned to London and worked for Michael Roberts, then the fashion director of Tatler and the Sunday Times Style magazine.

In 1989, Blow married her second husband, art dealer Detmar Blow, in Gloucester Cathedral; he is a grandson (and namesake) of the early 20th-century society architect Detmar Blow. Philip Treacy designed the bride’s wedding headdress and a now-famous fashion relationship was forged. Realizing Treacy’s talent, Blow established Treacy in her London flat, where he worked on his collections. She soon began wearing Treacy’s hats, making them a signature part of her flamboyant style. In a 2002 interview with Tamsin Blanchard, Blow declared that she wore extravagant hats for a practical reason:

“…to keep everyone away from me. They say, Oh, can I kiss you? I say, No, thank you very much. That’s why I’ve worn the hat. Goodbye. I don’t want to be kissed by all and sundry. I want to be kissed by the people I love.”

In 1993, Blow worked with the photographer Steven Meisel producing the Babes in London shoot featuring Plum Sykes, Bella Freud, and Honor Fraser. Blow had a natural sense of style and a good feeling for future fashion directions. She discovered Alexander McQueen and purchased his entire graduate collection for ₤5,000, paying it off in weekly ₤100 installments. Spotting Sophie Dahl, Blow described Dahl as “a blow up doll with brains”, and launched the model’s career.

Isabella Blow arrives as a guest at the Turner Prize, December 2005.

Blow was the fashion director of Tatler and consulted for DuPont Lycra, Lacoste, and Swarovski. In 2002, she became the subject of an exhibition entitled When Philip met Isabella, featuring sketches and photographs of her wearing Treacy’s hat designs.

In 2005, Blow starred in a project by artist Matthieu Laurette, commissioned and produced by Frieze Projects 2005 and entitled “What Do They Wear at Frieze Art Fair?” It consisted of daily guided tours of Frieze Art Fair led by Blow and fellow international fashion experts Peter Saville, Kira Joliffe, and Bay Garnett.

Shortly before her death, she was the creative director and stylist of a series of books about beauty in the Arab world; the books were being produced by Kuwaiti fashion entrepreneur Sheikh Majed al-Sabah. Blow was dismissed from the project for unknown reasons and attempted suicide. For more about blow, kindly click here.

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