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Showing posts with label Detroit Fashion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Detroit Fashion. Show all posts
Rusty Blazenhoff
Laughing Squid
At the recent IDEO-hosted craft festival, Wunderfaire, I met Dustin Page, the founder of Platinum Dirt, an Oakland-based company that makes fashion accessories and jackets out of reclaimed leather automobile upholstery. At Wunderfaire, he had on display one of his VIN Jackets, a motorcycle-style jacket made out of (in this case, Cadillac) upholstery and parts. It not only used the leather from old Cadillac seats, it also incorporated its hood ornament (as a zipper pull), its embroidered wreath (as a sort of perfectly-placed crest), its metal logo and its metal VIN tag (as an adornment). The VIN Jacket is a special order and can be made with leather from Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz, Lincoln, BMW, or Volvo vehicles.
All of the Platinum Dirt products are available to order online.
Michigan Radio
Sewing together a new industry
A small group of Michigan designers and economic development officials are headed to Turkey for a week-long trade trip.
The group believes Michigan’s garment industry is up-and-coming, and they hope the trade trip will spur on partnerships with Turkey’s textile suppliers and buyers.
Eleanor Fuchs believes the garment industry "has the potential to be a multi-million if not billion dollar industry here in Michigan."
Fuchs is with the Prima Civitas Foundation, which is spearheading the new Michigan Garment Industry Council. She hopes the trade trip to Turkey will spur on partnerships with buyers and suppliers.
Click HERE to listen to the full audio!
Click Below For More Information On:
WORKROOM
Fotoula Lambros Design
Hatch Detroit Contest
Whip Hand Cosmetiques
ARTEFUSE
"An Empire State of Fashion"
Arte Fuse relentlessly gives you what’s the latest on all visual arts with coverage on gallery opening receptions, special museum exhibits, art fairs and the like but we love to mix things up here. In honor of upcoming Fashion Week in February, Arte Fuse decided to make a cameo appearance at an Art-Fashion Event held at the Empire Hotel last January 27, 2012. The Art of Fashion and Herbert Fox Productions with collaboration from DMA Productions, LLC held a rooftop extravaganza of an art reception featuring juried artists and two young fashion designers with a runway show.
The artworks presented were various representational or abstracts from a lively set of young artists. Presenting such works in a venue of the hotel’s rooftop can be quite a challenge but it gets the work seen. Nowadays, one must think outside of the box when it comes to organizing and having a group show. The gallery format is not the sole dictator of how art gets shown in the city. It takes an entrepreneurial spirit and ingenuity to stage an event where art can be seen in unlikely venues. The Art of Fashion used to have a steady venue at the Hotel Chelsea on 23rd Street but once that sold and became a private condo, the entire show must move on. This has transcended to a more daring leap into searching for other venues where even for a special one-night event can showcase the youngest and freshest talents in the New York art scene.
Clothes are a mode of self-expression just as artists express themselves through their work. It is not an unlikely pairing to have fashion be a tandem to art on this very night. The Young Designer’s Showcase featured the work of two designers on the cusp of staking their claim on the glamorous but tempestuous world of New York fashion. First is a fresh talent motoring her way from Detroit, Michigan is the unique funky styles of Fotoula Lambros Design. Her garments can be worn in infinite possibilities plus it is made from sustainable/organic fabrics. The whole design firm is based in Motor City and they plan to make a major presence in the Empire State. Second to present is a local designer from Brooklyn – Bianca Frazier of Strange Vixens Inc. Her take is the Mod inspired 1960’s with her playful lingerie ensembles and party wear. Fashion models were booked by DMA as well. It felt officially the start of Fashion Week and it just whets your appetite.
A lot of the common stories from the people attending is that they’re all from the other parts of the country but chose to follow their passions. This is the American way and very much the drive of why a lot of hopeful creative types take their chance here in New York City. Art & Fashion are two worlds intricately woven into the glittering tapestry of what makes this city so alluring.
Event was held at rooftop of: The Empire Hotel. 44 West 63rd Street. NYC, NY 10023 (between Columbus & Broadway)
THIS WEEKEND! Sunday Funday December 11th at Dolce Moda 1p-8p.
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| Photo from AP |
A growing number of high-profile people are trying to capitalize on the Motor City’s rising reputation for being cool by offering Detroit-themed fashion nationwide and internationally.
Denise Ilitch is the latest Detroit-area designer to embrace the Made in Michigan theme, preparing to launch more jewelry and apparel next month from her Birmingham-based Denise Ilitch Designs.
And Joe Faris of "Project Runway" cable television fame plans to bring his own line of "industrial couture" clothing to stores Aug. 1, joining Detroit-area musician Kid Rock in the ranks of pro-Detroit marketers.
Though Detroit has made international news with its economic, political and pro football woes, the fashion resurgence shows "no place is just its headlines," said Birmingham-based brand consultant Mark Lantz.
"This new surge in Detroit spirit — particularly as it reaches beyond the hometown audience — is a way of putting the other side of the story out there," he said.
"When you buy a new Mac or iPad or iPod or whatever," Lantz said, "somewhere on the packaging when you first open it is the same five word sentence: ’Designed by Apple in California.’ Not just ’Designed by Apple,’ but ’Designed by Apple in California.’ That’s the kind of attitude we need more of in Detroit."
Detroit is home to Ilitch, whose family owns Little Caesars Pizza, MotorCity Casino Hotel as well as the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers. Denise Ilitch Designs sells $25 graffiti-splashed Detroit logo T-shirts alongside $1,150 drusy and mother of pearl sterling silver bracelets — both designed by Ilitch herself — in the front of the office where she co-publishes Ambassador magazine.
DID has gained attention from the Detroit area’s fashion-forward since launching in 2005, but the company is trying to grow nationally, reaching out to Detroit expatriates in cities from New York to Los Angeles to market the MotorCity-themed clothing line.
The company has focused on word-of-mouth marketing and is featured in fashion spreads in Ilitch’s Ambassador magazine.
But "there is always potential for an international market," she said. "With the growth of social media and the Internet, the world becomes much smaller."
Ilitch is expanding her line of clothing and jewelry next month with the arrival of Detroit-themed charms, including the Olde English Detroit Tigers "D” and the Red Wings’ octopus mascot. There also will be a collection of 20 scarves, ranging from a $35 gauze shawl to a $400 hand-beaded gold lam�© wrap.
One lesson Ilitch learned at Ambassador is that "positive news sells," she said. "It is incredibly fulfilling to feature our community in a positive way."
Click HERE for the rest of this article!
The New Detroit: From Robot Clothes To Luxe Jeans
Sonari Glinton
NPR
Detroit is struggling to revive its once-dominant auto industry. But if one businessman has his way, the Motor City could soon be known for a different kind of sleek line — fashionable blue jeans, made with the same technology used to clothe robots.
This tale of transformation begins with Mark D'Andreta, a tailor's son who runs a company that for years has fed off the auto industry. TD Industrial Coverings makes protective "clothing" for the robots that are used to make cars.
Apparently robots, like humans, have delicate parts. The machines need to keep the oil, dust and grime away in order to function properly.
Until recently, 95 percent of D'Andreta's robot-clothing business was in the automotive arena. But then the car business crashed and he had to slash his workforce by 100 people, to just 30.
"It almost took us out completely," D'Andreta says. "So, we made the decision that we needed to reach out to take what we do really well and map it outside of automotive."
The company's strength is that it can make patterns and prototypes for garments very quickly. And D'Andreta has a love for fashion — his father, who started the company more than 25 years ago, had been the chief tailor at a department store in Detroit. So, D'Andreta began thinking about making clothes for people, too.
A Partner From 'Project Runway'
D'Andreta needed a partner to help translate robot fashion into fashion for people. So, he turned to Joe Faris, a former contestant on Project Runway, the cable TV fashion design competition.
A robot decked out in its finest attire. The clothing helps protect robots' delicate parts from messy situations in factories.
A robot decked out in its finest attire. The clothing helps protect robots' delicate parts from messy situations in factories.
Faris was looking for a place in his hometown of Detroit to make the clothes he loves — blue jeans. So, he and D'Andreta joined forces and established Motor City Denim Co.
"The jean captures what Detroit is," Faris says. "We can dress up the jean all we want, but there is a production element of it. And that's where I felt like we could do this here."
At the factory where TD Industrial Coverings makes robot clothes, workers are making stiff, dark blue dress jeans inspired by the Motor City. The jeans will go on sale in March for $150 a pair at retail stores.
A New Fashion Capital?
Faris says Detroit has the design, engineers and production expertise to make it a fashion capital.
D'Andreta says he's hoping to attract other designers with ideas. He hopes he can provide them with a space and the facilities to make all sorts of garments on large and small scales.
He says he'll still make robot clothes. But D'Andreta hopes people fashion will account for 50 percent of TD Industrial Coverings' business in five years. That way, if the auto industry falls again, he'll have another leg to stand on.
The line for men and women will include jeans, skirts, dresses, western shirts, T-shirts, outerwear and accessories. Branded "Industrial Couture" by Faris, the collection will mix high-fashion elements with industrial edge, such as an evening dress made of denim. The line, which will be ready for wholesale October 1, will begin arriving in stores in early 2011.
By partnering with TDIC, Inc., the designer and manufacturer of protective robotic covers for more than 30 years, in Sterling Heights, all it took was minor retooling of existing machinery, plus a couple of jeans-specific machines, and the factory was ready for production. Faris added Taylor-based Arrow Uniform as his denim-wash facility, plus local screen printers and embroiderers to create an all-Michigan production team.
The partnership with TD Industrial Coverings, which took six months to establish, was the culmination of 10 years of planning for Faris, which switched into high gear when he landed on Season 5 of Project Runway, in 2008, finishing in the top 6 of 16 contestants, which ended with his collection on the runway at Bryant Park in New York.
Faris, who has designed for several brands, including Bugle Boy, Ralph Lauren, Pelle Pelle, Perry Ellis, Schott NYC and Made In Detroit, moved closer to his goal of a Detroit garment industry by co-founding Fashion In Detroit, a multi-show runway event, which made its debut last year.
"One of the goals for Fashion In Detroit was to put a spotlight on this area and get automotive companies to realize they can gear part of their business toward local fashion designers, giving them the ability to make their garments here," Faris says.
Abby WilcoxJustinTimberlake.com
Excerpt from "The Etsy Marketplace: A Thriving Artistic Outlet"
If you haven't yet hopped on Etsy, you are missing out.
Etsy has burgeoned recently as an online marketplace for creatives to vend their handmade items...
Like a virtual flea market, on Etsy, you can find anything from vinyl wall decals to furniture made from cow hide to air plants! In fact, some venders make a solid living (more than 100k) selling their creations. Not a bad gig, huh?
We spent a little tlme selecting a few retro peices here to help appease your inner fashion guru:
Tired of the boring daily grind necktie? The detailed graphics on the neckties by Cyberoptix Tielab from Detroit are silkscreened to perfection and sent in a gift box, no matter what the occasion.
Beginning April 27, those interested can upload an image of their original design to the BravoBravo! website, www.bravobravo.org. The design with the most votes will receive two tickets to BravoBravo!, will be showcased during BravoBravo!, and will receive a feature article in 944 Magazine.
Fashion students, amateurs, and professionals are all invited to participate in the contest. All entries must be received by May 28. The contest winner will be announced June 2. Only Michigan residents are eligible to participate.
Entrants Must Provide:
1 photo - 800pixels x 600pixels; File can be up to 5 megabytes
Short Bio - up to 280 characters
Email address and contact information
About BravoBravo!
In its 11th year, BravoBravo!, presented by Bank of America, will take place 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Friday, June 4, 2010 at the Detroit Opera House, 1526 Broadway, in Detroit. The event, coordinated by the young professionals group of the Michigan Opera Theatre Volunteer Association (MOTVA) brings together the city's top restaurants, showcases its best live musical acts and draws thousands of revelers all in support of Michigan Opera Theatre (MOT).
BravoBravo! supports the continued success and daily operation of Michigan Opera Theatre. In 2009, BravoBravo! drew a record crowd of over 2,000 young professionals and raised over $180,000 to support MOT. For 2010, organizers aim for a goal of $250,000 to support MOT's artistic and educational programs. Since its inception, BravoBravo! has raised more than $833,000 and is considered a critical fundraising effort for Michigan Opera Theatre.
Tickets are $85 during the month of April, $95 during May and $105 during June. Tickets may be purchased at the Detroit Opera House box office, by phone at (313) 237-SING, or online at www.bravobravo.org. The event is expected to sell out.
BravoBravo! attendees must be 21 or older.
About BravoBravo! Fashion Design Contest
BravoBravo! fashion design contest is coordinated by Ohm Creative Group, provided by 323East. 323 East is a collection of creative energy materialized in a smashup of art, culture, lifestyle and creativity. Located 20 minutes north of Detroit in Royal Oak, MI; 323East is home to over 100 artists with rotating works in a variety of mediums. Recent solo exhibitions include local and international artists Glenn Barr, Ron Zakrin, and David Foox. In addition to the gallery, 323East's new boutique offers 400 square feet of extra space dedicated to handmade goods by local and international artists including jewelry, handbags, clothing and more. find out more online at www.323east.com
The high style event shows no signs of stopping. Organizers have announced the second Fashion In Detroit events are set for Friday-Saturday, March 19-20 at Shed 3 in Detroit’s Eastern Market.
Set to rival more established Fashion Week events in such stylish cities as New York and Los Angeles, Fashion In Detroit drew a crowd of more than 1,000 on Oct. 1-2, to the Detroit Zoo, in Royal Oak, Mich. Related events like the elegant AfterGlow welcomed more than 1,200 people. Fashion In Detroit provided more than $16,000 in cash and in-kind donations to local charities and non-profit organizations – all in the name of fashion.
“We did what we set out to do,” said Karen Buscemi, host of Fashion In Detroit and a member of the executive committee. “We put Detroit on the map as a place to go for fashion.”
Fashion In Detroit achieved its goal of spotlighting Michigan talent and breaking the boundaries of a primarily automotive manufacturing past. This came as little surprise to the event’s creators, a team comprised of Detroit’s heaviest hitters in fashion, beauty and event management.
Those executive committee members are Project Runway’s Joe Faris, a Troy resident; Leslie Ann Pilling, president of Presence II Productions and Leslie Ann Pilling Design; Rino Marra, owner of Birmingham’s FIGO salon; Karen Buscemi, editor of StyleLine magazine; Lians Jadan, international fashion photographer and co-owner of LM Studios; and K’Kio Hardin, international designer/art director.
“Fashion in Detroit has elevated the standards for all fashion shows here in Michigan,” said Rino Marra. “It has really made an impact on the entire fashion community here. We plan to keep that momentum going and to surpass the high standards we set in October during our second event in March.”
By moving Fashion In Detroit within Detroit’s city limits, the event stands to embrace the Motor City in an even more profound way.
Fashion in Detroit will again donate a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales to a local charity. This time around the recipient is Forgotten Harvest. And a local designer will receive a grant to participate in the show.
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