These were only a smattering of the clothes donned by a roughly 40-person crowd—though it morphed in size over the course of the day—composed largely of teens in Tompkins Square Park on the afternoon of Saturday, Sept. 26. They were the hosts and attendees of climate activist group Extinction Rebellion (XR) Youth NYC’s “Guerilla Flea Market,” a community in which 23-year-olds are old and most members still attend high school, according to XR Youth U.S. Action Coordinator Alejandro Vasquez. While we didn’t cross paths during the event, he filled me in after the fact along with Lucia Harrison, another NYC-based activist and flea market organizer.

Clothes of similar styles to those sported by the XR Youth NYC members and guests hung coolly from the surrounding fence and lay on display across multi-colored fabric blankets. The young activists were dealing in goods from their own closets, catering to fellow XR Youth NYC members and to visitors of Tompkins Square Park who had heard of the event through word of mouth, according to 17-year-old Westchester native Harrison, who is a co-coordinator of XR Youth NYC’s “Fashion Task Force.”

Sharing the paved, performance-suited section of Tompkins Square was a punk rock band, with an equally easily-identifiable following of mohawk-wearing park-goers at their flank.

“It catches people’s attention,” explained 18-year-old Vasquez, adding, “especially when you have a bunch of young people and all in like, not weird clothing, but I feel like a lot of us are like, We’re different. We’re indie.”

XR Youth NYC came to Tompkins Square Park to cause a scene, albeit peacefully, according to Vasquez, after months of delay due to COVID-19. The park caters to a wide array of East Villagers—dog owners, basketball players, musicians, and more—allowing members of XR Youth NYC to simultaneously stand out (with their youth, their message, and their style) and fit in (like every other “individual” who frequents the down-to-earth East Village hang out). Now, the group is looking to attract new members through an “introduction call,” to be hosted over Zoom on Oct. 11, according to an XR Youth NYC Instagram post. Harrison said she viewed the flea market, one of the group’s latest organized events, as an outlet to engage and support the surrounding community.

“Just the idea of having the money go directly back into the community,” said Harrison, in a conversation over Zoom, “having it be like 60 percent has to be donated, was a way of giving back and doing something that would not only benefit the environment, in the fact that it’s all used clothing and it’s getting a new home rather than sitting somewhere or whatever, but also like physical money and food and supplies are going right back into communities that it can benefit directly.”

Now in her final year at Ardsley High School in Westchester County, New York, where she’s taking classes in-person two out of five days a week, with the rest taught online, Harrison first joined the fight for climate justice as an activist in the “Fridays for Future” movement, which was spurred by Greta Thunberg’s school strikes beginning in Aug. 2018, according to the FFF website. She joined XR Youth NYC in February and is determined to keep the group’s values alive beyond her dwindling time in high school.

“One of the main things about XRYNYC that makes it so special is the community and emphasis on regenerative culture, in ourselves and the communities we work to better, so no matter where I end up I will be keeping those values with me, and implementing them into my life,” she explained in an email.

Vasquez similarly got his start through “Fridays for Future.” Now, he’s held a variety of positions within the XR organization, from initially running an XR TikTok account, to serving as XR Youth NYC’s Action Coordinator, and ultimately assuming the duties of XR Youth U.S. Action Coordinator.

Shortly after the Tompkins Square Park event, Vasquez moved from Connecticut to Washington, D.C. to begin his first year at American University—where he’ll study Spanish cinema, German, and Arabic in his first semester—and to reinvigorate a previously defunct D.C.-based extension of XR Youth.

He says his passion for activism is an inextricable factor of his identity.

“Being a queer Latinx man in the U.S., I kinda had no choice,” Vasquez explained in an email when asked what sparked his interest in voicing his beliefs through activism. “It’s like that Angela Davis quote ‘I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.’”

Founded one year ago as an offshoot of XR Youth U.S., which had its origins in “Rebellion Week”—started in London in 2018—XR Youth NYC’s primary goal, according to Vasquez, is four-fold. He explained that those with power must “tell the truth” about the state of the global environment, must take decisive action (“our government and other governments need to stop greenhouse emissions by 2025”), must allow local citizens to steward their own communities, and must extend power to indigenous populations, “especially because of all the terrible things we’ve done.”

“We’ve tried to use non-violent direct action in a lot of different ways, because it’s causing disruption,” Vasquez explained. “I feel like disruption’s the thing we want to get rid of business as usual.” He believes that working in such a manner “not only builds community, but also builds organizers and builds people to actually realize that they can cause a big change.”

The “Fashion Task Force,” which Harrison oversees, first began in the wake of New York Fashion Week last February, when XR Youth NYC’s “guerilla fashion shows” outside of Spring Studios garnered coverage from Vogue.

The members of XR Youth NYC took a milder approach with their more recent event in Tompkins Square, choosing to sell and trade clothes, accessories, and knick knacks—though mostly clothes—and donate at least 60 percent of proceeds to local organizations.

Harrison put together a list of pre-approved donation recipients, including community fridges in the Lower East Side and beyond, “Mi Casa Resiste” (a Bushwick-based “anticapitalist collective” working to “fight the displacement & criminalization of low-income Black & Brown families,” according to the group’s Twitter page), and a COVID-19 relief fund for sex workers in New York, to name a few. She encouraged all 32 sellers to individually donate a portion of the money made from their personal sales.

In total, the group donated $1,500, according to an XR Youth NYC Instagram post.

Thick, colorful arrows drawn with sidewalk chalk urged curious thrifters to begin their procession through the market at a welcome booth of sorts: a white sheet spread over the ground boasting, among other necessities, a hand-drawn sign, a few bottles of hand sanitizer, and a sleeve or two of Oreos.

Among the wares for sale or trade:

A glossy moss-green tank dress.

A free pair of chalk-colored Reebok sneakers—the very same that I wear on a near-daily basis.

Plenty of striped tees and pre-loved jeans.

And much, much more.

Budding artists got a chance to share their work, too—some offered stacks of stickers with Keith Haring-style figures proclaiming “TRANS IS BEAUTIFUL” while others took to creating personalized works on the spot. Vasquez quickly reached for a pair of obviously well-worn, once-white sneakers to show over Zoom as an example. The right shoe now bears a “Sharpied” crescent moon above a cartoon figure proclaiming, “FUCK COPS,” while the left is designed with a sun drawing and a matching cartoon human chiming in, “PROTECT UR FRENZ.”

From a distance, seated on a nearby bench or basking on a picnic blanket in the park’s fenced-in grassy mound, the flea market probably looked to be no more than a homogeneous flurry of trendy teens, Harrison and Vasquez included.

A humble guise for a group that wants, quite literally, to change the world.

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For many brides-to-be, finding the perfect wedding dress can be daunting. So it’s nothing short of jovial, with a matching sigh of relief, when they finally find “The Gown.”

In the case of Aliya Chandia-Lakhani, she felt triumphant when she found multiple wedding outfits while on tour in New York City

It was quite a fashion fairy tale for the Dubai-based corporate executive. She just got engaged and when she came to the city, she found herself in a shopping tour organized by Karen Parker O’Brien, the president of Style Room NYC Shopping Tour Experiences.

“At that time, I really had no intention of buying a wedding gown,” said Chandia-Lakhani. “But during the shopping tour, Karen introduced me to this wonderful dress designer who had the most beautiful evening and wedding gowns. We just bought clothes on the spot!”

And in fashion, that’s one sweet story that retail therapies are made of, as Parker O’Brien can attest to.

As a New Yorker and having been in an industry insider for more than 20 years, Parker O’Brien knows how vital fashion is to NYC’s business system.

Shopping and tourism, as  O’Brien put it, help drive the city’s economy. Her idea of organizing shopping tours seemed like a feasible business idea.

“Shopping tours have been around since I was a child,” said O’Brien. “So when I entertained the idea of professionally doing one myself four years ago, I decided to make it more customized, where I would take people to all these private designer showrooms and where it’s more intimate and fun to shop. When I talked to some people about it, they wanted to do it and after a week, I organized my very first tour and it just took off from there.”

Fashion’s ephemeral nature makes it a tricky industry, especially for designers who have to tread the thin line between personal creativity and what customers and retailers actually need and want. But a constant theme in this business is how lucrative it is.

Globally, fashion is worth US$1.2 trillion , and NYC is considered as one of its major capitals, along with London, Milan, and Paris.

From a business perspective, the city’s fashion subculture alone is responsible for employing more than 180,000 people, or 6 percent of the city’s overall workforce, with tax revenues accounting to US$2 billion. Latest statistics  reveal that there are around 900 international fashion companies are based here, and NYC is also the home to more than 75 trade shows and thousands of showrooms, both from established and emerging fashion designers.

“New York City is like the center of the world,” said O’Brien. “And when people come here to visit, they shop.”

Now, imagine what tourists—excluding locals and expats—can do to every cash register placed throughout NYC.

Last year, the office of incumbent mayor Bill de Blasio announced  that NYC reached an “all-time record” of accommodating 56.4 million visitors in 2014, translating into an overall economic impact of US$61.3 billion.

“I think people are drawn to New York City because it’s an exciting place,” said Jim Dykes, a friend of O’Brien’s and the president of his own tour company, Abuzz Around New York. “Today, tourists are more knowledgeable on what they want to see—and experience—in this city.”

The thriving tourism industry has a more parallel relationship now with fashion and style. Shopping tours like Style Room are pivotal in nurturing this symbiotic partnership.

“Visitors in New York City still like to eat and shop,” said Dykes. “They say that there are a lot of unique spots in this city that are not available elsewhere. Thanks to the internet, for example, more people have become more aware that New York City is a big fashion capital—but knowing who to call for the right places to visit is another thing, and that’s what Karen does for her clients.”

So how does it work? For  O’Brien, it’s all about a sense of mystery, if only to pique a visitor’s otherwise info-overloaded mindset.

For starters,  O’Brien doesn’t advertise the designers and brands that she works with. Instead, she gets to know her prospective clients beforehand first, like what they usually wear and how they build their wardrobe based on their size and lifestyle. She then tailors a tour plan for them, which involves deciding which designers can cater to them best. Her clients only discover who they’re going to visit—and shop from—on the tour day itself.

This system, as O’Brien explained, also protects the designers’ privacy, mostly because they also have separate arrangements with other mainstream retailers that can’t be publicly disclosed—and so far, tourists have been okay with the setup.

“I’ve had clients who ask me if we’ll go to somewhere like Chanel or Prada,” she said. “My answer is no, because I take them to American designers who are based here in New York City and I think they like it because they get access to unique, good quality merchandise and have bragging rights like, ‘Hey, I got this from a New York City designer!’”

For O’Brien, the best is yet to come for fashion and tourism as a whole, as New York City further encourages designers to pursue and manufacture their business and goods here (http://www.nycedc.com/program/made-ny-initiative).

“It’s been really fun bringing visitors and letting them interact with the designers I work with,” she said. “Of course, they’re talking about fashion but the next thing you know, they’ll be asking them for recommendations on where to dine out as well or what other activities to do in the city, too. It makes the whole experience more personal and they [tourists] get to fall in love with the city more.”

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The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City has an African American student population of less than seven percent. Even worse, designers of color represent less than one percent of designers available in major department stores. It isn’t that black people just aren’t designing. The answer might not be as simple as most people think.

The post Where are all the black designers? appeared first on Pavement Pieces.

New Yorker Julie Lamb is a savvy businesswoman. Two years ago, she decided that it would be nice to manufacture her eponymous jewelry line in New York City.

“It makes for a nice story,” she said. “I like the idea of having something ‘Made in New York’ by a New Yorker.”

It sounds alluring, but for Lamb, the “Made in New York” label is not just a marketing ploy.

“I’m also very hands-on with my business and I can be a control freak,” said Lamb. “In New York City, I like how I can easily check where I get my materials from. I also don’t like the idea of traveling far when it comes to overseeing the manufacturing process of my merchandise.”

Lamb doesn’t mass produce her goods and designers like her, who work on limited edition merchandise, opt to manufacture in New York City, mostly for quality control and easy accessibility.

Handbag designer Jill Haber launches her latest line, ‘The Enchanted Forest,’ at a cocktail launch in 63 Gansevoort in New York City. Photo by Eugene Santos

“All of my bags are handmade and are order-based so I don’t have to mass produce,” said handbag designer Jill Haber  on why she manufactures in New York City. “I have total control in every step of the bag making process. I can easily go to the workroom when I need to. Plus, I also want to have a workplace that’s close to my home and family.”

For big fashion businesses, manufacturing abroad can be cheaper, especially if done by the thousands. Last year, the United States Fashion Industry Association released a study stating that US fashion companies will still continue to source from countries like China and Bangladesh, as “larger companies seem to have a more diversified sourcing base than smaller companies.”

But for businesswomen like Lamb and Haber, who manufacture goods mostly on a two-digit basis per design or style, it’s still less costly to produce and source in New York City.

Designer Rachel Gregory of Gregory Apparel said there are also other expenses to consider when outsourcing abroad, like air travel, shipping, and customs.

Designer Rachel Gregory wants to keep her business in New York City for practical reasons. Photo by Eugene Santos

“When you’re manufacturing by the thousands, it may be cheaper to manufacture outside the US,” said Gregory. “But if you’re like me, who just makes about 20 to 30 pieces per design, it’s more affordable to produce in New York City.”

Another advantage of being based in New York City is that it’s easier to translate and materialize design ideas into actual merchandise.

“My factory is just a few steps away from my design office in midtown so sewers and garment makers can just call me and I can easily drop by to check and solve any problems if ever,” said Gregory. “The problem with being far from your manufacturers is that things can get lost in translation. For example, if you’re corresponding to factory workers from across the globe online, there’s a chance that they won’t even tell you in time if something’s going wrong already.”

The designers admit though that business can still be expensive in New York City. Resources and labor can be two to four times pricier than other countries, said Lamb.

But as a major fashion capital, New York City can give important business connections to local designers, especially the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and the Made in New York fashion initiative.

Although since New York City’s fashion scene is competitive, building contacts can be challenging itself, which doesn’t guarantee immediate success in the industry.

“The CFDA is by-invitation only,” said Gregory. “Meanwhile, the Made in New York initiative requires designers to have insurance and an existing retail partner  and I don’t have those yet.”

Gregory, Lamb, and Haber are not yet part of the CFDA and Made in New York.

The three remain optimistic in the city though, to varying degrees.

Haber’s handbags are sold by different stores in territories like the UAE and the United Kingdom. Just recently, she launched her latest accessories collection during the recently held New York Fashion Week.

A selection of Jill Haber’s purses that are made in New York. Photo by Eugene Santos

Meanwhile, Gregory is now rethinking her business strategies, since she still doesn’t have a retail partner yet.

“My strength for now is in catering to individual customers than retailers,” said Gregory. “I should also get myself out there more and focus better on social media.”

For her business, Lamb sells her jewelry online and is now just collaborating with select retailers like Reinhold Jewelers in Puerto Rico.

Julie Lamb’s jewelry merchandise are made with precious metals and stones like gold and diamonds. Photo by Eugene Santos

“I’m definitely open to partnering with big department stores someday,” said Lamb. “But for now, small and independent stores give me more business leeway than they.”

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Fashion, in its essence, is a juggling act between art and commerce. At the recently concluded Capsule women’s RTW and accessories trade show at New York City’s Pier 94, which ended yesterday, aspiring creatives had their chance to expand their business horizons.

Italian-based designer and businessman Marco Cuoghi was one of them. As the founder of accessories label Richkids, Cuoghi said that participating in Capsule helped boost his prospects in the U.S., where he wants to gain more traction.

“At this event, I met a buyer for Patricia Field,” said Cuoghi, referring to the famous stylist and retailer. “I also got to talk with different retailers who gave me advice on what works in the U.S. market. So far, department stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Macy’s have placed product orders.”

Capsule is the brainchild of BPMW, a fashion consultancy firm. Launched in 2007, the trade show has aimed to put together, under one roof, a well-curated lineup of up-and-coming designers and emerging brands that have good retail potential in various territories worldwide.

Cuoghi said that it’s important to have brand presence in the U.S., especially in a fashion capital like New York City. After all, fashion is a lucrative business in the city that never sleeps.

New York City generates more than $15 billion in annual sales—and this makes New York City the largest retail market in the US, according to the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC). Fashion also attracts more than half a million visitors yearly to New York City, and the industry employs around 180,000 people in the city, the NYCEDC added.

At Capsule, there were around 700 exhibitors from all over the world, which allowed interaction between entrepreneurs and retailers and press.

But some exhibitors said that business moved slow at Capsule, which mostly only allowed wholesale and bulk orders between sellers and buyers.

Park Sun Zoo designs deconstructed clothes for Re;code, a South Korean brand that hopes to expand in the US. Photo by Eugene Y. Santos

“It was slow compared to what I expected,” said Park Sun Zoo, a designer for South Korean label Re;code, during the second day of the trade show. “We haven’t had much orders. I was expecting more crowds.”

For New York based label Gregory Apparel, founder and designer Rachel Gregory said that a trade show like Capsule allows proactive interaction among aspiring fashion designers.

“It was fun to make that connection with others and to compare notes with them,” said Gregory, a first time participant. “In a way this trade show has helped me. It’s the first step to creating relationships with different people in fashion. It’s about establishing trust and letting them know how committed I am to the growth of my brand.”

For independent names such as Rapp Black, a brand that specializes in watches and womenswear, trade shows allow exhibitors to showcase their wares to a wider, more varied audience.

“It’s good exposure for our brand,” said Tyler Dossett, the wholesale representative for Rapp Black. “It’s always helpful to have different platforms to get your voice out.”

Tyler Dossett of Rapp Black says that trade shows like Capsule allow brands to reach various customers. Photo by Eugene Y. Santos

Other upstarts also see trade shows set in New York City as a good way to penetrate the US market.

“This city is the heart of the fashion and beauty industry in terms of what’s trending,” said Nicole Dash Jones from the UK. Jones was in Capsule to introduce Madame La La, a line of self-tanning products, to US based retailers. “Some buyers have expressed interest in carrying my goods. I’ll probably launch my brand next year here in New York City, around spring or summer.”

It also helps that New Yorkers are always on the lookout for something —or even someone— new, a sentiment that Tokyo-based designer Eemon Lin felt.

“Some boutiques based in the city have approached me,” said Lin. “They were looking for unique styles. New York City has so many different things and people want something new every time, anywhere.”

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Gadgets and tech toys often come to mind when you hear about 3-D printing, but it’s becoming more common to include manufacturing and textiles in the conversation.

In New York City, you can already find 3-D printing being more accessible to consumers. Designer Heidi Lee’s unique headwear styles are on display in the ACE Hotel and the Normal store on West 22^nd St. allows you to add your personal style to a pair of earphones for $200.

Bradley Rothenberg has been working with 3-D printing technology since studying architecture at Pratt Institute. He co-founded a company called nTopology, which focuses on the software used to create these complex designs.

“In 2009, if you mentioned 3-D printing to somebody on the street, they’d be like, what is that?” said Rothenberg. “But now, if you mention it, people know what it is.”

In 2013, Rothenberg teamed up with Victoria’s Secret, Swarovski and Shapeways to design a unique 3-D printed set of snowflake wings for its annual fashion show. And at this year’s 3D Print Design Show, him and his team showcased a strong and flexible bodysuit.

But it’s not just for the runway.

Holy Faya, a Brooklyn-based jewelry line, brings together modern technology with traditional materials. Co-founded by Nelly Zagury and Celia Elmasu, the pair held a workshop at a WantedDesign event at Industry City. They did live demos with Makerbot 3-D printers to show people how to make a bracelet made of cornstarch.

“This is just one type of 3-D printing, but there are so many out there that will allow us push boundaries of manufacturing processes and push our designs to new horizons,” said Elmasu.

While designers continue to experiment with new technology, we’ll have to wait and see what’s up next for the future of fashion.

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One way that brands are getting their products out there is by setting up temporary retail spaces. These pop-up shops are becoming more popular, as a unique marketing tool and a way to get up close with customers.

The Pop Up Mob, co-founded by Ana Pelucarte and Mari Lopez, is a full-service agency that helps brands bring their creative visions to life when it comes to the retail space. They saw an opportunity for innovation in the industry and have produced pop-ups throughout the city, as well as Miami and Los Angeles.

“I think a lot of new companies that are becoming well established have realized that it’s better for them to pop up in a lot different cities, or within the same city in different areas, and give that element of we’re here and now we’re not, instead of being permanent at a location,” said Pelucarte.

With many larger companies announcing permanent closures of their physical locations, including C. Wonder, Kate Spade Saturday and Jones New York, a pop-up shop path may look like a more economical option. According to the Pop Up Mob, a successful pop-up is based on location.

“When we scout for locations, we go through a strategy and talk to the designers, and actually find places that match with what they’re selling and want to express,” said Lopez. “It has to make sense. It’s all about creating a story.”

Negative Underwear, a new lingerie line, worked with the Pop Up Mob to create The Negative Love Stream, a pop-up truck that took to the streets of Manhattan for Valentine’s Day.

As an online-only brand, co-founders Lauren Schwab and Marissa Vosper wanted to bring their products directly to customers in a physical space. They’re not the only ones with that idea. Other brands that popped up this month include Nike and Michael Stars.

“E-commerce has been growing a lot, so I think retail will always exist,” said Pelucarte, “but it will just have to innovate.”

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As a breeding ground for innovation, brands are now embracing this modernization more than ever. Retailers such as Rebecca Minkoff, Levi’s and UNIQLO are just a few that are exposing customers to a different in-store atmosphere.

When it comes to combining the worlds of fashion and technology, it’s all about the human experience. PERCH Interactive is a company hoping to change the way stores use their space.

“It’s not just this box that sits in our pocket. It’s not just about an app on a phone,” said Kate Watson, senior producer at PERCH. “It’s really about extending rich storytelling and media into all the spaces that we live in.”

PERCH has worked with big-name clients including Kate Spade and Cole Haan. As a startup in New York City, PERCH is amongst many up-and-coming businesses hoping to break boundaries in the industry.

“There isn’t a place in the world that’s more innovative and has more of a dynamic, ever-changing spirit,” said Watson. “I think all those factors play into the perfect storm.”

The Brooklyn Fashion + Design Accelerator is a program out of the Pratt Institute that aims to help people with big ideas by providing the support and resources needed to get these startups up-and-running. The 21,000-square-foot space opened last month and is home to entrepreneurs, researchers and mentors, creating a unique community of innovation and collaboration.

“We’re not only really interesting thinkers, we’re also makers and it’s that combination of having great ideas and then making those ideas a reality that makes it very special,” said Deb Johnson, Executive Director of the BF+DA. “It’s not just making apps and doing that sort of thing, it’s connecting it to objects, to products, to clothing.”

The BF+DA also focuses on sustainability and the values of social impact.

“We’re hoping to redefine the fashion industry so it’s cleaner, more ethical and incredibly innovative,” said Johnson. “I really see technology and sustainability as intricately linked moving forward into the 21st century.”

With the help of incubators such as the BF+DA and the quickly growing amount of creative minds in the fashion tech space, it seems the possibilities are endless.

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To view Zahra Ahmed’s multimedia package on Muslim fashion designer, Nailah Lymus, click here

The post Fashion and Faith appeared first on Pavement Pieces.