June is Immigrant Heritage month. It has me thinking a lot about my own personal roots and purpose and how immigration contributes to the advancement of our society. Let's face it, California wouldn't be the economic powerhouse it is without immigrants. What is great about immigration and travel is that they spark innovation. Did you know Steve Jobs frequented India for his inspiration? In fact, it was during the huge growth years of Silicon Valley that 25% of businesses were founded by immigrants. These businesses created 560,000 jobs and generated $63 billion in sales. This does not even take in consideration all the support jobs that immigrants also fill. Our first family picture after arriving in the United States Just think about it,...
The Higg Index encourages transparency and the accountability that this industry needs to build momentous -- and effectively measurable -- change. Inspired by this breakthrough, we are thrilled to announce Indigo Handloom as a new member to the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) as they roll out the Higg publicly. If enough apparel companies can get behind the Index and see the impact of their choices, the index has the potential to create a ripple effect across other industries!
Common Threads can be found in the deepest corners of the world. Today, we meet Chrissie Lam, the philanthropic founder of The Supply Change. Lam's work connects global brands with artisan groups to bring socially conscious fashion and products to the mainstream. Her latest endeavor involves a universal message of love through the Love Is Project, asking the world: What is Love? The movement encourages the greatest love story of all time with shared stories and handmade bracelets made in Kenyan by the Maasai women. You describe yourself as a modern day gypsy. What does a day in your shoes consist of? Depends on where I am. At home in Bali, morning yoga or tennis, swimming and meditation. Visiting new...
Cercle is a crowdfunding program, exclusively for fashion, that is rich in community building. “Fostering collaboration between those who design and those who love design,” the newly launched company provides consumers a way to invest in featured designer’s upcoming collections. Benefits include getting a sneak peek at collection inspirations and the opportunity to fund for double the credit in apparel post launch. For designers, the platform provides a way to gauge interest and fund projects. Brands like Study NY and M. Patmos have already jumped on the Cercle bandwagon to promote upcoming seasons. We caught up with Cercle co-founder, Ayala Meromi Keinan, to learn more about this exciting new platform and how it might push independent design forward in the...
My husband swears by his handloom silk shirt we got in New Delhi at “Fab India,” a retail chain which emphasizes handwoven goods. He wore it for our last day and continued to wear it on his flight New Delhi-Istanbul-Frankfurt. Then after a day of airing it out, he took a sniff and decided it was ok and wore it the next day. He has a super sensitive nose so I know he's not just blinded by his love for handloom. It made me consider how different fabrics react to sweat and it took me to a frightening world. Basically, your armpit is a wild and wooly place. The natural germs on the skin feast on chemicals in sweat and...
