Brooklyn's One to Watch: Titania Inglis

photo via: Titania Inglis

A designer for the modern woman, Brooklyn-based fashion designer Titania Inglis creates clothes that are experimental yet functional, perfect for strong, stylish women on-the-go. And now after three seasons, Ms. Inglis has established her signature style of effortless, essential, and cutting edge designs.

But what makes her collection a particular stand-out is her underlying element of sustainability. Using minimal waste and sourcing only organic fabrics and vegetable-tanned leathers, all of her pieces are conscientiously sourced and sewn in limited quantities in New York's garment district.

So last week, we caught Ms. Inglis for an interview to get an inside scoop on what life has been like for this rising talent.  

1. Please share a little bit about your background:

I grew up in Ithaca, New York, and started out as a journalist after college before going into design. I studied at Design Academy Eindhoven and FIT, and learned the ropes of running an independent fashion line by interning for Jean Yu, Three As Four, and Stærk before launching my own line.

2. Were you always eco-conscious?

In a word, yes. In elementary school, I won a prize for dreaming up a wide-mouthed monster that would live in the ground and solve the landfill problem by eating garbage and digesting it into dirt. These days, I’m trying to counteract disposable culture by making clothes conceived for a smaller wardrobe: versatile pieces to wear day or night, with silhouettes that are of the moment, but with classic proportions and quality designed to stand the test of time.

3. Which designers are you most influenced by and why? 

Ann Demeulemeester, for her androgynous classics with a rock ‘n’ roll edge. Stella McCartney, who’s helping to lead the industry in a more environmentally conscious direction, and who designs lovely yet practical clothes that women really want to wear. Maria Cornejo, for her pared-down aesthetic and interesting shapes. Phoebe Philo, whose latest clothes for Céline are simply, unquestionably perfect. The product designers Naoto Fukusawa and Dieter Rams, who distill form down to its most basic elements. 

4. How do find inspirations for your collections? 

One thing I learned as a reporter was that inspiration is everywhere; the hard part is recognizing it when you see it. I draw mine from all kinds of sources: old movies, new architecture, vintage electronics, all the stylish girls pedaling around Brooklyn... and especially from my fabrics. With a sustainable collection, there’s a very limited range of organic fabrics available, so each season I’ll pick about 3 of the best I’ve found, and design my collection around those. For SS11, it was an organic cotton denim from Japan and an organic cotton-silk blend twill from Italy, both of which lent themselves to a sculptural, origami effect. I also try to incorporate at least one new natural fabric treatment technique into each collection; for the first, I experimented with rust dyeing, for the second, it was beeswaxing, and for the third, natural dyeing.

photo via: Titania Inglis

5. Please describe your typical work day. 

As a small designer, I support myself by freelancing at an apparel company in Midtown, so I have to squeeze in moments throughout the week to work on my own projects. First thing in the morning, I’ll get up and dash off some emails over breakfast before biking into the city for work. After I leave the office, I’ll run errands: some days I’ll stop by the factory in the Garment District that produces my clothes, other days I’ll pick up the latest print job from the little print shop that produces my lookbooks and hangtags. And before bed, I’ll be back on the computer, updating my website, working on lookbooks or press releases, updating my Facebook page. 

One thing I’ve learned about being a one-woman company is that the work never ends. Except for the sewing and printing that I outsource, it’s all me: sales, marketing, accounting, shipping, sourcing, production, even bike courier... And all the while, I’m constantly keeping my eyes open for inspiration for the next collection.

6. After three seasons, what has been the greatest challenge as an independent NY eco-

   conscious designer? What are the advantages?

The advantage is being in New York, with such a thriving cultural scene around me. I’m friends with quite a few other young designers, and we help each other out with advice and sometimes even late-night sewing marathons! The garment district is also a wonderful resource; it’s incredibly convenient to be able to buy fabric and zippers and get my patterns graded and clothes sewn all within a few-block radius. As a sustainable designer, I’m thrilled to have access to so many slow-fashion-minded organizations; for example, Earth Pledge has compiled a library of sustainable fabrics, while the new Textile Arts Center in Brooklyn is helping to revive hand-weaving, natural dyeing, and other traditional techniques.

The downside is that there’s a lot of competition here, so without a big PR budget, it can be tough to get your work out there. It’s really a matter of building the business step by step, season by season, relationship by relationship, and proving to buyers and editors one by one that I’m serious, I have staying power, and most importantly, that the clothes are worth their while.

7. Who would you love to see wearing your clothes?

Just to name one, Tilda Swinton. She’s already a muse to so many designers, but there’s a reason for that: she’s an independent spirit with a stellar fashion sense, and she’s so poised and intelligent, and beautiful in a tomboyish sort of way.

8. What is your favorite piece in your most recent SS11 collection and why?

The Reverse Dress, because it really epitomizes the values of my collection. I based it on the idea of an artist’s smock; I own a vintage one that only gets better the more it’s splattered in paint and dye. The dress is super versatile, since it can be worn front or back, day or night, layered or alone; it’s practical and easy to wear, with a simple closure and two pockets; the fabric (the Italian silk-organic cotton blend twill I mentioned before) is both gorgeous and eco-friendly; and it has a look that’s beautiful and tough at the same time.

photo via: Titania Inglis

9. Favorite places to shop:

Project No. 8 has a fantastically curated selection of avant-garde clothing. Tokio 7 is a great source of used clothing from major labels and local designers alike. The Chelsea Garage Market and Hell’s Kitchen flea market for vintage finds, including the cool botanical prints I spotted last week for my apartment. The Future Perfect in Williamsburg, which has a fascinatingly quirky selection of current furniture design.

10. Favorite places to dine:

As a slow fashion adherent, I love slow food, too. When it’s time for a real treat, my boyfriend and I head to the General Greene in Fort Greene, Westville East in the East Village, or Diner in Williamsburg, which all have incredibly delicious menus based around local, seasonal ingredients.

MBF Exclusive: Future of Fashion Video

Earlier this month we were invited to speak at "Take 5ive" a monthly event -- hosted in NYC by WIN-Initiative -- which brings together professionals from various creative industries.

This month’s event was hosted by Take 5ive’s Hans Neleman; Chrissy Reilly emceed a packed Win Headquaters.

Manuela Fassbender, creative director was one of 10 guest speakers.

Each speaker is given 5 minutes to discuss any topic of their choosing.

This evening's selection of speakers was organized by social media marketing & business trending specialist, Karen D'Silva.

Speakers came from diverse industries -- from photography to beer brewing.

They included:
Stanislava Georgieva, photographer

Karen D'Silva of Karen D'Silva Creative Services
Jerry Tavin, Young Photographers Alliance
Andy Katz, photographer

Mario Estrada of HipstamartSonya Giacobbe, Kelso of Brooklyn

Sean Justice, NYU professor photography/technology
Savannah Spirit, photographer

See what Manuela presented here...

About Take 5ive
Take5ive brings together leaders in the creative industry in a forum of sorts. Typically, 10 speakers are split between artists and creative professionals. Past guest speakers have included creative consultant Stella Kramer and Allegra Wilde,tech people Dripbook founder Alex Wright as well as app developers and representatives from Adorama and Sony. Artists participating are split between commercial and fine art.

Puma's Clever Little Bag

Two weeks ago, Puma revealed its latest collaborative venture with Yves Behar, industrial designer and founder of fuseproject, of its eco-friendly shoebox at London's Design Museum. Determined to create a new shoebox that was more sustainable, the 21-month-long project included 40 prototypes, and multiple visits to distribution centers, manufacturing plants, storage facilities, and retail points across Europe and Asia. Named the "Clever Little Bag", the final design is a re-usable, recyclable, non-woven plastic bag that functions both as a shoebox and as a plastic retail bag. Through researching various methods of folding and shipping boxes, the "Clever Little Bag" is made by die cutting one flat piece of cardboard without any additional printing or assembly. The structure is created with four walls that taper in to allow for secured stacking, another important element left over from the original shoebox. The bag is stitched with heat, which equals less work and waste. It's made of non-woven polyester with recycled PET, and eventually can be recycled. The bag uses 65% less cardboard than the standard shoe box, has no laminated printing, no tissue paper, takes up less space and weighs less in shipping, and replaces the plastic retail bag.

As part of the PUMAVision, this is just one of the many steps it is making in order to reach it's goal to make all of its packaging materials fully sustainable by 2015. Puma CEO Jochen Zeitz states that realizing these goals will initially have a "slightly negative effect, which we've already factored into our product development costs." But "in terms of net savings in the mid to longer term, we hope that the cost effects will be neutral." By replacing their standard shoe boxes with the new redesign, Puma will be saving 8,500 tons of paper, 20 million Mega joules of electricity, 1 million liters of fuel oil, and 1 million liters of water every year. They will also save 500,000 liters of diesel during transportation; and because they no longer need traditional shopping bags, the company will also save almost 275 tons of plastic.

Understanding that sustainability is about working together, Puma's sustainability index is open to the public and available for other companies to help set global standards of compliance for defining the sustainability of a product. What is great about Puma's vision is that it really understands the importance of thinking sustainably; it is invested in the quality of our future and promotes a healthy, responsible way of living.  The new packaging and distribution system is set to be effective beginning 2011.

In honor of Earth Day, which was April 22, there are also several other companies joining in on promoting an eco-friendly and sustainable lifestyle:

via: Sephora

EDUN collaborated with Sephora to released a set of allergen-free and nature-based eyeshadow collection. The palette comes in a wooden box with an organic cotton case. In line with EDUN's company vision, the makeup collection is made in developing countries, providing opportunities for employment. $3 from every sale will go to the Wildlife Conservation Society to fund activities of the Conservation Cotton Initiative in Uganda.

via: Sephora

 via: Stylelist

If you haven't seen their posters already, H&M is working in collaboration with the Boys and Girls Club of America to collect children's clothing. Bring in any gently used children's clothing to any H&M store and receive 20% off your next purchase. Hurry because the donation drive ends tomorrow, April 29! 

H&M Launches Organic Skincare Line

via: Stylist

Several weeks ago, we blogged about H&M's upcoming eco-friendly line The Garden Collection. But shortly after, their move toward sustainable practices backfired when news spread that they were using 30% genetically modified cotton. Since then, we've been keeping an eye on them to see where the company was going in terms of their efforts to go green. We were a bit skeptical if their green efforts were genuine, or just a publicity act.

So this month, H&M announced their interest of the skincare world with the launch of their first organic skincare collection. All items priced under $8, they offer shower gels, body lotions, scrubs, and lip balms certified by Ecocert, Europe's leading organization for the certification of natural and organic cosmetics. They also offer makeup and toiletry bags made of organic cotton, and all products are packaged in recyclable packaging. Ann-Sofie Johansson, H&M's head of design, states it was a natural step for H&M, and includes, "There's also a strong demand from our customers for organics, and I hope they will be as excited as I am about the new products."

As a fast fashion retailer, we are glad to hear H&M's continued efforts to be more eco-conscious and the support they have been receiving from their customers. Although we have been critical of their efforts, we applaud them for continuing to bring more eco-conscious products to the mass market. As sustainability is still a relatively new concept in the fashion and beauty industry, H&M's small steps are commendable, especially since most of their competitors do not offer similar eco-friendly alternatives. H&M promises that sustainability will only grow to be of more importance in their work, committing to increase the use of organic cotton by 50% each year until 2013.

And on a side note, their UK-based competitor, Topshop, also plans to launch their first beauty line, not organic, this coming May.

The Upcycle, Recycle Business

 via: Flickr 

As much as we love technology, sometimes it's nice to just go back to the simple life of making use of what already exists. In consideration of how much waste we produce, whether it be food, clothes, packaging, or office supplies, recycling is something that we can all do a lot more of. And Tom Szaky, founder of TerraCycle, shows that you can also make a successful business out of it, too.

While as a business student at Princeton University, Szaky took leftover food from the school cafeteria and fed it to worms. Turning waste into rich fertilizer, he then sold it in discarded soda bottles. Flash forward five years, his humble business has turned into a global food and packaging recycling program with five warehouses across the US, and more in Canada, Brazil, France, Germany, and the UK. Working with some of US' biggest consumer companies, including Kraft, Mars, PepsiCo, Kimerly-Clark, and General Mills, TerraCycle boasts with over 100 products made from recycled trash. Circuit boards are redesigned as picture frames, juice packs are collected into making backpacks, and cookie wrappers are reworked as pencil cases.

As all industries strive toward greener practices, the future of recycling has become more innovative in developing creative, sustainable solutions. As we look even in the fashion industry, the exclusive Parisian fashion house, Maison Martin Margiela, has been doing it since the beginning of its career through the Artisanal Line, transforming every day objects into high-end couture. And the more commercial brand, Urban Outfitters, has offered reworked vintage clothing through their Urban Renewal line for over twenty years.

As environmental consciousness continues to rise in importance, the fashion industry has been more keen on the idea of recycling. Last April, Fendi threw a performance art-like event "Craft Punk", challenging designers to create objects, art, and furnishings using materials discarded from the Fendi production process. And just last month, Stefano Pilati of YSL released his second edition of the capsule collection "New Vintage", offering his classic silhouettes made from recycling unused fabrics from the YSL archive. There are also more smaller boutiques, like Clothespin and Reformation, both of which have opened this past year, offering a unique, stylish assortment of reworked vintage clothing.

From the runways to the shopping malls, recycling is becoming a common thread in the fashion industry. And as sustainability is essential to it's future success, we have no doubt that in the years ahead, the concept of recycling will continue to grow as it is taken to the next level. As for any industry, innovation does not necessarily mean high-tech; sometimes brilliance can be discovered in the ordinary.

Going green: New York catches bicycling fever

Forget that nasty swine flu – New York has a fever, and it's a fever for bicycling! First came transportation commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, who installed 180 miles of new bike lanes; then the David Byrne-led bike rack design competition; and now, a fashion contest at FIT to design fashionable biking clothes, judged by the North American head of LVMH. The winner, 21-year-old Jessica Velasquez, dreamed up an envelope backpack that holds a garment bag and an adjustable-length poncho with reflective piping, which will be made into prototypes by DKNY.

But it doesn't take a contest to rustle up fashionable biking apparel; local indie label Outlier makes performance-wear disguised as office-friendly basics, including wool trousers and a merino wool T-shirt, while London-based Rapha offers up sharp tweed bike caps and a very of-the-moment cropped-trouser suit engineered for bicycling. And fave fashion blog Refinery29 has just posted their picks for hip, bike-friendly clothes – as it happens, the current trends for mesh tops, bralettes and bike shorts fit right into the new biking frenzy! Finally, if you can't get enough bikewear, fashion blog Copenhagen Cycle Chic has your daily fix of stylish cyclists.

Photo via WWD

Going green: Aveda snags Cradle-to-Cradle endorsement

They use natural (and often certified organic) ingredients, create packaging from post-consumer waste, buy wind energy to power their company, and even remake their box comps into folders. And now, reports WWD, Aveda, the Minnesota-based Estée Lauder subsidiary, has gone where no beauty company has gone – to Hamburg, where the Environmental Protection and Encouragement Agency bestowed Cradle to Cradle certification upon seven of its products as well as its packaging. The designation, bestowed on only two other companies so far, means that Aveda has considered the entire life cycle of the product in its design and production process, while adhering to principles of social and environmental responsibility. Cradle to Cradle is also the name of a highly influential book about sustainable product design written by EPEA founder Michael Braungart and William McDonough.

Camilla Norrback (Stockholm)

Camilla Norrback calls her design philosophy ecoluxury, creating garments in eco-certified natural materials that she says are "good for both body and conscience." For spring, this means a line inspired by adult responsibilities and carefree childhood, with short, swinging hemlines, ladylike cardigans, and one very grown-up briefcase-inspired bag. The palette is mostly black, white, and gray, with splashes of pastel lime and pinks.

Bodkin (New York)

The brainchild of Brooklyn designer Samantha Pleet and writer Eviana Hartman, Bodkin is a new line of sustainably sourced clothes debuting for Fall 2008. Described as "sexy with a sense of humor," the line's key pieces include collar-waisted skirts, funnel neck minidresses, and zippered T-shirt rompers.

Via Refinery29

From Somewhere (London)

Founded by Orsola di Castro and Filippo Ricci in 1997, From Somewhere's goal was to make eco-fashion that wasn't about "hemp sacks and uncomfortable itchy socks." Instead, the designers used production waste fabric to create quirky, mixed-fabric dresses that for SS 2008 range from stripes to colorblock to plaids, from long, slim jersey pieces to short, smocked shirtdresses.

Mark Liu (London)

A former Alexander McQueen intern and grad of Central St Martins' Textile Futures program, Mark Liu creates fashions that are futuristic in both their appearance and their outlook. Zero Waste Tailoring is his method of designing garments whose pattern pieces interlock like a jigsaw puzzle, saving the 15% of fabric that normally gets wasted in the cutting process.