Laura Wilson’s bridesmaid dress

Every time I make a dress from start to finish is a humbling experience. It instills even more respect in me for all the people that sit in front of a sewing machine all day. In an ode to them and in honor of Earth Month I have documented a new version of the Antonia Dress I made for model Laura Wilson. We documented The whole process from start to finish took about a week. Here we go:

day 1

Pick the color and the design.

Do some testing on the silk charmeuse we decided to use. To obtain this peachy color I decided dyeing with madder and a tin mordant were the best option. However madder and natural dyes in general react different to facbric ervery time. It is the most unpredictable color of all the natural ones I have ever dyed.

Day 2

Prewash the fabric by boiling it in castille soap for 1 hr and and mordant it in tin for 45 min. At the same time we soak the madder roots overnight so they release the dye.

Do the pattern and a muslin for the 1st fitting

Day 3

Extract the dyestuff from the roots, make the dyebath and dye the fabric.

Wash the fabric with softener and and hang dry it.

Do corrections on the pattern from the firtst fitting.

Day 4

Cut the drees in the actual fabric and put it toguether for the 1st fitting.

Day 5

Make corrections to dress from 2nd fitting, there were a couple of adjustments needed. The interfacing was too tick.

Day 6

After the 2nd fitting I had to rip everything I had done apart because 1- the interfacing on the wb needed replacing and 2- my serger broke again and I decided to french seam the entire dress, including the lining.

Day 7

More sewing, puttig the zipper in. It took 4 tries to get it perfect and when it was done I pulled the head out! Yes sewing can be dramatic. Putting binding on hemming and finishing, putting snaps on, labeling, ironing all the seams and steaming the dress. Laura left my studio at 9:30 pm, the dress was done and beautiful!

a happy bridesmaid and bride

A little bit more press!

Thank you Starre Vartan for this lovely review!

Autumn 2012 Video Here

Auralís Autumn 2012 from Emerald Gold on Vimeo.

Thank you Omar !

Isaac Laboy

In December 2011 during the holidays in Puerto Rico I had the honor of finally visiting Isaac Laboy’s studio in person. The artisan that makes the Cupey tree accessories for my collections. Isaac lives on top of a mountain in the Charcas sector in the town of Quebradillas in Puerto Rico. I made a whole day of it and lured my friend Anabel to be my co-pilot under a beach day promise. We set out on a road trip San Juan to Quebradillas. I also wrote about my trip in Spanish for El Punto Es… Now, here is the whole trip documented. From the grapefruit trees that act as gate keepers for Issac’s house to the vintage cars we found along the way and how lost we got trying to get up there. We even have a map of our road trip, it was one of those days that makes me reconsider living in NYC. The pictures say it all. Also, if you want to see the final product of my visit check out our e-store we have them for sale now.

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Isaac and I

google map

This would be my lost face...

On the side of the road there's always good local veggies.

Medalla Puerto Rican beer, perfect for a hot day like the one we had on our road trip.

@ Isabella for the final part of our tour. That's a pelican fishing!

The colors are so great!

Entrance to Charcas

The roads looked like this one.

Happy Puerto Rican cows

I don't know much about cars, but I know this is a classic.

This is the entrance to Isaac's street, sort of... He carved Pirate Cofresí and his ship in the stone. It's gorgeous work.

Entrance to Isaac's world. It's a very winding road that circles a mountain from here up.

Gated by juicy grapefruit trees

Cupey tree (the middle one)

These are the hanging roots that surround Isaac's studio.

He collects them and leaves them to dry in the sun.

Now, that's a studio space!

With its' own outside kitchen and everything

and all his tools

This place is pretty big and breezy, not sure if I would want to be up here during hurricane season...

I could cook here everyday.

More roots, these are dryed and ready to become belts and hats!

Hanguing roots

Isaac and I working, and plotting next season

Isaac even gave us 2 cds of typical cuatro guitar music!

A wooden Carving of Ricardo Alegría done by Isaac Laboy

Anabel finally got her beach sight

It's was worth the wait.

Afternoon in Isabella, what a treat.

Ecouterre

Thank you Ecouterre for this lovely review!

SEWING SEEDS FUNDRAISER

INVITE

Tomorrow the eco-venture will be joining forces with other like minded designers and friends for a really important cause very close to my heart. Check out more information here. The Textile Arts Center is a great creative space that does a lot of good in the community and for local designers like myself it is essential.

SS Fundraiser Sheet

Autumn 2012 Behind The Scenes

We had our Autumn 2012 look book shoot last Wednesday at The University Club of New York.. We had so much camaraderie, cooperation and talent around it was the best photo shoot we’ve ever had so far. It is a blessing to work with people you love, respect and admire. I felt incredibly lucky throughout the day. Jennifer my incredible business partner and Monica our photographer took some backstage pictures and here they are. It takes a lot of very talented people to pull this endeavors off. As usual we collaborated with Artist Luiny Rivera Guelpi from Filili and the Iris Chacon inspired jewelry she did for us was amazing, is all vintage and my own fabric scraps put together in the most genius way!
Hair and make up were crucial this season, Iris Chacon was known for her hair and make up, she was a beauty icon for all women of my generation. In the hands of Karlo and George Ortiz, Laura Wilson our model and friend morphed into the 2012 version of Iris. Laura was even kind enough to lend us her boyfriend Collin for a couple of shots. Thank you!

Thank you Karlo and George for a gorgeous hair and make up. Thanks to you both this concept became real. Karlo you can read my mind, is one of your many gifts! It turned out exactly as I pictured in my head.

Of course this vision could materialize without garments that fit properly. Ours were flawless and that would be thanks to Mayumi Yamada, always ready with pins and scissors!

I want to thank everybody because the most important lesson of the Eco-venture so far has been team work. We all merge our visions and talents towards the same goal and thats how great things happen. Photographer Monica Felix and our most skilled camera man Omar know this very well that’s why they are so good toguether with their tools.

I guess what I attempting to say is: GRACIAS FAMILIA !

Now here are the photos of our day:

Luiny from Filili in Action

Just quickly sharing this awsome video of Luiny, Filili’s creator in action. You may remeber Filili as the jewlery line who we collaborated with for our Spring 2011 show . We continue to collaborate with her any chance we get!

Little Machine from Emerald Gold on Vimeo.

Men’s Pants

We have been perfecting the fit of our men’s pants. It has been a challenge. After all there are no guys in the studio yet… So finally and after much consideration, our friend Gama donated his favorite pair of jeans to the eco-venture… I am ripping them apart today and figuring out why the look so good on. More updates coming soon we have lots of work to do…

Gama's Jeans RIP

Mango and Papaya, Salt, Lime and Chile = Sunset Park

It was a sunny spring day, like those we’ve been having recently in Brooklyn. Jenny and I decided to take a break from computer slavery. We have just finished re-vamping the e-store. We left the studio and walked to Sunset Park. There it was; a solution to all our momentarily troubles. The fruit cart on the corner of 44th and 5t h. For only $3 bucks you can get a bowl of fresh mango and papaya dressed with fresh lime juice, salt and ground chili. It was the most delicious yet simple combination I’ve ever had. Mango’s with salt and lime are actually a very popular combination pretty much everywhere you can grow those fruits. However, I was a mango , papaya salt and lime virgin until a week ago. Now, all I can think about is the wasted years in Puerto Rico. I could have been stuffing my face with the papaya from my grandmother’s house for 19 years! Oh well, live and learn.

Wait, I know what you are thinking, mango and papayas in Brooklyn on May?? I am pretty sure there is no upstate organic farm that grows that… It’s not local, it’s not organic and those papayas probably have a humongous carbon footprint. I weighted all of that when I was making my purchasing decision. Here is some food for thought: Sometimes you have to make minor compromises in order to be happy. I get food from my local Sunset Park CSA which I cook a blog about frequently. However, a girl from the Caribbean can only live for so long on squash and beets. I am allowing myself for some tropical fruits out of season, for the sake of sanity.

Also, thanks to my naughty behavior the colors for the next spring 2012 collection are here! I present to you: Papaya orange, Yellow Mango, Skin Green and Sunset Blue will be gracing the spring 2012 men and women’s collection with their presence.

I wonder if I can dye fabric with the left over fruit skins it too…

Cupey Belts

Cupey belt with Caoba buckle

Our Cupey Belts have finally arrive to our e-store! Some of you have been asking about the Cupey tree. I must confess until artisan Isaac Laboy entered my life, I had no idea what a Cupey tree was. I knew of the Cupey neighborhood in San Juan Puerto Rico where boxer Tito Trinidad is from. However, a tree that not only Isaac used but the Taino indians in Puerto Rico used for centuries? How come I had no idea? Growing up in Puerto Rico no one taught me about the versatility and wonders of the Cupey tree. Well, I guess is all part of growing up in the oldest colony in the world. Education about Puerto Rico’s natural resources is very limited in the island’s schools because it is associated with subversiveness and rebellion instead of sustainability.

The Cupey tree can grow up to more than 60 feet tall. It is known in English language as the Pitch Apple tree because of the “apple like” fruit it produces. It is endemic to the Caribbean. It has a fruit that is apparently poisonous to humans. However, fruit bats love to eat it. The leaves are thick and indians used to employ them as some sort of paper. The flower is beautiful and the fruit looks like a flower when it opens. Once the tree is adult it develops these aerial roots that sort of “strangle” other trees, but it does not kill them. The Taino indians used the tree resin of the leaves as glue to build play balls. They used its aerial roots to make different items employing different basketry and weaving techniques. Some of them were similar to the ones used by Isaac Laboy to weave our hats and belts for Spring 11. The more I know aboyut this tree, the more fascinated I grow by it. Next time I go to Puerto Rico I will document my visit to Isaac’s studio. In Quebradilla’s where he has his studio, there is some of the oldest Cupey trees in the island. In the meantime, here are some of the fruits of my research:

adult Cupey tree with aerial roots

Cupey tree flower

Cupey tree fruit

open Cupey fruit

leafs of the Cupey tree

aerial roots of the Cupey tree

Men’s Pants Step 2

front of the pant

Jenny made it around the front of the pant. We were working on it together so we could both completely understand the fit. I will be posting how our first sample fits, soon!

We need interns as Always

the studio's to do list is HUGE

We are are getting our collections ready for our first overseas trade show; MINT. We have 3-4 intern openings starting as soon as possible. You may remember our last year’s interns Jenny, Mayumi ( who are still working with us!) Zaida,(who has her own eco-venture now) Jurgis, Helene, Isabella and Geomara .They went on to become very knowledgeable, and even more creative designers. We like to think we helped them get there in a small way.

Mint Website

As our intern you will get experience in all levels of the design process, draping, pattern making, teck packs, cutter’s must, illustrator sketching, PR, data-entry, sourcing, sales and many more. You will also get to attend all fashion related events, networking opportunities and many other perks. Priority will be given to people with experience in and committed to sustainable design. Minimum commitment of 2-3 days per week. Schedule and hours are flexible. EMAIL resume and a brief emails explaining why you’d like an internship with us plus 3-5 samples of your work to interns@auralistudio.com. The description of positions is below, please let us know which areas are you must interested in with your email. We need people we can rely on so the eco-venture can keep growing! It will be fun I promise.

We are seeking interns that are:

• organized
• focused
• enthusiastic, creative and out of the box thinkers
• work well under pressure
• experience in patterns and sewing is a plus
• bilingual – English and Spanish even better but not required.
• fashion design, textile students or young professionals
• Computer literate in at least 3-4 of the following: Facebook, Twitter, Adobe Illustrator, Photshop and Indesign, Microsoft Word and Excel, WordPress platform , Dream Weaver, Google Docs and a little bit of Html.
• Pay strong attention to detail and ability to learn quickly and focus on priorities
• Ability to multi-task in a dynamic, fast paced and fun environment
• Have a can do attitude, be honest and sincere and passionate

Positions Break Down:
Interns will be doing all of the below with guidance and supervision from designer. We know as an intern it is important to learn as much as possible and the time allocated for all that learning is limited. We were interns too once upon a time in our careers, so we want to share our knowledge with you, while making some fabulous eco-friendly clothes in the process. This is an unpaid internship.

victoria's papaya dress dyed with madder

Internship 1 – Pattern Making and Draping

Assist head designer in all levels of design and production of a collection of samples for a show.
Copy original patterns for grading and sample making
Copy patterns from draped pattern, adding all pattern maker’s marks and instructions.
Write cutter’s must on Excel and by hand
Basic pattern making/manipulating.
Draping on dress form from a designer’s sketch

Internship 2 – Sample Making Intern

Basic sample making, hems and finishes
Some sample cutting and fabric consumption calculations
Belts and Hats finisher for sales, adding lining and such
preparing teck packs on excel and illustrator with sewing instructions for factories
Preparing some basic teck packs and costing on excel
Going to the Garment District in Manhattan to purchase trims and notions when needed.
Ironing fabric, garment washing and testing for color fastness
Assisting designer during fit sessions, taking notes and fit comments

Internship #3 Administrative, Organizing, Color Coding and Design.

Create detailed and accurate flats on illustrator or by hand, for linesheets, factories and pattern makers to use. We prefer illustrator but if hand sketching is your thing we’d love
Summer 12 Line Up

that too.
update Google Calendar and Google Docs when needed
answer emails, pertaining models, go sees, fabrics, trims and such
follow up on fabric, trim and dye orders
help with accessories and swag bag materials for the show
order studio supplies when needed
preferably have a laptop that can commute with you to our studio. If not we will provide.
Help with color standard approval, and other trim and button sourcing tasks
Help keep studio and office space organized and with at least chaos as possible

Internship # 4 Social media, Marketing and Sales Internship

This is the only internship that can be done from the candidate’s home on certain days if need be. As long as phone and Skype availability remain. This is the most computer based position we have available. Knowledge of Excel is absolutely necessary.Update Twitter feed at least 3 times a day, with what’s been happening at the studio in preparation for Fashion Week and any new press we have.Update Facebook Page and WordPress blog with original content from what’s been happening at the studio. Content will be provided by designer and you if the inspiration strikes you. Raise questions for readers and consumers and create discussions.

Update Store List in Excel or Google Docs by researching stores we could sell too and contacting them for buyer information
Update Possible Showrooms list by researching and following up on showroomzs around the world we are in contact with.
Update lineheets with final wholesale and retail prices
Update pricing sheets on Excel.
Update important news on web site’s front page using Dreamweaver
Update e-store with new merchandise for sale and descriptions.
Answer any sales related emails when needed and scheduling sales related appointments to designers.

Upgrade!

Vintage cutting table, oh yes!

We have been undergoing renovations here at the studio. A fresh coat of paint and a new table can do wonders to the space. It is looking better and better everyday! We have 3 new interns Isabella, Hasji and Laura they started yesterday. More updates on all of that coming soon.

new hallway

Ahkun Summer Pop Up Today and Tomorrow!

We will be participating, in a pop up store at the Lower East Side Girls Club on July 30-31st, 2011. The pop up store is also a fund raiser for Ahkun is a nonprofit that connects artisans and entrepreneurs with the global marketplace. I am sharing a rack with a designer and friend I admire a ton, Tara from Study NY! There will also be clothing and accesories from other designers that have super cool stuff. The best part are also the prices, you will not believe it until you see it!

Ahkun, through their online store, promotes ethical consumption and give entrepreneurs from the developing world access to a larger market and greater share of profits. Here is an excerpt from Ahkun’s press release for the event:

Sustainable style pop-up proves that you can shop fashionably and responsibly without breaking the bank. New York, NY – July 12, 2011 – Ahkun, a New York City nonprofit, wants to prove that socially responsible style can be both fashionable and affordable. On July 30 and 31, Ahkun will host a pop-up sale event featuring carefully curated clothing and accessories from independent designers, sustainable brands and fair trade organizations. Ten percent of sales will be contributed to artisans abroad through the micro-lending website Kiva.

“Ahkun’s summer pop-up celebrates New York’s vibrant community of artisans and entrepreneurs who create beautiful items and are committed to giving back,” says Anh-Thu Nguyen, Ahkun’s Co-Founder and Executive Director. The pop-up will be held Saturday July 30 and Sunday July 31 from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM at the Lower Eastside Girls Club space at 56 East 1st Street.
Click here to see what’s in store.
Participants include: Study NY by Tara St. James, winner of the 2011 Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation Award for Sustainable Design; Indego Africa, a social enterprise that partners with women artisans in Rwanda on products for brands like Nicole Miller and Anthropologie; and Made by Survivors, a nonprofit that provides survivors of sex trafficking with employment and education.

Other pop-up vendors include Afia, Auralis Studio, Holstee, Lolafalk, Lynore Routte, Simply Nu, Tompkins Point Apparel and Viva La Vida NY.

Shoppers can expect to find handwoven ikat skirts from Study NY ($150, marked down from $315); the brand new Delhi Rang upcycled wallet from Holstee ($25); and lightweight Cambodian krama scarves from Ahkun ($18).

This event is being held in cooperation with the New York City Fair Trade Coalition, Kiva New York Lending Team and Lower Eastside Girls Club. Each vendor has pledged 10 percent of sales to Kiva, a micro-lending website that lets individuals make small loans to entrepreneurs around the world. According to Nguyen, “Ahkun brings consumers closer to the origins of the things they buy. Our pop-up shop will prove that there’s more to New York fashion than just Fifth Avenue and Fashion Week. When you know that your purchase has a positive impact on the person who created it, it becomes much more meaningful.”

If durin the weekend of the 30th you are on the Lower East Side, stop by to say hi, check out the goodies and shop till you drop for a very very just cause!! It’s going to be so much fun!

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Sustainable Textile Sourcing

We went to Tex World this week as we do every year. Tex World is a fabric trade show where designers go to source materials for their next collections. Usually, they cater more to big companies but we always go to see what is new. They have a few sustainable suppliers. However, every year they have more! They also offer and variety of seminars that are quite useful. I asked one of our interns Laura Merli to share here experience with us. Laura is a recent college graduate who didn’t go to school for anything fashion related. She is actually leaving us this week, to go back to her first love, film. We will miss her! In any case here is what she had to say about TexWorld. It is always interesting for me to see an outsiders perspective of the fashion world.

Today I went to my first Textile show with Auralis and fellow intern, JisooHa. It was presented by Tex World at the Javits convention center, and will be going on until the 21st. There were a bunch of things that were really exciting to see for someone interested in both fashion and the emerging Eco-Friendly market.
In the book we were given I counted 60 Sustainable Textile suppliers. This is still a long way from making sustainable fabrics the norm but shows that the movement is gaining worldwide momentum. There were Eco-Friendly suppliers from the USA, Turkey, Bangladesh, China, Japan, Taiwan, India, Korea, Pakistan,Italy, and Spain.
When it comes to Eco-fashion transparency is everything, so another exciting feature was the vendor labeling system. Vendors with a green leaf used Eco-Friendly Materials, a blue leaf signified Eco-Friendly processes, a brown leaf meant Social Standards, and a Gray Leaf included all of the above.
One of the challenges we faced as a small Eco-Friendly apparel company was finding vendors that were both sustainable and that allowed us to order small amounts. 100 yards per fabric type was what we had in mind, but most suppliershad a 300 to 1000 yard minimum.
In the end we left with some quality contacts and materials from LTLarmatex, Epic Textiles, Inc., and Mercury Fabrics Pvt. Ltd. Seeing the vast rows ofbooths for the fabric suppliers reminded me of the enormity of the fashion industry,and just how important it is to be producing garments in sustainable ways.

Kiva Donations

We participated in the Akun pop-up store last weekend. We also shared a rack with our good friend Study NY a percentage of our sales went towards Kiva a lending organization that provides micro loans to small businesses all over the world. I found it pretty amazing how efficient Kiva is as a loan provider. In the process of all of us vendors at the pop up selecting who from Kiva we would lend to after our sales… We found that if we took more than 24 hours to lend the loans would already be fullfilled! As Tara told me: ” That is the best problem any lending organization can have”. As someone that grew up in the oldest colony in the world, I am a firm believer in fair trade. Providing a platform to cxchange services for a fair price (key word here being fair!) instead of just giving temporary aid to developing or underdeveloped nations is defentely a step in the right direction. Kiva does that on a one on one basis, where you can directly see who your are trading with. That is just the icing on the cake. In case you are wondering, Kiva is also setting up camp in the United States and I am hoping Puerto Rico. Originally, I wanted to donate to Rosas 25 de Julio in Peru. By the time the pop up was over (2 days in between) they didn’t needed our funding anymore In honor of my previous seamstress Josefina and also my mother. I chose Nelly Lucía from Itagui, Colombia. She makes clothes from home for evereybody in her neighberhood just like my Mother and Josefina. I will always have a soft spot in for women with make shifts sewing studios in their houses. If it weren’t for my mom’s desicion to keep 3 sewing machines in the dining room my entire childhood, I probably wouldn’t be doing this at all. I have added Nelly’s profile picture from the Kiva website, isn’t she adorable?

I OWE YOU- an explanation

Allright! We are back online! Apologies for disappearing for the past month! We have been super, super busy. Chang is eat fault for this MIA. We moved! To a much bigger and improved studio in the lovely Fort Greene Brooklyn. A studio that is technically not completely ready yet, but more on that later… In any case it’s exciting!

Also, when life gives you lemons you make spike lemonade, and so we did… Timing is everything in the fashion industry as of yet. Here at the studio we feel like this unrealistic obsession with time, deliveries, market week goes against everything the slow fashion revolution is about. In our case here’s why: In order to have samples done on time for this year’s September fashion week. We would have had to Fedex fabric overnight, air ship everything, take cabs everywhere, pay extra for rush charges to our sample makers who would have had to work on the weekends, dye the fabric differently and possibly with toxic dyes etc… All steps which would in theory get a collection ready “on fashion time” but, would make the carbon footprint of the eco-venture twice as big?! Wasnt’t the whole point of this to make beautiful clothes that where cheap for the planet and it’s resources? If so, why is it that in an industry that is slowly but surely opening its doors to a sustainable future; I still felt that if I didn’t have a collection done by September 8 2011, I was a failed designer? Let’s hope that it is because I am crazy and deluded and not because that’s the way the industry will stay. Designers, wether they are eco or not go through this dilema of: time vs money vs quality all the time. At the end of the day we are all just making clothes, not finding the cure for cancer! Therefore, I stopped the madness and took care of the priorities first. We are now working on our Spring/Summer 2012 capsule collection and it will be ready in October. There are 3 awesome new interns at the studio: Helene from Belgium, Jurguis from Denmark and Isabella from Singapore. They have been more than helpful and efficient, I always seem to get really lucky with interns! We love to keep it international here at the eco-venture head quarters. More on them later!

We will work on Fall 2012 simultaneously, and keep you updated with the usual transparency. We have been concocting other initiatives and partnerships, but that is all I can say so far… Now, I leave you with a very smart video, by the I OWE YOU PROJECT. It’s one of those inspiring videos that we keep around for a little pick me up when we need to feel on track. Enjoy!

Meet Helene our intern from Belgium!

As promised, here is our lovely Helene. She came all the way from Antwerp to learn about our little eco-venture! Helene’s really good with anything graphic design related. However, she came to us wanting to learn more about sustainable design and construction. Therefore she is now in charge of our underwear project. We have been saving all of our knit fabric scraps and lace trims for the past 2 years. We are now ready to use all those scraps to make the most confortable underwear. Talk about no-waste! We will update you every step of the way. Here is Helene making the pattern for our first pair of brazilian cut boy shorts and some other undergarments.

Underwear project Phase 1

Meet Jurguis from Latvia via Dennmark to the Urban Tropical Jungle!

Jurguis is studying tailoring in Denmark and he is here to learn about the NYC sustainable design fashion business. Here he is cutting away. We have to fill in a last minute convertible jumper order.

Jurguis

Meet Isabella

Isabella

Meet Isabella, she has been with us since July. Isabella just graduated from Parsonswith a bachelor in integrated design. She is our in house dying expert. We are dyeing all of our Spring 12 colors in the studio using natural dyes and Isabella is pretty much leading the way. Here she is doing some wash testing four our organic cotton/silk/hemp crepe. When she leaves in October we will miss her so much!

Geomara and her pleats

I have been trying to find a local place to pleat some yardage for the Spring 12 samples. There aren’t many places left in the Garment District that provide this service for designers. The very few that are left are struggling to survive and the prices are not affordable. In order to pleat a garment, you either use a pleating machine, or you sit there and press and fold every single pleat. It takes time and patience to do it, as everything that involves an actual skill does. One of our Spring 12 interns Geomara Fernandez, help me develop the 1st prototype of what I wanted. Geomara is now back in Amsterdam finishing her degree. We had her only for a little bit this Summer. She did managed to accomplish quite a bit, in a very short period of time. Also, thanks to Geomara I am the proud owner of an amazing book; The Art of Manipulating Fabric which is so addicting! I have designed about 5 different collections in my head all using different techniques from this book. Below, she is with her 1st pleating sample. Now, we need to find a place in the city that does the same or similar for a reasonable price and can do sample quantities and production quantities, eventually. I have reached out to my community of dogooders and sustainability knowitalls for suggestions and tips. These ladies never disappoint; thanks Bahar and Tara! I did go today to get some quotes, we will have results this week. Stay tuned!

Geomara

Amarillo Mangooo

The day has finally arrived! We started doing our Spring 12 fabric dyeing. Isabella spent the whole day cooking up with Tumeric what is officially our Mango Spring 12 Color! The process was thoruroughly documented by Isabella and Helene and me.

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We used a food scale to measure our mordants, dyes and fabrics.

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Ingredients before going in the bath.

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Prepare your mordant bath.

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Stainless steel pots and sinks are best for this kinds of dye jobs.

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Hemp/ Silk and Organic Cotton crepe, swimming in the Alum bath

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We used tumeric from the pantry. This particular bottle came from an old roommate who also happens to be Indian. Thanks Jasdeep!

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Just like cooking...

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After 50 min...

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We washed the swatch until it didn't bleed yellow anymore.

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Leftover dye can be stored in the fridge.

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Properly labeled so no one thinks is soup!

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Voila!

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Before and After

Happy Accidents on the Dyeing Diaries

Yesterday was Isabella’s last day as our intern. We will miss her so much! Also, she spent most of the day cooking up our grey from Spring 12. Once we were in the kictchen we experimented with the same dye but a different mordant. By pure chance we ended up with one of our new Fall 12 Colors: Berenjena! Below is the entire proces.

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Final result, our grey and new fall 12 berenjena!

Logwood, scale and coffee= perfect dyeing afternoon, just add water

Spring 12 Grey, fresh from the pot

We have turned our kitchen into a textiles lab, sort off...

Logwood bath

fabric after tin mordant

Fabric after iron mordant

mordants

Mordants: Iron and Tin

Goods of Concience and Indigo Dyeing

Thanks to my friend Evan from Taravat Kid who ever so kindly share her info. After a 2 hour train ride from Brooklyn to Castle Hill in the Bronx, I finally met father Andrew O’Connor from Goods of Concience. Yes, this is a catholic priest that runs an indigo dye lab in the basement, a vegetable garden in the back yard and a beehive on the roof of an old convent adjacent to the church he runs. There is also a line of organic clothing and textiles he runs in Guatemala called Goods of Conscience. I love this bag! It was an incredible day today. Of course I took as many pictures as possible of the whole experience. Next week we will be documenting the process of getting our spring 12 Teal color. In order to get the desired blue shade we need to dye it with Indigo. I was planning of doing the indigo dyeing at the studio but, I don’t have the facilities in my studio to keep a live vat of it. So Francisco who is the dye guy at the church will be dyeing our fabric with Indigo, so we can then over dye it with green to get our Spring 12 Teal. It’s just like cooking but with colors, I love it! Father O’Connor even send us off with 2 bags of herbs and vegetables from the church’s garden. Recipes will follow later on my cooking blog.

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Francisco hard at work.

Indigo Bath

Francisco dyeing a swatch for us!

You have to keep moving the indigo bath water so it oxidizes

Final swatch, after indigo 1 step closer to teal!

Vegetable Garden

Beehive on the rooftop of the church

Upgraded Working Table

Oh how long I have been waiting to say this…WE have a new working table!! It’s huge, it was custom made by our artist and architect friend Heryk Tomasini who ever so kindly took a Saturday afternoon to do this for us. We are so grateful oh all the patterns I will get to draft on this table! Of course I documented the process from the wood store t to 78 Clinton Ave…

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voila! finished table ready for some fun

Heryk in action

Materials check

Dyeing with a live Indigo Vat

Last week we went to see Father O’connor of Goods of Cocience to check out his Indigo dyeing lab. This past Tuesday; Jenny, Jurguis and I took 3 trains and 2 hours later we were in Castle Hill, the Bronx. There Francisco who is very knowledgable in everything indigo and the best priest I have ever met Andrew O’connor (sorry Padre Jimmy from CSA, you don’t dye fabric). Once there it was straight to work. Jurguis documented most of the process, and it was so much fun. I am conviced dyeing fabric is my new calling, it’s just like cooking! While we dyed Francisco shared some very interesting facts about indigo the plant, the process of extracting the dye, the history of El Salvador with it and that will come in another post, promise. For now here is the documentation of my first experience dyeing with Indigo. We dyed 15 yards for our Summer 12 samples.

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Francisco and I

We rinsed the fabric in a conventional washing machine first.

Materials

Organic Indigo from Guatemala, soda ash, madder from Aurora Silk and Oat Bran+water = all the ingredients we need. Patience with the fermented smell not included. Personally I like the smell and I don't even like the smell of real beer!

Prep to submerge

We divided the 15 yards in 5 yard batches because the vat size limitations

Fun!

I love getting my hands dirty!

Oxidizing

You have to constantly keep moving the vat

The process

The process lasted about 1 hour. Then we left the fabric in over night. It wasn't the only dye bath it required... that's for the next post!

Papaya

So we have experimented with natural dyes quite a lot in the past 2 weeks. I have been adamant about getting as many interns as possible involved in the dyeing process. I my mind there is nobody who would pass the opportunity to play with fabric and dye beatiful colors all day. Then again, I am a bit obsessive compulsive about it… In any case, Zaida one of our Spring 11 interns who just graduated from FIT and got back recently from Italy came to play with fabric all last week. She did the testing for the Papaya color and one of our Spring 12 patterns. We dyed it using madder shavings from Aurora Silk and a tin mordant. It was so much fun to have a fellow Puerto Rican designer, grace the eco-venture head quarters! Here are some snaps of the process…

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Zaida

in action!

papaya

it's a quick submerge in the dye otherwise you don't get papaya...

Madder

we separated the tree shavings from the bath water and stored it in the fridge

recipes

Stored in our very own recipe book just for dyes!

Spring 12 colors

Here they are, our Spring/Summer 12 all done with natural dyes!

the range

It never ceases to amaze me, the range of colors you can actually get.

happy accidents

some of this will become the colors of next season

Summer 12 Video

Our Summer 2012 video is here! We collaborated with Luiny from Fililí again, because her collections seem to always pair incredibly well with ours. Her new goddess collection is amazing. The video was shot and produced by the talented Omar, who I can never thank enough. Everyone involved poured their heart and soul into this wonderful October afternoon. My dear friend Karlo Karlo with the flawless execution of hair and make up, this man can read my mind! Mónica Felíx one of the most talented up and coming photographers from Puerto Rico, she kindly agreed to shoot my look book . I have prove of her greatness, check this video out! Of course, none of this is possible with out the right face in front of the camera, Laura Wilson you are gorgeous and too kind. I am incredibly lucky to be surrounded by so many talented humans who love and support the eco-venture! Without further adeu here is the video itself. As for the whole story on how this collection came to be, wait for the next post coming soon!

Auralís x Fililí 2012 Summer from Emerald Gold on Vimeo.

Designer – Auralís Herrero Lugo for Auralís
Designer – Luiny Rivera Gelpi for Fililí

Talent – Laura Wilson

Director – Mónica Félix
Shot/Chop – Omar King
Hair/Makeup – Karlo Beau
Graphic Design – Pat Broadgate
PA – Mayumi Yamada
PA – Jenny Macgregor Dennis

Special Thanks – Ramon Cruz, Miramar YC

Howard Roberts “Girl Talk”

Holiday Pop Up Shop @ Concalma Starts tomorrow!

This is probably about to become a holiday tradition folks. Starting tomorrow Sally Torres Vega and yours truly will be having a pop up shop in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico @ Concalma. If you are in the island of the enchantment stop by and check it out!

Meet the Designers behind the brand this Tuesday @ Concalma 4-9pm

As part of the pop up shop, this tuesday Sally and myself will be making a personal appearance at the pop up shop from 4-9pm. There will even be free parking for our Concalma clients! Come visit with us and ask all the questions about the eco-venture you always wanted to ask.

Magacín posted our event!

Magacín posted our event in their calendar for today. They are a Puerto Rico events and page and here is their facebook page. Come by Concalma tonight from 4-9pm to chat with Sally and me about all the eco-friendly outfits you can wear and gift this holiday season!

Summer 12 Look Book and Press Release

FOR INMEDIATE RELEASE

Urban Tropical: Fresh off the Boat Spring/Summer 2012

“What would a Caribbean woman, such as Rita Moreno, pack if she were to sail from Puerto Rico’s tropical paradise to the glamorous City of New York? The Auralís Summer 12 Collection and red lipstick, of course.” Fresh off the boat from the Caribbean Islands to the Island of Manhattan, this was the inspiration for Auralís Herrero-Lugo’s Spring/Summer 2012 Collection.

Out of her Urban Tropical aesthetic, which she first showcased at New York Fashion week’s The Greenshows in 2010. Auralís once again combines New York and Puerto Rico, the city and the tropics for Spring/Summer 2012. The pieces evoke wanderlust and an elegant allure by merging whimsical elements with a clean construction and sophisticated flare. Ruffles, cap sleeves, sheer and breezy fabrics meet sleek lines, squared necks and sharp angles in a mélange of neutral and vibrant tones. A flowy and ruffled papaya hued skirt combined with a tumeric tinted structured shirt, an iron oxide print dress with sexy sharp slits is what Auralís brings you this summer. The collection tells the story of a journey and arrival from the tropical to the urban, combining elements of both.

While the silhouette and structure of the pieces are inspired by the Caribbean, the colors showcase the bold, bright, and vibrant New York nestled in the city’s fringes. Through them, Auralís wanted to channel the ethnically diverse neighborhoods across the city that has cultivated her design. “Living in Sunset Park, Brooklyn I constantly saw bursts of color around me that transported me right back home”. The coconut, mango and pineapple helados sold on the street corner and fresh papaya and mango steeped in salt and chili powder sold on street carts gave Auralis the 2012 summer colors. “They make for such a delicious view. I wanted to capture them on my clothes, and share this special side of New York with everyone.” The results of this inspiration are the colors for this season, Papaya Orange, Yellow Mango, New York Grey and Coco Crema.

Since its beginnings, Auralís has been committed to beautifully designed and responsibly made garments. This collection is no exception. With Spring/Summer 2012, Auralís took her sustainable philosophy even further by using only natural dyes , turmeric for the Mango Yellow, madder for the Papaya Orange and logwood for the New York Grey. The print on the chiffon and the cotton was created with an iron oxide splatter. All the materials used to make the pieces are eco-friendly, from the wooden buttons to the fibers, of the fabrics; organic cotton, hemp and silk. “ These are beautiful designed clothes with a sustainable relationship to the planet as a priority.”

About the Designer: Auralís, who has been sketching dresses since her early days in Puerto Rico, now pours all her creativity into her fashion label. Every day at her Brooklyn based studio is an “eco-venture”. Is here where Auralís spins flawless pieces with eco–consciousness, and a passion for beautiful design. Auralís is fully committed to her eco-friendly and style-conscious mission. With each new collection the brand strives to make beautiful luxurious pieces that keep the planet as a priority.

For sales inquiries please contact sales@auralistudio.com

For media inquiries, interview opportunities, please contact Jennifer Macgregor Dennis: Jennifer@auralistudio.com
www.auralistudio.com , www.twitter.com/auralistudio, www.facebook .com /auralistudio

Our first overseas trade show!

We are finally doing it. Our Summer 12 and Fall 12 collections will be going to the MINT show in Amesterdam Jan 22-23rd. While there we will be represented by Origin 23 Showroom Merry Christmas to the eco-venture!

Fashion Vitrine Press

Thank you Juan Soto, for visiting our Holiday Pop Up Shop and sharing what you saw with the Fashion Vitrine audience. To read the full article in Spanish click here. I am of course in it with fellow eco-venture accomplices Sally Torres Vega and Matilsha from Concalma.

Sneak Peak Fall 12 Iris Chacón in Scotland?

Isla Verde, Okinawa and Endinburgh's sunsets.

For our first ever Fall endeavor, we traveled to the Islands of Scotland’s in search for beautiful colors and tweeds to cover our tropic hearts.

Dyeing our Autumn 2012 Yarn and fabric for samples.

Now that the Fall 12 collection is on it’s way to MINT in the hand of our showroom Origin 23 I can properly share the details of dyeing the Autumn 2012 yarns for our collaboration with Zaida and the fabrics for the collection. Dyeing is like cooking, I love it!

The dyestuff for our Autumn colors is actually the leftover from Summer 2012, talk about no waste! With different mordants and concentrations of dye we were able to obtain very rich fall colors that reminded me of Scotland and the Puerto Rican sunsets, I guess island living is island living no matter what. Jennifer and I stayed up pretty late playing with dye so everything was consitent and beautiful. Just another Friday night at the eco-venture… Yes we are dorks, and we are ok with it.

Initial color card inspiration from the first testing

mordanted swatches ready for experimentation

fustic wood experiment

logwood experiment

madder experiment with fustic wood

original fustic wood color

preping yarn for dyebath

washing yarn before mordanting

Jennifer being a complete trooper at 3am

in they go!

fabric and yarn drying in the rack

final result, even color and on my first try!

Final result for NYC Grey and Heather

Bracken

Autumn 2012 Press Release

For Immediate Release

“What would Iris Chacón, the Puerto Rican icon, wear to wine and dine in a Scottish castle?”. This is the scenario that inspires Auralís Herrero-Lugo’s Autumn 2012 collection; taking Urban Tropical to the hills of Scotland. From one island to another, from tropical to highland, Auralís designs for her suitcase bringing together ethical beliefs with exquisite designs.

“Iris Chacón was a character I grew up watching in Puerto Rico. She had a variety show in the island for over 12 years. She was a fashion and beauty inspiration to all Puerto Rican women of my generation” In Auralís’s vision Iris Chacón travels from Puerto Rico to Scotland via New York wearing the Autumn 2012 Auralís collection; she leaves all the men in kilts speechless. This Urban Tropical takes her city chic attitude combined with her Caribbean flair everywhere she goes.

Already commended for her commitment to sustainable design: “From the theme I was expecting a more Club Tropicana vibe, which shows what I know – instead we had a 70s-inspired collection of flowing drapery in hemp, organic cotton, soy jersey and peace silk and absolutely beautiful clothes” – The Guardian UK

“ Sophisticated, elegant garments from designers like Auralís enlight fashionistas about what sustainable fashion can look like when its done right.” – Huffington Post

Auralís Herrero-Lugo’s 2012 collection goes one step further in stamping out the footprint of her clothes. The majority of the fabrics were hand dyed at Auralís’ Studio using only natural, sustainable, fair trade dyes. Madder gave us Bracken, which covers the Scottish hills it also gave us Maga; Puerto Rico’s national flower. Logwood brought us Heather, Scotland’s violet flower and our staple New York City Grey.

Says Auralis: “The process of dying fabric requires large quantities of water. Achieving our rich colors naturally was the next logical step for our eco-venture.”

Keeping with the Scottish influence, Auralís outerwear uses Harris Tweed; the world’s only commercially produced hand woven tweed. The tweeds are woven in the Isle of Harris using 100% Scottish wool. The use of Harris Tweed came as a result of the brand’s expansion with the arrival of a Scottish partner, Jennifer Macgregor-Dennis. Auralís transformed these tweeds into timeless sophisticated pieces lined with naturally dyed organic cotton hemp and silk blends.

For autumn 2012 Auralís collaborated with fellow sustainable designer, Zaida Adriana Goveo-Balmaseda. The collaboration includes a scarf and a turban, knitted using a blend of organic merino, baby alpaca and silk yarn; luxurious on the skin and beautiful on the eye. All yarns were also dyed naturally at the studio.

With the combination of luscious fabrics and nature’s finest colors Auralís creates timeless pieces with a passion for beautiful design, the perfect ingredients to create this exquisite Eco luxury collection. Silk habotai dresses, tweed capes and jackets, asymmetrical skirts, and flowy trousers all assemble a fluid and interchangeable autumn wardrobe.

Auralís just showed the collection at Amsterdam’s MINT Modefabriek and New York’s Capsule with the Now Showcase Origin 23 Showroom, “ The eco fashion world is where the future of fashion lies”. - Eileen Moran, who started Origin 23, brings together talented eco designers and gives their collections a home.

For sales inquiries please contact Eileen Moran at origin23nyc@gmail.com, for press inquiries and interview opportunities please contact Jennifer Macgregor-Dennis atJennifer@auralistudio.com

www.auralistudio.com www.twitter.com/auralistudio www.facebook.com/auralistudio

Textile Arts Center it’s my new happy place! (other than my studio)

If you are a total fabric nerd like me, this place is just heaven. They have clases, workshops, and facilities you can rent and do your fabric concoctions. This Summer they are coming up with the best (in my humble opinion) way of getting natural dyes locally and into the hands of designers/artists who want to dye their fibers/fabrics with natural dyes; A dyeing plants CSA (stands for community supported agriculture). They are turnning an empty lot into a field of plants that can be used to dye, brilliant to say the least. They did a beautiful Kickstarter, and a silent auction. The auction included donated pieces from different designers that use natuaral dyes or are active in the comunity in other ways such as STUDY NY, AFIA and AMBIKA. I can’t wait to be a part of it since most of my natural dyes I get from the west or south of the US. Isa, the studio manager at the center was kind enough to visit my studio and we chatted about, dyeing, fabric and loving what you do. Check it out here.

my donated Antonia Top and Maria Pants for the silent auction.

Textile Arts Center Brooklyn Facilities

Sewing Lessons and Work Shops start this Tuesday!

We are finally able to do this! After all the feedback and request we have gotten from our Fort Greene neighbors. WE put together a curriculum for teenagers and adults. The semester starts tomorrow and the classes are small 3-5 students per session only. We will be offering Basic Sewing 101, Project Specific Sewing and Fashion Illustration. It’s going to be so much fun! If you are interested please call us 718-913-0298 or email us at lessons@auralistudio.com.

The Scottish Invasion Has begun!

Our first Scottish customer, Bruce Williams from Williams Bros Brewery ordered a custom made Alejandro Shirt ( made with our organic cotton and hemp dobby) to wear with his Kilt not so long ago. He is in town for a wedding and we snap a quick one of him doning the entire outfit Macsween Haggis in hand and everything!

May 2012

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