NYC Fair Trade Coalition

IPSA’s 2nd Annual Fair Trade Fashion Show

NYCFTC — Thu, 02 May 2013 18:16:12 +0000

NYC Fair Trade Coalition is excited to partner with the NYU Wagner’s International Public Service Association to bring local fashion designers who adhere to Fair trade business practices in their production of clothing, jewelry and accessories. Come and learn about these amazing designers, vendors, and watch Wagner students strut their inner model down the runway! Join us for a night of fair trade fashion, food, shopping and fun!

Fair trade is a system of exchange that ensures livable wages to the workers, safe working conditions, and employing environmentally sound company practices. Typically when we think of ‘fair trade’ practices, agricultural products from bananas to coffee come to mind, but fair trade is not just about food. Everything from the clothes we wear to the pens we write with have impacts on the workers who make them.

Designers featured: Mccoll&Clan, Tori Famuyiwa, ReciclaGEM and Reborn by Soham Dave.
Vendors featured: Nuts+Nuts, Pokuasi, Kopali Organics, Retalhos Cariocas, Urban Mano Maya, Mushmina, Work Shelter and The Lotus Oddesy, Tout le Monde, Divine Chocolate, Runa Tea, Marquet, Global Goods Partners, and Handcraft Justice, among others.

When: 5/02/2013 6:00pm-8:30pm
Location:
The Puck Building, The Rudin Family Forum for Civic Dialogue, 2nd Fl.
295 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10012-9604 map

Please RSPV for the event here : http://wagner.nyu.edu/events/ipsa-05-02-2013

Photos from last year’s Fair Trade Show

Panel and Networking: Empowering Women through Fair Trade

NYCFTC — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 13:42:38 +0000

Fair Trade is as much about Social Change

as it is about Empowering Producers.

Women consist of 51% of the global population and represent an even greater percentage of Fair Trade producers, yet women are often discriminated against and not treated with equality. Unfortunately, women in Fair Trade businesses and organizations are often unaware of their power.

Come join us for a lively discussion of women empowerment’s through Fair Trade. RSVP at http://nycftcpanel.eventbrite.com/#

6:00pm Networking

6:30 -7:30pm Panel discussion and Q&A

7:30pm -8:30pm More networking

***Enjoy Stellar Organics fair trade wine, Runa fair trade tea, Madecasse and Kopali Organics chocolates, and fair trade vendor displays.

Panelists

Benita Singh, source4style.com

Zolaykha Sherzad, zarifdesign.com
Video presentations

Bob Bland by ManufactureNY, Indiegogo Campaign

Wishwas, a local nonprofit that empowers Bangladeshi women in NYC through fashion.

Hosted by NYC Fair Trade Coalition

Nimet Degirmencioglu, sohamdave.com

Becky Bavinger www.destinyreflection.org

Fair Trade Vendors

Friends of Fresh and Green Academy (hand woven scarves) www.friendsoffreshandgreen.com

Destiny Foundation (reclaimed sari bags), www.stitchingdestiny.com

Madecasse Chocolates, madecasse.com

Runa Tea, runa.org

Stellar Organics Wine, www.stellarorganics.com

Kopali Organic Chocolates, kopali.net

Special thanks to Wix.com for event space.

NYC Fair Trade Coalition seeks to educate consumers about fair trade and promote fair trade businesses in NYC. We partner with ethically-aligned businesses, NGOs, and individuals to organize NYC events and engage the public in dialogue. We offer social media advertising support, sales event opportunities, and community networking with ethical and fair trade businesses through our Business Membership program.

Benita Singh, source4style.com

Benita is the Co-Founder & CEO of Source4Style. Source4Style is the first online tradeshow for materials sourcing and global design inspiration. The global sourcing platform has attracted designers from 71 countries and suppliers from 24 countries.

Benita started her career while a senior at Yale University, when she co-founded and served as the President of Mercado Global – a fair trade social enterprise connecting women artisans in Guatemala to expanded markets in the US. She went on to serve as the Director of Marketing for League of Artisans, a program of the American India Foundation connecting artisans across the country to wholesale markets.

An expert in branding, communications and social business models, Benita also served as a Brand Strategist and consultant at BBMG, a New York-based Brand Innovation Agency.

Benita has been named among the World’s Best Emerging Social Entrepreneurs by Echoing Green and the 2011 North American Laureate by the Cartier Women’s Initiative along with her Source4Style co-founder Summer Rayne Oakes. Her work has also been recognized by media outlets from Newsweek to VOGUE.

Zolaykha Sherzad, zarifdesign.com

Zolaykha born in Kabul, Afghanistan. At the age of 10 she had to leave Afghanistan and became a political refugee in Switzerland. She graduated in 1994 from the School of Architecture in Lausanne. She practiced as an architect for different companies in Switzerland, Japan and New York, taught Design Studio at Pratt Institute School of Architecture (1998 – 2004).

In 2000, founded “School of Hope – SoH” a not- for-profit organization sponsoring education in Afghanistan. SoH is now merged with School of Leadership for Afghanistan – SOLA: www.sola-afghanistan.org.

In 2005, she initiated Zarif Design, working with Afghan women in reviving the traditional textile into a modern design, working in Kabul with a group of 36 women and 16 men on developing the Zarif Design Center. http://www.zarifdesign.com

Zolaykha participated in several shows representing Afghanistan through its label. Zarif Design has presented its collection at “Agnes b” stores, a well-established French designer in Paris 2009, London 2010 and New York 2011. In 2009 participated at the Biennale of Venice presented her work at the Afghan, Iranian and Pakistani Pavilion “East – West Divan”. In 2012 participated at one of the major international shows, dOCUMENTA 13, in Kassel – Germany and Kabul. Zarif Design has participated in the designs of the costumes for two major shows, “One Thousand nights” in Toronto in 2011 and “The Comedy of Errors” by Shakespeare in 2012 at the Globe in London which received the first price. On October 18^th 2012 received the TIWA (The International Women Alliance) Award, the World of Difference.

Located steps from Union Square, the Wix Lounge is a completely free co-working and event space for creative professionals. Grab your laptop, pop into the Lounge and enjoy a productive workday, great networking opportunities, and amazing events. Active since 2010, the Wix Lounge is run by Wix.com, a free website publishing platform providing user friendly tools for building beautiful, easy-to-make desktop, mobile, and Facebook sites. The Wix Lounge provides free support to Wix.com users, giving them help and advice for making the ideal website. To learn more about the Wix Lounge, please visit http://www.wixlounge.com.

NYCFTC FAIR RUNWAY @ Wix Lounge

NYCFTC — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 13:30:05 +0000

NYCFTC ‘s second fashion show was a celebration of Fair Trade in NYC. Thanks Kate Black of Magnifeco for hosting the show, Wix Lounge for providing the space, and all of our Fair Trade brands, fashion bloggers, fellow designers, friends, family, supporters, clients, and inquisitive guests.

“As Fashion Week winds down in New York City for the AW13 collections, last night was time again for the second installation of the collaboration between the NYC Fair Trade Coalition (NYCFTC) and Magnifeco.com and their Fair Fashion Runway. Started during New York Fashion Week 2012, the Fair Fashion Runway was created as a new platform to promote eco-fashion and Fair Trade in a collective, innovative show.

With all the glamour and style we expect of NYFW, but none of the pretension or posturing the night was about celebrating all that is beautiful when fashion is ‘fair’. The fair referring to: fairly sourced (cruelty-free, most items from artisans), fairly paid (no slave-labour), and fair to the planet (made with natural dyes and fibres that won’t harm the earth).”

Special thanks to NYCFTC Designers;

Reborn by Soham Dave

Kibonen NFI

Simply Natural Clothing

NYCFTC FAIR RUNWAY @ Wix Lounge

NYCFTC — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 01:46:56 +0000

NYCFTC ‘s first fashion show was a celebration of Fair Trade in NYC . Thanks Kate Black of Magnifeco for hosting the show and Wix Lounge for providing the space and our Fair trade brands , fashion bloggers, fellow designers, friends, family, supporters, clients, and inquisitive guests.

Thanks Tamara for the amazing blog on Magnifeco.com .

Magnifeco.com / Fair Fashion Runway Recap

” Wednesday September 12^th was a kinetic and exhilarating event in the New York Fashion Week roster. Magnifeco.com together with the New York Fair Trade Coalition (NYFTC) hosted a Fair Fashion Runway event showcasing three sustainable brands and a house full of vegan, eco-friendly and ethically produced fashion and lifestyle products. The Fair Fashion Runway event overwhelmed the mind and senses with options for the ethical fashion aficianado. ” by Tamara Leacock.

Thanks for Suzanne Finley and Romeo Lee for the beautiful photos.

Special thanks to NYCFTC Designers;

Reborn by Soham Dave

Kibonen NFI

Mccollnclan

Wednesday 9/12 – Fair Runway Show!

NYCFTC — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 02:37:30 +0000

Join us for a special party to celebrate fair trade and fashion @ Wix Lounge.

Spring Summer 2013 RUNWAY PRESENTATION by:

Reborn by Soham Dave
Kibonen NY
Mccoll & Clan

Doors open at 6:30 pm
Runway starts at 7:30 pm

Please RSVP at http://nycfairtradecoalition.eventbrite.com/

Cocktail tasting by FAIR Vodka, Root Tea by Palo Tea, and Guayusa by Runa Tea.
Free fair trade wine from Stellar Organics and surprise giveaways. Fair Trade brand accessories from Destiny Reflection, Global Goods Partners, Handcrafting Justice, the Lotus Odyssey, Marquet Fair Trade, and ReciclaGEM will be available for sale.

NYCFTC is an all volunteer grassroots organization educating consumers on the value and importance of fair trade and promoting fair trade businesses in NYC.

MAGNIFECO , your daily eco-fashion blog featuring gorgeous products that are fair-trade, sustainable, organic, recycled, vintage and/or vegan. Where ethics meet aesthetics we feature eco things for yourself, a loved one, your home or the planet (even our sponsors are ethically-minded).

SHOES by LOVE IS MIGHTY

Dedicated to preserving indigenous arts and tribal culture in India, Monisha Raja has made a line of shoes to preserve material and craftsmanship in danger of becoming extinct. All shoes are vegan and were recently featured in Marie Claire, USA and India. Amanda Hearst, Fashion Editor of Marie Claire is a fan and owns a few flats. Natalie Portman recently got a pair of the recycled plastic pumps, which will be on sale at the event.

ART EXHIBITION by Susan Springer Anderson
Susan Springer Anderson re-appropriates traditional and non-traditional art materials to create sculptural drawings/paintings and figurative assemblage sculptures. Her works range from striking figures to quiet and subdued, abstract topographical maps, incorporating materials such as jute, cotton strings, sticks and coffee filters.

MAKEUP ARTIST Lacey Elliot

Lacey specializes in makeup for weddings and commercials, and will soon enroll in the Makeup Designory School in NYC. For this show, she will use eco-friendly, vegan makeup by Josie Maran.

Francisca Pineda will also be on hand to promote her ethical fashion abroad program working with indigenous artisans from the Talamanca region near Puerto Viejo.

Special thanks to WIX LOUNGE for providing the space! Located steps from Union Square, the Wix Lounge is a completely free co-working and event space for creative professionals. Grab your laptop, pop into the Lounge and enjoy a productive workday, great networking opportunities, and amazing events. Active since 2010, the Wix Lounge is run by Wix.com, a free website publishing platform providing user friendly tools for building beautiful, easy-to-make desktop, mobile, and Facebook sites. The Wix Lounge provides free support to Wix.com users, giving them help and advice for making the ideal website. To learn more about the Wix Lounge, please visit www.wixlounge.com.

September 6 – Kick off Fashion Week with EcoSalon’s Party!

NYCFTC — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 15:39:49 +0000

Last year’s EcoSalon party at Textile Art Center

Come to EcoSalon’s NYC Party to Kick Off Fashion Week!

Not just a fashion party, a sustainable fashion party.

Join EcoSalon and the Textile Arts Center in Manhattan, on September 6th from 6:30-9:30, to kick off New York Fashion Week. Talk and shop with over a dozen designers over a Conway Family Winery chardonnay,The Naked Grape Harvest Red and Cabernet Sauvignon, FAIR vodkacocktail or Zhena’s Gypsy Tea and learn about what sustainable fashion means in the midst of a fast fashion crazed society.

Elizabeth Cline, author of Overdressed, The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion will also be on hand to sign copies of her new book. All purchases the night of the event come with an eco-beauty gift from La Bella Figura, Kahina Beauty, Olie Biologique and Stark Skincare (while supplies last!).

Francisca Pineda will also be on hand to promote her ethical fashion abroad program working with indigenous artisans from the Talamanca region near Puerto Viejo.

Shopping, organic cocktails, a little fashion education and a healthy dose of some of your favorite EcoSalon writers? You’d be crazy not to come and join us!

Current designers available to shop the night of the event include:

EkoLab
Afia
Carrie Parry
Ambika
Erin Considine
Laura Seigel
Adrienne Antonson
Ilana Kohn
A.D.O
VOZ
100% NY
Jess Rizzuti Handbags
Pick-Up Stitch
Soham Dave
NYC Fair Trade Coalition

We look forward to seeing you!

Sunday Sale at Sustainable NYC

beckybav — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 22:04:19 +0000

Join your fellow NYC Fair Trade Coalition members tomorrow, Sunday 8/26, at Sustainable NYC for a Sunday Sale. Starting at 11am, we’ll be outside the store selling everything from fair trade dresses to home goods. Spread the word – the more shoppers the better! Sustainable NYC is located at 139 Avenue A (between 9th and 10th street).

Conscious Collaborations

beckybav — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 16:59:20 +0000

Date: Thursday, August 16th, 2012
Time: 6:30-8:30pm
Location: Ggrippo Art + Design Gallery, 174 Grand St, Williamsburg

Description: Please join us for an intimate discussion with NYC based designers, Carmen Artigas, Tara St. James, Swati Argade, Jessica Marati, Amy Decew, Jennifer Gootman, Anh-Thu Nguyen and Francisca Pineda. This inspirational discussion will explore the personal experiences of designers collaborating with artisans throughout the world. Please feel free to share this event.

Website: For more info on our guest speakers please vist: http://www.ethicalfashionacademy.com/blog.html

May 9, 2012 – Magnifeco Meet and Greet with Kate Black

Alyssa — Thu, 03 May 2012 00:32:49 +0000

Welcome Kate Black, founder and managing editor of Magnifeco, to NYC! Join us for a casual meet-and-great and conversation about eco, sustainable and fair trade fashion.

When: Wednesday May 9 at 6pm – 8pm

Where: Sustainable NYC

139 Avenue A between 9th and 10th Streets

May 7, 2012 – First Mondays at Arcadia Spa & Home: Housing Works fundraiser

Alyssa — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 20:14:09 +0000

Celebrate Arcadia Spa & Home’s new location in Chelsea at their inaugural First Monday benefit supporting Housing Works.

When: Monday, May 7, 2012 from 6pm – 9 pm

Where: Arcadia Spa & Home

249 West 23rd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues

Admission: Free!

Check out the Facebook event

10% of all sales will go to Housing Works’ many important projects supporting people with HIV/AIDS and fighting homelessness in NYC.

With Mother’s Day just one week later, wedding season upon us, and so much new product in every department at Arcadia, it’s a perfect opportunity to explore their new digs and remind yourself why you fell in love with Arcadia in the first place!

First Mondays, held on the first Monday of every month from 6 pm – 9 pm, will be a neighborhood gathering of old and new friends in a relaxed, fun environment of food, drinks, freebies and shopping (of course!) for a good cause.

Arcadia is looking for suggestions for worthy community organizations to support. E-mail ideas to info@arcadianyc.com