collecting fabric scraps: AGAIN!

My dearest friends:

Its that time of the year again!! 

YES, SCRAPS collection time!

You may be familiar with my hand-spun scrap fabric yarn, which I used to knit some of the pieces for the CALAFURIA collection I showed at The Green Fashion Competition in Amsterdam last January.

http://zagb.blogspot.com/2011/12/17skeins-spun-so-far.html

http://zagb.blogspot.com/2012/01/scrap-fabric-yarn-plying-more.html

I collected fabric scraps from designer friends, the Textile Arts Center, and just from my own leftovers. However, most of those have now been re-cycled and turned into something new, so ITS TIME FOR ME TO COLLECT MORE.

If you are a designer and have fabric scraps you want to get rid of, if you are a recent or to-be graduate and your locker is FULL, if you are moving, or just have too much fabric you can't/wont use... then I'd be happy to give it a new life.

If you'd like to "donate" please email me. 

I can come pick it up (NYC area).

THANK YOU!

xoxo

 

The KNITTING PARTY

A few weeks ago my dearest friend Rosa Ng from QualityControl hosted a Sunday KNITTING PARTY!

I had never been to an event like this, and didn't really know what to expect. Nonetheless, I was really looking forward to see Rosa and some other former classmates; and to catch up while knitting or teaching others how to knit!

It was a total success! There was tea, pastries of all kinds, churros, munchies,  and chocolate. Plus, we had nice music as a background to our endless and boisterous chatter. We had so much to update each other about.

such a beautiful tea-set! our guilty pleasures!

All of us are either out of school (graduated from FIT last May) or on the last semester. Its incredible how much things have changed since we've stopped frequenting the classrooms on 27th street. We spoke about first jobs, corporate vs. non-corporate companies, our study-abroad experiences, travels, design competitions, the NYC Garment Center, career ambitions, and of course, our love for fashion, craft and KNITTING.

There were 3+ conversations happening simultaneously and each story was interrupted by an “okay now, I’m going to show you how to purl”, a  “wow, what’s that super pretty yarn?” a “wait, can you show me that again?”, "how to wind a ball of yarn", or “ What’s circular knitting all about?”…

All I can say is that it was the most fun I’ve had in a while! There is nothing like sharing your knowledge, ideas and passion for craft while catching up with your friends (and making new friends) over delicious banana/pecan-banana-bread-yuminess and warm tea on a cold winter Sunday!

Maybe we are nerds, but I know we all loved it! This should become a regular thing!

Enjoy the nice pics x Rosa Ng!

snacks on the table, yarn in our hands... this is how it started!

Nicole learning how to knit! She was determined to knit an entire sweater before she left the party...

I was fixing one of my CALAFURIA pieces w handspun scrap yarn

oh the laughs!

 The following Sunday,  I caught up with Nicole. She told me she's hooked with this knitting thing and that she bought "professional needles" because "a professional needs professional tools"

WE LOVE YOU NIC and we also LOVE KNITTING!!

Auralis + Zaida Adriana Goveo Balmaseda: knitwear accessories for Fall'12

Last Fall when I returned to NYC after my Euro-trip (the Mittelmoda competition, and the Ethical Fashion Show in Paris) I re-connected with my ex-boss, fellow puertorrican eco-designer, and friend Auralis Herrero Lugo; the designer behind Auralis (an eco-friendly label of exquisite clothes with an "Urban-Tropical" flair) .

 __

I interned with Auralis in the Fall of 2010 during my senior year of college, and helped with the preparation for the launch of her line during The Green Shows. It was an amazing experience, and I felt very connected to her vision and her line. It was super heartwarming to work with/for someone who comes from my beautiful little island but is out here trying to make a difference. 

Every time I went to the studio it felt a bit like going back  home... and thats how I became part of  her eco-venture. We've kept in touch ever since, and she's been incredibly supportive of my creative endeavors... given me advice and even wrote an article about the work I exhibited at the MMXIproject on Elpuntoes!

  __

Anyhow, when we re-connected last September, she told me she was experimenting with natural-dyes at her studio. Since I was very interested in learning more,  I offered to go help her out+learn  for a few days. From that a knitwear collaboration was born. 

Auralis wanted to include a knitwear element in her collection and I got really excited about developing some samples for her. Its the first time I collaborated with someone else and made accessories. It was a challenge, but definitely learned a lot and the pictures look amazing!

3+ months and MANY samples later (we tried various hat, scarf and headband shapes)  we ended up with a turban/headpiece called "chacón headband" and the "iris scarf" all in reference to Iris Chacón. “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” 

 "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."

 

*pics from Auralis' blog

"In Auralis’s vision Iris Chacón travels from Puerto Rico to Scotland via New York wearing the Autumn 2012 Auralis 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."

The Knitwear accessories I created with/for Auralis which were just shown at MINTfair in Amsterdam and at CAPSULE NYC during their respective FashionWeeks and will also hopefully be up for sale online through Auralis' e-shop.

"Auralís just showed the collection at Amsterdam’s MINT Modefabriek and in Europe for the first time with Origin 23 Showroom, “MINT is a driving force for the eco fashion world which is where the future of fashion lies”. – Eileen Moran, who started Origin 23, brings together talented eco designers and gives their collections a home."*

*from Auralis' Fall 12' press release. 

I'm posting my favorite pictures from her Fall '12 collection below (and some process/behind the scenes pics as always)PLUS a wonderful video by Emerald Gold/Omar King. You can see more looks in her lookbook.

So much talent on that photoshoot! 

Auralís Herrero Lugo for Auralís
Jewelry - Luiny Rivera Gelpi
Talent - Laura Wilson, Collin Tanner
Director - Mónica Félix
Shot/Chop - Omar King
Makeup - Karlo Beau
Hair - George Ortiz
PA - Mayumi Yamada
PA - Jenny Macgregor Dennis
Mario Sweet "Mario" 

CALAFURIA: behind the scenes preparing for The Green Fashion Competiton

behind the scenes

please watch, comment and share!

Thi video documents some of the handwork/fiber/textile ♥ we've been using at the "studio" for the collection we are preparing to show The Green Fashion Competition on Jan 27th.

thanks to Dorian Iten for the amazing editing and patience, Alida Gagliuffi Cooklin, Ileana Goveo Balmaseda, Jorge A. Balmaseda, Don Johnson, Rosa Ng, Leonardo Vázquez, Study NY, Abigail Doan, Textile Arts Center, Auralistudio, and 100 Percent NY 

..and every one else that has jumped on the boat of this super exciting journey! 

SCRAP FABRIC yarn: Plying A More Fashionable Fiber Frontier

HELLO THERE, UPDATE UPDATE!!!

I'm back to being cybernetically connected. After spending two days knitting intensely (for The Green Fashion Competition and Auralis), here are some visuals from behind the scenes!


Also, this week we were featured in an amazing article written for ECO SALON by Abigail Doan. Abigail is an incredible writer/textile artist/master createur who I've had the pleasure to connect/interact with a lot lately. Its super gratifying to see she truly understands/appreciates my work!
Please check it out: Plying A More Fashionable Fiber Frontier

Abigail Writes: 

"Similarly, I admire how designer Zaida Adriana Goveo Balmaseda is currently scouring the floors of designer work rooms and studios for scraps of textiles that are being hand spun into knitted runway creations for The Green Fashion Competition at Amsterdam Fashion Week in late January."

Zaida shared some of the following sentiments with us regarding her resourceful process and intention:

“Through my work I intend to encourage and engage people to use craft for solutions, and for my current project we are recycling studio textile waste. I discovered the spinning process while researching recycled yarns, and given that I was not really satisfied with my finds, I wanted to work with a fiber that I had complete control over and that would positively impact my surroundings, including the people I know. 

Spinning yarn can be done with a very simple tool, and many people can participate in the transformation of this raw material. In just one week I taught my grandparents, brother, sister, and mother how to spin. We are creating and sharing stories together, and it has been incredibly rewarding to see everyone cooperating and enthusiastically wanting to learn a new skill. Each skein is unique, just like its spinner and the runway garments that we are knitting as well.”

enjoy the pics...

view from the "studio" window- our pincushion is a small sofa and behind id the BKLYN bridge

prepping

scrap textiles waiting to be spun

scrap textiles waiting to be spun

scrap textiles waiting to be spun

skein detail

skein detail

TGFC updates

 I've been  knitting "hand spun scraps" like a maniac for the past few days.

Mom has been sewing and quilting non stop and the apartment has been turned into a "small" 2-woman factory!
-there is so much to do still, but we're making steady progress-

Mom finished quilting 2 of the pieces--> so ONLY one more piece needs to be quilted now. 

things are looking good!

Yesterday we had two wonderful helpers who worked some of their magic around here:

Rosa Ng from Quality Control 

Long time friend super fast knitter!

and 

Dorian Iten 

Master Artist and long time friend, this one is pretty good at just about everything. He is helping us with a -hands at work- short video which will document the process of creation of the pieces for CALAFURIA (collection) and the techniques behind it.

I am so thankful to spend these super long workdays IN GREAT company, and for the support and help of everyone around me.

now off to knitting

the "studio" is dedicating its day to the knitwear collaboration w Auralis  from Auralistudo

happy knitting to you all!

17 skeins spun so far!

all 17 skeins of spun "scraps" waiting to be washed/whipped and hung to dry

just wanted to share my joy for what is happening.

today I'm preparing the skeins of hand spun yarn so that I can start knitting some cool pieces tomorrow!

So far, we've spun 17 skeins.

All together they weigh 2.5 lbs, and thats 2,5 lbs of waste that has been transformed into a wonderful and super interesting"fiber". 

enjoy the pics!!!

I will enjoy the rest of my day at the "studio"... 

And then, a YUMMY dinner at TIA POL to celebrate Abuelo's 73rd b-day.

17skeins being rinsed + washed! its a pool party of scraps!

skein detail in pool! isn't it so cool looking?

Getting Ready for AFW/The Green Fashion Competition

IT IS TIME!

It is time for an UPDATE. 

Its been a whirlwinding couple of weeks, working hard in the preparation for our collection for The Green Fashion Competition.

I've been able to connect to people through my work and it is one of the most rewarding feelings. Its inspiring, encouraging and reaffirming: Its like knowing that you are doing the right thing at the right time, that you are on a "mission" and that the journey is magical!

I love sharing my work, receiving feedback and advice; and I am so fortunate to be surrounded by people that are interested, supportive and sending me amazing vibes.

So, before I bombard you with images I'd like to thank each and every one of you who has reach out and given me good energy and happy wishes, - they go a long way- !

special thanks to:

• Abigail Doan from ECCO*ECO for the beautifully written post on her super-inspiring blog: http://eccoeco.blogspot.com/2011/12/ones-to-watch-at-green-fashion.html

• Tara St. James from STUDY NY, Daniel Silverstein from 100% NY, and Auralis Herrero Lugo from Auralis Studio for letting me recycle their fabric scraps and the encouragement.

• Jessica Velez from Jessica Velez Knitwear for letting me come over and use your studio to drape and knit, and for being there since day 1.

• To my mom -master seamstress and crafter- for joining me on this adventure and becoming a FULL TIMER on our "travelling studio", my sister and her boyfriend who've donated all their free time to cutting fabric strips and learning how to spin (yes, the boyfriend is discovering the world of craft but I won't mention any names because I promised I would say that he was watching the football game while "the girls" sewed their lives away ;P )
• To Leo and Dani for coming over and lending a hand, to my uncles for letting this greenventure take over their apartment, for the understanding and the feeding the entire crew!... AND, thanks to my friends, whose inboxes I've clogged with emails asking for music, styling suggestions and business-plan advice.

OH, one more thing: We are on twitter now, so Follow @zaidibirin

(the resistance is over, I had to give in)

enjoy!

 

just a little teaser ;) overviewing the "making-of"  the alveolo tunic/top

concoting natural dyes: blackberries, blueberries, coffee, eucalyptus leaves, onion skins and tea, curry, turmeric, black beans and annatto

maybe I shouldn't give so much of it away... I cant resist! these are the dyed pant pieces waiting to be sewn

fabric scraps waiting to be spun

lovely spindle working its magic!

SURPRISE! MMXIproject!

GRADUATION was TODAY- so I am officially- not a student- but a GRADUATE!
it feels good: AS much as I've been wanting for this day to come,I'm not going to lie- there are mixed emotions.


ANYHOW_ I will speak/write about graduation another day- TODAY... I want to tell you about a great great thing that is happening this week!

THIS THURDAY, MAY 26th is the MMXIproject's 1st presentation.

The MMXIproject is a design collective that myself- and 4 other marvelous ladies- created to establish a platform in which we could share our  work in its pure form. Meaning-without- having to meet anyone's expectations but our own.


 The collective began taking shape when  Amabelle Aguiluz, Nicole Girion, Zaida Goveo Balmaseda (me), Michelle Sordi, and Mary Symczak, met while studying at Politecnico di Milano in Italy and developed bonds both socially and creatively, while working, living, traveling, and studying together.  WE were having this creative rush, and wanted to do something together... and THUS, the MMXIproject started!

We come from diverse backgrounds and cultivate different approaches to design but maintain the common thread of respect for the craft.

We create our own standards, exploring the realm between art and fashion.

We explore concepts based on inspirations from our experiences both domestic and international.

We thrive off collaborative efforts and support for one another. 

We strive to create something that is bigger than the individual, but composed of elements of us all.

We believe in NO RESTRICTIONS

ABOUT THE EVENT:

There is a strong effort to not only present the project as final products of a technical craft, but to show the research and thought process to parallel the final result.  The show will exhibit a range of mediums that express the design sensibilities of each designer including textile development, photography, inspiration research, sketches, and actual garments. 

The MMXIproject invites you to come explore OUR worlds, have a drink, and be inspired.

You can learn more about the project @ : www.MMXIproject.com

Share with friends/people you think might enjoy it.

Please RSVP @ MMXIproject@gmail.com

FIND US ON facebook 

and...

THANKS X THE SUPPORT from:

AURALISTUDIO: 

http://www.auralistudio.com/blog/2011/05/24/mmxi-project-zaida/

TARA ST. JAMES/STUDY NY: 

http://4equalsides.com/2011/05/17/mmxi-project/

and

the always incredible

-SASS BROWN-!

sorridi, ti fa bene

a friend sent me this- and I wanted to share!

just to show you how much I love it!

new business-new identity-

dear friends + FRIENDS OF FRIENDS
i have to excuse myself for being away for a while. summer has been a bit -weird- and confusing. but we never let it drag us down completely-and here I am -back to sharing.

the ETSY/zaidibirindilindilandia shop has been up and running for about a month an half, and although slow, starting something up is a lot of work. there are so many little things to take care of asides from THE PRODUCT/ART you create: there is packaging, business cards, events, promotion, mailing, an identity, etc..

-take a look at zagb's/zaidibirindilandia's new "biglietti di visita".

credits:

- logo x me

- b. card design x dorian-iten

.........................................

about how the shop came about:

i'm back from a WONDERFULL study abroad experience in Florence, Italy and as you may know I'm back in NYC.

just spent the last month between job interviews and preparing for ITALY again. however... most of my time and energy have gone towards putting together some of my creations and setting up a small line of accessories/online shop.

i came back to NYC to work, not realizing that things were so bad over here... we can't give up-and because we need to stand up for ourselves- i've gone ahead and started this online "business" which i hope you will enjoy. it will be my permanent job - from now, until as long as i can keep it, but specially throughout my next year studying in MILAN, Italy. you know what that means: zaidibirindilindilindilandia WILL travel with me!

zaidibirindilandia is meant to offer you some whimsical, very special and unique art-pieces that have been crafted with passionate thought and time dedication... just to share a bit of me... with the world.

right now there are mostly earrings and headbands- but i will soon post more items such as bags, vests, brooches, rings, etc...

make sure you pass by! www.zagb.etsy.com

share it with your friends. spread the word. support your local artists, grassroots/independent, self published, self photographed, friends are the real models (natural beauty), recycled goods, live green!

-ETSY is an online community/marketplace where you can buy and sell all things handmade; special, crafty, ART!- ...huggs to all... thanks for the great vibes!

zaida adriana goveo balmaseda