Top 5 slow fashion accessory vanguards
Perhaps time’s definition of coal is the diamond.
~Kahlil Gibran, Lebanese-American poet
Monique Pean
Monique Pean grew up in Washington, D.C. and finds inspiration in her travels. It was after her sister’s untimely passing that took her to the far reaches of the Arctic Circle. There she met local villagers of Shishmaref, a traditional Inupiat Eskimo village. During this trip she connected with the villagers through the love of art and began working with them on collections using old ivory and bones. In 2009, Monique was selected as one of the CFDA/VOGUE Fashion Fund winners. Her jewelry has adorned the everyone from Michelle Obama to Cameron Diaz. Today Monique lives in New York City while pioneering an effort in fine jewelry inspired and co-created by indigenous cultures from around the world.
Larry Olmstead
A good bag is never overrated. The one accessory that follows us wherever we go, it holds an array of things we need to get us through our daily travels. Larry Olmstead of Atelier Entermodal has caught onto the importance of this tool, and crafts some of the most beautiful and functional leather bags available on the market. With deep knowledge of ergonomics and extensive experience designing mountaineering and backpacking packs, these bags contain much more than your average leather satchel. All bags are crafted on pre-Industrial Revolution technology and by artisans who have studied the workmanship of a time when bags were made to last. Customers can choose from a range of 50 styles, and then decide which leather, stitching, lining and monogram they desire. Custom-made bags are also available, as well as repairs and conditioning for the life on each bag.
Lisa Linhardt
Trained as a gold and silversmith, Lisa Linhardt creates hand-wrought sculptural jewelry that incorporates recycled metals, ethically-sourced stones, and natural objects. Her pieces are artfully-engineered with signature folds, large jewels and truly stand-out architecture. Her mediums are many and have ranged from metals to horn to seeds. As an artist born and raised in Queens, New York – her aesthetic influences were nurtured through a diverse cultural experience. For over a decade now, Lisa has explored jewelry design through her own experimentation as well as under the tutelage of some of the finest jewelry makers in the world. She has been formally trained at the School of Visual Arts, Fashion Institute of Technology and the highly acclaimed Revere Academy.
Caipora
Caipora is a high quality, ethical jewelry brand that explores the relationship between humans, beauty and nature, both in material and form. They make sure to source materials in a completely sustainable way, through the knowledge of Brazilian riverside communities and by using suppliers whose extraction methods are closely monitored by local environmental agencies. Designers are specially selected due to ethical and environmental values they represent, and they work with professional artisans whose social condition is improved through the work provided by creating these pieces. Establishing a supply chain that is cyclical, as all materials can be recycled or returned to nature, and improving the lives of all those involved in the process, Caipora is definitely living up to the definition of their name, which means “the forest protector’ in the Brazilian indigenous community.
reMade USA
Launched in 2009 by Shannon South, this company creates handcrafted leather bags out of used leather jackets. All of the jackets are deconstructed and carefully planned patternmaking is utilized in order to create beautiful and lasting pieces to continue their life as useful objects. Used garments all have a story that comes along with them, and Sharon believes that “the inherent beauty of these histories adds a whole new and deeper layer of value to an object.” The main material used is leather, but denim and doilies can also be found in the collections. Check out to take a peek at the look-book or see how you can turn your mom’s vintage leather coat into your new favorite carry-all.
