Once each month, we invite a sustainable textile vendor to present their materials, fibers and processes. Join us for March’s Textile Tuesday with Winona Quigley, Founder and CEO of Green Matters Natural Dye Company. A graduate of Parsons School of Design, Winona worked briefly in the fashion industry before using her natural dye research to start Green Matters in 2015. With an intense interest in the pollution of global waterways, Winona is committed to developing an environmentally friendly dye service for large and small brands alike. Winona’s vision is to continue to scale natural dye production to offer to a wider market so that more consumers can afford a naturally dyed product in their home and wardrobe.

Since launching, Green Matters has grown to have commercial dye capacity by using 4 industrial paddle dye machines to process yarn, fabric and garments for apparel and product brands. Currently, Green Matters can process up to 100 lbs of fiber in a single dye lot. GM is located less than 120 miles from New York City, in the heart of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Being located in Lancaster County allows us to employ local Amish women and develop relationships with the agricultural community. Our location includes a 60,000 gallon rainwater cistern, which we use for all of our dyeing.

Buy tickets here.

Once each month, we invite a sustainable textile vendor to present their materials, fibers and processes. Join us for March’s Textile Tuesday with Nidhi Garg, founder of Marasim. Marasim means ‘connections’ and is a NYC based company focused around craftsmanship. Marasim leverages its strength of a contact base of millions of grassroots artisans in India and in house team of textile and QC experts, to bridge the gap between the traditional artisans and global designers, encouraging- craft design innovation, knowledge sharing and handmade fashion.

The practicalities of language differences, geographic distances and bureaucratic constraints have isolated millions of artisans from much of the design world. Marasim’s grassroots R&D team solves this accessibility problem by introducing designers to the new face of craftsmanship through their NYC based textile craft library. Marasim’s founder, Nidhi Allen will be on hand showcasing this library which has examples of different weaving, knitting, printing, and embroidering techniques. The cultural, historical and technical aspect of the crafts will also be discussed.

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Nidhi Garg Allen is a technologist turned artisan entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of Marasim. New York City-based Marasim works for the longevity of unique traditional craft techniques utilizing a robust research library to introduce luxury brands to textile handicraft picked from the world’s oldest civilizations, yet ripe for design innovations.  Marasim is committed to extending luxury brands the creative freedom to develop luxurious artisanal textiles that make use of regional techniques rendered by generational artisans without uprooting craftspeople from their homes and native communities. 

Interested in attending more than one Textile Tuesday? You may want to consider membership to the Re:Source Library which allows you free entry to all Textile Tuesday presentations for 6 months. More info here.

In this workshop, students will be learning how to make bioplastics: a substance made from organic materials as a substitute for petroleum-based polymers, which are seen in your everyday plastics. With the rising trend of sustainable materials, awareness of bioplastics is an easy way to reduce your carbon footprint. We will explore the history, different fabrication methods, and coloring techniques through this hands-on lab. By the end of this session, students will take home their very own hand made bioplastic samples.

All materials for this course will be provided by the instructor, students only need to bring their curiosity.

Buy tickets here.

About the instructor:

ANDREA LAUER (Artist, Designer, Educator, Creative Director, Inventor) resides in New York City and works Internationally to produce multi-media experiences with a focus on the human form.

She is a guest lecturer at New York University, Princeton University and RISD and is the FOUNDER and Chief Creative Officer of RISEN DIVISION a couture workwear fashion brand that celebrates the art of the jumpsuit.

She is also owns Risen from the Thread a design thinking and innovation agency focused on the human body and its relationship with technology. Client categories include fashion, marketing, fine art, medicine, sports and entertainment. Lauer’s selected credits include Rolling Stone, American Vogue, Interview, Nylon, Paper and OUT magazine and NOVA. Her work has also appeared at the Grammy Awards and on Broadway in productions including “American Idiot” and “Bring It On.” She is an MIT Directors Fellow 2017, Pioneer Works Science Resident 2019, and a New Lab Artist in Residence 2020.

More info and tickets here.

Once each month, we invite a sustainable textile vendor to present their materials, fibers and processes. Join us for January's Textile Tuesday with Krista Steinberg, founder of Looming Jane.

Looming Jane is a small textile weaving studio based in upstate NY. We design, develop and produce custom yardage for apparel and home furnishings as well as interior designers. We focus on using US-grown, sustainable yarns alongside recycled materials and dead stock fibers to support closed-loop manufacturing on a small scale. Our process of development begins with a conversation about concept and materials which lead into design details and sampling constructions. Through a collaborative approach, we develop and produce custom textiles to meet our clients needs.

Krista Steinberg is a designer with a BFA in Textile Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, NY. After her graduation in 2008, she worked as a textile print designer for apparel and home furnishing companies until setting up her own weaving studio in 2015.

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Sustainability to Circular Economy: Activating new values for contemporary consumers with CLASS

C.L.A.S.S. CEO and founder Giusy Bettoni and the Eco Hub Material Manager Luca Olivini will introduce the contemporary topics of Responsible Innovation and Circular Economy analyzing the key pillars and values of the two. After this they will introduce key smart innovative materials, and related brand adoptions, that inspire creativity and infuse technology, performance and sustainable credentials that take steps toward a circular economy. A detailed discussion of the contemporary role of communication will set a new way of design thinking that represents a shift in culture to empower businesses to be competitive and socially responsible.

Extra: Introduction to the new C.L.A.S.S. Smart Materials Bank. Come and discover it!

Tickets available here

Would you love to make your clothing line more sustainable but don’t know where to start?

In this workshop, we will review sustainable alternatives for every aspect of the production process, look at incorporating sustainability into product design and manufacturing as well as consider ways that other designers include sustainability in their business models, learn about incorporating circular design strategies by reevaluating your supply chain. The workshops include a theoretical foundation to the definitions of sustainable, circular and responsible fashion along with their key principles. This is followed by design thinking methods that put your company’s needs and interests in focus to develop the perfect and unique solution for your brand.

• Sourcing responsible fabrics and mills through our Re:Source textile library

• Life cycle thinking: a general overview or an assessment of your specific product(s)

• Setting sustainability goals: inventory your sustainable strategies and how you can scale/add to them

• Referrals to apparel manufacturers within our extensive database

• Understanding how to responsibly produce locally and internationally

Learn more about the workshop and buy tickets here.

Once each month, we invite a sustainable textile vendor to present their materials, fibers and / or processes. Join us for November's Textile Tuesdaywith with Kanika Ahuja from Conserve India.

Born of a desire to combat India’s twin problems of poverty and waste through fashion, Conserve India stands for contemporary values and new-age fashion while combining social justice and environmental regeneration in its products. Repurposing plastic bags that have clogged our cities, rivers and oceans!

"We have developed a unique process to upcycle plastic waste to create a new material which looks and feels like leather. An alternate to Leather, that is cheaper, longer-lasting and lightweight. Its even waterproof! We call it “Handmade Recycled Plastic”. We use this material to create Upcycled fashion products like handbags, travel bags, wallets etc. Our process avoids Carbon emmissions that traditional recycling of plastics produce and also works to increase the income of urban slum dwellers by 150%. We work with several artisan groups in India and design to utilise traditional Indian crafts in contemporary design using sustainable materials. We are a part of the World Fair Trade organization and follow a Fair and Ethical supply chain."

Buy tickets here.

Would you love to make your clothing line more sustainable but don’t know where to start?

In this workshop, we will review sustainable alternatives for every aspect of the production process, look at incorporating sustainability into product design and manufacturing as well as consider ways that other designers include sustainability in their business models, learn about incorporating circular design strategies by reevaluating your supply chain. The workshops include a theoretical foundation to the definitions of sustainable, circular and responsible fashion along with their key principles. This is followed by design thinking methods that put your company’s needs and interests in focus to develop the perfect and unique solution for your brand.

• Sourcing responsible fabrics and mills through our Re:Source textile library

• Life cycle thinking: a general overview or an assessment of your specific product(s)

• Setting sustainability goals: inventory your sustainable strategies and how you can scale/add to them

• Referrals to apparel manufacturers within our extensive database

• Understanding how to responsibly produce locally and internationally

Learn more about the workshop and buy tickets here.

Once each month, we invite a sustainable textile vendor to present their materials, fibers and / or processes. Join us for September's Textile Tuesday with Queen of Raw in our new space in NYC's Garment District.

Supply chains are insanely wasteful, which harm people, planet, and profit.  More than $120 billion worth of excess fabric goes unused in warehouses around the world every year!  With a family in the business for over 100 years, Stephanie Benedetto saw the problem first hand a built the solution.  Queen of Raw is a marketplace to buy and sell unused textiles, keeping it out of landfill and turning pollution into profit.  

Join Stephanie Benedetto, CEO & Co-Founder of Queen of Raw, as she discusses new sustainable business models, innovative technology like blockchain and machine learning/AI, and the value of deadstock.

This event will also include a sales area where we will be selling deadstock textiles and trims so bring some bags to take home your goodies!

4-5 pm: Presentation

5-7 pm: Shop for fabrics!

Buy tickets here.

Once each month, we invite a sustainable textile vendor to present their materials, fibers and / or processes. Join us for August's Textile Tuesday with Lenzing in our new space in NYC's Garment District.

Lenzing Group is a world leader in botanic wood – based fiber manufacturing, headquartered in Lenzing, Austria. Lenzing sets the global standard on quality and innovation for cellulose fibers. With over eighty years of fiber production, the success of Lenzing is based on its consistent commitment to its customers, innovation, technology and quality. Lenzing supplies the global textile and nonwovens industry with botanic cellulose fibers such as TENCEL™ Lyocell, TENCEL™ Modal and Lenzing™ ECOVERO™ viscose.

Join Lenzing’s Manager of Business Development (Innerwear & Knitwear) Malvina Hoxha as she discusses her role and how Lenzing help support brands & retailers in the U.S. as well as their connections and collaborations with mills, spinners and weavers on a global scale.

Order tickets here.

Connecting & Educating New York Manufacturers and Small Businesses  

CitySource is a semi-annual tradeshow that was started to connect designers and small businesses with local resources held at the Fashion Institute of Technology. The event brings in over 70 vendors including manufactures, pattern makers, sample and trim shops. Throughout the year, we host a variety of educational seminars for garment workers and designers. 

More info here

Once each month, we invite a sustainable textile vendor to present their materials, fibers and / or processes. Join us for July's Textile Tuesday with The Woolmark Company in our new space in NYC's Garment District.

The Woolmark Company represents a commitment between woolgrowers, brands and consumers on the authenticity and quality of the fiber that connects us. Through their extensive network of relationships spanning the international textile and fashion industries, they highlight Australian wool’s position as the ultimate natural fiber and premier ingredient in luxury and performance apparel.

As a not-for-profit organization The Woolmark Company works alongside Australia’s 60,000 woolgrowers to research, develop and market Australian wool. They encourage and unite the entire supply chain - from the farm through to loyal consumers, by connecting, inspiring and educating; guaranteeing wool fibre quality; collaborating with like-minded brands; championing the wool fibre's eco-credentials.

A short presentation will be given by Angela Domsitz Jabara, Product and Education Extension Manager, Americas followed by Q&A and time to see material swatches.

Order tickets here