09.22.08
We’ve Moved!
VISIT OUR NEW SITE HERE.
We are now hosted on new and improved site at juteandjackfruit.net, so please come visit us at there!
Also if you have us on FEED, please RE-SUBSCRIBE (from the new site), so you have access to our newest posts!
We had HUGE weekend these past few days with a couple of milestones- between participation at a large festival in MA (first public debut) and also the launching our site! So come read more about it HERE!
xoxo
Team Jute & Jackfruit
09.12.08
Fashionably Fair Runway Recap: New England Culture Fest 2008
After spending the day at the fun-filled and action-packed NE Culture Fest, we here at Jute and Jackfruit pulled together a slide show of clips from the Fashionably Fair Runway Show.
Thanks to Indigenous, fair trade and organic clothing company (and featured brand for Jute & Jackfruit), we were able to participate in the event. Indigenous kindly donated several outfits of organic cotton and wool knits to the show. Thank you Indigenous!
A special thanks to Jonano as well, for donating an outfit without much notice. We were very happy to showcase both designers to the Boston market, along with Nahui Ollin designer handbags (made out of recycled candy wrappers) and Anna Built recycled earrings.
Importantly, all clothing donated to the show is now going to be auctioned off on the Second-World website. Proceeds go toward the many initiatives that are under way at this exciting non-profit organization. From supporting training and arts programs in Nepal, to self-help groups aming Tsunami affected victims, and a strong cultural preservation project in Peru, they are engaged in a lot of dedicated work in the realm of fair trade. See their website for more details.
As for the Fashion Show, Boston-based Samba Tremeterra (an 8+ member band) set a lively tone for the runway by playing a range of upbeat, percussion-intensive pieces. Unlike the runway shows in NY this week, the fashionably fair event was anything but sterile nor conventional.
The looks ranged from Nomad Hemp Wear to Indigenous (partnering with Jute and Jackfruit), to Princess Cornflower and Ecoskin– all bringing a fresh new, modern look to the fair trade and organic segments.
Take a look:
Fashionably Fair Runway Show 2008 (Flickr Slideshow)
More on Indigenous: A pioneer in the organic and socially conscious segment, Indigenous supports local women’s weaving groups in Latin America, and together create beautiful, organic sweaters and knits. Indigenous is also a longstanding member of the Fair Trade Federation and has been producing stylish, organic and fair trade clothing for more than a decade. Check out Indigenous featured in the show.
Jonano is known for innovative fabrics and design: simple, yet, sophisticated styles using their luxurious ecoKashmere bamboo and organic cotton blends. Jonano is also Fair Trade.
For more on the NE Culture Fest, stay tuned for our follow-one slide show with glittering samba dancers, hoola hoopera and fire dancers.
09.07.08
Rain Date for NE Culture Fest Sunday September 7, 2008
Above: Organic cotton and merino wool handwoven sweater, hand warmers and skirt by Indigenous.
Due to rain, the New England Culture Fest is postponed to tomorrow, Sunday September 7th. This is great news since showers nor rain are predicated for tomorrow. Thus it should be a more perfect day to spend outdoors early Fall, with dozens of amazing artists, non-profits, musicians and performers… all doing something unique and wonderful toward greater social and environmental consciousness.
We here at Jute and Jackfruit are extremely excited to participate in this one-of-a-kind event. Now in its Fifth year, the Festival is expected to attract large Boston-area crowds. More than 100 companies, artists and non-profits will exhibit at the Festival. Besides Jute and Jackfruit, other ethical designers participating in the Fashion show include Norden Arts, Emancipation Network, ecoSkin, and Nomad’s Hemp Wear.
As a showcase event for the Festival, the Fashionably Fair Runway show will take place at 9pm on the center stage. All clothing will then be auctioned off, with the proceeds going toward Fair Trade related causes. Jute and Jackfruit is proud to be a featured company as part of the show and to be donated some clothing on behalf of our tremendous partners Indigenous and Jonano.
A pioneer in the organic and socially conscious segment, Indigenous supports local women’s weaving groups in Latin America, and together create beautiful, organic sweaters and knits. Jonano is known for innovative fabrics and design: simple, yet, sophisticated styles using their luxurious ecoKashmere bamboo and organic cotton blends. Jonano is also Fair Trade.
Above: Indigenous women weavers in Peru handweaving the organic cotton and merino wool knits.
The Fashionably Fair event will be videotaped so stay tuned for footage on the show on the Second-World website as well as here on JJF blog.
09.03.08
Jute and Jackfruit in Fashionably Fair Runway Show September 6 2008
Jute and Jackfruit will be a featured company participating in the premier ‘Fashionably Fair Fashion Show‘ as part of the NE Culture Fest. Event is to take place Saturday September 6 2008 from 2pm to 10pm in Lowell, MA.
One of the first of its kind, the fashion show will feature a handful of designers that support fair trade practices and many of whom who also embrace eco-friendly production and sourcing. Jute and Jackfruit has the honor of being the only local Boston eco-apparel company to participate in the show. Our lead partner in the event is Indigenous, who themselves are longstanding members of the Fair Trade Federation.
Indigenous has been supporting local women’s weaving groups in Latin America for more than a decade and together, with their artisans, create some of the finest handwoven organic sweaters and knits available today. Indigenous are truly pioneers in the premier eco-focused and socially conscious apparel segment.
All of Indigenous garments are hand-knit or hand-loomed with premium certified organic yarns and fiber blends to ensure ultimate wearer comfort, beautiful styles and longlasting quality. The clothing makes you feel good inside and out and look absolutely fabulous.
We here at Jute & Jackfruit are totally excited to be showcasing Indigenous at this event and to be participating in this one-of-a kind festival! We will be paring the outfits with some of our handmade Guatemalan jewelry and stylish Nahui Ollin recycled candywrapper bags.
Please come check us out if you are in the Boston area. Event details are below. Show will start at 9pm in downtown historic Lowell.
EVENT: New England Culture Fest
Location: Enterprise Bank Parking Lot, Across From 172 Middle Street, Lowell, MA 01852 Arts District, Lowell, Massachusetts, USA
Time: Fashion Show 9pm (total festival 2pm – 10pm)
Date: Saturday September 6, 2008
Thanks to Second-World, and Valerie Parker especially, for doing an amazing job and putting this festival together and building the momentum and support for Fair Trade practices. We are so excited to become a part of this movement as we launch Jute & Jackfruit.
08.31.08
Anna Built: Redefining Eco-chic Accessories
Kristal Li wearing orange recylced tin earrings.
Jewelry designer and sculptor Anna Johansson is passionate about recycling. She’s made a living from reclaiming items otherwise destined for the landfills.
“I have an intense desire to use material I find around me to create with,” Johansson shares on the AnnaBuilt website. Looking at her unique designs, it’s easy to see that Johansson has truly made treasure from what would have been someone else’s trash.
Johansson also creates sculpture and stained glass works, which are available on her website. She is a classically trained visual artist and spent nine years at Daniel Maher Stained Glass in Boston, working as an apprentice then graduating to restorer and designer. This is where Johansson began crafting her distinctive sculptures, stained glass and jewelry. The AnnaBuilt artist now resides in Brooklyn, NY.
Jute and Jackfruit is pleased to offer a collection of AnnaBuilt’s earrings, and the handcrafted designs really do transcend what they once were. It’s hard to tell that each pair is made out of recycled cans and tins; many styles appear to be hand painted. But any labels or decorations are merely coincidental—the reclaimed cans and tins were found that way, the designs already enameled onto their surfaces.
Finding pretty patterns and shapes is all about the luck of the draw. Some of the cans and tins Johansson uses are recycled from the trash, while others come from thrift and grocery stores. Each pair of earrings is unique, but not all are one of a kind. Depending on how much Johansson has of a particular tin, several pieces of a certain style may be available while others are limited.
The earring collection available at Jute and Jackfruit features one-of-a-kind pairs. Choose from single circle earrings, double and triple circle drop earrings, double lure earrings and concentric circles.
Julia Rae wearing gold and black recycled aluminum concentric circles above.
Shana wearing red and black plaid recycled aluminum earrings.
Another fantastic feature of these earrings is that they are extremely light. They will never pull your holes down or make them larger. Also all posts are made out of stainless steel or sterling silver – so they will never bother your ears.
