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.
06.09.08
The Jute & Jackfruit Logo Nearly Finalized
The JJF logo is nearly finalized. Here is the prototype- our designer is now improving final touches to the logo to ready for production on all our materials and sites. We are very excited to almost start spreading the love- hang tight.
What does the JJF logo mean? The fruit in the logo symbolizes key elements of the company and brand. Namely:
- Fresh
- Hip
- Juicy
- Colorful
- Playful
- Sumptuous
Together with the jute leaf, and the circular component to the design, we intend to evoke the feeling of sustainability & the cyclical nature of life. If you look close enough too, the fruit design looks almost like a woman (eg Mother Nature).
Other associations with our brand:
- Eco-chic
- Stylish
- Sexy
- Good for you
- Good for the environment
- Good for humanity (fair trade)
- Unique
- Handcrafted
- Feminine
The symbol also represents an artistic combination of a jackfruit, jute leaves, and a woman, an ode to all the wonderful women and Mothers on the planet.
Stay tuned for more on our logo!
06.06.08
Inspiration for the Name: Part II
Photo: Rickshaw driver after the rains in Dhaka, Bangladesh
As one of the poorest countries in South Asia, with few resources and high population density coupled with major annual flooding, Bangladesh is a country that easily evokes compassion on a first visit.
As one of the densest countries on earth (150 million people living in a space the size of Ohio), it also suffers from limited natural resources, marginal GDP and major flooding at least once per year. Despite these challenges, (or perhaps because of them), Bangladesh happens to be one of the most green countries when it come to recycling. In fact, Bangladesh has banned plastic bags – recognizing early on the damaging impact the bags have on the planet and their inability to degrade rapidly.
Working with many of the Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) and non-profits in the country, I continually gained inspiration by observing the extremely hardworking, committed people devoting their lives to poverty alleviation, improved health and progress for the country.
Over the years, I spent months there and grew very fond of the place and people.
When I began thinking about starting the clothing company and what I should name it, jute came to mind, due to its all-natural characteristics and durability as well as its easy of growth in Bangladesh (not to mention China, Myanmar, Burma and other places). Jackfruit as well, prolifically grown in the country, represents a unique, indigenous aspect of Asia which is appealing, tasty and also seasonal—much like clothing collections. Jackfruit then, represents the constantly changing nature of fashion, aligned with the seasons….keeping us fresh and vibrant.
Rickshaws are still a common mode of transportation in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. On my last trip there, the streets flooded almost every day, but luckily the guest house I stayed in was in a higher elevated part of town. Here is a photo I took early morning of a typical rickshaw driver getting ready to drive morning commuters to work.
Flooding affects everywhere in town, often making road passage by car difficult in the rainy season as well as construction projects come to a halt. In this photo, a flooded street is lined with beams for a new building made out of local wood.
06.04.08
Inspiration for the Company Name Part I
Some of you may wonder, why ‘Jute and Jackfruit’? What does that mean? Well, the short answer to that is ….it’s alliterative, fun, and dynamic….
The longer answer is jute is one of the most prolific all natural fibers in the world, and underutilized in my opinion. Jackfruit, also unknown to a large extent is a juicy, unique tasting fruit found mostly in Asia and Latin America. The two together create a compelling combination – one that reflects the fresh seasonality of fashion coupled with the sustainability of JJF’s green mission. Finally, both just and jackfruit happen to come from a country close to my heart: Bangladesh.
My first encounter with jackfruit was on one of many trips to Bangladesh, working in international development. First at the guest house breakfast, I noticed these funny looking yellow fruits in a bowl. After inquiring as to what they were, I gave one a taste and was hooked ever since. Later in one of our non-profit offices, I was given the opportunity to break open a large jackfruit (featured above), which increased my admiration for the fruit and its exquisite interior.
Part of the inspiration for the name is because I believe that the solutions to climate change involve our entire global village and not just our own backyard. Bangladesh to me, epitomizes the environmental crisis, with 150 million people crammed in a small space, with so few economic opportunities and so much vulnerability to natural disasters and flooding (which appear to be increasing in severity). Plus, Bangladesh happens to grow jute naturally as well as jackfruit, thus providing a unique gateway to participation in the global economy.
The individual jackfruits are then picked out. One jackfruit can feed a whole family practically! I know it looks intimidating, maybe even bordering on ‘yuck’, but it is actually really quite tasty! I wish I could buy them here! Maybe someday….
04.30.08
Setting up Shop: Jute & Jackfruit
Featured item: Windowpane cashmere by Peligrosa.
Jute & Jackfruit is excited to announce that we are creating our website now and are getting ready to feature some really amazing designers in our opening collection. For a sneak preview, check out the following:
Let us know what you think!
