Crystalyn Kae Blog

Although she passed away a few years ago, not a week goes by that I spot a good print and think of her.  Recently, Audrey's daughter so kindly gave me some of her stash, and up until now, some of the vintage feedsack and calico prints have been lingering in my cupboard waiting for the *right project*. (Fabric hoarders, you know what I mean!)

Other than pounding the pavement going door-to-door to boutiques, in-person events like this trade show are the most effective tactic for getting a company's name out there. 

And since the San Francisco Gift Show closed, there hasn't been a wholesale market that would showcase the unique work of designers of hand-crafted gifts and home accessories, and attract Bay Area independent boutiques and retailers.  This is why a small rep group stepped up to do just that.  They know what it's like to be a vendor - and they they make you feel like a partner and a teammate, not another body filling a booth to cover their rent. 

After the creative head rush with our photography collaboration in New York's East Village a few years ago, we have been scheming via Instagram with Emily, on how we could repeat the magic together again. . . . but this time in Seattle!  Being that both Emily and I are Pacific Northwest natives, we've been yearning for an excuse to return to Seattle to capture a bit of the fresh outdoor vibe with my bags, giving a nod to our West Coast roots.

 

You may remember Geneieve, as she was a featured customer in one of our "Whats in Your bag" posts, and if you've been following her journey, she was wearing a Crystalyn Kae hobo on the day her (now)  husband proposed!  So we were doubly thrilled that she wanted to carry one of our Large Valet pouch on her wedding day! 

Italy is a country beloved for it's food, obviously pasta and wine,  but one of the things I found to be most delightful is focaccia bread.  But the other night, after watching Samin Nosrat make focaccia bread in an episode of Salt Fat Acid Heat, I became obsessed with recreating that perfect bread that I found in my travels in the Ligurian region of Italy last year. .

I started my internship with Crystalyn Kae in January and what first caught my attention about the opportunity was Crystalyn’s dedication to socially conscious style! I wanted to be a part of a brand that valued its resources and did its best to genuinely be environmentally conscious! Crystalyn’s practices of upcycling and recycling fabric is a huge benefit to the planet and helps divert fabric and textile waste out of landfills. Using as much of the material as possible (hello adorable card cases and headphone tacos) really helps to keep her manufacturing as zero-waste as possible. 

Volunteering at FabScrap has been on my NYC bucket list ever since Crystalyn mentioned that that is where she gets a lot of her upcycled leather and unique fabrics.  Crystalyn, being the super cool boss she is, allowed me to take an afternoon off and volunteer at FabScrap! This amazing *woman founded* business is dedicated to recycling fabrics and repurposing them to keep them out of the waste stream. They have thousands of pounds of fabric that they have collected from apparel design companies in New York City, about 40 bags a day weighing 50 pounds each, which volunteers then sort to be recycled or sold at very reasonable prices to designers or students! 

Ever take a walk around the section of Midtown between 34th-42nd street between 7th avenue and 9th avenue? (Just mere blocks from Times Square. . .yikes!)  Without even knowing it, all those tall skyscrapers are full of small workshops and manufactures contributing to the fashion industry and made in America products.

Have you ever peeled carrots, or trimmed of broccoli stalks and wondered if there might be a way to make use of these nutrient-rich vegetables, instead of throwing them away (or composting?). Here's our quick and dirty solution that will...

  Helen's lentil salad which I was firs introduced while as a first time vendor at Indie Market

In May 2018, I spent nearly a month in Tuscany, immersed in a region renown for olive oil, wine, truffles and leather. Inspired by a culture so connected to the land in a mindful way, I relished this rare opportunity to explore an ancient tradition working with vegetable-tanned leather.

I am a material driven-designer, with longevity and timelessness being paramount to my aesthetic: any object of value has to tell a story.  Working with this pliable material in its natural state enabled me to combine my skills in textiles and woodworking in the most exhilarating way.⁣

Here's a peek behind the scenes of creating the collection.

Selecting fabrics for a new handbag collection is like a treasure hunt. Crystalyn regularly shops flea markets, antique shops and her favorite local source for sample fabrics: Fabscrap to select pieces of fabrics. Either she finds textiles that get on well with what she already has in mind for the next collection, or what she discovers gives her even more ideas for a future collection.

I will confess it brings be a spark of satisfaction when men tell me they appreciate the understated classic styling of my Metier tote, and ask "Do you ever make bags for men?" 

So when Jovencio, a fellow designer on Etsy, asked if I could make a modified version of my Métier bag with an adjustable across the body strap, instead of the handles, this time I answered: "Why, yes I can make you a man bag!" 

 

Leather is a very long-lasting material, it can last thousands of years. So, why should we produce new when we can up-cycle? In New York City, the heart of American fashion manufacturing, I have access to a plentiful supply of exceptionally rare swatches, mill-end rolls, and even production leftovers from major designers and manufacturers. I have had the pleasure to collaborate with a local non-profit, FabScrap, to obtain my leather (and textiles) for my current collection.’ 

Pratt Institute and the The Brooklyn Fashion + Design Accelerator (BF+DA) have partnered with 360 Wellness  for “Wear the Future Here – Conscious Fashion for a Better Life.”  They have curated a showcase at The Shops at Columbus Circle to tell the stories of 7 apparel brands at the BF+DA, which we are proud to be part of! Each designer has a different story and business model that promotes sustainability and ethical practices in the apparel industry. 

While visiting one of my stores in Seattle recently, the shopowner mentioned that it's hard to navigate New York's wholesale market week, because there isn't a map of their favorite brands in one place.  So we took it upon ourselves to help do exactly that!

Here's a peek at our favorite independent fashion designers showing this week in New York:

The guiding light of Crystalyn Kae Accessories is to create useful designs with luxurious materials that will stand the test of time.   In the spirit of my first collection of bags beginning 17 years ago, purses that were made...

 

I stumbled across this ethereal thread-stitched bowl and couldn't believe it's intricacy and otherworldly nature. 

 

It’s made by free machine embroidering on soluble fabric, which dissolves away to leave just the stitching. This ‘soluble lace’ is then moulded into shape while damp... 

All sacrilege aside, I truly cannot find a better way to describe the atmosphere of my exceptional residence this week.  Tucked just outside the city walls of San Miniato lies a 14th century monastic nunnery, Monastero di Santa Chiara, which will be our home base for the week while we explore the vegetable-tanned leather region of Tuscany.

 I was recently invited to participate in first-person full-sensory experience to the cultural context of vegetable-tanned leather in its birthplace in a tiny village in Tuscany called San Miniato. 

As an artisan, this invitation is obviously a bucket-list opportunity and a welcome catalyst to experiment - to stretch myself in ways I don’t usually have opportunity or resources to try.

All of the products we consume make an impact on the environment. We cannot fight the nature of consumption and our exponentially growing population. How, where, and with what materials things are made determine just how much of an impact a product's lifecycle can create.