*Some eye candy for the guys here too* The article below fails to mention another excellent California based company making active wear here in America entirely from RECYCLED PLASTIC BOTTLES. The owner is a young friend who started her company right out of college, on a wing and a prayer and an idea that no one had tried before. Two San Diego entrepreneurs discuss how they launched apparel companies with Made in the USA fashions. Would you be surprised to find out that San Diego has a fashion design industry? On July 30th, the Fashion Group International San Diego held a meeting, titled Going from Designer to Manufacturer, featuring Barrie Kauffman and Heather Haas from two San Diego-based clothing lines: Fables by Barrie and Fiveloaves Twofish. Both of these brands are designed and manufactured in San Diego, not made across the border in Mexico and not made in China like other brands founded and still headquartered in San Diego. Since the 1980s, the San Diego region has been known for its active sports lines of clothing and shoes. In addition to the golf and sports apparel of San Diego-based Callaway and TaylorMade, other San Diego companies include: • Reef, starting with casual sandals in the 1980s and branching into a complete line of mens and womens sportswear in 2002; • Bad Boy starting with T-shirts and shorts for local surfers, skaters and motocross riders in the early eighties and expanding into action sport and combat sport lines in the 1990s; and • Tribal Gear, launched in 1989 as a Southern California lifestyle inspired clothing brand, until its original San Diego based shop closed in 2012. None of these brands claim their products are Made in USA. On the Fables by Barrie website, Barrie says that she started her company in 2007 to create stylish, whimsical, and head turning clothing for women. “Since 2007 Ive been striving to meet these goals with a good mixture of kindness and elbow grease…Im very pleased to tell you that Fables is designed, developed, and manufactured in San Diego, California USA. We take pride in being most definitely sweatshop-free…We are very aware that our creations cost a bit more than so many similar-style brands, much less knockoffs, so we want to thank you for your continued support through the years ….” A feature article in the San Diego Union Tribune in July 2010 described her line as vintage style inspired fashions for ladies, specializing in swimwear, Western wear for women that kind of looks like a chic version of the outfits on “Hee Haw,” and dresses. Kaufman makes clothes using lots of primary colors, bows, ribbons and ruffles. The popularity of her red, white and blue swimming suits, which are sold in places like South America, Puerto Rico, Israel and Australia, helped propel Kaufman from Internet saleswoman to boutique owner. She opened her first boutique, Fables by Barrie, in the Hillcrest area of San Diego in April 2010. Fiveloaves Twofish was founded by Kit Kuriakose and Heather Haas in 2009. Kit is the head fashion designer, and Heather functions as COO. Fiveloaves Twofish is a fashion design house for girls, tweens and teens. The design house was originally in the art district of Little Italy near downtown San Diego, but relocated to the Liberty Station area and is open to the public. The website states, It is a fashion driven lifestyle brand for girls, tweens, and young contemporaries and describes the collection as an all encompassing look, attitude, and way of life, saying they design clothing for the up and coming generation’s needs, wants and desires. They design in order for girls to grow-up and enjoy each stage from 4 to 16, while allowing them to embrace the transitions from little girl, to girl, to tween. We like to call these stages the age of exploration, as girls are caught between little girlhood and juniors. During this age of exploration, Fiveloaves Twofish provides girls with a rich collection of varying attitudes that allows girls to play with who they will become each and every day. The brand is sold in boutiques and department stores nationwide, with Nordstrom being one of their major department store outlets. The website touts that all our fashion is designed and patterned in our design house in San Diego. We take great pride that all our manufacturing from design to completion is done not only in America but also locally in San Diego, CA. We source our raw materials locally at first, using about 50% from local suppliers and 50% from overseas. All our packing material is recyclable, and waste is kept to a minimum. The website encourages clients to wash their clothing in cold water and line dry it, saying This is not only better for the longevity of your clothing, it is also easier on the planet. Fiveloaves Twofishs website offers a challenge to clients: Know what you buy and read labels. Buy from companies that treat workers, animals and the environment with respect.
Posted on: Sun, 31 Aug 2014 08:52:30 +0000
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