Slow Fashion Publication & Me!

I was fortunate enough to be asked to pitch a story to Less Magazine late last year.  I really only had one idea at the time, being a bit busy with two upcoming art shows and a full teaching schedule, and it was one that I'd been thinking about and wanting to write about: how slow fashion has affected the way I source materials for knitting or sewing projects.  Luckily, they liked the idea, and the fun began!

It's been awhile since I've written an "article," which I put in quotation marks because it's kind of a personal essay disguised as an article, but I'm into hybridity so it's all good.  I also hadn't worked with an editor in awhile, and it took me a minute to realize that there would be multiple drafts with accompanying revision requests.  My editor, Sofie, was great and working with her was productive.

I reached out to a few people I knew via Instagram or had met at the Squam Art Workshops retreat I attended last June (and will be at this year again - yay!).  Well, I initially put a wholesale call out in a post on Instagram and got a few bites.  I ended up soliciting input from three different makers - Tierney Barden, Jess B. Daniels, and Anna Strive (@saint_raven on Instagram) - and am grateful they agreed to share their experiences.  Not only did it give me some ideas, but it also let me know that I'm not the only maker who is concerned about these issues.

The magazine decided to make me a highlighted contributor and asked me to make a statement about the issue's theme, globalization.  Yes, I, too, was unfamiliar with the term when I first heard it, but I think I understand it now.  As they needed a high-quality picture of me (read - not from a cell phone or point-and-shoot digital camera), I only had a few options.  I sent them three, and this is the one they chose:

There are a number of things I like about this image, which also cracks me up.  Firstly, I'm making a very common face.  I think you could find me making this face in a million images that the ladyfriend snaps of me.  Also, I'm wearing a skirt I made, a turtleneck from 3 Dots (made in the USA), my beloved chambray shirt from Imogene + Willie (made in the USA), the tights are from Falke (made in Germany), and my Blundstones (no longer. made in Australia - sigh).  I am also on the property of a dear friend in the Berkshires.

You can read the magazine here.  Not only is my article in it, but it has great fashion spreads and other thought-provoking articles.  I think of it like an intellectual fashion magazine.  Please show them some love.

Also, here are links to makers, companies, or blogs I referenced in the article: Alabama Chanin; Island Wool Company; Rowan yarns; Fringe Association; Tanis Fiber Arts.