Inclusive, ethical, sustainable fashion is coming to Williamsburg this weekend. SENSE of SHELF and THE SERIES NY bring eco-friendly designs to the Lucas Lucas Gallery at 57 Conselyea St., September 14-15, in collaboration for the Sustainable Mini Shop.
SENSE of SHELF is a Bushwick-based online retailer founded by longtime friends Madeline Ritaccio and Amy Kallman. The two entrepreneurs are devoted to the Bold Babes of the world, those who challenge the status quo in their life and wardrobe choices. This mission is thoroughly demonstrated in the retailer’s commitment to ethical, sustainable brands.
“The fashion industry is the perfect microscope for examining trade policy, environmental racism, labor rights, and human rights,” explains CEO Ritaccio. “What we choose to wear on our bodies is inherently political.” Which is why this organization includes a thorough vetting process when deciding which fashion brands SENSE of SHELF features.
“When we evaluate if something is sustainable we take a two-pronged approach to ensure it is both eco-friendly and ethical,” COO Kallman elaborates. “For the website, we recently implemented a four-step evaluation process for determining if we’ll partner with a brand. We looked through this lens when considering artists and designers in our community for the Mini Shop.”
This scope on ethical fashion makes THE SERIES NY an ideal collaborator for the upcoming Sustainable Mini Shop. The eco-friendly brand takes vintage-inspired clothing and repurposed denim to the next level. Each piece is handmade, from reworked existing materials, and provides customers with custom, wearable art, at no cost to the environment.
THE SERIES NY also challenges the highly-gendered fashion industry. “Each piece of clothing made by The Series is for all beings. There is no womenswear or menswear, there is clothing for people and anyone can and should wear anything that makes them feel confident and happy,” Designer and founder Ella Wiznia details theirs vision. “Dressing is an art and a really compelling and sincere form of expression and there should be no limits on what can be used.”
Both SENSE of SHELF and THE SERIES NY are dedicated to reshaping fashion by offering inclusive, ethical options at an accessible price tag. Purposefully arriving after NYFW, the Sustainable Mini Shop offers consumers a new perspective.
Wiznia elaborates on the upcoming pop-up: “Creating a physical space where people can come and make connections with sustainable brands and artists feels like an important step in showing alternatives to how we consume clothing and jewelry.”
September 14-15, 2019
Lucas Lucas Gallery at 57 Conselyea St.
All images courtesy of Berriez.
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