One of the shows I was most excited about seeing during New York Fashion Week was Study NY by Tara St. James. A 2011 Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation Winner, St. James designs her sustainable clothing line in Brooklyn, New York. Everything about her presentation – from the invites printed on pencils to the classroom setting to her goodie bags (backpacks and brown paper bags evocative of grade school lunches) all revolved around a school theme. All of these accoutrements were very fitting given the name of the collection and the look of the pieces.
The collection was a mix of English school boy meets old New York meets a dash of teacher’s pet. The color palette of muted greys and rich browns along with the use of vintage, recycled and overstock fabric gave the collection an earthy feel. One of the textiles was acutally made from silk cocoons by CPALI, a non-profit initiative to prevent deforestation in Madagascar. Most of the pieces, with a few exception, were made in New York. It’s nice to see a label interested in reducing its carbon footprint and Study New York is a prime example of how it’s possible to create fashion that is sustainable and that doesn’t look like people would wear it to Burning Man.
