Friday, September 25, 2009
Friday, September 4, 2009
E&E Photo Shoot: Behind the Scenes
We have just completed the ETICA + ELLA Capsule Collection Spring/Summer 2010 'Voyager' Photo Shoot. Here are some of the behind the scene shots. The official Collection photos and the website will be up soon!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
India Part 2
I've been in India about one month now... so much has happened and so much was learnt! Due to several issues we are no longer working with Assisi at this point of time, which turned out to be a wonderful thing. The collection is really taking shape now and I am so delighted to say that it is better than I had even imagined! We are now working with a fair-trade organisation that is certified by Fair Trade and a WFTO member. They are called Craft Resource Centre based in Calcutta, and they work with 58 different craft-organisations, 35 of which are involved in export.
Our collection has evolved into 10 dresses in 7 different styles, all handmade using a unique french stitch technique, made of handwoven silks and leather and fun! It is so exciting seeing these creations come to life! Samples should be completed within the next 10 to 14 days and the photo shoot is takng place in Thailand shortly afterwards. Photos will be up soon!
Monday, July 6, 2009
India Part 1
I am now in India, sourcing fabrics and manufacturers. I started off in New Delhi, and met up with a friend who works for Medicos Sis Fronteras (Doctors Without Borders). They give medical aid and emergency assistance to areas in need and emergency situations. I also became acquainted with one of his friends who works in the UN dealing with funding for a certain aspect of their work. On one of the days I went and had lunch with him at the UNICEF canteen with all the people who are employed there, which was really fun.
I met with Kusum Tiwari, the head of Mura Collective a textile project that employs handicapped women to dye natural fabrics with natural dyes in different styles including Shibori. She is currently moving the whole production and organization into the mountains, the foothills of the Himalayas and therefore isn’t able to work on any new orders for this year. Nonetheless, the meeting was fascinating and enlightening.
I also met with several local designers including Indians (Parveshjai), Dutch and Italian. They all gave me some tips, advice and further sourcing contacts which was very interesting.
I am now in the south of India, the state called Tamil Nadu, where much of the cotton and silk comes from. When I arrived at the airport I wasn’t sure where to go as all the hotels I had called the day before had said they were full. But within a few minutes a group of local college students who study pharmacy adopted me and took me around in their car to all the hotels until we found somewhere ideal. I have made especially good friends with a girl called Kavita, she is one of the most switched on people I have ever met. I had dinner with her on the day I arrived and last night I was invited to one of the Professors from their university which was really fun! I felt like the guest of honor and it wasn’t even my wedding! The groom was so excited to have me there and kept on wanting to take photos with him. Apparently white people at Indian weddings are a sure sign of prosperity and luck! Well I wish them all the best.
Today is Monday, and I finally am at Assisi Organics, the garment factory where I intend to have most, if not all, of my cotton garments made. It was so exciting to have a tour around the factory and meet all the peoples. Assisi was “Set up by Franciscan nuns, it provides employment for deaf, mute and poor women who were considered unfit for marriage by their families. Assisi provides a haven for these women to live in and a safe and supportive working environment. They are paid a fair wage and a lump sum paid after five years of employment to start a home.”
I toured the Assisi Organics plant where my pieces will be constructed and then had several other meetings throughout the day to begin shaping my clothing line. I was so excited to see the fabrics, the designs, and the first samples, as well as share our ideas for what the line will become.
The factory is immaculate, the work they do is such good quality, I am really happy with everything so far! The pattern master has started working on the patterns and he should be done by the end of the week. Tomorrow I will find out if they require me to stay here and work on the patterns with them, otherwise I might travel to Pondicherry for the time being, just to have a look around. Photos of the factory will be up soon!
I met with Kusum Tiwari, the head of Mura Collective a textile project that employs handicapped women to dye natural fabrics with natural dyes in different styles including Shibori. She is currently moving the whole production and organization into the mountains, the foothills of the Himalayas and therefore isn’t able to work on any new orders for this year. Nonetheless, the meeting was fascinating and enlightening.
I also met with several local designers including Indians (Parveshjai), Dutch and Italian. They all gave me some tips, advice and further sourcing contacts which was very interesting.
I am now in the south of India, the state called Tamil Nadu, where much of the cotton and silk comes from. When I arrived at the airport I wasn’t sure where to go as all the hotels I had called the day before had said they were full. But within a few minutes a group of local college students who study pharmacy adopted me and took me around in their car to all the hotels until we found somewhere ideal. I have made especially good friends with a girl called Kavita, she is one of the most switched on people I have ever met. I had dinner with her on the day I arrived and last night I was invited to one of the Professors from their university which was really fun! I felt like the guest of honor and it wasn’t even my wedding! The groom was so excited to have me there and kept on wanting to take photos with him. Apparently white people at Indian weddings are a sure sign of prosperity and luck! Well I wish them all the best.
Today is Monday, and I finally am at Assisi Organics, the garment factory where I intend to have most, if not all, of my cotton garments made. It was so exciting to have a tour around the factory and meet all the peoples. Assisi was “Set up by Franciscan nuns, it provides employment for deaf, mute and poor women who were considered unfit for marriage by their families. Assisi provides a haven for these women to live in and a safe and supportive working environment. They are paid a fair wage and a lump sum paid after five years of employment to start a home.”
I toured the Assisi Organics plant where my pieces will be constructed and then had several other meetings throughout the day to begin shaping my clothing line. I was so excited to see the fabrics, the designs, and the first samples, as well as share our ideas for what the line will become.
The factory is immaculate, the work they do is such good quality, I am really happy with everything so far! The pattern master has started working on the patterns and he should be done by the end of the week. Tomorrow I will find out if they require me to stay here and work on the patterns with them, otherwise I might travel to Pondicherry for the time being, just to have a look around. Photos of the factory will be up soon!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Biography
The designer, Vienda Maria Pihan was born in Salzburg, Austria in 1981 to an Austrian mother and an Italian father. She travelled and lived all over Europe until at the age of 6, when she migrated with her family to Noosa, Australia. She has one half sister and two half brothers of which she is the oldest.
Vienda learnt to sew and knit from her mother at a young age and was always encouraged to draw, which resulted in a passion of drawing beautiful clothes that she dreamed of owning. From the age 15, when Vienda lived in the United States for a year as an exchange student, she has been travelling the world, exploring cultures and textiles, smells and tastes.
Her travels have included: Fiji, North & Central America, North Africa, Europe & UK, Asia & India and Australia.
She speaks fluent German and English as well as basic Spanish and Italian. Vienda also has a Bachelor of Psychology, fuelled by her need to understand people and cultures.
Vienda first embraced Eco-Friendly Fashion when she was exploring India’s textiles and fashion industry, and then was employed by an ethical fashion company in London to promote, sell and market eco-friendly designers from the UK. She has always loved fashion and often made her own clothing or altered clothing that she had acquired, however found that many of the eco-friendly fashion designs available were not aesthetically pleasing. As much as she loved the concept behind them, most of the clothes for sale didn’t appeal to her and Vienda began to wonder if there was space for an eco-friendly: ethical and organic fashion label that was more modern and on-trend; one that could be more appealing to the mainstream masses.
After 6 months of deliberating the idea (as well as some more travel in Europe and Morocco), Vienda returned to Australia and was accepted into NEIS (New Enterprise Incentive Scheme) a government initiative to support prospective new businesses. With her business plan written, spec sheets prepared and a small grant to get her going, Vienda is now on the verge of creating her first collection.
The journey of this new and exciting venture can be followed here!
Vienda learnt to sew and knit from her mother at a young age and was always encouraged to draw, which resulted in a passion of drawing beautiful clothes that she dreamed of owning. From the age 15, when Vienda lived in the United States for a year as an exchange student, she has been travelling the world, exploring cultures and textiles, smells and tastes.
Her travels have included: Fiji, North & Central America, North Africa, Europe & UK, Asia & India and Australia.
She speaks fluent German and English as well as basic Spanish and Italian. Vienda also has a Bachelor of Psychology, fuelled by her need to understand people and cultures.
Vienda first embraced Eco-Friendly Fashion when she was exploring India’s textiles and fashion industry, and then was employed by an ethical fashion company in London to promote, sell and market eco-friendly designers from the UK. She has always loved fashion and often made her own clothing or altered clothing that she had acquired, however found that many of the eco-friendly fashion designs available were not aesthetically pleasing. As much as she loved the concept behind them, most of the clothes for sale didn’t appeal to her and Vienda began to wonder if there was space for an eco-friendly: ethical and organic fashion label that was more modern and on-trend; one that could be more appealing to the mainstream masses.
After 6 months of deliberating the idea (as well as some more travel in Europe and Morocco), Vienda returned to Australia and was accepted into NEIS (New Enterprise Incentive Scheme) a government initiative to support prospective new businesses. With her business plan written, spec sheets prepared and a small grant to get her going, Vienda is now on the verge of creating her first collection.
The journey of this new and exciting venture can be followed here!
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