Cal Mosack Finds The Right Fit With Nic Tailor

When Cal Mosack established the brand Nic Tailor for men’s undergarments, he did it with the goal of creating a piece of clothing that would take practicality to the next level with comfort and inclusivity, with the need to raise awareness for men's body positivity in mind. Cal Mosack’s mission with Nic Tailor is not out to sell unique underwear, but to send out an urgent message concerning body positivity and men’s mental health. Mosack sat down with Jejune to talk about his vision for Nic Tailor, the brand’s partnership with the Prostate Cancer Foundation and a certain Twilight actor, and the harmful stigma surrounding prostate cancer. To know more about Cal Mosack and Nic Tailor, please read below.

Dan & Méz Exudes Luxury & Sustainability

After Daniele Madonia and Clemens Kholbacher randomly met each other by chance at a local bar in their hometown of Austria, their passion for veganism and fair fashion inspired them to create, Dan & Méz. Dan & Méz offer chic and timeless watches that are 100% sustainable and vegan. Dan and Méz challenges the status quo and tackle the unethical policies of the leather industry. Their products have also been featured in GQ, InStyle, and Ecocult. Daniele and Clemens are determined to change the whole leather industry and establish vegan & eco friendly leather as the new norm. Check out our interview with Daniele and Clemens for a deeper understanding of the brand, the inspirations behind it, and what they hope to achieve with Dan & Méz.

Holiday Gift Guide - Top 6 Sustainable Brands to Light Up Your Stockings

What in the world is better than holiday shopping? Buying gifts for your loved ones is a quintessential holiday experience. Especially in this day and age, holiday shopping brings joy and a sense of comfort. But this season is your turn to give back not only to your families, but also to the environment. It is imperative to shop sustainably to reduce waste, make a positive impact on people, and a positive impact on the planet. We have compiled a list of vegan, cruelty-free, ethical, and sustainable brands for you to check out! Each brand mentioned below contains an all exclusive Jejune holiday promotional code. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

Please read further, and add these brands to your shopping list this holiday season.

Women's Health & Sustainability? Hello Nyssa!

I maybe a little ways off from having a child, but I’m 100% woman, and I know the struggles and pain of having a period. So, I was very curious to learn more when I found out about the women owned and run postpartum comfort underwear business Nyssa, who also helps with period pain. Like many women, I experience pretty severe pain for a few days a month. I have learned a few ways to manage it: work out more and wear period underwear, but the pain still comes. So, this month I got the pleasure to experiment with Nyssa’s underwear. I tried their Nyssa VieWear Underwear, which comes with an ice/heat pack and a pocket built into the underwear for it! While you still have to find a way to deal with the period itself, I have to say walking around with a heat pack on my back, certainly made me a lot happier this month. Also, as an added bonus, these are great for athletes who are prone to hurting themselves.. I may or may not know a little something about that. To learn more about this super empowering company, please read our exclusive interview below.

SaintVegann: Intertwining Veganism & Sustainable Fashion

At 23 years old, Karissa Birthwritght is the owner of SaintVegann. What was once a platform for bringing awareness to veganism and living a healthy lifestyle, has grown to also offer hand-bleached merchandise. SaintVegann’s ongoing collection, SV Ups (SaintVegann Upcycling) are 100% upcycled and 50% of the proceeds are donated to Black Vision Collective. Since starting her business, Karissa has done 4 collections, collaborated with local and national companies, donated over $3000, and sold over 500 pieces. At a time when sustainability issues and climate change is the biggest threat to our Earth, SaintVegann is taking steps to bring awareness to a sustainable lifestyle. Check out our interview with the owner of SaintVegann.

INKAMODA Invites Us To Reconnect With The Nature

Imagine a fashion brand that produces soft, comfortable, and elegant pieces while producing responsibly. As consumers, we want to imagine this but we also must consider how our purchases will affect the environment and workers and this question: "Who makes the clothing we wear every day and in what conditions?”

INKAMODA answers this question with transparency and an empowering vision. The Peruvian brand offers ethical and sustainable pieces that are designed with ancient techniques, reflecting the soul of Inca culture. They use unique Alpaca fiber (which promotes sustainable agriculture in the Andes) for their soft, warm, and breathable pieces. In our interview with Vari Garcia, the brand’s founder and designer, we talk about INKAMODA’s current campaign for empowering Andean communities and women creators, as well as the challenges of sustainability in business. Please read our exclusive interview below to learn more about INKAMODA.

Save The Duck Is Raising The Bar For Sustainable Fashion

Save the Duck has a direct mission that you can probably guess from their company name. That’s right: save the duck. Their products are 100% animal free and cruelty free. Turning away from the typical down coat for winter wear, the Italian company provides sustainable and cozy alternatives to help you survive the winter. Their platform is devoted to not only keeping their customers safe from the cold, but to maintaining a respect for the environment and animals throughout every level of garment production. In 2019 Save The Duck was PETA’S ‘Company of the Year’ and were the first Italian fashion brand to obtain B Corp Certification, a certification reserved for the best performers in social and sustainability issues. From its origins until today, Save The Duck has always built bonds and collaborations with successful companies committed to making our planet a better place. In partnership with ACBC, Save The Duck just developed a new eco-friendly sneaker for everyday wear. Like their clothing, the sneakers encourage respect for the space around us and are a reminder of the intentional steps (both figurative and literal) that fashion brands and consumers can take to preserve our environment. We asked Save The Duck to give us an in-depth explanation of their unique approach to sustainable fashion and the technology they are using to create a more sustainable world. Please dive into our full exclusive interview here.

NYFW Highlighted The Importance And Creativity Of Face Masks

Prior to an untraditional New York Fashion Week, I had one expectation: how much of face masks will we be seeing? On the one hand, including them as part of a collection would mean embracing the new normal. As we’ve gotten used to wearing masks 24/7, we’ve become more comfortable with experimenting with them. They have the potential to become more than a safety requirement - they can become a fashion staple, a creative (and profitable) outlet. If face masks can and have become part of fashion’s visual language, designers can use their creative willpower to make something unique, beautiful and empowering out of a commonplace accessory, wrongly deemed limiting rather than promising, stylish, fun.

Important Conversations And Love Letters To NYC At NYFW 2020

In true NYC fashion, the program of NYFW told a story of adaptability, a sense of intentional change fueled by creators and storytellers that is beyond what is “on-trend.” Piece by piece and show by show, NYFW of September 2020 demonstrated the fashion industry’s potential to tell a powerful story through the collective modes of words, visuals, and action. What happened in this year’s digital programming is a reflection of several aspects of the beloved “City of Dreams” and how both individuals and communities are dreaming and enacting a better future through pertinent conversations and inspiring messages.

Fashion Has To Face Its Future

Like many of the Fashion weeks, New York went entirely digital this season. Designers presented their collections and shows online through live and pre-recorded media. NYFW was centered around fashion’s global reach and responsibility, and every trend represented the future for brands and retailers. Designers and houses had to reflect on what is most important and find creative solutions to stay relevant without spending infinite amounts of money on traditional shows. This alone has helped the environment drastically.

Upcycling Fashion with REFASH

Behind the glitz and glamour of the fashion industry lies pollution, manmade greenhouse gas emissions and water waste. The fashion industry is one of the leading factors of climate change. The overwhelming pollution caused by fast fashion has affected various environments, but brands such as REFASH are putting their foot down and calling for change. REFASH is an online fashion brand that focuses on sustainable clothing. Their up-cycled pieces are changing the way consumers shop and they are ultimately working hard to reverse the negative effects of fast fashion. Read our exclusive interview with REFASH here.

Trending at New York Fashion Week: Women’s Power Suit Meets Whimsy and Comfort

In an era of working from home, the legacy of the women’s power suit lives on at New York Fashion Week as designers showcase their Spring 2021 Collections. Trending on several runways, live and virtual, whimsical suits are bringing play and hope to the future of the fashion industry.

Staying Sheek In 2020 - 12 Sustainable Face Masks That Are A Breath Of Fresh Air

Fashion is in a weird place these days, with people leaving their homes less than ever, and many designers still in flux, but there is one way we can still make a huge fashion statement, and do a bit of good with it: a mask!

Soo many amazing brands are coming out with super cute masks these days that it is actually hard to decide which to go with! So, we tried to make your job a little easier. We found 12 great designers who are producing not only fashionable masks, but they are sustainable/give back in some away.

As always, it is important that we look amazing while we save the world. Remember, not all superheroes wear capes, but they do all wear masks!

Orenda Tribe Is Helping To Protect The Navajo Community

The Diné (Navajo) community, along with many other indigenous communities, have suffered greatly due to Covid-19. In fact, the Navajo Nation actually surpassed New York State for the highest infection rate in the US. Yet, they are seeing less help than most areas! Devastated to see her community suffering, indigenous fashion designer, Amy Yeung, founder of Orenda Tribe, has been working non-stop partnering with Outdoor Voices and NDN Collective to bring aid, food, water, masks, PPE, supplies, and awareness to these populations in need. Jejune had the pleasure to do an Instagram Live interview with Amy, which can be seen here (Part 1 and Part 2), but we at Jejune wanted to highlight some of the takeaways here.

How to Make Your Own Face Mask

Just like thousands of college kids across America, our social media intern Emade was forced to leave her school’s campus because of COVID-19. The abrupt end of the semester was something that Emade did not foresee, but nevertheless she continued her studies at home. While she was working on finishing the semester, Emade decided to buy a sewing machine and start learning how to make face masks. She found some scrap fabric at home, began sewing and sent out the face masks to her relatives. Soon after, Emade decided to give back to her community and donated face masks to health care workers in her city. In this tutorial, Emade will show you how to make your very own handmade face mask with a filter pouch. Her step by step tutorial is easy to follow and made for all levels of sewers.

SWAC: Fashion, zIssue 23Jejune ContributorMay 28, 2020masks, facemask, covid-19, diy, tutorial, fashion, sewingComment

Botanica Workshop Is Helping To Keep The U.S. Safe

If you tuned in last week on Art & Social Activism’s Instagram Live for their online socially aware art and fashion festival, which Jejune was honored to be apart of, you would have gotten a chance to meet the lovely Misa Miyagawa, designer and owner of sustainable fashion brand Botanica Workshop. I got the pleasure to ask her about how Botanica Workshop is weathering COVID-19, and how she is taking the opportunity to change directions, for a little bit, to focus on making zero waste masks for the population and essential workers.

If you didn’t, you missed out on seeing our beautiful faces, but you are lucky, because Misa was kind enough to answer her questions here as well. Please read further to learn more about Botanica Workshop and how they are making the world a little safer right now.

Elizabeth Cline, Benita Robledo, Rachael Wang, and Lauren Fay Fight For The Garment Workers

We are talking a lot about how fashion brands are being affected by COVID-19, but what of their workers? Factories around the globe have been closed down and orders are being cancelled and unpaid for. If garment workers are still working it is to make masks, and they are often not given PPE. What can be done? How can we help? Learn more here.

Sustainability Runs In The Genes: Talks With Daniel Kahalani Of DNA Footwear

When I had the pleasure of meeting Daniel Kahalani, earlier this year at Coterie, I was thrilled to see his booth filled to the brim with a neat, colorful assortment of trainers that resemble a hybrid cross between Vans and Keds. However, most intriguing, was a sign with the image of a shoe and a plastic bottle, emblazoned atop read the text, “This Was A Bottle.”

Daniel is charismatic, knowledgeable, and, most importantly, passionate in his work. He excitedly spoke to us about DNA Footwear and their new sustainable collection “This Was A Bottle.” From up-cycled textiles, including plastic bottles, ethical manufacturing, recycled packaging, and much more, DNA Footwear is a product of love, pride, and hope for the future of ingenuity regardless of profession or industry. Please read here to learn more about DNA Footwear.

ECOALF Is Making Clothes For The Future

There are very few fashion brands as dedicated to sustainability as ECOALF. In every step of the process, from production, manufacturing, fabrics, to packaging, ECOALF (and founder Javier Goyeneche) have carefully considered their impact on the environment. They even started a subsidiary non-profit organization called The Ecoalf Foundation. The Ecoalf Foundation’s main objective is to promote the recovery of waste in order to recycle it for their clothing and avoid its harmful impact on the environment. In layman’s terms, one of the things this incredible brand is doing is pulling plastic trash out of our oceans and turning it into beautiful fashion! They are doing this “Because there is no planet B”, which is also one of their collections. I’m totally obsessed with it. Please read more to learn about ECOALF, its founder, and their efforts towards sustainability.

Bianca Georgescu D-Cycles

Transfixed in her own realm, Romanian designer, Bianca Georgescu challenges common sense, creativity, and design. Her specialization is within handcrafted footwear and accessories using traditional materials, such as leathers and suedes, often finished with Georgesu flair — incorporating intricate embroidery, semiprecious stones, and a myriad of other unconventional elements.

Georgesu's most recent collection, D-Cycled, is an intimate shared duty towards sustainability between consumer and designer. D-Cycled is about zero-waste and sustainable fashion. The denim heavy collection sources premium discarded and consumer sourced denim to create new, original, and fully sustainable designs. Please read the Jejune exclusive interview here to learn more about Bianca Georgescu and her work.