August 10, 2010 | Filed Under Press | Comments Off
AuH2O was featured in the Surface Design Journal this quarter! Though they don’t have the article posted online, here’s the photo from the current issue below, taken by Ann Sanfedele:
A little about the Surface Design Journal:
A full-color, 76-page quarterly magazine, the Surface Design Journal inspires the imagination through features on innovative artists and emerging issues in surface design. Insightful articles include interviews with prominent people in the field, reviews of exhibitions and books, and an Exposure section showing members’ work. Every issue explores a theme–e.g., Stitching, Creative Process, Pushing the Edge–that allows for in-depth coverage of different aspects of surface design.
Over the last two weeks I’ve sort of helped dress movie stars for the indie film East Fifth Bliss, no big deal, and now there’s a print photo of Lucy Liu wearing one of the dresses from AuH2O in People Magazine! Even though it doesn’t say AuH2O anywhere on the page and no one else in the world knows the dress is from my store, hey, I know. Here’s a photo of the May 10-17 issue of People with Lucy Liu in the dress from AuH2O, page 162 and see the photo online here:
Oh, and also, East Fifth Bliss shot a scene outside my store with Scott Johnsen and Lucy Liu looking at necklaces in my display window and walking into my shop, so AuH2O will maybe even possibly be in the film, which is terrifying in a good way. In the best way.
And in other press news, AuH2O was on CNN again in the past few weeks, and the segment is now online on CNN’s blog here or watch below:
Thanks Robin Meade and the nice people at CNN! Two more press updates:
Eco-friendly NYC, a super neat blog with green news, vegan restaurant reviews and vegan recipes by Yvonne Wang, put up a post a few weeks ago about AuH2O: AuH2O Recycled Clothing and Earth Week Fashion Show. Yvonne brought some items to sell on consignment, and actually, most of her clothing has already sold! She writes:
What’s not to love about AuH2O and recycled clothing? I feel great knowing that I’m not dumping clothes into landfills, I get some extra pocket change from the stuff I sell, which in turn allows me to do some eco-friendly shopping for myself!
Next, C. Marchuska, an eco-fashion company and blog, interviewed me about my background, inspiration and views on eco-fashion. Read the whole interview on their blog: Interview with Kate Goldwater. Here’s my view on sustainability:
I’ve heard several definitions of sustainability, but my favorite one is “using the resources we have to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” In other words, let’s not screw over our future grandchildren and let’s not screw over our planet. I think our environment is our playing field and we should try to preserve it with everything we do.
That’s probably enough AuH2O press for today. Enjoy the nice weather!
BECAUSE THE SUNDANCE CHANNEL IS COMING BY TO FILM A PILOT!
Sort of. Someone from Magnet Media called me the other day to tell me they were interested in filming a business-guru-expert-branding-genius coming to my store, checking things out, and giving me advice on what I can do to make my store/company/brand/life better. And then they’re going to pitch this show to the Sundance Channel. Or something. Anyway, I said I was interested, obviously, and got this follow up email:
“Currently, we’re developing a new television series in partnership with The Sundance Channel based around internationally renowned designer, Brian Collins – www.collins1.com.
Brian normally works with Fortune 500 companies and is usually out of the reach of the small business community - but for our show we want to offer smaller companies the chance to benefit from his expertise. In the series Brian would visit a different company each week and work with them on their look, branding, story and style in an effort to take them to their next level of success.
The project is currently at a development (pilot) stage and we are putting together a 5-minute test tape to show to Sundance. Therefore, we’re looking to feature a small business and film at your location for our test tape and I was hope you and your company would be interested in taking part in this experience and having Brian come and visit you to offer advice on your business.”
SOUNDS COOL, RIGHT? So I’ll be closed for the day Sunday as they film Brian advising me, and hopefully this advice-session and filming fun will be picked up by Sundance and turned into a TV program!
Kate embodies fashion as innovation, as do the other designers whose products she carries. A trip to AuH20 inevitably gives the shopper not only several fantastic, one-of-a-kind pieces your friends will envy, but a new outlook on style and what it means to wear something ‘new.’
And again, includes a slideshow of AuH2O as well as my designs, often modeled by Rachel at one of my many shows. Thanks Rachel!
One more thing! My friend Semir Chouaibi interviewed me for the German Fashion and Lifestyle Blog SuperStrudel, here’s a taste:
What do you like about fashion and how would you describe your own style?
Kate: I think fashion is the best form of self expression. Before I even open up my mouth people can see from my appearance that I’m unique, I’m creative, I care about the environment, or I support Obama, or that I’m Pro-Choice. In general, fashion just makes life more fun. It’s something to look at – people’s outfits are walking works of art – constant stimulation.
Press update! Agence France Press did a segment on eco-fashion and featured AuH2O and Samathan Pleet. Info from their YouTube video:
“Start-up designers like Kate Goldwater are taking recycling to the extreme by reusing old clothes to make new fashionable garments. High-end designers are also getting in on the green kick, too. Samantha Pleet is using sustainable fabrics to make green the new black during New York’s Fashion Week.”
Also, a friend/customer/model, Maya Macdonald, shown in the AFP video, wrote a very complimentary blog post about the shop on her blog, Have you heard that we’re already there? She says:
“I love the way her clothing always feels like different parts of a person glued together. How sexiness can also be casual and represent something really important all at the same time.”
Thanks Maya!
And one more thing. Two weeks ago I visited the Holstee headquarters, a company that uses 100% recycled polyester to make tshirts and FINs with pockets- so useful. They’re eco-friendly, local, cool guys and an all around awesome company and I encourage you to check them out: holstee.com. We talked about a future collaboration, so expect that in the future! They wrote a short post about my visit since they were especially interested in my tattoo. See their post and photo of my ruler tattoo. Dots at the inch and half-inch marks. I use it almost every day.
NYU’s newspaper, the Washington Square News, had this to say about AuH2O’s looks:
Kate Goldwater, an alumna already making waves in the world of eco-fashion, also debuted clothing from her eco-friendly East Village boutique, AuH2O (the chemical symbols for “gold” and “water”). Goldwater’s quirky skirts and sweater-like tops and dresses came down the runway in funky, floral prints and rich earth tones that were reminiscent of nature.
A friend of mine, Natasha Malinsky, owns a shopping tours business, Shop-NYC, where she takes customers on tours of the best shopping in the city. Of course, AuH2O is one of her stops! She hosts a web series so people can watch videos of all the different stores and decide where they want to go most. Here’s the video on AuH2O:
Recognize Natasha from somewhere? That’s because she was recently on VH1’s “Tough Love,” so she’s a reality TV survivor, and that’s fun and cool.
You can watch all of her web videos on other great stores in Manhattan on her Youtube channel here: http://www.youtube.com/nlm5844. Check her website for more info on tours- an especially good thing to do when friends come to town and they want to shop and you have to work: Shop-NYCtours.com. She takes you to the best stores in the city where you get exclusive discounts from all the boutiques. There’s even a special “recessionista” tour for the tough times.
AuH2O is going to be on CNN again tomorrow! Well, not CNN exactly, HLN (Headline News) which is a different channel, but still CNN-ish.
The second spot airs tomorrow, August 26, at 6:30am and Thursday, August 27 at 9am on HLN. That’s very early, so if you don’t catch it, that’s okay- this segment is available online (the one from April isn’t for some reason) so you can watch it RIGHT HERE or go to cnn.com:
In other news, my collarbone is getting better slowly but surely. Thanks everyone for the well wishes!
Also, my CNN spot happens to be airing on National Women’s Equality Day which is the day 89 years ago when the 19th amendment was signed and women were given the right to vote. But we’re not equal yet! The U.S. still hasn’t ratified the the CEDAW, the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. This treaty provides a framework for ending international violence against women, ensuring girls access to education, and promoting economic opportunity and political participation for women. The U.S. is only democracy in the world that has NOT ratified the CEDAW, while 186 countries, over 95% of United Nations members, have done so. We’re with Sudan and Iran in opposition. Embarrassing.
We need 2/3 of the Senate to vote for ratification, and then it goes to Obama to sign- and he’s already expressed his support. So call your senators at 202-224-3121 and urge them to support ratification of the CEDAW treaty for the Rights of Women! Do it on the 26th in honor of Women’s Equality Day because we’re not equal yet!
As I’ve noted several times on this blog and on the internet (such as twitter, or facebook) I broke my collarbone almost two months ago playing soccer. Read this post for the full story. I had a LOT of medical bills, so my neighbor Allison at TEICH and I are having a clothing swap tomorrow night at my store! Here’s the details:
Tomorrow! Wednesday, August 12, at the store (84 E. 7th St. b/t 1st and 2nd ave.) Time: 6-8pm
-Bring at least 1 item of clothing that you no longer wear, but would be proud to pass on (no old tees, or stained/damaged clothes, please). Go home with new clothes!
-Accessories welcome
-Refreshments will be served
-$5 suggested donation. Proceeds go to help me pay my medical expenses from breaking my collarbone, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Hope to see you tomorrow night!
Because I couldn’t move my arm at all AT ALL in the past few weeks, I haven’t been able to write about all the things happening in AuH2O land. To start with, right before I broke it (June 21st, 7 weeks and 2 days ago, but who’s counting?) CNN came by to do another shoot on the store. No idea when that will air yet, but I’ll keep you posted! My friend Maria from Sexy Sustainable Style also came by to do a little shoot about the store for her own blog. She’s written some very nice things about AuH2O on her blog, check it out her account of the filming with CNN or her post about the June 11th Fashion Show, which she enjoyed:
“I was thrilled to see that her clothes are designed for women with REAL bodies – curves - or as Fergie says, “lovely lady lumps.” I was also pleasantly surprised to learn that Goldwater’s hand-sewn clothes don’t cost a fortune even though her last name might imply otherwise.”
Also, one of my customer-friends wrote about AuH2O for Dossier Journal, NBD. Well, actually, it’s kind of a BD. Here’s Dana Varon’s piece on AuH2O and Teich: Ponds and Goldwater.
Finally, a fellow Milwaukee native turned New Yorker, Mz. Lady Yvette, stopped into my shop one day last summer. We got along really well and realized we were both from the Ill-Mil (Milwaukee, and alright, no one actually calls it that) like ten minutes away from each other AND she almost went to NYU. Anyway, since then, she’s started a fashion blog and recently wrote a really nice post on AuH2O. Check it out here: Mz. Lady Yvette Presents: Gold + Water.
Also, as Mz. Lady notes in her post’s P.S., I’m participating in an art/fashion exhibit called TRASHION at Gallery 151, 350 Bowery at Bond Street. I wasn’t able to make any new pieces for it, but my classic MetroCard Dress is on display there. It’s open until August 21st, so if you’re in the East Village between 1-6 on Wednesday through Sunday, stop by and see the creative recycled works of the artists and designers. More info at: gallery151.com
And finally, my friend Jesse Ash won a Webby Award (yeah buddy!) and asked me to make him an eco-friendly tie for the ceremony, which is basically the Oscars of the web video world. He won the IADAS judged Webby Award and the People’s Voice Award at the 2009 Webby Awards, the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet. He won for his short, “Magical Cure,” that he made for Greener Media. Greener Media is a multimedia production company that has made a commitment to produce environmentally and socially conscious media, and also to begin taking steps to lessen the footprint of our production process. To learn about their greener practices, click here. To learn about their services, click here.
Oh, and Jesse is not only a Webby Award winning filmmaker, he’s also my friend who made the “Fashion for Change” video that was a finalist for CNN’s iReport. He also made my AuH2O Design of the Week videos that I haven’t exactly been posting weekly, but here’s a few, and check my youtube channel for more:
Jill Filipovic modeling an AuH2O Design of the Week:
Shannon Browne:
I feel like I might be all caught up with everything now. Hope to see you tomorrow night at the swap!
Happy Earth Week! This is obviously a very busy week for AuH2O, being an eco-friendly store and all. I’ve donated my pieces to several eco-fashion shows at various colleges, spoke at NYU’s Green Series about opening up an eco-friendly business, am hosting a fashion show at NYU’s Swap-a-Palooza this Sunday, and am featured in the Earth Week Edition Time Out New York as a “green single.” And I would just like to clarify that I DID NOT say I was humble. They added that in. Also, I’m not thrilled with the picture of me. I don’t know how I’m supposed to pick up guys with that wet-dog hair and strained smile, but I’m not really looking, despite the fact that I’m listed in a personals ad. Any press is good press? Here’s a screen shot of the article, or read it online here: http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/dating-in-nyc
Anyway, if that’s not enough to keep me busy, I’m MOVING MY STORE in a week!!! I rarely, if EVER, use more than one exclamation point, so that’s how excited I am. I’m moving right next door to the old Amarcord, which just closed, so I’ll have the exact same address/location and same phone number, but a bigger space. Can’t wait! Good thing I have interns to help me out with all that. Also, a friend of mine and awesome eco-friedly handbag designer Allison Teich McGowan is moving in to the old AuH2O. 7th Street between first and second is going to be the eco-fashion CAPITOL. Anyway, Happy Earth Week, and come to the Swap-a-Palooza on Sunday at 5 if you’d like to trade in your old clothes and go home with a new wardrobe for FREE.
