Podcasts about Garment District

Beneath the glitter of New York's Garment District lay a criminal empire stitched together with fear, blood, and billions. In this shocking new installment of our Mafia series, we reveal how Carlo Gambino, the shadowy mastermind behind one of America's most powerful crime families, seized control of the fashion industry — not with style, but with steel and strategy.

Our fashion choices can change more than just our appearance—they can revive an entire culture of craftsmanship! I sat down with George Kalajian, a fifth-generation artisan with a deep passion for fashion. We talked about New York's once-thriving garment district, and how the rise of fast fashion didn't just change the way we shop—it nearly erased the soul of American-made quality. George shared how our obsession with cheap, fast fashion has led to a loss of skills, artistry, and pride. He shared how what used to be considered standard quality is now labeled “luxury” simply because so few people know how to make things well anymore. But there's hope! Through mentorship programs like Project Golden Bear, George is rebuilding the future of fashion one apprentice at a time. If you care about craftsmanship, sustainability, or simply want to buy better, tune in now. Let's bring heart and integrity back to fashion together!“What is considered to be luxury today is what was just well-made 40 or 50 years ago.” ~ George KalajianIn this Episode:- Introducing George Kalajian- The garment district then and now- The shift to overseas production - The decline of craftsmanship- Reviving artistry in fashion: Project Golden Bear- Challenges of fast fashion and decline in fabric quality- The economic impact of consumer fashion choices - A historical perspective on luxury fashion- Future plans and contact informationAbout George KalajianGeorge Kalajian is a master craftsman and owner of Tom's Sons International Pleating, a family business in New York City's Garment District with over 150 years of heritage. His expertise in pleating has made him a trusted collaborator for iconic fashion brands like Oscar de la Renta, Coach, Vera Wang and Ralph Lauren, as well as major productions like the MET Gala and Hollywood films. Co-author of Pleating: Fundamentals for Fashion Design, George carries on the legacy of his father, Leon, ensuring that the art of pleating continues to inspire and evolve.Connect with George Kalajian:Website: https://internationalpleating.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgekalajiantomssonsinternationalpleating Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/internationalpleating/ Connect with me here:

In this week's two-part episode, we recap our recent fashion history day tours of NYC and hear from a few of the past Dressed guests who joined us along the way. In Part II, we chat about our “behind the seams” morning tours of two of the oldest, family owned and operated businesses in New York's legendary Garment District and our fashion history-packed afternoon at the New York Historical Society! Featured past Dressed guests: M&S Schmalberg's website and Instagram, Dressed interview Tom's Sons International Pleating's website and Instagram, Project Golden Bear, Four Empty Walls documentary, Dressed interview Cheyney McKnight's website, Instagram, Dressed Interview Real Clothes Real Lives exhibition, Dressed interview with Keren Ben-Horin and Kiki Smith Want more Dressed: The History of Fashion?  Our website and classes Our Instagram Our bookshelf with over 150 of our favorite fashion history titles Dressed is a part of the AirWave Media network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode we sample Maker's Mark The Lost Recipe Series Edition 01 while talking about turning off the notifications, somebody lost the bourbon but we found it, a cinnamon bun cigar blend, tastes expensive and it is, last year's Easter chocolate, the way back of the palette, chewing on a popsicle stick, why Spring done broke, a hell of a Huddle House, Hattie B's, the worst banana pudding ever, screaming flying V at the top of my lungs, y'all got fiddles in Quebec, headed to NYC, St. Patrick's Cathedral on St. Patrick's Day, Tavern on the Green, shopping in the Garment District, spending 90% of your childhood in a fabric shop, The Starbucks Roastery, Niagara Falls, sticky toffee pudding, a12 hour drive after a flight, being due for a bad weather trip, experiencing new things with people you love, and easy travel versus difficult travel.  Support Us On Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DrepandStone We'd love to hear from you! https://linktr.ee/DrepandStone Don't forget to subscribe! Music by @joakimkarudmusic Episode #288

On today's show, we're chatting with handbag industry and design expert, Emily Blumenthal, who is the founder of The Handbag Awards and National Handbag Designer Day, and professor of entrepreneurship at FIT, and host the Handbag Designer 101 podcast. This episode is all about – you guessed it! – vintage handbags, including the story of how Emily got her original handbag designs on Sex and the City, and so much other great vintage handbag lore. I think you're really gonna love it –  so let's dive right in!  DISCUSSED IN THE EPISODE: [2:29] Growing up with a dad who worked in New York's Garment District [6:06] Designing handbags while hanging out behind the DJ booth at the clubs in college. [9:45] How she got her handbag everywhere – including Sex and the City! – by hustling. [15:34] Developing a deep knowledge of handbag history while hosting The Handbag Awards.  [19:55] So much design inspiration is taken from vintage!  [26:30] On “dupe” culture and trademarks. [30:01] How fast fashion has changed the handbag industry. [33:45] On the concept of vintage “It” bags. EPISODE MENTIONS:  Handbag Designer 101 Substack newsletter The Handbag Designer 101 Podcast @handbagdesigner on Instagram Emily's video on dupe culture Her letter on ‘getting ahead of the dupe' The Sex and the City scene The History of Women's Handbags Part 1, Two, Three, and Four The Armani Privé post The story of Hermè, Henry Ford, and the zipper The talk with the United States Patent & Trademark Organization (USPTO) on patents Handbags to look for when you're vintage shopping LET'S CONNECT: 

Not all polos are created equal, and neither are the brands behind them. On the latest TGJ Podcast, Tom Coyne visits Holderness & Bourne HQ in New York to sit down with co-founders Alex Holderness and John Bourne—two Yale grads who traded Wall Street for the Garment District with no prior fashion experience and a relentless drive to make the perfect polo. Alex and John share their advice for turning an idea into a physical product, navigating the golf industry, working with your friends and creating a product that cuts through the noise. Yes: the names stitched on pro shop labels around the world are actual people, and they have a story to tell. The Golfer's Journal and this podcast are made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYTThe Golfer's Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist

Not all polos are created equal, and neither are the brands behind them. On the latest TGJ Podcast, Tom Coyne visits Holderness & Bourne HQ in New York to sit down with co-founders Alex Holderness and John Bourne—two Yale grads who traded Wall Street for the Garment District with no prior fashion experience and a relentless drive to make the perfect polo. Alex and John share their advice for turning an idea into a physical product, navigating the golf industry, working with your friends and creating a product that cuts through the noise. Yes: the names stitched on pro shop labels around the world are actual people, and they have a story to tell. The Golfer's Journal and this podcast are made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYTThe Golfer's Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist

On the latest episode of Schneps Connects, we dive into the transformation of New York City's Garment District with Barbara A. Blair, President of … Read More

In today's episode, Shelley and Phil taste through two of their favorite varietals, Carménère and Cabernet Franc. Both were purchased here in Coeur d'Alene, are priced right and are VERY good! International Carménère Day is this Sunday and Cabernet Franc Day is Wednesday, December 4. Grab one or both of these wines and taste throught with us. #HappyFriday! #ItsWineTime! #Cheersing Wines this episode:2021 Axel  Carménère ($21 at Pilgrim's Market)

When husband and wife Carolyn and Joseph Ferrara launched Ferrara Manufacturing in 1987, they set out to make the best womenswear in the business, all from their New York City's Garment District factory. They had no idea that NAFTA was about to rock the U.S. garment industry to its core, but they fought through the tumult and found success in working with brands like Ralph Lauren. Their daughter, Gabrielle Ferrara, Ferrara Manufacturing's chief operating officer, shares how the family-owned, women-owned, union-represented company's knack for innovation has helped it navigate the headwinds of offshoring and find new opportunities through the latest manufacturing technology.  Photo courtesy of Gabrielle Ferrara

GUEST- ALEX STONE // 2 workers killed at Atlanta Delta facility after reported tire explosion // SEATAC IMPACT - Thousands of travelers, airport operations impacted by Port of Seattle cyberattack Crime Round-up // Burglary crew arrested in Compton following armed home invasion in Sherman Oaks // Men in Rolls Royce, Ferrari targeted in attempted carjacking at Fashion Island mall in O.C // Burglars smash through walls to ransack Garment District businesses // GUEST - Steve Gregory // California deploys first C-130 Hercules made to fight wildfires // Disgraced Attorney Thomas Girardi Found Guilty of Stealing $15M From Clients 

Welcome Back, Fashion Besties! How's your week been? Have you been keeping up with all our fabulous episodes? Today, we have a very special guest returning to the show. You loved him on Episode 89, “How to Pose in Photos,” and now he's back for more! Please welcome back Andrew Werner, the fashion photographer extraordinaire, accessory designer, and all-around fabulous human being!

In Episode 171, your psychic friend and faithful deejay spins choice cuts from The Garment District, Magic Hero vs. Rock People, C Turtle, Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou, and so many more.A free form radio show giving you what the algorithm won't since 2020,

UNSOLVED MISSING MEN: 4/4: Men Without Work: Post-Pandemic Edition (2022) (New Threats to Freedom Series)  by  Nicholas Eberstadt  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Men-Without-Work-Post-Pandemic-Threats/dp/1599475979 Nicholas Eberstadt's landmark 2016 study, Men Without Work,cast a spotlight on the collapse of work for men in modern America. Rosy reports of low unemployment rates and “full or near full employment” conditions, he contends, were overlooking a quiet, continuing crisis: Depression-era work rates for American men of “prime working age” (25–54).    The grim truth: over six million prime-age men were neither working nor looking for work. Conventional unemployment measures ignored these labor force dropouts, but their ranks had been rising relentlessly for half a century. Eberstadt's unflinching analysis was, in the words of The New York Times, “an unsettling portrait not just of male unemployment, but also of lives deeply alienated from civil society.” 1936 Garment District

In the middle decades of the twentieth century in New York City, Dubrow's cafeterias in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn and the garment district of Manhattan were places to get out of your apartment, have coffee with friends, or enjoy a hearty but affordable meal. They were grounded in the world of Jewish immigrants and their children, and they thrived in years when Flatbush and the Garment District each had a distinctly Jewish character. The cafeterias were also places where working class and modestly middle class New Yorkers of European ancestry, with few great luxuries in their lives, could enjoy a taste of culinary abundance. Under demographic changes, economic decay and high crime in the 1970s and 1980s, the world that produced Dubrow's came apart. The Brooklyn branch of Dubrow's closed in 1978, the Manhattan branch in 1985. But before Dubrow's cafeterias were shuttered, Marcia Bricker Halperin captured their mood and their patrons in black and white photographs. These pictures, along with essays by the playwright Donald Margulies and the historian Deborah Dash Moore, constitute Marcia's book Kibitz and Nosh: When We All Met at Dubrow's Cafeteria, published by Cornell University Press (2023) and winner of a National Jewish Book Council prize for Food Writing and Cookbooks. Robert W. Snyder, Manhattan Borough Historian and professor emeritus at Rutgers University, is editing an anthology of New Yorkers' memories of the COVID-19 pandemic for Cornell University Press. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In the middle decades of the twentieth century in New York City, Dubrow's cafeterias in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn and the garment district of Manhattan were places to get out of your apartment, have coffee with friends, or enjoy a hearty but affordable meal. They were grounded in the world of Jewish immigrants and their children, and they thrived in years when Flatbush and the Garment District each had a distinctly Jewish character. The cafeterias were also places where working class and modestly middle class New Yorkers of European ancestry, with few great luxuries in their lives, could enjoy a taste of culinary abundance. Under demographic changes, economic decay and high crime in the 1970s and 1980s, the world that produced Dubrow's came apart. The Brooklyn branch of Dubrow's closed in 1978, the Manhattan branch in 1985. But before Dubrow's cafeterias were shuttered, Marcia Bricker Halperin captured their mood and their patrons in black and white photographs. These pictures, along with essays by the playwright Donald Margulies and the historian Deborah Dash Moore, constitute Marcia's book Kibitz and Nosh: When We All Met at Dubrow's Cafeteria, published by Cornell University Press (2023) and winner of a National Jewish Book Council prize for Food Writing and Cookbooks. Robert W. Snyder, Manhattan Borough Historian and professor emeritus at Rutgers University, is editing an anthology of New Yorkers' memories of the COVID-19 pandemic for Cornell University Press. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

In the middle decades of the twentieth century in New York City, Dubrow's cafeterias in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn and the garment district of Manhattan were places to get out of your apartment, have coffee with friends, or enjoy a hearty but affordable meal. They were grounded in the world of Jewish immigrants and their children, and they thrived in years when Flatbush and the Garment District each had a distinctly Jewish character. The cafeterias were also places where working class and modestly middle class New Yorkers of European ancestry, with few great luxuries in their lives, could enjoy a taste of culinary abundance. Under demographic changes, economic decay and high crime in the 1970s and 1980s, the world that produced Dubrow's came apart. The Brooklyn branch of Dubrow's closed in 1978, the Manhattan branch in 1985. But before Dubrow's cafeterias were shuttered, Marcia Bricker Halperin captured their mood and their patrons in black and white photographs. These pictures, along with essays by the playwright Donald Margulies and the historian Deborah Dash Moore, constitute Marcia's book Kibitz and Nosh: When We All Met at Dubrow's Cafeteria, published by Cornell University Press (2023) and winner of a National Jewish Book Council prize for Food Writing and Cookbooks. Robert W. Snyder, Manhattan Borough Historian and professor emeritus at Rutgers University, is editing an anthology of New Yorkers' memories of the COVID-19 pandemic for Cornell University Press. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies

In the middle decades of the twentieth century in New York City, Dubrow's cafeterias in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn and the garment district of Manhattan were places to get out of your apartment, have coffee with friends, or enjoy a hearty but affordable meal. They were grounded in the world of Jewish immigrants and their children, and they thrived in years when Flatbush and the Garment District each had a distinctly Jewish character. The cafeterias were also places where working class and modestly middle class New Yorkers of European ancestry, with few great luxuries in their lives, could enjoy a taste of culinary abundance. Under demographic changes, economic decay and high crime in the 1970s and 1980s, the world that produced Dubrow's came apart. The Brooklyn branch of Dubrow's closed in 1978, the Manhattan branch in 1985. But before Dubrow's cafeterias were shuttered, Marcia Bricker Halperin captured their mood and their patrons in black and white photographs. These pictures, along with essays by the playwright Donald Margulies and the historian Deborah Dash Moore, constitute Marcia's book Kibitz and Nosh: When We All Met at Dubrow's Cafeteria, published by Cornell University Press (2023) and winner of a National Jewish Book Council prize for Food Writing and Cookbooks. Robert W. Snyder, Manhattan Borough Historian and professor emeritus at Rutgers University, is editing an anthology of New Yorkers' memories of the COVID-19 pandemic for Cornell University Press. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/food

In the middle decades of the twentieth century in New York City, Dubrow's cafeterias in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn and the garment district of Manhattan were places to get out of your apartment, have coffee with friends, or enjoy a hearty but affordable meal. They were grounded in the world of Jewish immigrants and their children, and they thrived in years when Flatbush and the Garment District each had a distinctly Jewish character. The cafeterias were also places where working class and modestly middle class New Yorkers of European ancestry, with few great luxuries in their lives, could enjoy a taste of culinary abundance. Under demographic changes, economic decay and high crime in the 1970s and 1980s, the world that produced Dubrow's came apart. The Brooklyn branch of Dubrow's closed in 1978, the Manhattan branch in 1985. But before Dubrow's cafeterias were shuttered, Marcia Bricker Halperin captured their mood and their patrons in black and white photographs. These pictures, along with essays by the playwright Donald Margulies and the historian Deborah Dash Moore, constitute Marcia's book Kibitz and Nosh: When We All Met at Dubrow's Cafeteria, published by Cornell University Press (2023) and winner of a National Jewish Book Council prize for Food Writing and Cookbooks. Robert W. Snyder, Manhattan Borough Historian and professor emeritus at Rutgers University, is editing an anthology of New Yorkers' memories of the COVID-19 pandemic for Cornell University Press. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

In the middle decades of the twentieth century in New York City, Dubrow's cafeterias in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn and the garment district of Manhattan were places to get out of your apartment, have coffee with friends, or enjoy a hearty but affordable meal. They were grounded in the world of Jewish immigrants and their children, and they thrived in years when Flatbush and the Garment District each had a distinctly Jewish character. The cafeterias were also places where working class and modestly middle class New Yorkers of European ancestry, with few great luxuries in their lives, could enjoy a taste of culinary abundance. Under demographic changes, economic decay and high crime in the 1970s and 1980s, the world that produced Dubrow's came apart. The Brooklyn branch of Dubrow's closed in 1978, the Manhattan branch in 1985. But before Dubrow's cafeterias were shuttered, Marcia Bricker Halperin captured their mood and their patrons in black and white photographs. These pictures, along with essays by the playwright Donald Margulies and the historian Deborah Dash Moore, constitute Marcia's book Kibitz and Nosh: When We All Met at Dubrow's Cafeteria, published by Cornell University Press (2023) and winner of a National Jewish Book Council prize for Food Writing and Cookbooks. Robert W. Snyder, Manhattan Borough Historian and professor emeritus at Rutgers University, is editing an anthology of New Yorkers' memories of the COVID-19 pandemic for Cornell University Press. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the middle decades of the twentieth century in New York City, Dubrow's cafeterias in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn and the garment district of Manhattan were places to get out of your apartment, have coffee with friends, or enjoy a hearty but affordable meal. They were grounded in the world of Jewish immigrants and their children, and they thrived in years when Flatbush and the Garment District each had a distinctly Jewish character. The cafeterias were also places where working class and modestly middle class New Yorkers of European ancestry, with few great luxuries in their lives, could enjoy a taste of culinary abundance. Under demographic changes, economic decay and high crime in the 1970s and 1980s, the world that produced Dubrow's came apart. The Brooklyn branch of Dubrow's closed in 1978, the Manhattan branch in 1985. But before Dubrow's cafeterias were shuttered, Marcia Bricker Halperin captured their mood and their patrons in black and white photographs. These pictures, along with essays by the playwright Donald Margulies and the historian Deborah Dash Moore, constitute Marcia's book Kibitz and Nosh: When We All Met at Dubrow's Cafeteria, published by Cornell University Press (2023) and winner of a National Jewish Book Council prize for Food Writing and Cookbooks. Robert W. Snyder, Manhattan Borough Historian and professor emeritus at Rutgers University, is editing an anthology of New Yorkers' memories of the COVID-19 pandemic for Cornell University Press. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/photography

Lisa Sun shares her tools for building true, lasting confidence. — YOU'LL LEARN — 1) What gravitas really means2) The Six Forces ruining your confidence3) How to discover your “confidence language”Subscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep936 for clickable versions of the links below. — ABOUT LISA — Lisa Sun is the founder and CEO of GRAVITAS, a company on a mission to catalyze confidence. GRAVITAS offers innovative size-inclusive apparel, styling solutions, and content designed to make over women from the inside out.Prior to founding GRAVITAS, Sun spent 11 years at McKinsey & Company, where she advised leading luxury fashion and beauty brands and retailers in the U.S., Asia, Europe, and Latin America on strategic and operational issues. Her first collection was featured in O, The Oprah Magazine, People, and the Today Show in the same month. Sun and GRAVITAS have been featured on CNN and in Forbes, Fast Company, New York Magazine, Elle, Marie Claire, InStyle, and more. GRAVITAS includes among its activities a commitment to AAPI causes and New York City's Garment District. Often called the “dress whisperer,” Lisa is also a highly sought-after public speaker who likes to impart her hard-won knowledge on gravitas and how to best harness it to other women. • Book: Gravitas: The 8 Strengths That Redefine Confidence • LinkedIn: Lisa Sun • Quiz: MyConfidenceLanguage.com — RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW — • Book: How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie • Book: Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck • HBR Article: Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome by Ruchika Tulshyan and Jodi-Ann Burey • Past episode: 327: Unclog Your Brain through Unfocusing with Dr. Srini Pillay • Past episode: 852: Dale Carnegie's Timeless Wisdom on Building Mental Resilience and Strong Relationships with Joe Hart See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

About This EpisodeLisa Sun, CEO and founder of GRAVITAS, is an expert voice on the topic of confidence and being your truest self. This discussion provides a multifaceted view of what it means to live a life characterized by boldness and gravitas. Lisa emphasizes how our mindset drives our behavior, and she explains the internal and external forces that can influence our sense of self-worth and confidence, providing examples from her own professional journey shifting from the corporate world to founding her own business. Lisa also describes the 8 Superpowers of Confidence, a new paradigm for understanding our own innate strengths, and the focus of her newest book, Gravitas: The 8 Strengths That Redefine Confidence. Ranging from leading and performing to knowing and believing, among others, these superpowers enable us to further understand our own sense of confidence and how to best build a team with complimentary superpowers. Tune in for an enlightening episode that will help you understand and unleash the confidence you have within. About Lisa SunLisa Sun is the founder and CEO of GRAVITAS, a company on a mission to catalyze confidence. GRAVITAS offers innovative size-inclusive apparel, styling solutions, and content designed to makeover women from the inside out. Prior to founding GRAVITAS, Sun spent 11 years at McKinsey & Company, where she advised leading luxury fashion and beauty brands and retailers in the U.S., Asia, Europe, and Latin America on strategic and operational issues. Her first collection was featured in O, The Oprah Magazine, People, and the Today show in the same month. Sun and GRAVITAS have been featured on CNN and in Forbes, Fast Company, New York magazine, Elle, Marie Claire, InStyle, and more. GRAVITAS includes among its activities a commitment to AAPI causes and New York City's Garment District. Often called the “dress whisperer,” Lisa is also a highly sought-after public speaker who likes to impart her hard-won knowledge on gravitas and how to best harness it to other women.  Additional ResourcesWebsite: https://www.gravitasnewyork.com/Discover Your Confidence Language: https://gravitasnewyork.com/pages/my-confidence-language-quizBuy Lisa's New Book, Gravitas: The 8 Strengths That Redefine ConfidenceInstagram: @LisaLSun   @GravitasNewYorkLinkedIn: @LisaSun

This Episode is for all the Fashionistas! We are joined by Cindy Castro, a prominent Latina fashion designer based in New York City. Originally from Ecuador, she pursued her dream of becoming a fashion designer.With a decade of industry experience, Cindy embarked on her mission to create her own women's ready-to-wear (RTW) line. Her brand, Cindy Castro New York, is characterized by a strong commitment to sustainability, social responsibility, and remarkable craftsmanship. In this conversation, Cindy discusses her motivation to establish Cindy Castro New York with a strong focus on sustainability, social responsibility, and craftsmanship, emphasizing her mission to disrupt the industry as one of the first Latinas leading sustainable fashion. Cindy's designs are influenced by her cultural roots and commitment to sustainability, and she highlights her decision to produce over 50% of her clothing locally in the Garment District, collaborating with Latino immigrants and minorities in New York. Leave this episode feeling inspired to start your own personal journey toward sustainable fashion! Check out Cindy Castro New York: Cindy Castro New York Official Site | RTW Luxury Sustainable Brand – 2023 Cindy Castro New York, LLC Special Offer for Tamarindo Listeners We're partnering with AlmaExplores.com to offer listeners a $50 discount to travel to Michoacan Mexico for Dia de Muertos Oct. 29 - Nov. 2, 2024.  Use the discount code EARLYTAMARINDO24 at checkout: https://www.wetravel.com/trips/celebrate-day-of-the-dead-in-morelia-michoacan-copy-alma-lopez-morelia-53190872 Tamarindo is a lighthearted show hosted by Brenda Gonzalez and Delsy Sandoval talking about politics, culture, and self-development. We're here to uplift our community through powerful conversations with changemakers, creatives, and healers. Join us as we delve into discussions on race, gender, representation, and life! You can get in touch with us at www.tamarindopodcast.com Brenda Gonzalez and Delsy Sandoval are executive producers of Tamarindo podcast with production support by Karina Riveroll of Sonoro Media. Jeff Ricards produced our theme song. If you want to support our work, please rate and review our show here.  SUPPORT OUR SHOW Contribute to the show: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/tamarindopodcast1 Follow Tamarindo on instagram @tamarindopodcast and on twitter at @tamarindocast  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Remote Work and City Decline: Lessons From the Garment District (Clay Gillette) Clay Gillette is the Max E. Greenberg Professor of Contract Law at New York University School of Law. He is the author of Remote Work and City Decline: Lessons from the Garment District, 15 Journal of Legal Analysis 201 (2023). Appendices: Clay Gillette: the book In a Bad State (by David Schleicher), work by Joan Didion, TV shows Borgen, Fauda, Shtisel, and The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem, and the movie Oppenheimer. Greg Shill: the novel A Confederacy of Dunces, the New Yorker short story series Sell Out, and the TV show Rough Diamonds. Jeff Lin: journal articles Networking off Madison Avenue and The Curley Effect: The Economics of Shaping the Electorate, and Trees? Not in My Backyard. (Jerusalem Demsas) in the Atlantic. Follow us on the web or on Twitter/X: @denselyspeaking, @jeffrlin, @greg_shill. The hosts are also on Bluesky at @jeffrlin and @gregshill. Producer: Courtney Campbell The views expressed on the show are those of the participants, and do not necessarily represent the views of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, the Federal Reserve System, or any of the other institutions with which the hosts or guests are affiliated.

On this new Whisper in the Wings from Stage Whisper, we sat down with creator/performer Debora Balardini to talk about her new work, Backlash to Brazilian Happiness. Be sure to tune in to learn more about this tragic and fascinating show, and then head down to the heart of the Garment District to see this wonderful production!Backlash to Brazilian HappinessNow- November 20th at 7pm@ The TankTickets and more information are available at thetanknyc.org and at group.br.comAnd be sure to follow Deborah and her company to stay up to date on all their upcoming projects and productions:deborabalardini.comgroup.br.com@deborabalardini@groupdotbr

The musical "I Can Get It For You Wholesale" marked the Broadway debut of Barbra Streisand and told the story of a businessman trying to make a name for himself in New York City's Garment District in the 1930s. A new revival at Classic Stage Company features an updated book by John Weidman, son of Jerome Weidman, the author of the original novel and the book for the original musical. Weidman joins us to discuss, alongside stars Santino Fontana and Judy Kuhn. "I Can Get It For You Wholesale" is running through December 17.

Lisa Sun is the author of Gravitas: The 8 Strengths the Redefine Confidence. She is the founder and CEO of GRAVITAS, a company on a mission to catalyze confidence. GRAVITAS offers innovative size-inclusive apparel, styling solutions, and content designed to make over women from the inside out. Prior to founding GRAVITAS, Sun spent 11 years at McKinsey & Company, where she advised leading luxury fashion and beauty brands and retailers in the U.S., Asia, Europe, and Latin America on strategic and operational issues. Her first collection was featured in O, The Oprah Magazine, People, and The Today show in the same month. Sun and GRAVITAS have been featured on CNN and in Forbes, Fast Company, New York magazine, Elle, Marie Claire, InStyle, and more. GRAVITAS includes among its activities a commitment to AAPI causes and New York City's Garment District. Often called the “dress whisperer,” Lisa is also a highly sought-after public speaker who likes to impart her hard-won knowledge on gravitas and how to best harness it to other women. https://gravitasnewyork.com/pages/my-confidence-language-quiz https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-sun-793777 This episode is brought to you by... The Long-Distance Team. Remote leadership experts, Kevin Eikenberry and Wayne Turmel, help leaders navigate the new world of remote and hybrid teams to design the culture they desire for their teams and organizations in their new book! Book Recommendations Gravitas: The 8 Strengths That Redefine Confidence by Lisa Sun  Asian American Dreams by Helen Zia  Related Episodes Sparking Leadership Confidence with Angie Morgan

ABOUT Lisa Sun:Lisa's LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-sun-793777/Websites:To learn more about Lisa's book:  https://gravitasnewyork.com/pages/gravitas-book-the-8-strengths-that-redefine-confidenceLearn more about our forthcoming book, GRAVITAS: The 8 Strengths That Redefine ConfidenceTo discover your superpowers: www.MyConfidenceLanguage.comwww.GravitasNewYork.comBIO:Lisa Sun is the founder and CEO of GRAVITAS, a company on a mission to catalyze confidence. GRAVITAS offers innovative size-inclusive apparel, styling solutions, and content designed to make over women from the inside out. Prior to founding GRAVITAS, Sun spent 11 years at McKinsey & Company, where she advised leading luxury fashion and beauty brands and retailers in the U.S., Asia, Europe, and Latin America on strategic and operational issues. Her first collection was featured in O, The Oprah Magazine, People, and the Todays how in the same month.Sun and GRAVITAS have been featured on CNN and in Forbes, Fast Company, New York magazine, Elle, Marie Claire, InStyle, and more. GRAVITAS includes among its activities a commitment to AAPI causes and New York City's Garment District. Often called the “dress whisperer,” Lisa is also a highly sought-after public speaker who likes to impart her hard-won knowledge on gravitas and how to best harness it to other women.SHOW INTRO: Welcome to the NXTLVL Experience Design podcast.These dynamic dialogues based on our acronym DATA - design, architecture, technology, and the arts crosses over disciplines but maintains a common thread of people who are passionate about the world we live in and human's influence on it, the ways we craft the built environment to maximize human experience, increasing our understanding of human behavior and searching for the New Possible.The NXTLVL Experience Design podcast is presented by VMSD. VMSD is the publisher of VMSD magazine and brings us, in the brand experience world, the International Retail Design Conference. The IRDC is one of the best retail design conferences that there is bringing together the world of retailers, brands and experience placemakers every year for two days of engaging conversations and pushing the discourse forward on what makes retailing relevant.You will find the archive of the NXTLVL Experience Design podcast on VMSD.com.Thanks also goes to Shop Association the only global retail trade association dedicated to elevating the in-store experience. SHOP Association represents companies and affiliates from 25 countries and brings value to their members through research, networking, education, events and awards. Check then out on SHOPAssociation.orgIn this episode I talk with Lisa Sun the Founder and CEO of the apparel brand Gravitas and the author of the recently published, runaway best seller titled - “Gravitas: The 8 Strengths That Redefine Confidence.”But first a few thoughts.****************In the spring of 2022, I was in New York for the annual Vision Monday Leadership Summit. This event was being called “Discover & Recalibrate! Trends, Ideas and Tactics for Confronting Radical Change.” This 13th Annual gatherings brought into sharp focus the megatrends shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic.A lot of change has occurred in the world from the spring of 2020 up to this event. The COVID pandemic had shifted our worlds. The uncertainty and ambiguity brought about by the evolving circumstance of a global pandemic was a cause for pause. A time to re-evaluate and find strategies to address new challenges that faced us all.My talk focused on navigating the fluid world of exponential change, facing down the unknown and looking for ways to remain buoyant in the sea of change all around us. I suggested that cultural mindsets had been shifting over the past few years and that they had been hastened in the context of the global pandemic. When brands, their goods, services and experiences, are at odds with evolving culture, they can lose their value even if their legacy stays strong. As cultural transformation happens, brands need to learn how to navigate cultural complexity and create a different future that is aligned with the pace of change. In a post-pandemic, experience-seeking economy, health, safety and welfare are a baseline in the guest expectation set. But addressing evolving customer needs was now well beyond making sure customers were safe while shopping, visiting a hotel or simply being out in the community. How do we keep up with the pace of change? As the pace of change speeds along how can we finding meaning in the in-between of the last and the next big thing? I focused on how can changing your mindset about change allow us to see the ‘now' as an emergent space of creative possibility?Changing your mindset – reframing the context – seeing the interdependency of things – looking for opportunity in upheaval… these all seemed to be front-row-center how we needed to adjust to a new world order.As I was in the speaker's green room waiting for my time slot to come up, in bounds a woman with an air of openness, humility and eagerness to connect. There was an energy of confidence that emanated from her. She seemed to stand her ground, command her conversations and did so while not imposing on you but welcoming you into a shared space of empathic connection. I thought to my self, that I had to make sure that is saw that presentation.When Lisa Sun hit the stage, she was direct and vulnerable. She was hilarious with her impressions of her Taiwanese mother who she says was a Tiger Mom before it became a thing with publishing of Amy Chua's book that popularized the term. She shared her personal journey, living with her immigrant parents in Rancho Cucamonga who ran the only Chinese restaurant withing 40 miles of her home. Her first job out of college was working in a scrap metal yard, then worked for 11 years at McKinsey and Company where she spent on average 250 days a year on the road. She decided to take an 11 month sojourn to travel the world ending her trip with passing through Taiwan where her parents had retired. Her mother tried convinced her to spend half of her life's saving to create her own business rather than going back to the corporate consulting world. A fateful yearly performance review led to an epiphany and that in turn led her to her company Gravitas being born.Today Lisa Sun is the founder and CEO of GRAVITAS, a company on a mission to catalyze confidence. GRAVITAS offers innovative size-inclusive apparel, styling solutions, and content designed to make over women from the inside out.Her first collection was featured inO, The Oprah Magazine, People,and theToday show in the same month.Lisa Sun and GRAVITAS have been featured on CNN and inForbes, Fast Company,New York magazine, Elle, Marie Claire,InStyle, and more. Often called the “dress whisperer,” Lisa is also a highly sought-after public speaker who likes to impart her hard-won knowledge on having gravitas and how to best harness it in other people.10 + years after starting Gravitas the company, “Gravitas: the book, subtitled “The 8 Strengths That Redefine Confidence” has been published. In her book Lisa Sun shares her journey of self-discovery and combines it with proprietary research, real-world examples, and anecdotes from other successful women who have championed their own definition of self-worth.When I think back to the Vision Monday Leadership Summit and it being called “Discover & Recalibrate! Trends, Ideas and Tactics for Confronting Radical Change” I was talking about the radical environmental contextual change all around us and how that would influence change in the way we re-thought the design of our companies, brand experience places and re-writing long-held narratives that were no longer suited to a world of rapid change.I think Lisa's talk was signaling the need for personal radical change. Seeking for a view of oneself that required a mindset shift to believing in a sense of self-empowerment - welcoming change as a vehicle for personal growth. Gravitas, both the apparel company and the book, seek to “catalyze confidence.” ABOUT DAVID KEPRON:LinkedIn Profile: linkedin.com/in/david-kepron-9a1582bWebsites: https://www.davidkepron.com    (personal website)vmsd.com/taxonomy/term/8645  (Blog)Email: david.kepron@NXTLVLexperiencedesign.comTwitter: DavidKepronPersonal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidkepron/NXTLVL Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nxtlvl_experience_design/Bio:David Kepron is a multifaceted creative professional with a deep curiosity to understand ‘why', ‘what's now' and ‘what's next'. He brings together his background as an architect, artist, educator, author, podcast host and builder to the making of meaningful and empathically-focused, community-centric customer connections at brand experience places around the globe. David is a former VP - Global Design Strategies at Marriott International. While at Marriott, his focus was on the creation of compelling customer experiences within Marriott's “Premium Distinctive” segment which included: Westin, Renaissance, Le Meridien, Autograph Collection, Tribute Portfolio, Design Hotels and Gaylord hotels. In 2020 Kepron founded NXTLVL Experience Design, a strategy and design consultancy, where he combines his multidisciplinary approach to the creation of relevant brand engagements with his passion for social and cultural anthropology, neuroscience and emerging digital technologies. As a frequently requested international speaker at corporate events and international conferences focusing on CX, digital transformation, retail, hospitality, emerging technology, David shares his expertise on subjects ranging from consumer behaviors and trends, brain science and buying behavior, store design and visual merchandising, hotel design and strategy as well as creativity and innovation. In his talks, David shares visionary ideas on how brand strategy, brain science and emerging technologies are changing guest expectations about relationships they want to have with brands and how companies can remain relevant in a digitally enabled marketplace. David currently shares his experience and insight on various industry boards including: VMSD magazine's Editorial Advisory Board, the Interactive Customer Experience Association, Sign Research Foundation's Program Committee as well as the Center For Retail Transformation at George Mason University.He has held teaching positions at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.), the Department of Architecture & Interior Design of Drexel University in Philadelphia, the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising (L.I.M.) in New York, the International Academy of Merchandising and Design in Montreal and he served as the Director of the Visual Merchandising Department at LaSalle International Fashion School (L.I.F.S.) in Singapore.  In 2014 Kepron published his first book titled: “Retail (r)Evolution: Why Creating Right-Brain Stores Will Shape the Future of Shopping in a Digitally Driven World” and he is currently working on his second book to be published soon. David also writes a popular blog called “Brain Food” which is published monthly on vmsd.com. ************************************************************************************************************************************The next level experience design podcast is presented by VMSD magazine and Smartwork Media. It is hosted and executive produced by David Kepron. Our original music and audio production by Kano Sound. The content of this podcast is copywrite to David Kepron and NXTLVL Experience Design. Any publication or rebroadcast of the content is prohibited without the expressed written consent of David Kepron and NXTLVL Experience Design.Make sure to tune in for more NXTLVL “Dialogues on DATA: Design Architecture Technology and the Arts” wherever you find your favorite podcasts and make sure to visit vmsd.com and look for the tab for the NXTLVL Experience Design podcast there too.

Link to the show notes.

Uh-huh, you know what it is, Jim and Larry (x4). This week, the boys have survived market to tell all, have their quarterly emotional check-in, is a rapper cloning your footwear good or bad for your personal style, new money Lawrence regales an equally pathetic and pissed off shirt tale, reviewing the Drake tour ahead of hopefully running it back later this week, breaking down a Philipp Plein in-store event by the numbers before playing a PP-fied game of The Price Is Right, James takes a solo drive and checks out the audio erotica podcast community, finally getting locked in with your boy despite his commitment to the bit, a night of badges vs. lenses, drinking floor model beers, the genius of Mr. Claw, storm chasing cheeks in the Garment District, the worst picture ever taken finally gets a literal shot at redemption, do Zoë Kravitz and Channing Tatum deliver in person, fielding an army of child soldiers for a Nike soccer tourney, old men yell at beer pong, reviewing TF's latest brand community activation live show game tape and much more. For more Throwing Fits, check us out on Patreon: www.patreon.com/throwingfits.

The best surf spots in Santa Cruz are infamous for territorial locals and some occasionally aggressive confrontations.  But lately, not all of the offenders have been human. A five-year-old sea otter has become famous for stealing surfboards, and evading capture. Reporter: Erin Malsbury, KAZU California regulators are developing emergency rules to protect workers dying from inhaling silica dust, in shops making kitchen countertops. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Wednesday's winning Powerball ticket was bought in downtown Los Angeles' Garment District.  Reporter: Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, LAist 

Won't Take No For An Answer… For decades, Anna Sui has tapped into and helped define youth culture, grunge lifestyle, and rock-n-roll romanticism. Her baby-doll dresses, made iconic by Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, and Christy Turlington, reflected the changing tides ahead of the new millennium. Today, the multi-award-winning legend of fashion still produces all her clothes in NYC's Garment District and maintains the highest quality standards across her many product lines and licenses. She was an honored guest at SCAD Style 2023, from where today, Paula Wallace invites us all into the world of Anna Sui.

On this week's episode of the Northeast Newscast, Publisher Michael Bushnell is at the historic Garment District Museum at 8th and Broadway in downtown Kansas City. They discuss the history of garment factories in Kansas City and what visitors can expect. The garments on display are part of the Kansas City Museum's collections. While usually open by appointment only, it is open Wednesday through Saturday from 1o a.m.  to 4 p.m. while the Kansas City Museum is closed for HVAC upgrades.

This week's episode explores the different avenues for "style with a purpose", whether that may be choosing ethical options or purposefully updating your wardrobe. Opening the episode, host Kendall Becker shares her insight on how to curate a wardrobe that feels aligned to your personal values and style goals as well as intention when it comes to where you seek inspiration. Afterward, Kendall connects with Áwet Woldegebriel on his namesake, genderless label that was founded during COVID to support the Garment District workers in New York and leather goods company Parker Clay whose origin actually begins with a love story.  AWET New York: @awetnyc Parker Clay: @parkerclay About The Curated Podcast: Join Kendall Becker, New York City-based fashion editor & trend forecaster, as she connects with global creatives across luxury fashion, hospitality, and wellness to uncover the purpose, passion, and inspiration behind a guest's life path and showcase that unconventionality can be the perfect curation, too. Subscribe to The Curated wherever you get your podcasts as well as The Curated Edit on Substack for weekly inspiration from fashion finds to bucket list additions straight to your inbox. Plus, head to YouTube for travel videos, and stay up-to-date in-between episodes by following along on Instagram and TikTok.  The Curated Edit Newsletter on⁠ Substack⁠ The Curated World on YouTube: ⁠@kendall.becker⁠ The Curated Podcast's IG: ⁠@thecuratedbykendall ⁠ Kendall's IG: ⁠@kendall_becker ⁠ TikTok: ⁠@kendall.becker

In episode 35, Terri Stipanovich, founder and CEO of small-batch manufacturing factory The Collective Thread, shares how her background in the non-profit world and mission to empower women to earn a living wage led her to start The Collective Thread as a resource for emerging designers, training ground for industrial sewing, and a place for all to find meaning in creating something beautiful. In 2010 the founder of Faith that Works, now The Collective Thread, Terri Stipanovich traveled to East Africa on a vision trip. Terri was heartbroken when she saw refugee Somali women facing severe poverty and oppression. During that trip, she made a decision to start an organization that would empower refugee women both in her hometown of St. Louis, Mo, and in the Somali region of East Africa. After some years of working with women in both areas, she realized economic empowerment was the only sustainable solution to the issues she was passionately working to solve. At that point, The Collective Thread began to offer free sewing classes, which then led to living wage jobs for women both in Africa and St. Louis. It wasn't long before some St. Louis apparel brands approached Terri asking her team to take on their sewing needs. She knew this was a potential business opportunity that could fund the mission she had spent 10 years developing. But she needed experts in commercial sewing to succeed. Terri grew her team and expanded to a beautiful historic space in The Garment District in Downtown St. Louis. They purchased state-of-the-art equipment to increase their free sewing education classes to the community and to offer top-notch product development and small-batch manufacturing to companies in need of these services. They grew their management staff by hiring aspiring fashion designers and creating a winning team that has served over 50 brands fulfilling apparel design and manufacturing needs—all while staying true to The Collective Thread's mission to empower vulnerable women through new skills and a living wage job. In this episode, you'll learn: How working in non-profit world led Terri to into cut & sew manufacturing The mission that began it all How The Collective Thread got connected with the refugee community in Saint Louis The real cost of training new sewers and how The Collective Thread can afford to make it their focus Why a skilled sewing workforce is so important yet so undervalued Who makes up the team at The Collective Thread and who they work with The questions all designers should come prepared to answer when they first meet their factory and why those questions are important How The Collective Thread learned the hard way about needing to focus down and say no to certain client work The one thing that can make or break your relationship with your factory What things would make your brand the perfect fit to produce with The Collective Thread The biggest challenge that Terri faces in growing The Collective Thread People and resources mentioned in this episode: The Collective Thread website The Collective Thread Instagram Terri's email Book a consultation with Terri Saint Louis Fashion Fund

The majority of the New York City Council members are new and are part of a class that is the most diverse and progressive in city history. Over the next year Brian Lehrer will get to know all 51 members. This week, Councilmember Erik Bottcher talked about his priorities for District 3 (which covers Greenwich Village, Chelsea, Hell's Kitchen, Flatiron, Hudson Square, Times Square, the Theater District, the Garment District and Columbus Circle), like the need for more robust mental health services, and why he's "had it" with the way New York City deals with trash. 

Mimi Jackson runs Shop the garment district on Instagram. She is inspired by all the fabrics and notions available in the fashion district and her blog has a speak easy map you can use when you visit NYC.  This is Mimi's first podcast and you'll hear more from Mimi again soon. Her sewing history is fascinating.

     We draw November to a close with four courses of revenge severed at the proper temperatures.     The first entry in Park Chan-wook's Vengeance Trilogy. Ryu is desperate to get his sister the transplant she needs. Dong-jin is desperate to get his young daughter returned to him safely. When their paths are set on a collision, the bloody trail of bodies doesn't undermine your Sympathy for Mr Vengeance.     Nick Hume witnesses his eldest son be brutally murdered in a gang initiation. When he learns of the system's offer, he decides to take his own course of payback. Soon Nick is in deeper than he imagined and his remaining family is at risk as the gang's own revenge begins. For every action they all find a Death Sentence.     Thana, a mute seamstress working in New York's Garment District, is raped at gun point. She survives the attack and stumbles home. Only to find a burglar in her apartment, who decides to rape her a second time. Being constantly under different attacks from the dangerously gendered city, Thana soon starts going out at night to avenge herself on the city's predators. Lessening the subgenre's usual fantasy for a slightly more grounded, though still highly exploitation driven, exploration of the trauma, rage, and fear women experience in the everyday in the world... Ms .45.      Three working women are pushed too far by their sexist, bigoted, egomaniacal, hypocrite of a boss. When their flight of fancy accidentally spill into the office, they seize a bold plan to keep their boss in line through mutually assured destruction. They get it all done between 9 to 5.     All that and Dave used a song from we are lady parts (which you should watch), Tyler dreams in Capcom isometric horror, and after a fall down the stairs Kevin now lives in a noir hellscape.     Join us, won't you?Episode 233- Dishes Served Cold

What would it be like to have an eye for style and design? Meet Lela Rose. Lela Rose, the New York City-based, American fashion designer widely regarded for her elegant aesthetic and fresh point of view, continues to redefine a sophisticated, yet modern lifestyle with her expanded, designer ready-to-wear-offering. Formally trained as a painter and sculptor prior to pursuing fashion design, Rose employs a brilliant use of color, rich fabrications, sculptural silhouettes and handcrafted details. Her artistic background is evident in her work and adds unexpected dimension and breadth to each season's collection.In 2018, Rose launched Pearl by Lela Rose, a ready-to-wear clothing line that is fun, fabulous & effortlessly stylish.  The collection is sold on the Pearl direct-to-consumer website as well as by a network of 80+ independent Pearl Stylists.  Lela Rose, Lela Rose Bridal, and Pearl by Lela Rose share offices in New York City's Garment District. Today meet Lela - and hear her story behind the brand.Special savings here:Use code: Meantformore50 for $50 off $350....Sign up now:  Meant For More Events - you'll be a VIP - to get special discount codes and savings on products and brands we LOVE!  And don't forget to tune into the MFM Live show on Wednesday night - 7-8pm ET - Click here so you don't miss a thing.-----------Learn more about The A Method here - and use the code: meantformore25 for a 25% savings!  And send a selfie of you using the product to me:  amy@fearlesslyfacingfifty.com to receive a special gift from A Method.  You are worth the investment!------Let's Get Moving!  Enroll in the GENNEV walking program today - and I'll be right there with you.  It's time to treat ourselves as a GOH (Guest of Honor) and put our health and wellness as a priority.  Use the code:  GennevMore15 at checkout for special savings!----------Are you ready to shout it from the roof tops.....MENOPAUSE!  It's not a one size fits all time in our life - but there are so many commonalities that we share it's time we phone a friend and share our story! Kindra is company that offers estrogen -free per/menopause products made for women by women!  Click here to learn more about their amazing products and which ones may be right for you.  And use the CODE: AMY20 for special savings!

Episode 31 was recorded from our hotel room in New York City!  We are here again after missing it for 2 years searching for fabulous fabric for our custom costumes! At Rhythm, we have always designed our own costumes and had them made for our performing company dancers. For years, we would have people ask us where we bought our costumes or how we went about designing them and the actual sewing process. So, a few years ago, we created Fabric Shopping in NYC: A Complete Guide for Designing Custom Costumes available for purchase in our Confetti Shop. It's a step-by-step guide to finding the perfect fabrics and trims to create custom costumes for your studio. We use it ourselves and this trip, we used it to confirm which fabric stores were still in business, and most are still going strong! What is the same?The feeling of being completely overwhelmed by the choices that NYC fabric shopping gives you is definitely the same! We were worried the garment district took a hit due to Covid with Broadway being shut down, but it is alive and well with most of our favorite stores still in business with tons of amazing fabrics! The many, many smells are the same! Amazing trim and appliqué options - the same! What's different?A few locations have moved or closed, not many have fully disappeared. The store owners told us the break was a great time to negotiate rent and better opportunities.One of our favorite go-to stretch houses - Spandex World (it was on 35th) is no longer there. We think they have just condensed to their Queens location, which we didn't make it to on this trip. Several restaurants are gone but we found a few new ones that we loved! Beatnik on 38th near Broadway is vegan and great! Top 3 places we shopped this week (all between 7th & 8th)Spandex House  - 263 W. 38th - Always a go-to! They have TONS of stretch fabrics, are super nice and the same people have been working here for years! They always let us store things, move fabric around and let us sit on the floor and figure things out! And, they have quantity on site, so they can handle big orders! Vardhman, Inc. - 269 W. 39th  - This TINY store has trim, elastic and ribbons. Small but incredible selection of fun appliqués and patches. Think smiley faces, flowers, eyeballs, planets and quirky, fun sparkly little things! MOOD - 225 W. 37th on 3rd Floor  - The building is called “Bricken Arcade” and you can enter on 37th or 38th. This store is the best store EVER - the options are limitless! They have every type of fabric in every color, texture, print, weight...it is a literal fabric candy store! We highly recommend checking out the Garment District -mainly 37th - 39th between 7th and 8th.  Learn more here!Subscribe & ShareYou are officially invited to subscribe to our podcast, and we would love you to leave us a 5 star rating and review! We'd also love for you to share our podcast on social media! Tag us and we'll repost! Join our (FREE) Confetti CircleRequest to join our private (and FREE) Facebook GroupFollow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest

Manufacturing garments for the likes of Ralph Lauren to the United States Coast Guard, our guest today is also the recipient of the Step Ahead Award from The Manufacturing Institute. Today we welcome to the show, Gabrielle Ferrara. Gabrielle is the Chief Operating Officer at Ferrara Manufacturing, a family-owned and operated, American garment manufacturer company founded in 1987. The company is located in Manhattan's Garment District and specializes in high-end, tailored, goods production. Gabrielle leads the company's strategic development, integration of new technologies, and day-to-day operations. Her work supports tailored goods production for prestigious organizations such as Ralph Lauren, The Purple Label, and many more. Join us as we dive into a great conversation with Gabrielle about her company, how she stepped into her role and pivoted the company into COVID-related PPE manufacturing. She also shares with us her passion for garment manufacturing in the United States, women in manufacturing and supply chain, and how they're impacting, engaging, and setting up exposure opportunities in their community. Stay tuned for all this, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Manufacturing garments for the likes of Ralph Lauren to the United States Coast Guard, our guest today is also the recipient of the Step Ahead Award from The Manufacturing Institute. Today we welcome to the show, Gabrielle Ferrara. Gabrielle is the Chief Operating Officer at Ferrara Manufacturing, a family-owned and operated, American garment manufacturer company founded in 1987. The company is located in Manhattan's Garment District and specializes in high-end, tailored, goods production. Gabrielle leads the company's strategic development, integration of new technologies, and day-to-day operations. Her work supports tailored goods production for prestigious organizations such as Ralph Lauren, The Purple Label, and many more. Join us as we dive into a great conversation with Gabrielle about her company, how she stepped into her role and pivoted the company into COVID-related PPE manufacturing. She also shares with us her passion for garment manufacturing in the United States, women in manufacturing and supply chain, and how they're impacting, engaging, and setting up exposure opportunities in their community. Stay tuned for all this, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

**This episode is brought to you by MuteSix, StoreYa, and Justuno**   If we have fun, the business will do well, says Sarah Miyazawa LaFleur, Founder, and CEO of M.M.LaFleur, a clothing and personal styling brand for professional women. Sarah had zero background in fashion and was not even interested in Fashion before starting M.M.LaFleur. Instead, she had a background working for a non-profit in South Africa and a private equity firm in New York. But couldn't find a passion for her work. That changed when she began visiting the Garment District of New York and learning about the fabric industry. In her journey, she understood that being a person that motivates a team is an important job. Along with this, she realized the significance of bringing out good energy every day and self-care. Thinking of things that you are grateful for is crucial to stop the negative loop. In the first part, Sarah talks about: * Gratefulness. * The role her Japanese mother played in her approach to business. * How she manages the feeling of being grounded, stress, and anxiety. * What pushed her to what she's doing now. Join Ramon Vela and Sarah Miyazawa LaFleur as they break down the inside story on The Story of a Brand. For more on M.M. LaFleur, visit: https://mmlafleur.com/ Subscribe and Listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand.” Click here to listen on Apple Podcast or Spotify. * OUR SHOW IS MADE POSSIBLE WITH THE SUPPORT OF MUTESIX. MuteSix is the leading agency in performance marketing. They have been in this space for nearly eight years, growing and scaling the world's most recognizable e-commerce brands with breakthrough creative, targeted media buying, and data-driven results in every step of the funnel. They're currently offering listeners a FREE omnichannel marketing audit. Their team of auditors will perform a deep dive analysis into your current marketing efforts and identify which strategies might be budget wasters and which strategies will improve performance. The audit covers all digital marketing channels, including Facebook, Google, Email, Amazon, Snapchat, TikTok, Pinterest, Influencer, Programmatic, and Website CRO. For your free digital marketing consultation, visit: mutesix.com/storyofabrand * This episode is also brought to you by StoreYa. If managing your ads drives you crazy, and you're all about automating your ecom business, then you have to give StoreYa a try! StoreYa will Launch, Optimize & Scale your ads on Google, Facebook & Instagram...WITHOUT YOU having to do ANYTHING Their powerful AI will optimize your campaigns 24/7, delivering the best ads to the right customers... They are a Google & Facebook Partner that supports over 400,000 merchants! To get started and enjoy a 33% discount for the first month, simply visit www.StoreYa.com/Story * This episode is also brought to you by Justuno. Worried about hitting your revenue goals this month? Make the most of your website traffic with Justuno - the #1 CRO tool for thriving e-commerce sites. Grow your email and SMS lists, show smart product recommendations to increase your average order value, improve return on ad spend, and so much more. Justuno helps you convert more website visitors into sales. Visit justuno.com/ramon for a free 14-day trial, one-click install on Shopify, and 15% off with the code RAMON.

Aysha Saeed is the CEO and Creative Director of AYSHA NY, an ethical, sustainable luxury women's fashion lifestyle brand launched in 2016 in New York City. Before launching the AYSHA NY brand, she started out on a very different professional path--the world of finance in NYC. While she did well in that sector, she realized she was missing something in her life...something that brought her joy: all things fashion.  AYSHA NY elevates the wardrobes of a niche group of driven women, allowing them to express their individuality while giving back to the community by purchasing sustainably made and ethical designs that minimize and repurpose garment waste.  To help sustain the struggling Garment District, her new collection, “Dressing for the Now,” employs 11 different NYC businesses, helping the midtown garment industry stay alive.    https://ayshany.com/https://ayshany.com/collections/dressing-for-the-nowVisit WomenEntrepreneursRadio.com for information about online courses, articles & interviews of interest to women business owners.  Deborah Bailey is a writer and host of Women Entrepreneurs Radio podcast. Learn more about her and her books and writing courses at: https://DBaileycoach.comFor Deborah's paranormal and fantasy romance fiction, visit: https://dbaileycoach.com/brightbooks 

Aysha Saeed is the CEO and Creative Director of AYSHA NY, an ethical, sustainable luxury women's fashion lifestyle brand launched in 2016 in New York City. Before launching the AYSHA NY brand, she started out on a very different professional path--the world of finance in NYC. While she did well in that sector, she realized she was missing something in her life...something that brought her joy: all things fashion. AYSHA NY elevates the wardrobes of a niche group of driven women, allowing them to express their individuality while giving back to the community by purchasing sustainably made and ethical designs that minimize and repurpose garment waste.  To help sustain the struggling Garment District, her new collection, “Dressing for the Now,” employs 11 different NYC businesses, helping the midtown garment industry stay alive.   https://ayshany.com/ https://ayshany.com/collections/dressing-for-the-now Visit WomenEntrepreneursRadio.com for information about online courses, articles & interviews of interest to women business owners.  Deborah Bailey is a writer and host of Women Entrepreneurs Radio podcast. Learn more about her and her books and writing courses at: https://DBaileycoach.com For Deborah's paranormal and fantasy romance fiction, visit: https://dbaileycoach.com/brightbooks

Today Reid tells the harrowing tale of nearly pooping his pants, and fully describes some amazing Liziqi youtubes about preserving peaches and stream tables. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RagTZHPrn_o

Dan Epstein joins the SIAC panel to talk about the book he co-authored with Ron Blomberg, THE CAPTAIN & ME: ON AND OFF THE FIELD WITH THURMAN MUNSON. Come spend an hour in the land of 1970s baseball where the suits were polyester, the dance was disco, and the Yankees had a catcher who should have been in the Hall of Fame 35 years ago already.

Dan Epstein joins the SIAC panel to talk about the book he co-authored with Ron Blomberg, THE CAPTAIN & ME: ON AND OFF THE FIELD WITH THURMAN MUNSON. Come spend an hour in the land of 1970s baseball where the suits were polyester, the dance was disco, and the Yankees had a catcher who should have been in the Hall of Fame 35 years ago already.

Zankou Chicken Caper Part 3 The Finale Barlow and Marion drive through LA’s Garment District and Skid Row. Barlow’s friend in the LAPD helps them track down Aram’s kidnapped daughter. Eliza and Zina have a baby race. Barlow and Glinda reflect on their bright future. Featuring the voice talents of: Geephead, Siren, HiJenx, Mike Priest, and Leslie B.

I got the chance to talk to NYC-based designer Sikander Chowhan! We talk about his brand (f)laws of Youth, his uncommon path to becoming a fashion designer, working in the historic Garment District, and his upcoming collections! IG: @flawsofyouth Website: flawsofyouth.com Hello, I'm Alexander Walker of The Fashion Collective Podcast! If you're a returning listener, welcome back! If you're a new listener, then thank you for taking the time to check us out! The Fashion Collective Podcast is a place for creatives to learn, share, collaborate, and support each other. Each week, you'll get in-depth interviews with creators talking about their creative process, inspirations, giving advice, and sharing their opinions on the industry's major topics. If you're interested, I would encourage you to follow us on social media to get updates on all new podcasts. Website: Link: https://anchor.fm/thefashioncollective/support Support: https://anchor.fm/thefashioncollective/support Social Media: Instagram: @thefashioncollectivepodcast & @alexwalkerph Twitter: @TFC_POD Available Platforms: The Fashion Collective Podcast will be available on Apple Podcast, Spotify, YouTube, and Patreon. Patreon: To get full access to all the podcast episodes, private playlists, live streams, videos, and much more, you can sign up to be a patron on our Patreon page for only $5/month. Link: https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=35257084 The Fashion Collective Mix Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/the-fashion-collective-mix-2/pl.u-MDAWvJjFGaBqkR Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2pe55VPWVvt04XiqT4cS0z?si=AzriDzDCRAGh4CvMBactuA --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thefashioncollective/support

Naomi is the artist, designer and maker behind Overlook Woods. She fell in love with woodworking while studying at Pratt Institute and realized that is what she wanted to do for work. Naomi makes all sort of woodworking goods from furniture to spoons to jewelry and many other home decor items. Through woodworking, she is also continuing a family legacy of industry in New York. Her grandfather was a fashion designer during the Garment District's heyday. She is proud to be carrying on this tradition. You can find and follow Naomi on Instagram and her Website.

A Guided Tour Through The Spiritual Garment District Ephesians 4:25-32 17 February 2021 - Wednesday Evening Pastor Brad Weniger

A pro-union, pulpy noir in 1957, not long after the House Un-American Activities Committee was at its height, is nothing to be sniffed at, even if its stance is to align union interests with business, and blame most of the bad things that happen on organised crime. The Garment Jungle dramatises the infiltration of the mob into New York's Garment District with arguably surprising elegance, particularly considering its shaky production in which the first director, Robert Aldrich, was fired and replaced with Vincent Sherman. We discuss its significant use of location filming, implied - or otherwise - moral failings of its characters, Robert Loggia's driven union organiser, the lack of quality of its dialogue and acting, and what appeal there is in it today, beyond an academic interest in the period. It has, after all, been lovingly restored as part of Columbia Noir #1, a six-film boxset - but we're glad it has. Recorded on 7th February 2021.

Zecca Esquibel in conversation with David Eastaugh Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, composer, producer and arranger Zecca Esquibel's first stage performance as a piano player was at Peabody Preparatory in Baltimore, Maryland at the age of 7. He spent his childhood and teens winning a daunting schedule of classical piano competitions untill he left home at 18 to become a rock musician. At the age of 23, in New York city, he received rave reviews for his performance in the Off-Off-Broadway hit musical "Lovers" in his basement loft on Church St. which became known as The Basement Theater. This was the "rat infested loft on Church St." where KISS rehearsed that Gene Simmon's mentions in his autobiography! Immediately after, he single-handedly founded a 16 floor live-in loft and rehearsal studio complex called The Music Building at 251 W 30th St. in Manhattan's Garment District (still going strong as The Recording Arts Building). Before the year was out, Zecca was playing his first arena's and collesseums with a funk artist on RCA he despises so much he refuses to mention him by name. Disgusted, Zecca complained to his best friend, the late Sean Delaney (often called "the fifth KISS' even by Gene Simmons himself), and Sean arranged an audition with Cherry Vanilla, who at that time still had Kasim (Utopia/Meat Loaf) Sultan on bass. When Cherry's entire band deserted her to join David (New York Dolls) Johanson, Cherry and Zecca had to form a new, often temporary, band. Miles Copeland saw them in New York and invited Cherry, Zecca, and Cherry's new love, guitarist Louie Lepore, to come to London offering members of The Police to fill in as the missing musicians. The rest is well covered in Sting's "Broken Music".

Episode 104 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at "He's a Rebel", and how a song recorded by the Blossoms was released under the name of the Crystals.  Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode.   Patreon backers also have a ten-minute bonus episode available, on "Sukiyaki" by Kyu Sakamoto. Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt's irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/ ----more---- Resources As always, I've created a Mixcloud streaming playlist with full versions of all the songs in the episode. A lot of resources were used for this episode. The material on Gene Pitney mostly comes from his page on This is My Story. Always Magic in the Air: The Bomp and Brilliance of the Brill Building Era by Ken Emerson is a good overview of the Brill Building scene. Girl Groups by John Clemente contains potted biographies of many groups of the era, including articles on both The Crystals and the Blossoms. I've referred to two biographies of Spector in this episode, Phil Spector: Out of His Head by Richard Williams and He's a Rebel by Mark Ribkowsky. And information on the Wrecking Crew largely comes from The Wrecking Crew by Kent Hartman. There are many compilations available with some of the hits Spector produced, but I recommend getting Back to Mono, a four-CD overview of his career containing all the major singles put out by Philles.   Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript A brief note -- there are some very brief mentions of domestic abuse here. Nothing I think will upset anyone, but you might want to check the transcript if you're at all unsure. Up to this point, whenever we've looked at a girl group, it's been at one that had, to a greater or lesser extent, some control over their own career. Groups like the Marvelettes, the Chantels, and the Bobbettes all wrote their own material, at least at first, and had distinctive personalities before they ever made a record. But today, we're going to look at a group whose identity was so subsumed in that of their producer that the record we're looking at was released under the name of a different group from the one that recorded it. We're going to look at "He's a Rebel", which was recorded by the Blossoms and released by the Crystals. [Excerpt: “The Crystals” (The Blossoms), "He's a Rebel"] The Crystals, from their very beginnings, were intended as a vehicle for the dreams of men, rather than for their own ambitions. Whereas the girl groups we've looked at so far all formed as groups of friends at school before they moved into professional singing, the Crystals were put together by a man named Benny Wells. Wells had a niece, Barbara Alston, who sang with a couple of her schoolfriends, Mary Thomas and Myrna Giraud. Wells put those three together with two other girls, Dee Dee Kenniebrew and Patsy Wright, to form a five-piece vocal group. Wells seems not to have had much concept of what was in the charts at the time -- the descriptions of the music he had the girls singing talk about him wanting them to sound like the Modernaires, the vocal group who sang with Glenn Miller's band in the early 1940s. But the girls went along with Wells, and Wells had good enough ears to recognise a hit when one was brought to him -- and one was brought to him by Patsy Wright's brother-in-law, Leroy Bates. Bates had written a song called "There's No Other Like My Baby", and Wells could tell it had potential. Incidentally, some books say that the song was based on a gospel song called "There's No Other Like My Jesus", and that claim is repeated on Wikipedia, but I can't find any evidence of a song of that name other than people talking about "There's No Other Like My Baby". There is a gospel song called "There's No Other Name Like Jesus", but that has no obvious resemblance to Bates' song, and so I'm going to assume that the song was totally original. As well as bringing the song, Bates also brought the fledgling group a name -- he had a daughter, Crystal Bates, after whom the group named themselves. The newly-named Crystals took their song to the offices of Hill and Range Music, which as well as being a publishing company also owned Big Top Records, the label that had put out the original version of "Twist and Shout", which had so annoyed Bert Berns. And it was there that they ended up meeting up with Phil Spector. After leaving his role at Atlantic, Spector had started working as a freelance producer, including working for Big Top. According to Spector -- a notorious liar, it's important to remember -- he worked during this time on dozens of hits for which he didn't get any credit, just to earn money. But we do know about some of the records he produced during this time. For example, there was one by a new singer called Gene Pitney. Pitney had been knocking around for years, recording for Decca as part of a duo called Jamie and Jane: [Excerpt: Jamie and Jane, "Faithful Our Love"] And for Blaze Records as Billy Bryan: [Excerpt: Billy Bryan, "Going Back to My Love"] But he'd recently signed to Musicor, a label owned by Aaron Schroeder, and had recorded a hit under his own name. Pitney had written "(I Wanna) Love My Life Away", and had taken advantage of the new multitracking technology to record his vocals six times over, creating a unique sound that took the record into the top forty: [Excerpt: Gene Pitney, "(I Wanna) Love My Life Away"] But while that had been a hit, his second single for Musicor was a flop, and so for the third single, Musicor decided to pull out the big guns. They ran a session at which basically the whole of the Brill Building turned up. Leiber and Stoller were to produce a song they'd written for Pitney, the new hot husband-and-wife songwriting team of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil were there, as was Burt Bacharach, and so were Goffin and King, who wrote the song that *Spector* was to produce for Pitney. All of them were in the control booth, and all of them were chipping in ideas. As you might expect with that many cooks, the session did not go smoothly, and to make matters worse, Pitney was suffering from a terrible cold. The session ended up costing thirteen thousand dollars, at a time when an average recording session cost five hundred dollars. On the song Spector was producing on that session, Goffin and King's "Every Breath I Take", Pitney knew that with the cold he would be completely unable to hit the last note in full voice, and went into falsetto. Luckily, everyone thought it sounded good, and he could pretend it was deliberate, rather than the result of necessity: [Excerpt: Gene Pitney, "Every Breath I Take"] The record only went to number forty-two, but it resuscitated Pitney's singing career, and forged a working relationship between the two men. But soon after that, Spector had flown back to LA to work with his old friend Lester Sill. Sill and producer/songwriter, Lee Hazelwood, had been making records with the guitarist Duane Eddy, producing a string of hits like “Rebel Rouser”: [Excerpt: Duane Eddy, "Rebel Rouser"] But Eddy had recently signed directly to a label, rather than going through Sill and Hazelwood's company as before, and so Sill and Hazelwood had been looking for new artists, and they'd recently signed a group called the Paris Sisters to their production company. Sill had decided to get Spector in to produce the group, and Spector came up with a production that Sill was sure would be a hit, on a song called "I Love How You Love Me", written by Barry Mann with another writer called Jack Keller: [Excerpt: The Paris Sisters, "I Love How You Love Me"] Spector was becoming a perfectionist -- he insisted on recording the rhythm track for that record at one studio, and the string part at another, and apparently spent fifty hours on the mix -- and Sill was spending more and more time in the studio with Spector, fascinated at his attitude to the work he was doing. This led to a breakup between Sill and Hazelwood -- their business relationship was already strained, but Hazelwood got jealous of all the time that Sill was spending with Spector, and decided to split their partnership and go and produce Duane Eddy, without Sill, at Eddy's new label. So Sill was suddenly in the market for a new business partner, and he and Spector decided that they were going to start up their own label, Philles, although by this point everyone who had ever worked with Spector was warning Sill that it was a bad idea to go into business with him. But Spector and Sill kept their intentions secret for a while, and so when Spector met the Crystals at Hill and Range's offices, everyone at Hill and Range just assumed that he was still working for them as a freelance producer, and that the Crystals were going to be recording for Big Top. Freddie Bienstock of Hill & Range later said, "We were very angry because we felt they were Big Top artists. He was merely supposed to produce them for us. There was no question about the fact that he was just rehearsing them for Big Top—hell, he rehearsed them for weeks in our offices. And then he just stole them right out of here. That precipitated a breach of contract with us. We were just incensed because that was a terrific group, and for him to do that shows the type of character he was. We felt he was less than ethical, and, obviously, he was then shown the door.” Bienstock had further words for Spector too, ones I can't repeat here because of content rules about adult language, but they weren't flattering. Spector had been dating Bienstock's daughter, with Bienstock's approval, but that didn't last once Spector betrayed Bienstock. But Spector didn't care. He had his own New York girl group, one that could compete with the Bobbettes or the Chantels or the Shirelles, and he was going to make the Crystals as big as any of them, and he wasn't going to cut Big Top in. He slowed down "There's No Other Like My Baby" and it became the first release on Philles Records, with Barbara Alston singing lead: [Excerpt: The Crystals, "There's No Other Like My Baby"] That record was cut late at night in June 1961. In fact it was cut on Prom Night -- three of the girls came straight to the session from their High School prom, still wearing their prom dresses. Spector wrote the B-side, a song that was originally intended to be the A-side called "Oh Yeah, Maybe Baby", but everyone quickly realised that "There's No Other Like My Baby" was the hit, and it made the top twenty. While Spector was waiting for the money to come in on the first Philles record, he took another job, with Liberty Records, working for his friend Snuff Garrett. He got a thirty thousand dollar advance, made a single flop record with them with an unknown singer named Obrey Wilson, and then quit, keeping his thirty thousand dollars. Once "There's No Other" made the charts, Spector took the Crystals into the studio again, to record a song by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil that he'd got from Aldon Music. Spector was becoming increasingly convinced that he'd made a mistake in partnering with Lester Sill, and he should really have been working with Don Kirshner, and he was in discussions with Kirshner which came to nothing about them having some sort of joint project. While those discussions fell through, almost all the songs that Spector would use for the next few years would come from Aldon songwriters, and "Uptown" was a perfect example of the new kind of socially-relevant pop songwriting that had been pioneered by Goffin and King, but which Mann and Weil were now making their own. Before becoming a professional songwriter, Weil had been part of the Greenwich Village folk scene, and while she wasn't going to write anything as explicitly political as the work of Pete Seeger, she thought that songs should at least try to be about the real world. "Uptown" was the first example of a theme which would become a major motif for the Crystals' records -- a song about a man who is looked down upon by society, but who the singer believes is better than his reputation. Mann and Weil's song combined that potent teen emotion with an inspiration Weil had had, seeing a handsome Black man pushing a hand truck in the Garment District, and realising that even though he was oppressed by his job, and "a nobody" when he was working downtown, he was still somebody when he was at home. They originally wrote the song for Tony Orlando to sing, but Spector insisted, rightly, that the song worked better with female voices, and that the Crystals should do it. Spector took Mann and Weil's song and gave it a production that evoked the Latin feel of Leiber and Stoller's records for the Drifters: [Excerpt: The Crystals, "Uptown"] By the time of this second record, the Crystals had already been through one lineup change. As soon as she left school, Myrna Giraud got married, and she didn't want to perform on stage any more. She would still sing with the girls in the studio for a little while -- she's on every track of their first album, though she left altogether soon after this recording -- but she was a married woman now and didn't want to be in a group.  The girls needed a replacement, and they also needed something else -- a lead singer. All the girls loved singing, but none of them wanted to be out in front singing lead. Luckily, Dee Dee Kenniebrew's mother was a secretary at the school attended by a fourteen-year-old gospel singer named La La Brooks, and she heard Brooks singing and invited her to join the group. Brooks soon became the group's lead vocalist on stage. But in the studio, Spector didn't want to use her as the lead vocalist. He insisted on Barbara singing the lead on "Uptown", but in a sign of things to come, Mann and Weil weren't happy with her performance -- Spector had to change parts of the melody to accommodate her range -- and they begged Spector to rerecord the lead vocal with Little Eva singing. However, Eva became irritated with Spector's incessant demands for more takes and his micromanagement, cursed him out, and walked out of the studio. The record was released with Barbara's original lead vocal, and while Mann and Weil weren't happy with that, listeners were, as it went to number thirteen on the charts: [Excerpt: The Crystals, "Uptown"] Little Eva later released her own version of the song, on the Dimension Dolls compilation we talked about in the episode on "The Loco-Motion": [Excerpt: Little Eva, "Uptown"] It was Little Eva who inspired the next Crystals single, as well -- as we talked about in the episode on her, she inspired a truly tasteless Goffin and King song called "He Hit Me And It Felt Like A Kiss", which I will not be excerpting, but which was briefly released as the Crystals' third single, before being withdrawn after people objected to hearing teenage girls sing about how romantic and loving domestic abuse is. There seems to be some suggestion that the record was released partly as a way for Spector to annoy Lester Sill, who by all accounts was furious at the release. Spector was angry at Sill over the amount of money he'd made from the Paris Sisters recordings, and decided that he was being treated unfairly and wanted to force Sill out of their partnership. Certainly the next recording by the Crystals was meant to get rid of some other business associates. Two of Philles' distributors had a contract which said they were entitled to the royalties on two Crystals singles. So the second one was a ten-minute song called "The Screw", split over two sides of a disc, which sounded like this: [Excerpt: The Crystals, "The Screw"] Only a handful of promotional copies of that were ever produced. One went to Lester Sill, who by this point had been bought out of his share of the company for a small fraction of what it was worth. The last single Spector recorded for Philles while Sill was still involved with the label was another Crystals record, one that had the involvement of many people Sill had brought into Spector's orbit, and who would continue working with him long after the two men stopped working together. Spector had decided he was going to start recording in California again, and two of Sill's assistants would become regular parts of Spector's new hit-making machine. The first of these was a composer and arranger called Jack Nitzsche, who we'll be seeing a lot more of in this podcast over the next couple of years, in some unexpected places. Nitzsche was a young songwriter, whose biggest credit up to this point was a very minor hit for Preston Epps, "Bongo, Bongo, Bongo": [Excerpt: Preston Epps, "Bongo Bongo Bongo"] Nitzsche would become Spector's most important collaborator, and his arrangements, as much as Spector's production, are what characterise the "Wall of Sound" for which Spector would become famous.  The other assistant of Sill's who became important to Spector's future was a saxophone player named Steve Douglas. We've seen Douglas before, briefly, in the episode on "LSD-25" -- he played in the original lineup of Kip and the Flips, one of the groups we talked about in that episode. He'd left Kip and the Flips to join Duane Eddy's band, and it was through Eddy that he had started working with Sill, when he played on many of Eddy's hits, most famously "Peter Gunn": [Excerpt: Duane Eddy, "Peter Gunn"] Douglas was the union contractor for the session, and for most of the rest of Spector's sixties sessions. This is something we've not talked about previously, but when we look at records produced in LA for the next few years, in particular, it's something that will come up a lot. When a producer wanted to make records at the time, he (for they were all men) would not contact all the musicians himself. Instead, he'd get in touch with a trusted musician and say "I have a session at three o'clock. I need two guitars, bass, drums, a clarinet and a cello" (or whatever combination of instruments), and sometimes might say, "If you can get this particular player, that would be good". The musician would then find out which other musicians were available, get them into the studio, and file the forms which made sure they got paid according to union rules. The contractor, not the producer, decided who was going to play on the session. In the case of this Crystals session, Spector already had a couple of musicians in mind -- a bass player named Ray Pohlman, and his old guitar teacher Howard Roberts, a jazz guitarist who had played on "To Know Him is to Love Him" and "I Love How You Love Me" for Spector already. But Spector wanted a *big* sound -- he wanted the rhythm instruments doubled, so there was a second bass player, Jimmy Bond, and a second guitarist, Tommy Tedesco. Along with them and Douglas were piano player Al de Lory and drummer Hal Blaine. This was the first session on which Spector used any of these musicians, and with the exception of Roberts, who hated working on Spector's sessions and soon stopped, this group put together by Douglas would become the core of what became known as "The Wrecking Crew", a loose group of musicians who would play on a large number of the hit records that would come out of LA in the sixties. Spector also had a guaranteed hit song -- one by Gene Pitney. While Pitney wrote few of his own records, he'd established himself a parallel career as a writer for other people. He'd written "Today's Teardrops", the B-side of Roy Orbison's hit "Blue Angel": [Excerpt: Roy Orbison, "Today's Teardrops"] And had followed that up with a couple of the biggest hits of the early sixties, Bobby Vee's "Rubber Ball": [Excerpt: Bobby Vee, "Rubber Ball"] And Ricky Nelson's "Hello Mary Lou": [Excerpt: Ricky Nelson, "Hello, Mary Lou"] Pitney had written a song, "He's a Rebel", that was very strongly inspired by "Uptown", and Aaron Schroeder, Pitney's publisher, had given the song to Spector. But Spector knew Schroeder, and knew that when he gave you a song, he was going to give it to every other producer who came knocking as well. "He's a Rebel" was definitely going to be a massive hit for someone, and he wanted it to be for the Crystals. He phoned them up and told them to come out to LA to record the song. And they said no. The Crystals had become sick of Spector. He'd made them record songs like "He Hit Me and it Felt Like a Kiss", he'd refused to let their lead singer sing lead, and they'd not seen any money from their two big hits. They weren't going to fly from New York to LA just because he said so. Spector needed a new group, in LA, that he could record doing the song before someone else did it. He could use the Crystals' name -- Philles had the right to put out records by whoever they liked and call it the Crystals -- he just needed a group. He found one in the Blossoms, a group who had connections to many of the people Spector was working with. Jack Nitzsche's wife sometimes sang with them on sessions, and they'd also sung on a Duane Eddy record that Lester Sill had worked on, "Dance With the Guitar Man", where they'd been credited as the Rebelettes: [Excerpt: Duane Eddy, "Dance With the Guitar Man"] The Blossoms had actually been making records in LA for nearly eight years at this point. They'd started out as the Dreamers one of the many groups who'd been discovered by Johnny Otis, back in the early fifties, and had also been part of the scene around the Penguins, one of whom went to school with some of the girls. They started out as a six-piece group, but slimmed down to a quartet after their first record, on which they were the backing group for Richard Berry: [Excerpt: Richard Berry, "At Last"] The first stable lineup of the Dreamers consisted of Fanita James, Gloria Jones (not the one who would later record "Tainted Love"), and the twin sisters Annette and Nanette Williams. They worked primarily with Berry, backing him on five singles in the mid fifties, and also recording songs he wrote for them under their own name, like "Do Not Forget", which actually featured another singer, Jennell Hawkins, on lead: [Excerpt: The Dreamers, "Do Not Forget"] They also sang backing vocals on plenty of other R&B records from people in the LA R&B scene -- for example it's them singing backing vocals, with Jesse Belvin, on Etta James' "Good Rocking Daddy": [Excerpt: Etta James, "Good Rocking Daddy"] The group signed to Capitol Records in 1957, but not under the name The Dreamers -- an executive there said that they all had different skin tones and it made them look like flowers, so they became the Blossoms. They were only at Capitol for a year, but during that time an important lineup change happened -- Nanette quit the group and was replaced by a singer called Darlene Wright. From that point on The Blossoms was the main name the group went under, though they also recorded under other names, for example using the name The Playgirls to record "Gee But I'm Lonesome", a song written by Bruce Johnston, who was briefly dating Annette Williams at the time: [Excerpt: The Playgirls, "Gee But I'm Lonesome"] By 1961 Annette had left the group, and they were down to a trio of Fanita, Gloria, and Darlene. Their records, under whatever name, didn't do very well, but they became the first-call session singers in LA, working on records by everyone from Sam Cooke to Gene Autry.  So it was the Blossoms who were called on in late 1962 to record "He's a Rebel", and it was Darlene Wright who earned her session fee, and no royalties, for singing the lead on a number one record: [Excerpt: The "Crystals" (The Blossoms), "He's a Rebel"] From that point on, the Blossoms would sing on almost every Spector session for the next three years, and Darlene, who he renamed Darlene Love, would become Spector's go-to lead vocalist for records under her own name, the Blossoms, Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans, and the Crystals. It was lucky for Spector that he decided to go this route rather than wait for the Crystals, not only because it introduced him to the Blossoms, but because  he'd been right about Aaron Schroeder. As Spector and Sill sat together in the studio where they were mastering the record, some musicians on a break from the studio next door wandered in, and said, "Hey man. we were just playing the same goddam song!" Literally in the next room as Spector mastered the record, his friend Snuff Garrett was producing Vicki Carr singing "He's a Rebel": [Excerpt: Vicki Carr, "He's a Rebel"] Philles got their version out first, and Carr's record sank without trace, while "The Crystals" went to number one, keeping the song's writer off the top spot, as Gene Pitney sat at number two with a Bacharach and David song, "Only Love Can Break a Heart": [Excerpt: Gene Pitney, "Only Love Can Break a Heart"] The Crystals were shocked that Spector released a Crystals record without any of them on it, but La La Brooks had a similar enough voice to Darlene Love's that they were able to pull the song off live. They had a bit more of a problem with the follow-up, also by the Blossoms but released as the Crystals: [Excerpt: "The Crystals"/The Blossoms, "He's Sure the Boy I Love"] La La could sing that fine, but she had to work on the spoken part -- Darlene was from California and La La had a thick Brooklyn accent. She managed it, just about. As La La was doing such a good job of singing Darlene Love's parts live -- and, more importantly, as she was only fifteen and so didn't complain about things like royalties -- the Crystals finally did get their way and have La La start singing the leads on their singles, starting with "Da Doo Ron Ron". The problem is, none of the other Crystals were on those records -- it was La La singing with the Blossoms, plus other session singers. Listen out for the low harmony in "Da Doo Ron Ron" and see if you recognise the voice: [Excerpt: The Crystals, "Da Doo Ron Ron"] Cher would later move on to bigger things than being a fill-in Crystal. "Da Doo Ron Ron" became another big hit, making number three in the charts, and the follow-up, "Then He Kissed Me", with La La once again on lead vocals, also made the top ten, but the group were falling apart -- Spector was playing La La off against the rest of the group, just to cause trouble, and he'd also lost interest in them once he discovered another group, The Ronettes, who we'll be hearing more about in future episodes. The singles following "Then He Kissed Me" barely scraped the bottom of the Hot One Hundred, and the group left Philles in 1964. They got a payoff of five thousand dollars, in lieu of all future royalties on any of their recordings. They had no luck having hits without Spector, and one by one the group members left, and the group split up by 1966. Mary, Barbara, and Dee Dee briefly reunited as the Crystals in 1971, and La La and Dee Dee made an album together in the eighties of remakes of the group's hits, but nothing came of any of these. Dee Dee continues to tour under the Crystals name in North America, while La La performs solo in America and under the Crystals name in Europe. Barbara, the lead singer on the group's first hits, died in 2018. Darlene Love continues to perform, but we'll hear more about her and the Blossoms in future episodes, I'm sure. The Crystals were treated appallingly by Spector, and are not often treated much better by the fans, who see them as just interchangeable parts in a machine created by a genius. But it should be remembered that they were the ones who brought Spector the song that became the first Philles hit, that both Barbara and La La were fine singers who sang lead on classic hit records, and that Spector taking all the credit for a team effort doesn't mean he deserved it. Both the Crystals and the Blossoms deserved better than to have their identities erased in return for a flat session fee, in order to service the ego of one man.

Episode 104 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “He’s a Rebel”, and how a song recorded by the Blossoms was released under the name of the Crystals.  Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode.   Patreon backers also have a ten-minute bonus episode available, on “Sukiyaki” by Kyu Sakamoto. Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt’s irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/ —-more—- Resources As always, I’ve created a Mixcloud streaming playlist with full versions of all the songs in the episode. A lot of resources were used for this episode. The material on Gene Pitney mostly comes from his page on This is My Story. Always Magic in the Air: The Bomp and Brilliance of the Brill Building Era by Ken Emerson is a good overview of the Brill Building scene. Girl Groups by John Clemente contains potted biographies of many groups of the era, including articles on both The Crystals and the Blossoms. I’ve referred to two biographies of Spector in this episode, Phil Spector: Out of His Head by Richard Williams and He’s a Rebel by Mark Ribkowsky. And information on the Wrecking Crew largely comes from The Wrecking Crew by Kent Hartman. There are many compilations available with some of the hits Spector produced, but I recommend getting Back to Mono, a four-CD overview of his career containing all the major singles put out by Philles.   Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript A brief note — there are some very brief mentions of domestic abuse here. Nothing I think will upset anyone, but you might want to check the transcript if you’re at all unsure. Up to this point, whenever we’ve looked at a girl group, it’s been at one that had, to a greater or lesser extent, some control over their own career. Groups like the Marvelettes, the Chantels, and the Bobbettes all wrote their own material, at least at first, and had distinctive personalities before they ever made a record. But today, we’re going to look at a group whose identity was so subsumed in that of their producer that the record we’re looking at was released under the name of a different group from the one that recorded it. We’re going to look at “He’s a Rebel”, which was recorded by the Blossoms and released by the Crystals. [Excerpt: “The Crystals” (The Blossoms), “He’s a Rebel”] The Crystals, from their very beginnings, were intended as a vehicle for the dreams of men, rather than for their own ambitions. Whereas the girl groups we’ve looked at so far all formed as groups of friends at school before they moved into professional singing, the Crystals were put together by a man named Benny Wells. Wells had a niece, Barbara Alston, who sang with a couple of her schoolfriends, Mary Thomas and Myrna Giraud. Wells put those three together with two other girls, Dee Dee Kenniebrew and Patsy Wright, to form a five-piece vocal group. Wells seems not to have had much concept of what was in the charts at the time — the descriptions of the music he had the girls singing talk about him wanting them to sound like the Modernaires, the vocal group who sang with Glenn Miller’s band in the early 1940s. But the girls went along with Wells, and Wells had good enough ears to recognise a hit when one was brought to him — and one was brought to him by Patsy Wright’s brother-in-law, Leroy Bates. Bates had written a song called “There’s No Other Like My Baby”, and Wells could tell it had potential. Incidentally, some books say that the song was based on a gospel song called “There’s No Other Like My Jesus”, and that claim is repeated on Wikipedia, but I can’t find any evidence of a song of that name other than people talking about “There’s No Other Like My Baby”. There is a gospel song called “There’s No Other Name Like Jesus”, but that has no obvious resemblance to Bates’ song, and so I’m going to assume that the song was totally original. As well as bringing the song, Bates also brought the fledgling group a name — he had a daughter, Crystal Bates, after whom the group named themselves. The newly-named Crystals took their song to the offices of Hill and Range Music, which as well as being a publishing company also owned Big Top Records, the label that had put out the original version of “Twist and Shout”, which had so annoyed Bert Berns. And it was there that they ended up meeting up with Phil Spector. After leaving his role at Atlantic, Spector had started working as a freelance producer, including working for Big Top. According to Spector — a notorious liar, it’s important to remember — he worked during this time on dozens of hits for which he didn’t get any credit, just to earn money. But we do know about some of the records he produced during this time. For example, there was one by a new singer called Gene Pitney. Pitney had been knocking around for years, recording for Decca as part of a duo called Jamie and Jane: [Excerpt: Jamie and Jane, “Faithful Our Love”] And for Blaze Records as Billy Bryan: [Excerpt: Billy Bryan, “Going Back to My Love”] But he’d recently signed to Musicor, a label owned by Aaron Schroeder, and had recorded a hit under his own name. Pitney had written “(I Wanna) Love My Life Away”, and had taken advantage of the new multitracking technology to record his vocals six times over, creating a unique sound that took the record into the top forty: [Excerpt: Gene Pitney, “(I Wanna) Love My Life Away”] But while that had been a hit, his second single for Musicor was a flop, and so for the third single, Musicor decided to pull out the big guns. They ran a session at which basically the whole of the Brill Building turned up. Leiber and Stoller were to produce a song they’d written for Pitney, the new hot husband-and-wife songwriting team of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil were there, as was Burt Bacharach, and so were Goffin and King, who wrote the song that *Spector* was to produce for Pitney. All of them were in the control booth, and all of them were chipping in ideas. As you might expect with that many cooks, the session did not go smoothly, and to make matters worse, Pitney was suffering from a terrible cold. The session ended up costing thirteen thousand dollars, at a time when an average recording session cost five hundred dollars. On the song Spector was producing on that session, Goffin and King’s “Every Breath I Take”, Pitney knew that with the cold he would be completely unable to hit the last note in full voice, and went into falsetto. Luckily, everyone thought it sounded good, and he could pretend it was deliberate, rather than the result of necessity: [Excerpt: Gene Pitney, “Every Breath I Take”] The record only went to number forty-two, but it resuscitated Pitney’s singing career, and forged a working relationship between the two men. But soon after that, Spector had flown back to LA to work with his old friend Lester Sill. Sill and producer/songwriter, Lee Hazelwood, had been making records with the guitarist Duane Eddy, producing a string of hits like “Rebel Rouser”: [Excerpt: Duane Eddy, “Rebel Rouser”] But Eddy had recently signed directly to a label, rather than going through Sill and Hazelwood’s company as before, and so Sill and Hazelwood had been looking for new artists, and they’d recently signed a group called the Paris Sisters to their production company. Sill had decided to get Spector in to produce the group, and Spector came up with a production that Sill was sure would be a hit, on a song called “I Love How You Love Me”, written by Barry Mann with another writer called Jack Keller: [Excerpt: The Paris Sisters, “I Love How You Love Me”] Spector was becoming a perfectionist — he insisted on recording the rhythm track for that record at one studio, and the string part at another, and apparently spent fifty hours on the mix — and Sill was spending more and more time in the studio with Spector, fascinated at his attitude to the work he was doing. This led to a breakup between Sill and Hazelwood — their business relationship was already strained, but Hazelwood got jealous of all the time that Sill was spending with Spector, and decided to split their partnership and go and produce Duane Eddy, without Sill, at Eddy’s new label. So Sill was suddenly in the market for a new business partner, and he and Spector decided that they were going to start up their own label, Philles, although by this point everyone who had ever worked with Spector was warning Sill that it was a bad idea to go into business with him. But Spector and Sill kept their intentions secret for a while, and so when Spector met the Crystals at Hill and Range’s offices, everyone at Hill and Range just assumed that he was still working for them as a freelance producer, and that the Crystals were going to be recording for Big Top. Freddie Bienstock of Hill & Range later said, “We were very angry because we felt they were Big Top artists. He was merely supposed to produce them for us. There was no question about the fact that he was just rehearsing them for Big Top—hell, he rehearsed them for weeks in our offices. And then he just stole them right out of here. That precipitated a breach of contract with us. We were just incensed because that was a terrific group, and for him to do that shows the type of character he was. We felt he was less than ethical, and, obviously, he was then shown the door.” Bienstock had further words for Spector too, ones I can’t repeat here because of content rules about adult language, but they weren’t flattering. Spector had been dating Bienstock’s daughter, with Bienstock’s approval, but that didn’t last once Spector betrayed Bienstock. But Spector didn’t care. He had his own New York girl group, one that could compete with the Bobbettes or the Chantels or the Shirelles, and he was going to make the Crystals as big as any of them, and he wasn’t going to cut Big Top in. He slowed down “There’s No Other Like My Baby” and it became the first release on Philles Records, with Barbara Alston singing lead: [Excerpt: The Crystals, “There’s No Other Like My Baby”] That record was cut late at night in June 1961. In fact it was cut on Prom Night — three of the girls came straight to the session from their High School prom, still wearing their prom dresses. Spector wrote the B-side, a song that was originally intended to be the A-side called “Oh Yeah, Maybe Baby”, but everyone quickly realised that “There’s No Other Like My Baby” was the hit, and it made the top twenty. While Spector was waiting for the money to come in on the first Philles record, he took another job, with Liberty Records, working for his friend Snuff Garrett. He got a thirty thousand dollar advance, made a single flop record with them with an unknown singer named Obrey Wilson, and then quit, keeping his thirty thousand dollars. Once “There’s No Other” made the charts, Spector took the Crystals into the studio again, to record a song by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil that he’d got from Aldon Music. Spector was becoming increasingly convinced that he’d made a mistake in partnering with Lester Sill, and he should really have been working with Don Kirshner, and he was in discussions with Kirshner which came to nothing about them having some sort of joint project. While those discussions fell through, almost all the songs that Spector would use for the next few years would come from Aldon songwriters, and “Uptown” was a perfect example of the new kind of socially-relevant pop songwriting that had been pioneered by Goffin and King, but which Mann and Weil were now making their own. Before becoming a professional songwriter, Weil had been part of the Greenwich Village folk scene, and while she wasn’t going to write anything as explicitly political as the work of Pete Seeger, she thought that songs should at least try to be about the real world. “Uptown” was the first example of a theme which would become a major motif for the Crystals’ records — a song about a man who is looked down upon by society, but who the singer believes is better than his reputation. Mann and Weil’s song combined that potent teen emotion with an inspiration Weil had had, seeing a handsome Black man pushing a hand truck in the Garment District, and realising that even though he was oppressed by his job, and “a nobody” when he was working downtown, he was still somebody when he was at home. They originally wrote the song for Tony Orlando to sing, but Spector insisted, rightly, that the song worked better with female voices, and that the Crystals should do it. Spector took Mann and Weil’s song and gave it a production that evoked the Latin feel of Leiber and Stoller’s records for the Drifters: [Excerpt: The Crystals, “Uptown”] By the time of this second record, the Crystals had already been through one lineup change. As soon as she left school, Myrna Giraud got married, and she didn’t want to perform on stage any more. She would still sing with the girls in the studio for a little while — she’s on every track of their first album, though she left altogether soon after this recording — but she was a married woman now and didn’t want to be in a group.  The girls needed a replacement, and they also needed something else — a lead singer. All the girls loved singing, but none of them wanted to be out in front singing lead. Luckily, Dee Dee Kenniebrew’s mother was a secretary at the school attended by a fourteen-year-old gospel singer named La La Brooks, and she heard Brooks singing and invited her to join the group. Brooks soon became the group’s lead vocalist on stage. But in the studio, Spector didn’t want to use her as the lead vocalist. He insisted on Barbara singing the lead on “Uptown”, but in a sign of things to come, Mann and Weil weren’t happy with her performance — Spector had to change parts of the melody to accommodate her range — and they begged Spector to rerecord the lead vocal with Little Eva singing. However, Eva became irritated with Spector’s incessant demands for more takes and his micromanagement, cursed him out, and walked out of the studio. The record was released with Barbara’s original lead vocal, and while Mann and Weil weren’t happy with that, listeners were, as it went to number thirteen on the charts: [Excerpt: The Crystals, “Uptown”] Little Eva later released her own version of the song, on the Dimension Dolls compilation we talked about in the episode on “The Loco-Motion”: [Excerpt: Little Eva, “Uptown”] It was Little Eva who inspired the next Crystals single, as well — as we talked about in the episode on her, she inspired a truly tasteless Goffin and King song called “He Hit Me And It Felt Like A Kiss”, which I will not be excerpting, but which was briefly released as the Crystals’ third single, before being withdrawn after people objected to hearing teenage girls sing about how romantic and loving domestic abuse is. There seems to be some suggestion that the record was released partly as a way for Spector to annoy Lester Sill, who by all accounts was furious at the release. Spector was angry at Sill over the amount of money he’d made from the Paris Sisters recordings, and decided that he was being treated unfairly and wanted to force Sill out of their partnership. Certainly the next recording by the Crystals was meant to get rid of some other business associates. Two of Philles’ distributors had a contract which said they were entitled to the royalties on two Crystals singles. So the second one was a ten-minute song called “The Screw”, split over two sides of a disc, which sounded like this: [Excerpt: The Crystals, “The Screw”] Only a handful of promotional copies of that were ever produced. One went to Lester Sill, who by this point had been bought out of his share of the company for a small fraction of what it was worth. The last single Spector recorded for Philles while Sill was still involved with the label was another Crystals record, one that had the involvement of many people Sill had brought into Spector’s orbit, and who would continue working with him long after the two men stopped working together. Spector had decided he was going to start recording in California again, and two of Sill’s assistants would become regular parts of Spector’s new hit-making machine. The first of these was a composer and arranger called Jack Nitzsche, who we’ll be seeing a lot more of in this podcast over the next couple of years, in some unexpected places. Nitzsche was a young songwriter, whose biggest credit up to this point was a very minor hit for Preston Epps, “Bongo, Bongo, Bongo”: [Excerpt: Preston Epps, “Bongo Bongo Bongo”] Nitzsche would become Spector’s most important collaborator, and his arrangements, as much as Spector’s production, are what characterise the “Wall of Sound” for which Spector would become famous.  The other assistant of Sill’s who became important to Spector’s future was a saxophone player named Steve Douglas. We’ve seen Douglas before, briefly, in the episode on “LSD-25” — he played in the original lineup of Kip and the Flips, one of the groups we talked about in that episode. He’d left Kip and the Flips to join Duane Eddy’s band, and it was through Eddy that he had started working with Sill, when he played on many of Eddy’s hits, most famously “Peter Gunn”: [Excerpt: Duane Eddy, “Peter Gunn”] Douglas was the union contractor for the session, and for most of the rest of Spector’s sixties sessions. This is something we’ve not talked about previously, but when we look at records produced in LA for the next few years, in particular, it’s something that will come up a lot. When a producer wanted to make records at the time, he (for they were all men) would not contact all the musicians himself. Instead, he’d get in touch with a trusted musician and say “I have a session at three o’clock. I need two guitars, bass, drums, a clarinet and a cello” (or whatever combination of instruments), and sometimes might say, “If you can get this particular player, that would be good”. The musician would then find out which other musicians were available, get them into the studio, and file the forms which made sure they got paid according to union rules. The contractor, not the producer, decided who was going to play on the session. In the case of this Crystals session, Spector already had a couple of musicians in mind — a bass player named Ray Pohlman, and his old guitar teacher Howard Roberts, a jazz guitarist who had played on “To Know Him is to Love Him” and “I Love How You Love Me” for Spector already. But Spector wanted a *big* sound — he wanted the rhythm instruments doubled, so there was a second bass player, Jimmy Bond, and a second guitarist, Tommy Tedesco. Along with them and Douglas were piano player Al de Lory and drummer Hal Blaine. This was the first session on which Spector used any of these musicians, and with the exception of Roberts, who hated working on Spector’s sessions and soon stopped, this group put together by Douglas would become the core of what became known as “The Wrecking Crew”, a loose group of musicians who would play on a large number of the hit records that would come out of LA in the sixties. Spector also had a guaranteed hit song — one by Gene Pitney. While Pitney wrote few of his own records, he’d established himself a parallel career as a writer for other people. He’d written “Today’s Teardrops”, the B-side of Roy Orbison’s hit “Blue Angel”: [Excerpt: Roy Orbison, “Today’s Teardrops”] And had followed that up with a couple of the biggest hits of the early sixties, Bobby Vee’s “Rubber Ball”: [Excerpt: Bobby Vee, “Rubber Ball”] And Ricky Nelson’s “Hello Mary Lou”: [Excerpt: Ricky Nelson, “Hello, Mary Lou”] Pitney had written a song, “He’s a Rebel”, that was very strongly inspired by “Uptown”, and Aaron Schroeder, Pitney’s publisher, had given the song to Spector. But Spector knew Schroeder, and knew that when he gave you a song, he was going to give it to every other producer who came knocking as well. “He’s a Rebel” was definitely going to be a massive hit for someone, and he wanted it to be for the Crystals. He phoned them up and told them to come out to LA to record the song. And they said no. The Crystals had become sick of Spector. He’d made them record songs like “He Hit Me and it Felt Like a Kiss”, he’d refused to let their lead singer sing lead, and they’d not seen any money from their two big hits. They weren’t going to fly from New York to LA just because he said so. Spector needed a new group, in LA, that he could record doing the song before someone else did it. He could use the Crystals’ name — Philles had the right to put out records by whoever they liked and call it the Crystals — he just needed a group. He found one in the Blossoms, a group who had connections to many of the people Spector was working with. Jack Nitzsche’s wife sometimes sang with them on sessions, and they’d also sung on a Duane Eddy record that Lester Sill had worked on, “Dance With the Guitar Man”, where they’d been credited as the Rebelettes: [Excerpt: Duane Eddy, “Dance With the Guitar Man”] The Blossoms had actually been making records in LA for nearly eight years at this point. They’d started out as the Dreamers one of the many groups who’d been discovered by Johnny Otis, back in the early fifties, and had also been part of the scene around the Penguins, one of whom went to school with some of the girls. They started out as a six-piece group, but slimmed down to a quartet after their first record, on which they were the backing group for Richard Berry: [Excerpt: Richard Berry, “At Last”] The first stable lineup of the Dreamers consisted of Fanita James, Gloria Jones (not the one who would later record “Tainted Love”), and the twin sisters Annette and Nanette Williams. They worked primarily with Berry, backing him on five singles in the mid fifties, and also recording songs he wrote for them under their own name, like “Do Not Forget”, which actually featured another singer, Jennell Hawkins, on lead: [Excerpt: The Dreamers, “Do Not Forget”] They also sang backing vocals on plenty of other R&B records from people in the LA R&B scene — for example it’s them singing backing vocals, with Jesse Belvin, on Etta James’ “Good Rocking Daddy”: [Excerpt: Etta James, “Good Rocking Daddy”] The group signed to Capitol Records in 1957, but not under the name The Dreamers — an executive there said that they all had different skin tones and it made them look like flowers, so they became the Blossoms. They were only at Capitol for a year, but during that time an important lineup change happened — Nanette quit the group and was replaced by a singer called Darlene Wright. From that point on The Blossoms was the main name the group went under, though they also recorded under other names, for example using the name The Playgirls to record “Gee But I’m Lonesome”, a song written by Bruce Johnston, who was briefly dating Annette Williams at the time: [Excerpt: The Playgirls, “Gee But I’m Lonesome”] By 1961 Annette had left the group, and they were down to a trio of Fanita, Gloria, and Darlene. Their records, under whatever name, didn’t do very well, but they became the first-call session singers in LA, working on records by everyone from Sam Cooke to Gene Autry.  So it was the Blossoms who were called on in late 1962 to record “He’s a Rebel”, and it was Darlene Wright who earned her session fee, and no royalties, for singing the lead on a number one record: [Excerpt: The “Crystals” (The Blossoms), “He’s a Rebel”] From that point on, the Blossoms would sing on almost every Spector session for the next three years, and Darlene, who he renamed Darlene Love, would become Spector’s go-to lead vocalist for records under her own name, the Blossoms, Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans, and the Crystals. It was lucky for Spector that he decided to go this route rather than wait for the Crystals, not only because it introduced him to the Blossoms, but because  he’d been right about Aaron Schroeder. As Spector and Sill sat together in the studio where they were mastering the record, some musicians on a break from the studio next door wandered in, and said, “Hey man. we were just playing the same goddam song!” Literally in the next room as Spector mastered the record, his friend Snuff Garrett was producing Vicki Carr singing “He’s a Rebel”: [Excerpt: Vicki Carr, “He’s a Rebel”] Philles got their version out first, and Carr’s record sank without trace, while “The Crystals” went to number one, keeping the song’s writer off the top spot, as Gene Pitney sat at number two with a Bacharach and David song, “Only Love Can Break a Heart”: [Excerpt: Gene Pitney, “Only Love Can Break a Heart”] The Crystals were shocked that Spector released a Crystals record without any of them on it, but La La Brooks had a similar enough voice to Darlene Love’s that they were able to pull the song off live. They had a bit more of a problem with the follow-up, also by the Blossoms but released as the Crystals: [Excerpt: “The Crystals”/The Blossoms, “He’s Sure the Boy I Love”] La La could sing that fine, but she had to work on the spoken part — Darlene was from California and La La had a thick Brooklyn accent. She managed it, just about. As La La was doing such a good job of singing Darlene Love’s parts live — and, more importantly, as she was only fifteen and so didn’t complain about things like royalties — the Crystals finally did get their way and have La La start singing the leads on their singles, starting with “Da Doo Ron Ron”. The problem is, none of the other Crystals were on those records — it was La La singing with the Blossoms, plus other session singers. Listen out for the low harmony in “Da Doo Ron Ron” and see if you recognise the voice: [Excerpt: The Crystals, “Da Doo Ron Ron”] Cher would later move on to bigger things than being a fill-in Crystal. “Da Doo Ron Ron” became another big hit, making number three in the charts, and the follow-up, “Then He Kissed Me”, with La La once again on lead vocals, also made the top ten, but the group were falling apart — Spector was playing La La off against the rest of the group, just to cause trouble, and he’d also lost interest in them once he discovered another group, The Ronettes, who we’ll be hearing more about in future episodes. The singles following “Then He Kissed Me” barely scraped the bottom of the Hot One Hundred, and the group left Philles in 1964. They got a payoff of five thousand dollars, in lieu of all future royalties on any of their recordings. They had no luck having hits without Spector, and one by one the group members left, and the group split up by 1966. Mary, Barbara, and Dee Dee briefly reunited as the Crystals in 1971, and La La and Dee Dee made an album together in the eighties of remakes of the group’s hits, but nothing came of any of these. Dee Dee continues to tour under the Crystals name in North America, while La La performs solo in America and under the Crystals name in Europe. Barbara, the lead singer on the group’s first hits, died in 2018. Darlene Love continues to perform, but we’ll hear more about her and the Blossoms in future episodes, I’m sure. The Crystals were treated appallingly by Spector, and are not often treated much better by the fans, who see them as just interchangeable parts in a machine created by a genius. But it should be remembered that they were the ones who brought Spector the song that became the first Philles hit, that both Barbara and La La were fine singers who sang lead on classic hit records, and that Spector taking all the credit for a team effort doesn’t mean he deserved it. Both the Crystals and the Blossoms deserved better than to have their identities erased in return for a flat session fee, in order to service the ego of one man.

In the early twentieth century, it's estimated that 70%-95% of all clothing worn in America was made in a small section of midtown Manhattan. In 2020 it's less than 3%, but NYC's Garment District is still one of the most crucial communities in the entire global fashion industry. However, it's shrunk to the point where it's at risk of being uprooted and destroyed entirely. We're talking with Alex Robins, one half of the linen-focused brand Blluemade, about what it's like to do all of their production in the Garment District, transporting their collections via subway, and their fight to keep the factories and finishers that helped them start their business alive. If you'd like to support this episode, have a look at the Heddels Shop and check out our new selection of madras western shirts from Left Field, made in USA from authentic Indian madras, and get 10% off with the code BLOWOUT.

Any child who is raised in, and allowed to explore the boroughs and streets of New York City, is bound to come away with a love and deep appreciation of the arts. The Garment District in midtown Manhattan, the storied theaters of Broadway and the sounds escaping the walls of Carnegie Hall found their way deep into the psyche of Trystin Kier Francis and led him into the world of art. As a young adult, Trystin explored becoming a filmmaker, however it was his passion for design that would eventually win him over. Memories of iconic New York buildings and their regal interiors flooded his thoughts and he decided to follow his dreams to adorn the streets and boulevards of the world building by building. Now an accomplished interior designer and qualified architect, Trystin shares with us the highlights of what is already a superb career and explains his plans for The Kier Company and all of his other business ventures.

If you’ve seen the Adam Sandler film Uncut Gems on Netflix, you'll remember the unforgettable high-roller who invites Julia Fox up to his casino penthouse suite. That's Wayne Diamond, in his first major film role. But even though Wayne is definitely having a moment, he isn’t new to the spotlight: he’s a bit of a legend in the Garment District, was a hugely successful dress designer in the '70s, '80s and '90s, and even claims to have designed the dresses Vanna White wore on Wheel of Fortune. In this incredibly (but not usually) candid conversation with Wayne, he discusses his unlikely start in the fashion industry, his deep disappointment with it today, his loathing of everything Trump, Wayne's strong input into his Uncut Gems wardrobe, a possible return to fashion,  a meaningful debt he took care of for his father, and an honor he’s never received that might mean more than almost anything. It's very big opinions, very strong language, and a very wild conversation with "the" Wayne Diamond.

This episode is a part three of our conversation surrounding George Floyd and the current state of the Black Community. This episode also includes special guest Bro. Jamaal Waith! Brother Waith attended The University of The District of Columbia. After his undergraduate studies Brother Waith dived head first into entrepreneurship. Brother Waith is the founder of “The Garment District”; a Washington, D.C. based clothing company that aims to merge ever changing fashion norms with the homegrown flavor of “Chocolate City”. In addition, Brother Waith is also the Co-Founder of Bouqe' Rolling Papers. As the name describes, Bouqe' is an natural rolling paper company. Brother Waith discusses the challenges of Black Entrepreneurship within the Cannabis industry. We also discuss our experiences with over policing, discrimination, and OUR LOVE FOR BLACK WOMEN!!! As always! Thank you for listening and let it sizzle!!! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/tlar-podcast/message

Prior to her life in iron, Shawna Mendelson stemmed from an unlikely background, fashion design. While working in NY's “Garment District” designing and selling textiles for women's wear, she finished her degree in Fashion Merchandising and Marketing. Soon after though, Shawna’s life would be forever changed by bench press meet her brother decided to enter…... Read More

On this special broadcast of The Entrepreneurial Web from Della with my dear friend, Sarina Rao, we discuss how the road to happiness and success can be a meandering journey. Through her experiences in the Garment District, to opening an organic food market, to her current dabbling in the music industry, Sarina offers lots of inspiring thoughts on switching gears, getting your head out of the funk and recognizing abundance.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-entrepreneurial-web/donations

Max Lugavere is a filmmaker, health & science journalist, and NY Times bestselling author of Genius Foods. He appears regularly on TV shows like Dr. Oz, Rachael Ray, and the Today Show. In this episode of Build Your Network, you will find out how Max started from nothing and became a bestselling author, and how he ended up in the health and wellness space.   Episode Highlights: Max was born and raised in Manhattan, and was fortunate enough to be exposed to quite a few different things so he was able to find his passion. Both of Max’s parents grew up rather poor as the children of Jewish immigrants, who started a successful business in the Garment District, so those entrepreneurial characteristics were instilled in him from a young age. He started college as a pre-med student but ended up double majoring in film and psychology. He was highly intelligent and always curious, but struggled with executive function and the skills necessary to be a highly successful student. Max focused on documentary filmmaking and worked with journalists who are now household names. He was always casually researching health and fitness from a young age for his own interest and curiosity, so it became something that people knew to approach him about it with questions. Through his own research, he was getting a highly scientific perspective on health issues like ketogenic diets and other things that were really cutting-edge at the time. When his mom fell ill with a form of dementia, Max decided he wanted to find out what could be done with diet and health to help his mother. People often don’t find motivation about their health until something catastrophic happens, at which point it’s almost too late, but things Max has done are reproducible steps you can take now. His book proposal was rejected by three of the four publishers he pitched to, and was only able to dedicate his time to writing by dramatically cutting his expenses and living a lean life for the year he dedicated to write. His publishers were confident that he was the right storyteller for this content and took a chance on him, but Max knew that publishers are playing a numbers game and there’s no guarantee of a successful book. Max did no fancy marketing, he only used basic social media and leveraged contacts in his network. He knew this book was a once in a lifetime opportunity and was dedicated to investing in it, which for him meant things like hiring a PR firm to help manage incoming requests. Within a week, the book hit #4 on Amazon. After he changed up his Instagram approach, he launched his podcast, The Genius Life, in order to continue having conversations with his followers. Success requires you to foster your relationships, which requires networking. Saying that you don’t like networking is an excuse; networking and building friendships are not two separate activities, they are the same. The Random Round 3 Key Points: You can take the thing you’re naturally curious about and cultivate it into a business. Taking advantage of once-in-a-lifetime opportunities may come with sacrifices too. Networking and building friendships are the same activity. Tweetable Quotes: “I knew that I had to invest energy into Instagram. And when it came to figuring out what strategy was going to work, I basically tried everything. I was not afraid to experiment and to fail and to have a post now and then that had no engagement.” –Max Lugavere “People aren’t willing to suck at something. They’re afraid of the embarrassment or other people’s judgement, but ultimately you have to come to terms with the fact that you are going to suck, and it’s okay. Just keep doing it and you’ll get better.” –Travis Chappell “Life is a collaboration. One of the best things about life is meeting people and then making cool shit with them.” –Max... For information regarding your data privacy, visit...

We all hate Senate Majority Leader #MitchMcConnell, that's a given. But, why? David Monster does his research and presents us with Mitch's good points and shortcomings. You probably won't be surprised to learn that the scale dips severely to one side. David swears that he tried desperately to find good things about the man, but only had three months to research this topic. As a comparison, #BitchMcConnell ‘s arch-enemy, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez #AOC is reviewed, and her pros and cons seem a bit more proportional. (Disclaimer: David tries to hate Republicans & Democrats equally, and judges them solely on their merits, or lack thereof.) Other topics include: #MasacreMitch, #WheresMitch, #MoscowMitch, #DonaldTrump, #Trump, #NRA, Voyage L.A., Nathan in the Garment District, Little Girl Wearing Hulk Mask, and let us not forget Bitchy Mitch, but nothing about how Israel has claimed that God promised them the Moon.  So sit back, relax, and enjoy the most downloaded podcast in the world! The Unimaginary Friendcast! The Unimaginary Friendcast is hosted by David Monster, Erin Marie Bette Davis Jr. and Nathan Von Edmondson. https://unimaginaryfriend.com/podcast/ And find us on Facebook!

This week on Arts Magazine, Michael chats with guests from the Kansas City Actors Theatre about their show, “A Doll’s House”. Later, we discover details about the Kansas City Museum […] The post “A Doll’s House” & The Kansas City Museum in the Garment District appeared first on KKFI.

In Episode 69, your host, Lee, shares two words to stop using. Yep. Just two. You know, for now. Find out why the phrase "I know" needs to be replaced! You also find out which small fabric store in the Garment District to check out before heading to those more expensive shops. Ebad Fabrics on 8th Avenue is a great place to find simple textiles! And, find out how to have Lee record the outgoing voicemail message on your phone or landline - doesn't that sound like fun?! If you've wondered how to support Lee and the show, why not treat her to a cup of coffee - or a salad! Click here to support the show : ) Mentions/Resources: - Asian American Podcasters group - JOIN! - Ebad Fabrics, 550 Eighth Avenue between 37th and 38th streets, New York, NY (www.EbadFab.com) - Lee's kid's sports podcast: http://www.SebzWorldOfSports.com - Lee's OTHER podcast: http://www.PractiMama.com - Lee keeps it real with practical parenting tips! The House of Life NYC, a division of WLEE Media, LLC, is available at Apple Casts/iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher and your favorite podcast app. (Lee is working on the issue with iHeart Radio.) Leave your comments and questions via voice for Lee at www.HouseOfLifeNYC.com - or call or email Lee at: lee @ wleefm.com or (212) 6 5 5 - 9 8 4 0. Lee can also be found on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Fauxgerty is a woman-owned, sustainable fashion company based in St. Louis and started in a Central West End apartment in 2013. Since then, owner Chrissy Fogerty has expanded the brand with the help of her husband Jon to create a company that puts thought behind every jacket, skirt and blouse. Their signature cruelty-free faux leather jackets put them on the map, but they are quickly expanding across the country. Inside their Lafayette Square headquarters and showroom, the couple talks about creating a greener fashion industry, the rebirth of the Garment District in Downtown and the special talent each of them brings to their growing company.

Retail is not dead! Retail has changed. While technology has taken a gigantic hold on the retail industry - bricks and mortar are here to stay! Check out Hudson Yards, the Meat Packing District, Manhattan West, the Garment District; retail is growing - in the boroughs, too.

This week: I give my impression of a new Garment District coffee spot. A little analysis on downtown/midtown coffee shop density. A look at the most recent changes coming to the River Market (including some controversy). New locales in burgers, and blue agave. The latest in the sudden closure of a performing arts venue. And Potholecalypse 2019 --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/streetwavve/support

This week, we’re exploring President Donald Trump’s efforts to do business in Moscow. Our team — Heather Vogell, Andrea Bernstein, Meg Cramer and Katie Zavadski — dug into just who Trump was working with and just what Trump needed from Russia to get a deal done. (Listen to the podcast episode here.) First, the big picture. We already knew that Trump had business interests involving Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign — which he denied — that could have been influencing his policy positions. As the world has discovered, Trump was negotiating to develop a tower in Moscow while running for president. Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen has admitted to lying to Congress about being in contact with the Kremlin about the project during the campaign. All of that explains why congressional investigators are scrutinizing Trump’s Moscow efforts. And we’ve found more: •  Trump’s partner on the project didn't appear to be in a position to get the project approved and built. On Oct. 28, 2015 — the same day as a Republican primary debate — Trump signed a letter of intent with the partner, a developer named Andrey Rozov, to build a 400-unit condominium and hotel tower in Moscow. In a letter Rozov wrote to Cohen pitching his role, he cited his work on a suburban development outside of Moscow, a 12-story office building in Manhattan’s Garment District (which he bought rather than constructed) and two projects in Williston, North Dakota, a town of around 30,000.We looked into each of them. Rozov’s Moscow project has faced lawsuits from homeowners, some of which have settled and some of which are ongoing, and the company developing it filed for bankruptcy. It remains unfinished. Property records show that Rozov owned his New York building for just over a year. He bought it for about $35 million in cash, took out an almost $13 million loan several months later, made no significant improvements and then sold it for a 23 percent profit. Trump’s former business associate, Felix Sater, who once pleaded guilty to financial fraud and reportedly later became an asset for U.S. intelligence agencies, is listed on the sale as an “authorized signatory.” We did find a developer with a workforce housing project in Williston, as well as approved plans for a mall/hotel/water-park. (The town attracted interest from developers as the center of North Dakota’s oil boom earlier in the decade.) Rozov’s name doesn’t appear on materials relating to the company, but a person familiar with the project confirmed that this is what Rozov was bragging about in his letter. Oil prices cratered and the mega-mall was never built. Rozov did not respond to an email seeking comment. Here is a rendering of the plan: Plans for "Williston Crossing," a 218 acre site in Williams County, North Dakota. (Williston Crossing Major Comprehensive Plan Amendment Presentation/Gensler) •  An owner of a sanctioned Russian bank that vouched for the Trump Organization in Moscow had a criminal history that included involvement in a Russian mafia gas-bootlegging scheme in the U.S. Making a business trip to Russia requires an official invitation. According to correspondence published by BuzzFeed, Sater arranged for an invitation from Genbank, a small Russian bank that expanded significantly in Crimea after Russia invaded in 2014. One of Genbank’s co-owners is Yevgeny Dvoskin, a Russian-born financier who grew up in Brighton Beach at the same time as Sater. Dvoskin pleaded guilty to tax evasion in federal court in Ohio for the bootlegging scheme and spent time in prison. He was later deported to Russia, according to press accounts. In Russia, he remained tied to criminal networks, according to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. (We were unable to reach Dvoskin for comment.) •  We also get a hint about why Trump may have needed the Kremlin to get his deal done. Some of the sites under consideration for a potential Trump Tower Moscow were in historic areas with strict height restrictions. Just a few years before the 2015 letter of intent that Trump signed, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin pledged to do all he could to prevent the city from being overrun by skyscrapers. If Trump’s deal was to move forward in some place like the Red October Chocolate Factory, one of the spots that was considered, getting around zoning restrictions would need help from the very top. Sater and Cohen were also kicking around a plan to offer Putin the building’s $50 million penthouse, according to BuzzFeed. That need for special help, combined with the potential offer of a valuable asset, raises questions about whether the plan ran afoul of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, according to Alexandra Wrage, the president and founder of Trace International, an organization that helps companies comply with anti-bribery laws. “What you describe is certainly worrying,” she said. The Trump Organization, the White House, and Michael Cohen did not respond to requests for comment. For his part, Sater is scheduled to testify before the House Intelligence Committee on March 27. The committee members will undoubtedly have plenty of questions. You can contact us via Signal, WhatsApp or voicemail at 347-244-2134. Here’s more about how you can contact us securely. You can always email us at tips@trumpincpodcast.org. And finally, you can use the Postal Service: Trump, Inc. at ProPublica 155 Ave of the Americas, 13th Floor New York, NY 10013 “Trump, Inc.” is a production of WNYC Studios and ProPublica. Support our work by visiting donate.propublica.org or by becoming a supporting member of WNYC. Subscribe here or wherever you get your podcasts.

History and Top Stories for the week of January 14 The Highline Ballroom is Closing 58 years ago on January 11, 1961 — The Throgs Neck Bridge opens to traffic, carrying 20,000 vehicles and generating $5,000 in tolls in the first 12 hours, which helped put a dent in its $92,000,000 cost to build — In other bridge news, the old Tappan Zee, first opened in December 1955, is set to be demolished this Tuesday at 10am, weather permitting. 66 years ago on January 16, 1953 — A Staten Island ferry and a freighter collide due to heavy fog, injuring 13. The foggy conditions would cause another collision involving a Staten Island ferry and an Ellis Island ferry four days later on January 20th. In happier ferry news, the city announced that the NYC ferry system will expand over the next few years with new routes connecting all five boroughs and a new Staten Island route bringing ferry service to the Hudson River at Battery Park City and Midtown. A Coney Island route will depart Wall Street and make one additional stop in Bay Ridge. The Astoria route will add a stop at the Brooklyn Navy Yard before sailing over to Wall Street. The Navy Yard stop is expected to open by May 2019, while the other routes are projected for 2020 and 2021. The fare will remain at $2.75 per ride, despite figures showing that the average cost of each ride was almost $9 in previous years. The Port Authority will be relocating candy sculptures from downtown to JFK Airport after the sculpture bearing the Saudi Arabian flag drew online criticism for its placement near the site of the September 11th attack. The sculptures depict the flags of every G20 member nation and have been displayed in 25 countries since 2011, including the Garment District in Manhattan in October 2018. The sculptures were scheduled to be displayed outside the Oculus at the World Trade Center complex through February 2019, but will now move to locations along the JFK Airport Airtrain. According to Olshan Realty's Luxury Market Report, someone purchased apartment 95A on the 95th floor of 432 Park Avenue for $41.25 million, making it the most expensive sale of the week, at almost double the second-most-expensive sale. The corner apartment is just under 4,000 square feet and has three bedrooms, 3.5 baths, a library, an entry foyer, and views of Central Park. But hey, it's a north-facing apartment, so even with windows providing a panoramic view of the city from east to west, it won't get the invigorating rays of sun in the winter that your sixth-floor walk-up gets! If you're still in the market, there's a similar rental unit on the 70th floor for just $70,000 per month. 10 years ago on January 15, 2009 — Captain Sully Sullenberger lands USAir Flight 1549 in the Hudson River, an event that would become known as the Miracle on the Hudson. An investigation determined that an engine had been damaged after striking a flock of Canada Geese on takeoff from LaGuardia Airport. Sullenberger told ABC News in an interview ahead of the 10th anniversary that during pilot training, flight simulators did not simulate a water landing, and he had only received classroom training on how to handle the situation. Upon hitting the water, Sullenberger and co-pilot Jeff Skiles simultaneously said "That wasn't as bad as I thought!" 62 years ago on January 21, 1957 — The Mad Bomber is arrested after planting at least 33 bombs that injured 15 people. He attacked various public locations across the city for 16 years with small bombs, justifying his crimes as retribution for an injury he received while working for ConEd in 1931. He was found incompetent to stand trial and was committed to a mental hospital. Metesky was identified by a ConEd clerk named Alice Kelly who had been searching employee records for someone who matched the police profile based on details revealed in the bomber's letters. Park of the day Winston Churchill Square — 10 Downing Street at Bleecker and Sixth Avenue, Manhattan — A small and intimate park that is filled with greenery and surrounded by a high iron fence. Named for Sir Winston Churchill because of the nearby similarly-named "10 Downing Street". Skate Night: Disco Get Down — Date: January 18, 2019 Join NYC Parks for a fun skate night at Tony Dapolito Recreation Center. Dance and enjoy a night of disco roller skating! Skates will be provided but are limited. Feel free to bring your own skates. The use of socks is required. Socks will not be provided on site. RSVP only for one session. 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. // Family Skate 6:15 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. // Adult Skate Only Please note: RSVP is required at skatenighttd.eventbrite.com. Contact Colleen Flood at colleen.flood@parks.nyc.gov or at (212) 242-5228 for more information regarding accessibility. Start time: 5:00 pm End time: 8:00 pm Contact phone: (212) 408-0243 Location: Tony Dapolito Recreation Center Weather The historic highs and lows for Monday, January 14 Record High: 70°F in 1932 Record Low: -5°F in 1914 Weather for the week ahead: Snow (4–8 in.) over the weekend, with high temperatures peaking at 46°F on Friday. Visit agreatbigcity.com/support to learn how to support New York City local news and allow us to keep bringing you this podcast. If you are a New York-based business and would be interested in sponsoring our podcasts, visit agreatbigcity.com/advertising to learn more. Intro and outro music: "Start the Day" by Lee Rosevere

M&S Schmalberg has made silk flowers in the Garment District of New York City since 1916. Their flowers are hand-made in Manhattan for apparel, bridal, accessory, millinery and home furnishing products Adam Brand is the 4th generation of his family involved in this business.  The business was first started by brothers, Morris and Sam Schmalberg. The business was inherited by their nephew, Harold Brand and he passed it onto his children Warren and Deborah Brand.  Adam joined the business after offering to help his father Warren out for a Summer after College.  He now works in the business full time managing the online presence as one of this key projects.  They make all the pieces in house using a collection of vintage flower making cutters, presses, molds and tools.  Their team construct each flower by hand and the pieces are packed and distributed.  You can purchase from their stock, ask for a specific design or as you will hear in the podcast send in your own fabric. With much change having occurred within the garment district since the company first began in 1916 they have become a one of a kind business within the industry.  They continue to focus on specialty work, custom and large production orders working with local and international brands.  They are looking forward to sustaining the business, in hopes for the next generation and beyond. Thank you to our current supporters of Millinery.Info – The Essential Hat and Louise Macdonald Milliner We hope you have enjoyed listening to this podcast today. We have a full series of them to keep you company in the workroom. View the rest of the series here. There a few ways in which you can support us to continue to bring milliners making content for milliners. The future of Millinery.Info looks to continue to provide quality industry relevant information and discussions. Your support helps bring more content of this quality. We are working towards growing a larger international coverage through images of millinery events and podcast interviews with leaders within the industry. Visit our Patreon to become a supporter or share this page with a friend via email or on social media.

Where the Garment District earns its name.

Jenny Goodman and Alex McCrery are the co-founders of Tilit. Alex is a chef turned designer, and Jenny worked in restaurant FOH and is now Tilit’s COO. They founded Tilit with two chef aprons designs, one pair of pants and a chef-shirt. The idea was that each garment would be made in the center of NYC's garment district by restaurant industry folks, and they still make over 90% of our garments there. They also have a retail store in the Lower East Side open every weekday. Our theme song is “Suns Out Guns Out” by Concord America. HRN Happy Hour is powered by Simplecast

We understand the struggle of designing graphics for summer events and needing new, up to date fonts, but without spending a ton of money. Brady shares 7 free fonts for your church to use this summer.   What's In This Session? #1: Mattilda(1:04) #2: Oxford(1:34) #3: Alberto(2:49) #4: Gilroy(3:23) #5: Hansief (4:35) #6: Garment District(5:45) #7: Tuesday Night(6:18)   Show Notes & Resources Mentioned Flywheel Font List Easil Font List Pro Church Tools Pro Church Tools on Facebook Pro Church Tools on YouTube Brady Shearer on Instagram Brady Shearer on Twitter Alex Mills on Instagram   Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at https://prochurchtools.com/7-free-summer-fonts-for-churches-ep-139/.

Today’s episode is an in-depth interview with NYC artist Gwyneth Leech.  Gwyneth is well known for her artwork on used coffee cups.  She's studied at the Edinburgh College of art in the UK. Gwyneth has exhibited over 850 coffee cup art works in specific installations.  It all began in 2011 in the Window Space for Public Art on West 39th Street in the infamous NYC’s Garment District.  Her presence at work in the window was an instrumental part of the project.  From there, she went onto the Anthropologie window display in the UK during the London Art Festival.  Today, she now has over 1,001 coffee cup stories.  Check out her live in action on this awesome video: Anthropologie Installation Video Gwyneth also speaks on how she got started and how she got a chance to do work on a two year collaboration designing porcelain coffee cups with the Anthropologie stores. Gwyneth says “When I don’t have art in my life, I have a huge amount of misplaced energy.  I just can’t imagine my life without art”. Although she still loves drawing on coffee cups, she’s found a new inspiration for her artwork.  She now paints the construction of high rise buildings in New York City as they are being built.  Check out the short documentary The Monolith directed by Angelo Guglielmo here: The Monolith Video Her latest exhibit will be held February 16, 2018 through March 31st.  It will be held at the Kaufman Arcade at 132 West 36th Street in Manhattan where  she will show 20 of her most recent paintings that cover various NYC construction sites.  If you live in the city or are planning to visit, you must go see the show, you will not be disappointed.   So take a listen and join us on Gwyneth's magical artistic journey.   Be sure to stay in touch with Gwyneth and learn more about her: Gwyneth on Twitter Gwyneth on Instagram Gwyneth's Website Gwyneth on Facebook   Rock On & Rock Out! Dawn-Marie XO    

January 6-12, 2001 Today Ken welcomes comedian and voice of the Google Home Mini Valerie Tosi to the show. (note, there is an audio issue with Valerie's mic for the first two minutes, but is resolved after that) Ken and Valerie discuss Lobster #2, The Garment District, fashion faux pas, tanning, gold hand me down prom dresses, Lynn Mass, Salisbury Beach, fighting robbers, being covered in Blood, Ken breaking a heroin dealer's fingers, calling the F.B.I., Sophomore year of High School, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the WB, The X-Files, Roswell, SNICK, hanging chads, TV Guide snark, pre-9/11 2001 mindsets, Ralph Nader's sex appeal, Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire?, all inclusive Mexican resorts, not flying until you're 30, having a Boston Red Sox tattoo, Jim Gaffigan's sitcom "Welcome to New York", Richard Hatch, Catherine Zeta Jones, the Mini Driver of the year vs. the Minnie Driver of the year, Geena Davis' nipples, Al Gore, Heather Locklear, Kelsey Grammer as McBeth, Brad Renfro's grand theft incident, Survivor, Jizzled Jawed Greg, Temptation Island, Mark L. Wahlberg, the value of a Dr. Evil Doll, This Old House, nailin' boards, The Golden Girls house, visiting shooting locations, The Sports Page starring Bob Newhart, The People's Choice Awards, Bette Midler, loving Anna Torv, Fringe, blackmailing Dana Gould, and giving up on Supernatural.

Hannah Payne is the founder and designer behind Luba, a high-end ready-to-wear line where every sale goes back to support women through her charity, the LOVE Foundation. In her junior year of college, Hannah secretly "studied abroad" in Florence - little did her parents know, she was taking drawing and sewing classes to further her passion into a tangible business. While doing research for a school project, Hannah was disturbed to find out that there were more animal shelters than women’s shelters in the US. She was even more shocked to learn that shelters turned down 30 women and their children everyday, due to lack of space. Hannah decided that she wanted to create a business where she can not only pursue her love for fashion, but also give back and empower women.About Luba:Luba is a ready-to-wear women’s label that offers high end, quality made garments. It is instantly recognizable through its intricate detailing, unique fabrics, and classic silhouettes creating a utopia of style for the everyday woman. Luba’s purpose is to inspire women to be whimsical, thoughtful, strong, and of course feminine. Luba is is constructed with care in the heart of New York City’s Garment District and gives back to women through the Love Foundation.Website: http://shopluba.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shopluba/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopluba/Twitter: https://twitter.com/shopluba

Talking toxic overload & mold exposure in Portland, OR at our Knights meeting. Why is it important and what can you so to help stay healthy. Very relevant with the recent hurricanes and the mold that will follow. Enjoy! Turn on the cells of your brain, turn on the ability to use fat for fuel and unlock massive energy and focus by quickly getting your body into ketosis!  To try a 5 Day Keto OS Experience Pack, go to drmaj.com/keto5day. Notice the difference after just a couple days! To learn more about Dr. Maj, go to drmaj.com/bundle to receive the digital copy of her book & speaker’s books and resources will be delivered right to your inbox. CommunityChiropractic.net drmaj.com   toxins, toxins, everywhere……………………………… Presented to: The Royal Chiropractic Knights Of The Round Table By: Dr. Diane Feils Last fall, I was at a Beauty Counter party at my daughter in law’s house. I knew the make-up and body products sold were supposed to be safer for human use than many of the products on the market today, but learned that the United States has not passed a major federal law to regulate the safety of ingredients used in personal care products since 1938. I found that stunning. I was aware of the fact that many chemicals were used in our hair and body products, but not really sure what they all were. It reminded me of the awareness I had at a Norwex party several years ago concerning the toxic cleaning products, as well as the knowledge I have learned when talking to people that use essential oils. With all of that said, I am not here to sign you up for a home party or ask you to be a distributer. I learned that there are over 80,000 chemicals on the market today, and many don’t have safety data. Manufacturers are allowed to use their best judgment as to what is ok to use. Compared to other countries, the US has only banned a slight percentage of those available for use, by comparison. Because we have the FDA, EPA, and CPSC (consumer product safety commission) we, as consumers, are under the false impression that someone is watching out for us…. but quite the contrary is true. The Beauty Counter products have a list called The Never List…. a list of certain chemicals that are never used in their products. These chemicals consist of solvents, disinfectants, surfactants, preservatives, plasticizing agents, softeners, moisture carriers, pesticides, as well as other unknown ingredients. The addition of the chemicals cause side effects ranging from cancer to minor skin irritations; endocrine imbalances, allergies, fertility issues, birth defects, neurotoxicity and developmental toxicity. Some damage DNA and accelerate the growth of skin tumors. The most astonishing ingredients are those called fragrances. Fragrance formulas are protected under federal law’s classification of trade secrets and they can remain undisclosed. (I wonder if that is how Secret antiperspirant got its name) So, with this realization, I searched out other toxic chemicals known to be a problem, and learned about the Fire Retardant Law for children’s pajamas in mid 1973 put in place by Gov. Jerry Brown. A chemical called TRIS phosphate was used on the fabric of the pajamas for children age 6 and under to resist the incidence of sudden igniting of the fabric in the case of a fire. This was soon questioned as to the safety and two scientists, Arlene Blum and Bruce Ames, performed an experiment exposing bacteria to TRIS. It was discovered that the DNA of the bacteria was mutated, naming the chemical a carcinogen. The test was called the Ames Test. With this realization, The National Cancer Institute banned the chemical instantly for use on children’s clothing. However, the clothing manufacturers sued the government because they had their entire stock of unsellable products on hand. The ban was overturned, but they started using chlorinated TRIS. It was really just as dangerous. The manufacturers decided ultimately to stop using both chemicals. It was 20 years later when the furniture industry in California decided that house fires could be reduced if fire retardants were sprayed on the furniture fabrics and the polyurethane foam in cushions. Arlene Blum was contacted to get her opinion of using Tris again on the furniture. Finding out the danger, chemicals called PBDE’s (polybrominated diphenyl ethers) were used. Technical Bullitin117 was issued by Gov. Jerry Brown of California as required use in all furniture manufacturing. Since the California furniture marketplace was so large, it became the nation’s Fire Safety standard. Unfortunately, baby products were categorized under the classification of furniture. This allowed the chemicals to be put in products such as cribs and mattresses, car seats, high chairs, changing tables, strollers, bathtubs, nursing pillows and rockers. It was also found that the chemicals flaked off into dust, from furniture cushions and children were exposed to the particulate matter floating around the house, on the floor and toys. Much of this furniture is still in use today…a never-ending source of particulate matter continuing to expose individuals now. Obviously, the concern of exposure with infants and young children was the effect on fetal and early brain development, and the effects of thyroid hormone mimicking action of the PBDE’s causing other conditions such as infertility and hyperthyroidism. Researchers revealed that these exposures also were also associated with neurodevelopmental delays such as decreased attention; fine motor coordination and cognition in school-aged children. Flame retardants on furniture were tested, and found to not be as effective as intended. The chemicals put into the foam doesn’t work, as the flame is never actually put to the foam, but the fabric covering. Once that cover is on fire, the chemical is overcome and the rate of burning is not reduced. They did conclude that the amount of toxic carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide gas released into the air from the burning chemicals during a house fire is the leading cause of death rather than burns. The chemical industry is a 4 billion dollar per year industry. Here’s a story: In California, lawmakers heard a case in which a 7 week old baby was burned and died 3 weeks later following a fire caused a pillow on which a baby was sleeping started on fire. The testimony was meant to keep the retardant laws in place. As it turned out the story was a complete hoax and the Dr. who was a burn specialist was also found to be the star witness for the flame retardant manufacturers. He was part of a decade long campaign of deception by the chemical industry loading American homes with pounds of toxic chemicals causing the above listed health issues. Ethics and integrity go by the wayside when there is money to be made. So, speaking of Flame Retardants, I became aware of another; BVO Brominated vegetable oilis a complex mixture of plant-derived triglycerides that have been reacted to contain atoms of the element bromine bonded to the molecules. Brominated vegetable oil is used primarily to help emulsify citrus- flavored soft drinks, preventing them from separating during distribution. Brominated vegetable oil has been used by the soft drink industry since 1931, generally at a level of about 8 ppm. Careful control of the type of oil used allows bromination of it to produce BVO with a specific density (1.33 g/mL). As a result, it can be mixed with less-dense flavoring agents such as citrus flavor oil to produce a resulting oil whose density matches that of water or other products. The droplets containing BVO remain suspended in the water rather than separating and floating at the surface. [2] Alternative food additives used for the same purpose include sucrose acetate isobutyrate (SAIB, E444) and glycerol ester of wood rosin (ester gum, E445). United States In the United States, BVO was designated in 1958, as generally recognized as safe (GRAS), but this was withdrawn by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1970. The U.S. Code of Federal Regulations currently imposes restrictions on the use of BVO as a food additive in the United States, limiting the concentration to 15 ppm, limiting the amount of free fatty acids to 2.5 percent, and limiting the iodine value to 16 BVO is used in Mountain Dew, manufactured by PepsiCo; Powerade, Fanta Orange and Fresca made by Coca-Cola; and Squirt, Sun Drop and Sunkist Peach Soda, made by the Dr Pepper Snapple Group. Numerous generic citrus sodas also use it, including "Clover Valley"/Dollar General sodas and Stars & Stripe On May 5, 2014, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo said they will remove BVO from their products BVO is one of four substances that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has defined as interim food additives the other three are acrylonitrilecopolymers, mannitol, and saccharin. Canada BVO is currently permitted as a food additive in Canada Europe In the European Union, BVO is banned from use as a food additive. In the EU, beverage companies commonly use glycerol ester of wood rosin or locust bean gum as an alternative to BVO. India Standards for soft drinks in India have prohibited the use of BVO since 1990. Japan The use of BVO as a food additive has been banned in Japan since 2010.  (This source leads to a study done about the concentration levels of BVO in North Americans, and requires more context.) Health effects of BVO The United States Food and Drug Administration considers BVO to be safe for use as a food additive. However, there are case reports of adverse effects associated with excessive consumption of BVO-containing products. One case reported that a man who consumed two to four liters of a soda containing BVO on a daily basis experienced memory loss, tremors, fatigue, loss of muscle coordination, headache, and ptosis of the right eyelid, as well as elevated serum chloride. In the two months it took to correctly diagnose the problem, the patient also lost the ability to walk. Eventually, bromism was diagnosed and hemodialysis was prescribed which resulted in a reversal of the disorder An online petition at Change.org asking PepsiCo to stop adding BVO to Gatorade and other products collected over 200,000 signatures by January 2013. The petition pointed out that since Gatorade is sold in countries where BVO is not approved, there is already an existing formulation without this ingredient. PepsiCo announced in January 2013, that it would no longer use BVO in Gatorade, and announced May 5, 2014 that it would discontinue use in all of its drinks, including Mountain Dew, however, as of July 5th, 2017 BVO is still an ingredient in Mountain Dew, Sun Drop, and AMP Energy Drinks. Again, huge corporations are more concerned by the almighty dollar instead of consumer safety. How many questionable medical conditions could be caused by a similar situation? Patients usually don’t reveal over-consumption of certain foods and drinks, because they know it’s unhealthy and don’t want to be told to discontinue it. In many cases a patient could be given an inaccurate neurological diagnosis, and medicated for it, when the culprit is excessive consumption of a government- regulated toxin. I remember a child in our Onalaska neighborhood that became unable to walk for weeks. Her parents had her to local doctors as well as Mayo Clinic. It was a DC who specialized in Neuro Response Testing that discovered it was her blanket that was making her sick. Most likely, the polyester or the flame-retardants on it were the cause. The Mayo Clinic told the parents, that they couldn’t give a definitive diagnosis and “this is just how your child will live out the rest of her life.” Gee, polyester……….so popular once…. is now back, and it’s everywhere. That took me to another thought process. I searched toxic fabrics. Not that long ago, people stuck to the natural fibers: wool, cashmere, cotton, silk, linen, and hemp. But if you take a look at your clothing labels today, you are likely to find materials like rayon, polyester, acrylic, acetate and nylon. And your shirts and slacks may be treated to be wrinkle-free or stain resistant. These technological advances in fabrics may make our lives simpler, but at what cost? Here's ashort list of fabrics to avoid, and the healthy ones to pick instead. Polyester is the worst fabric you can buy. It is made from synthetic polymers that are made from esters of dihydric alcohol and terpthalic acid. Acrylic fabrics are polycrylonitriles and may cause cancer, according to the EPA. Rayon is recycled wood pulp that must be treated with chemicals like caustic soda, ammonia, acetone and sulphuric acid to survive regular washing and wearing. Acetate and Triacetate are made from wood fibers called cellulose and undergo extensive chemical processing to produce the finished product. Nylon is made from petroleum and is often given a permanent chemical finish that can be harmful. Anything static resistant, stain resistant, permanent press, wrinkle-free, stain proof or moth repellant. Many of the stain resistant and wrinkle-free fabrics are treated with perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), like Teflon. Keep in mind that many fabrics (including natural fibers) undergo significant processing that often involves:  Detergents  Petrochemical dyes  Formaldehyde to prevent shrinkage  Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)  Dioxin-producing bleach  Chemical fabric softeners These additives are often toxic to the human body, may contain heavy metals and can pollute our environment. If you are chemically sensitive or just want to surround yourself with healthy fabrics, there are new options. Doris Brunza, a fashion designer who worked in the Garment District in New York City for 20 years, knows about finding fabrics that don't cause reactions, because she is chemically sensitive. She points out that nearly ALL fabrics, including organic fabric, are treated with chemicals at some point during their processing. Still, some choices are better than others. In general, look for natural fibers like cotton, silk, linen, hemp, wool and cashmere. If you can, purchase and wear organic fabrics and organic clothing. While they still might be processed to some extent, they are often a better choice than synthetics. Brunza also advises people to buy high quality European garments made with the finest fabrics. Expensive clothing may seem overpriced, but the quality of the raw materials is superior, and the fibers can be woven into beautiful fabrics that are soft and strong, requiring little chemical processing to make them suitable for you, the consumer. They also last you for years so are a wise purchase in the long run. Remember to avoid chemical dry-cleaning whenever possible and wash your clothes in a "green"detergent. So, in closing you need to be your own advocate when it comes to toxic exposure. Choosing organic food, pure water, safe body care products, natural or organic clothing and textiles in your home can work together to enhance your wellbeing and help you live a healthier life. Reducing your toxic load may sometimes seem like an overwhelming task, but just like any other change, make it step by step. Over time, you'll see improvement in your own life and in the world around you. Change in the world begins with you making simple changes in your own life. The Never List ™ is made up of approximately 1,500 harmful or questionable ingredients including the nearly 1,400 ingredients banned in the European Union. The Never List Benzalkonium chloride: a disinfectant used as a preservative and surfactant associated with severe skin, eye, and respiratory irritation and allergies. Found in: sunscreens, moisturizers.   BHA and BHT: synthetic antioxidants used to extend shelf life. They are likely carcinogens and hormone disruptors and may cause liver damage. Found in: lipsticks, moisturizers, diaper creams, and other cosmetics.   Coal tar hair dyes and other coal tar ingredients: a byproduct of coal processing that is a known carcinogen. It is used as a colorant and an anti-dandruff agent. Found in: hair dye, shampoo.   Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA): a chelating (binding) agent added to cosmetics to improve stability. May be toxic to organs. Found in: hair color, moisturizers.   Ethanolamines (MEA/DEA/TEA): surfactants and pH adjuster linked to allergies, skin toxicity, hormone disruption, and inhibited fetal brain development. Found in: hair dyes, mascara, foundation, fragrances, sunscreens, dry cleaning solvents, paint, pharmaceuticals.   Formaldehyde: used as a preservative in cosmetics. A known carcinogen that is also linked to asthma, neurotoxicity, and developmental toxicity. Present where quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea, diazolidinyl urea, sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, 2-bromo- 2- nitropropane-1,3 diol (Bronopol), and several other preservatives are listed. Found in: shampoo, body wash, bubble bath.   Hydroquinone: a skin-lightening chemical that inhibits the production of melanin and is linked to cancer, organ toxicity, and skin irritation. Found in: skin-lightening creams.   Methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone: chemical preservatives that are among the most common irritants, sensitizers, and causes of contact skin allergies. Found in: shampoo, conditioner, body wash.   Oxybenzone: sunscreen agent and ultraviolet light absorber linked to irritation, sensitization and allergies, and possible hormone disruption. Found in: sunscreen, moisturizer.   Parabens  (methyl-, isobutyl-, propyl- and others): a class of preservatives commonly used to prevent the growth of bacteria and mold. Parabens are endocrine (or hormone) disruptors, which may alter important hormone mechanisms in our bodies. Found in: shampoo, face cleanser, body wash, body lotion, foundation.   Phthalates  (DBP, DEHP, DEP and others): a class of plasticizing chemicals used to make products more pliable or to make fragrances stick to skin. Phthalates disrupt the endocrine system and may cause birth defects. Found in: synthetic fragrance, nail polish, hairspray, and plastic materials. Polyethylene glycol (PEG compounds): PEGs are widely used in cosmetics as thickeners, solvents, softeners, and moisture-carriers. Depending on manufacturing processes, PEGs may be contaminated with measurable amounts of ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane, which are both carcinogens. Found in: creams, sunscreen, shampoo.   Retinyl palmitate and Retinol (Vitamin A): a nutrient that may damage DNA and speed the growth of skin tumors when used topically. Found in: moisturizer, anti-aging skincare. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLS and SLES): SLS and SLES are surfactants that can cause skin irritation or trigger allergies. SLES is often contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, a byproduct of a petrochemical process called ethoxylation, which is used to process other chemicals in order to make them less harsh. Found in: shampoo, body wash, bubble bath.   Synthetic flavor or fragrance: an engineered scent or flavoring agent that may contain any combination of 3,000-plus stock chemical ingredients, including hormone disruptors and allergens. ****Fragrance formulas are protected under federal law’s classification of trade secrets and therefore can remain undisclosed. Found in: all types of cosmetics.   Toluene: a volatile petrochemical solvent that is toxic to the immune system and can cause birth defects. Found in: nail polish.   Triclosan and Triclocarban: antimicrobial pesticides toxic to the aquatic environment; may also impact human reproductive systems. Found in: liquid soap, soap bars, toothpaste.

In this episode I interview Lois Eastlund, vegan fashion designer of her eponymous brand in New York. Lois has loved fashion since she was a child and knew at the age of 11 that she wanted to attend NYC's Fashion Institute of Technology. After gaining her degree from there several years later, she entered the industry, working in Manhattan's Garment District for more than 30 years as a designer in menswear, womenswear, junior sportswear and tween clothing. During this time she also ran her own shop in the East Village and leveraged her line of streetwear, wholesaling to vendors throughout Europe, Asia and the US, including New York City's Patricia Fields. In 2008, after years of freelancing, vending at weekend markets and participating in an independent designer co-op in NoHo, Lois opened her eponymous boutique on the Lower East Side. For five years, the store stocked her line of men's shirts and women's dresses that embodied her signature aesthetic – bold patterns and flattering tailoring – which continue to define her brand to this day. In 2013, Lois made a strategic decision to close her physical store and focus on online fashion to reach a broader audience for her designs, which are aimed at the modern woman who is young at heart, while taking advantage of also showcasing her wares at local pop-up events. Lois and her designs have appeared in a number of media outlets including The New York Times, Women's Wear Daily, CBS News This Morning, and many more, and she is the co-founder of digital vegan fashion magazine La Fashionista Compassionista. While Lois went vegan in 2011, her fashion line has always been animal-free, sewn by hand, by her, from cotton and cotton blends. Most recently she has been making print-on-demand t-shirts and other accessories which she sells on Redbubble and Amazon. In this interview Lois discusses: • How not knowing what you are doing when starting a business can be a bonus • How an incident early on in her business taught her to eliminate ‘middle men' and to deal directly with manufacturers and suppliers • A strategy she uses to keep the cost of fabrics down and how this influences her designs • Why she closed her physical store in 2012 and moved into running an online-only fashion brand • The pros and cons of being involved in high-profile fashion events such as New York Fashion Week • Why she chooses to continue to make all the garments herself (and how this can be a good selling point in a business) • And much more Visit the Lois Eastlund website Check out Lois's designs on Redbubble and Amazon Find out more about La Fashionista Compassionista magazine Brands mentioned in vegan business news roundup: leCupboard  RESOURCES: My Online PR Course for Vegan Business Owners & Entrepreneurs: Vegans in the Limelight My book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business Follow Vegan Business Media on: Facebook   Twitter  Instagram  Connect with me personally at: Facebook  Twitter  LinkedIn

In this episode I interview Lois Eastlund, vegan fashion designer of her eponymous brand in New York. Lois has loved fashion since she was a child and knew at the age of 11 that she wanted to attend NYC’s Fashion Institute of Technology. After gaining her degree from there several years later, she entered the industry, working in Manhattan’s Garment District for more than 30 years as a designer in menswear, womenswear, junior sportswear and tween clothing. During this time she also ran her own shop in the East Village and leveraged her line of streetwear, wholesaling to vendors throughout Europe, Asia and the US, including New York City’s Patricia Fields. In 2008, after years of freelancing, vending at weekend markets and participating in an independent designer co-op in NoHo, Lois opened her eponymous boutique on the Lower East Side. For five years, the store stocked her line of men’s shirts and women’s dresses that embodied her signature aesthetic – bold patterns and flattering tailoring – which continue to define her brand to this day. In 2013, Lois made a strategic decision to close her physical store and focus on online fashion to reach a broader audience for her designs, which are aimed at the modern woman who is young at heart, while taking advantage of also showcasing her wares at local pop-up events. Lois and her designs have appeared in a number of media outlets including The New York Times, Women’s Wear Daily, CBS News This Morning, and many more, and she is the co-founder of digital vegan fashion magazine La Fashionista Compassionista. While Lois went vegan in 2011, her fashion line has always been animal-free, sewn by hand, by her, from cotton and cotton blends. Most recently she has been making print-on-demand t-shirts and other accessories which she sells on Redbubble and Amazon. In this interview Lois discusses: • How not knowing what you are doing when starting a business can be a bonus • How an incident early on in her business taught her to eliminate ‘middle men’ and to deal directly with manufacturers and suppliers • A strategy she uses to keep the cost of fabrics down and how this influences her designs • Why she closed her physical store in 2012 and moved into running an online-only fashion brand • The pros and cons of being involved in high-profile fashion events such as New York Fashion Week • Why she chooses to continue to make all the garments herself (and how this can be a good selling point in a business) • And much more Visit the Lois Eastlund website Check out Lois’s designs on Redbubble and Amazon Find out more about La Fashionista Compassionista magazine Brands mentioned in vegan business news roundup: leCupboard  RESOURCES: My Online PR Course for Vegan Business Owners & Entrepreneurs: Vegans in the Limelight My book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business Follow Vegan Business Media on: Facebook   Twitter  Instagram  Connect with me personally at: Facebook  Twitter  LinkedIn

With funding from the National Science Foundation, a multi-institutional team uses blind scent-tracing tests and other experiments to better understand how animals are able to localize odors. Pitt's Nathan Urban and Bard Ermentrout are part of this olfaction faction. They're hoping the investigation will inform new technologies; it may even provide insight into neurological disorders like Alzheimer's, autism, and Parkinson's. This Pitt Medcast was inspired by a story (bit.ly/pittmed_smell) from the Summer 2016 issue of Pitt Med magazine (bit.ly/pittmedmag). Written and read by Elaine Vitone. Produced by Elaina Zachos with Elaine Vitone. Our executive producer is Erica Lloyd. Sound effects courtesy of freesound.org. Mosquito sound effect by djfroyd. Special thanks to Jennifer Baron, a.k.a. The Garment District (bit.ly/2lDyFlW), for our music. We're gathering data on our podcast! To help us out, please complete a quick survey at http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=5VmBB36bqSzl&ver=short

If consumers spent an extra 1% on U.S. goods, they would create 200,000 jobs. Sounds easy, but things have changed: in the 60’s, 95% of clothing sold in the U.S. was manufactured in NYC’s Garment District, today that number has decreased to 3%. Can all brands be manufactured in the USA? Today's guest, Anthony Lilore is a fashion designer and Production Process consultant with over 30 years experience in NYC's Garment Centre and he joins Kate to discuss, domestic manufacturing - the future.

New York City's Fashion/Garment District has taken on a new look - some with long experience in the area may be amazed at the changes but all are excited by the influx of additional industries, widening options for growth and development of the area.

Följ med Stil till det så kallade Garment District på Manhattan i New York för att träffa den svenska modeskaparen Carin Rodebjer. Carin Rodebjer har drivit sitt eget klädmärke i 17 år. Hon är född och uppvuxen på Gotland och nämner ofta de kvinnor hon hade runt omkring sig som barn fortfarande är hennes inspiration, yrkesarbetande, hantverksskickliga kvinnor som med ett samtida uttryck skulle kunna beskrivas som starka.    I dag har modemärket kontor både i Stockholm och New York och finns representerat i 60 länder. Carin Rodebjer själv har fått pris som "Årets svenska designer" av modetidningen Elle hela tre gånger (2002, 2005 och 2011). 2005 fick hon även tidningen Damernas Världs stora modepris, "Guldknappen". Carin Rodebjer har under de senaste åren valt att visa sina kollektioner i New York. Modebranschtidningen Womens Wear Daily har beskrivit hennes stil som "en korsning av en bohemisk minimalist och Moder Jord". Inspiration till kollektionerna har Carin Rodebjer ofta plockat från kvinnor som "gått sin egen väg", som man brukar säga. Den så kallade "Rodebjer-kvinnan" har blivit ett begrepp. En kvinna som symboliserar en modern kvinnlighet, och Carin berättar i programmet om att det är just bilden av den kvinnan som ständigt driver henne framåt. Det här är andra gången i sitt liv som Carin Rodebjer bor i New York, en stad hon visar sig ha ett mycket kluvet förhållande till. Första gången Carin flyttade hit var sent 90-tal för att studera på FIT, Fashion Institute of Technology.  Hör mer i programmet om Carins musor, om varför New York både tar fram det bästa och sämsta i henne och om hennes kluvna förhållande till uttrycket "en stark kvinna".

The Garment District in Midtown Manhattan has been the center for all things American fashion for almost one hundred years.  The lofts and office buildings here still buzz with industry of making clothing -- from design to distribution. New York's long history with the ready-to-wear apparel industry has an ugly beginning -- the manufacture of clothing for Southern slaves. Garment production thrived here by the middle of the 19th century thanks to thousands of arriving immigrants, skilled in the production of making clothes.By 1900, most of the clothes in the United States were made below 14th Street, in the tenement neighborhoods of New York. The disaster at the Triangle Factory Fire in 1911 brought attention to the terrible conditions found in New York's new loft-style factories Fears of the clothing industry encroaching upon Fifth Avenue provoked some New  York businesses to stop working with garment sector unless they moved to particular area of the city.  And so, by the mid 20th century, hardly a stitch was sold in the United States without it coming through the blocks between 34th Street and 42nd Street west of Sixth Avenue.Listen in as we describe the Garment District's chaotic rush of activity  -- from the fabulous showrooms of the world's greatest designers to the nitty-gritty bustle of the crowded streets.FEATURING: Ed Koch, Lauren Bacall, George Opdyke and Brooks Brothers WARNING: This show is bursting at the seams with clothing puns! Support the show.

http://bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/KarenBuscemi2.png ()http://bonfiresofsocialenterprise.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/KarenBuscemi2.png () Creating the Building Blocks for Detroit’s First Fashion District Thank you for listening to this fascinating story of a fashion writer turned job maker and social enterprise entrepreneuer trying to build a workforce pool for Detroit’s Garment and Fashion Industry. Meet Karen Buscemi, (boo-SHE-me) as she tells the story of the http://www.detroitgarmentgroup.org/ (Detroit Garment Group.) DGG is in the process of creating Detroit’s first-ever Garment District in partnership with the Mayor’s Office, Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, The Governor’s Office, and Michigan Economic Development Corporation, with DGG as the project lead. Karen Buscemi is the founder of cut and sewn manufacturer http://detroitsewn.com/ (Detroit Sewn) She also wrote for the now defunction Styleline Magazine which celebrated Detroit fashion. For more information on other podcasts please visit us on: Bonfires Website https://www.facebook.com/BonfiresofSocialEnterprise?fref=ts (Facebook at Bonfires Facebook Page) https://twitter.com/BonfiresPodcast (Twitter @BonfiresPodcast) http://thebonfireslady.tumblr.com (Check out The Bonfire Lady Blog) Email us bonfires@gingrasglobal.com For more information on Gingras Global please visit us at: http://www.gingrasglobal.com (Gingras Global Website) https://www.facebook.com/GingrasGlobal?fref=ts (Gingras Global Facebook) https://twitter.com/GingrasGlobal (Twitter @GingrasGlobal)

Dance director and choreographer MJ Choi joins the podcast this week as Matt passes through the Garment District of Manhattan. Tune in as the Kollaboration NY alumni discuss culture shock, facing your fears, and all things K-Pop! (S03E43)

My apology for being very unproductive these last weeks since I am particularly busy with projects in which I'm directly or indirectly involved including the interview with Neeraj Bhatia (here and here) which, as I wrote in a previous post, may go to another platform. Again, when official, I will let you know where and when to read the interview. However, I may post not-selected questions/responses in this blog.Another project on which I am working is my first guest-posting but again I may content merely with posting abstracts as I'm thinking of publishing them. If so, this will be by 2014.                                              ****************************************Last week-end I was in Lisbon for the triennial whose theme is Close, Closer. This was my first-ever trip to Lisbon, a very beautiful European city with its port, its very lively streets, and colored buildings, and its famous tramway.The Lisbon Architecture Triennial has been founded in 2007. For this third edition, the committee has elected as Artistic Director a young and notable British curator Beatrice Galilee who has co-curated the Gwangju Design Biennial 2011 with Helen Hejung Choi. For this Triennial, she teamed up with three curators Liam Young, co-founder of Tomorrow Thoughts Today, Unknown Fields Division and Under Tomorrow Sky, Mariana Pestana and José Esparza Chong Cuy, and co-curator Dani Admiss. The curatorial team's aim was to draw on a political manifesto that claims that a new form, (rather new forms), of architecture practice is emerging out. Of what? The 21st century? Multifaceted crises? As the curatorial team states, Close, Closer tackles "the political, technological, emotional, institutional, and critical forms of global spatial practice." At issue is new forms of practice. New forms of practice, still stammering but seething, still fragile but resolute (see here and here).Close, Closer is presented as "an intense and multiple debate network on 'what architecture can be,'" says José Mateus, Chairman, also founding Director of José Mateus Arquitecto at a moment when Portugal, but many European countries a well, is struggling against a profound economic and identity crisis. Seven months or so ago, I interviewed the curatorial team for a first look at the curatorial content, strategies — even at a primary stage — and goals behind Close, Closer. Remember the website. The curatorial team regularly posted new questions about what architecture could be: What else can architecture do? When does produce architecture? What answers should architecture be giving today?, and so forth. This website, particularly dynamic since based on a participative mode, invited us to reply to these questions, be you architect or not. Beatrice Galilee said that:The premise of this event is not to give answers, but to position questions about the condition of architectural practice today. These questions — pregnant with meaning or innocent in their simplicity — contain both a statement and a call to action. They resonate on a public stage beyond traditional discourse in order to find their way to a conversation between disciplines of culture and structures of real power.The theme — a generation of young architects in the face of an ever-changing world— reveals architecture's position today.This, the third Lisbon Architecture Triennale, has been commissioned and procured in the midst of the yo-yoing economic fortunes of a faltering Eurozone country where, currently, unemployment for graduates stands at 40%. This is the generation of young architects who may ask themselves if they should be designing the architecture of networks and systems, of societies or conversations, rather than buildings.What interested me in this third edition is the curatorial function of architecture, how architecture can tackle these complex, multi-faceted issues within curating, or what position, role or function curating can play within the architectural apparatus. At stake is the potentiality that curating can offer to architecture in going out of its ivory tower, just as some of the participants of Close, Closer said, to push the architectural practice to be more engaged with the world from the smallest scale to the extra-largest scale. For that matter, I decided to focus on one of the exhibitions programmed there, namely Future Perfect. I will profit from this occasion to discuss the contingent trait of architecture.As an evidence what is at issue, albeit partly, in this third edition, at least in accordance with my interest, is the relationship of the architect and his discipline, and, beyond this, the world. A unquestionable fact: The architect cannot content merely with the scale of building, or, to push further, the very act of building. On one hand, the architect is now extending his skillness in operating at a larger system — not necessarily the scale of the city, but that of the regional, the territory, the planetary — I'm speaking of infrastructure. On the other hand, the architect, more politically-engaged, uses other forms of practice, that is to say, curating, writing and publishing. Although many of them do not build, their influence on architecture is strong. Other build but use these extra activities as a means of leveraging their built projects. But what is common is that they aim to repurpose the architectural practice.An example, present in Close, Closer: Andrés Jaque and his firm the Office for Political Innovation, for instance, examines "the potential of post-foundational politics and symmetrical approaches to the sociology of technology to rethink architectural practices," as he states in his website. He participated in a three-day event 'Super Power of Ten' at the Triennial including two talks 'Radical Pedagogies: A conversation', and 'Phaidon Atlas Talks'. He also took part in 'Definition Series/OLD: from elderly to lateness' at Storefront IS Lisbon, a project curated by New York-Based Storefront for Art and Architecture, which was also part of Close, Closer. The list of the participants is long. And you should have been there at the opening days to profit from the program: exhibitions, talks, performances, etc.For those who couldn't be present, other events were scheduled within these four months including Spatial Agency composed of Jeremy Till, Tatjana Schneider, and Nishat Awan, who curated a two-day event (17-20 October), The Institute for Radical Spatial Education, an event part of the Institute Effect. The event's ambition was to re-imagine professional and pedagogical agendas for architecture through a series of 'actions' that will alter the space within the gallery and beyond, the curators said. If you have read Jeremy Till's Architecture Depends, you certainly are familiar with the purpose of this event. In his book, he defends a new contingently educational methodology for a better — or real — engagement of architecture with the uncertainties of the world.Not far away from Spatial Agency was Design as Politics, another two-day event (20-23 November) curated by Wouter Vanstiphout and Marta Relats. The event is declined as an exhibition "of the work undertaken at the institute and through a series of talks." The participants were invited to vote in the line of participative exhibitions.I decided not to attend the opening week despite the fact that a large number of events were scheduled in September. I decided to go to the Triennial the last week.Future Perfect ı Close, Closer, 2013, Image credit: ULGC, 2013Future Perfect ı Close, Closer 2013. Image credits: ULGC 2013Which brings me to one of the strongest points. Of great interest, indeed, was Future Perfect, an installation curated by Liam Young with a large panel of contributors, mostly scientists, technologists, designers, artists and science fiction authors, including Rachel Armstrong, Marshmallow Laser Feast, Bruce Sterling, Bart Hess, Tim Maly, Cohen van Balen, Factory Fifteen, and Warren Ellis, among others. As the curator presentsFuture Perfect ı Close, Closer, 2013. Image credit: ULGC 2013.Emerging in the shadows of the decaying towers of a post-oil Dubai, geo-engineered by climatologists and influenced by the imminent economic boom of the Indian subcontinent it is a terraformed urban island. A city is grown rather than built, a creature, living, breathing and computing, a seething ecology that has become a new metropolitan megaform. A speculative urbanism, an exaggerated present, where we can explore the wonders and possibilities of emerging biological and technological research and envision the possible worlds we may want to build for ourselves. For the future is not something that washes over us like water, it is a place we must actively shape and define. Through fictions we share ideas and we chronicle our hopes and fears, our deepest anxieties and our wildest fantasies. Spend time in the districts, read the fictions of those who live there, meet friends and strangers, listen to their stories and share their lives. Some of us will be swept up in what the city could be, others will be reserved and look on with caution. We have not walked these streets before, what things may come, in a Future Perfect.More explicitly,Future Perfect ı Close, Closer, 2013. Image credits: ULGC 2013Future Perfect is trying to present a vision of the future that is somehow ambiguous. I don't think it is completely utopian or positive, but neither is a classical dystopian vision of the future with dark skies and endless rain. It is somewhere in between. Right now we are in a really interesting moment where there are so many unknowns about the future: biotechnology, climate change, failing economies. All these things are massive issues, which as a culture we just don't know how to deal with.We began the projects with a think tank of scientists, technologists and futurists — these individuals are actually in the process right now of making the future. They are in labs and in companies and are building the things that we are going to be faced with in the next 20 or 30 years. And I think engaging them is a really unique thing to be doing — putting them in direct collaboration with artists, designers and visualizers, to communicate those ideas broadly. We have created an entire fictional world with all the subtleties of a real city, with characters and stories that describe their lives. This is an imaginary place but it is built out of the cutting edge research that is happening right now in places such as MIT Media Lab, or in the bio labs of Michigan University, a leading proponent of biotechnology, where extraordinary world class coders, digital artists and scripters are working. These practitioners, industries, companies and universities, are really shaping what our cities are going to be.Future Perfect ı Close, Closer, 2013. Image credits: ULGC 2013The installation was housed in the Museu Da Electricidade (the Museum of Electricity) occupying two spaces. In the first space, two installations: a Quarantine zone composed of lightning, and a model of a speculative, terraformed, land or decaying city. In the second room a large installation composed of five zones including The Looms, The Wilds (a forest including a video installation), the Supercomputer, The Garment District (prosthetic bodies), and The Lookout (a video installation).And Nowhere a Shadow | Cohen van Balen | Future Perfect ı Close, Closer, 2013. Image credits: ULGC 2013The common denominator of these speculative projects lies in the transformation of the individual body, or the collective bodies (the city) in the face of emerging technologies, climate change, ecological and economic crisis. How can human beings adapt to this transformation?And Nowhere A shadow | Cohen van Balen | Future Perfect ı Close, Closer, 2013. Image credits: ULGC 2013For the youth tribes of Future Perfect the body is a site for adaptation, augmentation and experimentation. They celebrate the corruption of the body data by moulding within their costumery all the imperfections of a decaying scan file. Shimmering in the exhibition landscape is a network of geometric reflective pools of molten wax. Their mirrored surface is broken by a body, suspended from a robotic harness, plunging into the liquid. A crust of wax crystallises around its curves and folds, growing architectural forms, layer by layer, like a 3D printer drawing directly onto the skin. Slowly the body emerges, encased in a dripping wet readymade prosthetic. It is a physical glitch, a manifestation of corrupt data in motion, a digital artefact. They hang from hooks like a collection of strange beasts and frozen avatars. Body prints, imperfect and distorted and always utterly unique.Chupan Chupai, a film produced by British Factory Fifteen, showed a group of children playing, running around the city. As Jonathan Gales and Paul Nichols, co-founders of Factory Fifteen, stated: "through their play the children discover how to hack the city, opening up a cavernous network of hidden and forgotten spaces, behind the scenes of everyday streets."Chupan Chupai | Factory Fifteen | Future Perfect ı Close, Closer, 2013. Image credits: ULGC 2013One may be attracted by the color of the images: yellow, blue, red, orange, green in contrast with brownish-colored buildings unfolding the fast-urbanization of the Indian society that will absorb tradition… or human contingency.Chupan Chupai | Factory Fifteen | Future Perfect ı Close, Closer, 2013. Image credits: ULGC 2013Watching this film, I was reminded of Zygmut Bauman's Wasted Lives: Modernity and its Outcasts, in particular this sentence "the birth of the new requires the death of the old." The children are innocently confronted with "an emerging technology and economic superpower." Put it simply, they are facing or will be swallowed by the machine, the interlinked facets of urban growth and globalization.The Garment District | Bart Hess | Future Perfect ı Close, Closer, 2013. Image credits: ULGC 2013The Garment District | Bart Hess | Future Perfect ı Close, Closer, 2013. Image credits: ULGC 2013The Garment District | Bart Hess | Future Perfect ı Close, Closer, 2013. Image credits: ULGC 2013Another video-based installation is And Nowhere a Shadow produced by Cohen van Balen, part of Future Perfect, consisting of a woodland including metal structures whose functions are to feed blueberry plants. Cohen van Balen describes this woodland as follows:And Nowhere a Shadow | Cohen van Balen | Future Perfect ı Close, Closer, 2013. Image credits: ULGC 2013We are wandering a new kind of wilderness, where the line between biology and technology is becoming increasingly indistinguishable. Through genetic modification, engineered meat, cosmetic surgery and geo-engineering we are remaking our world from the scale of cells to the scale of continents. The woods, wild and mysterious from afar, appear as a stage on which every element is considered. Genetically engineered plants, artificially sustained, are hanging from the trees, embedded in the ecology yet detached from it. Their scaffolding systems of gleaming steel and neon light sway in the wind, waiting. Grey wolves approach the structures during the night to scratch their body on the steel branches. In an intricate arrangement of devised symbiosis, the contraption takes on the role of host organism. The wolf's movements generate electricity for the system, while the blueberries are engineered to contain rabies vaccine in its fruit to protect the animal from self-destruction. Cameras transmit footage of the wolf's presence around the globe, adorned in invisible garlands of electric display, to be enjoyed by those whose passion for the spectacle of wilderness sustains its survival.Again, this reminded me R&Sie(n)/New Territories's Lost in Paris, in particular this fern, a plant that grows around the house. Not surprising since R&Sie(n)/New Territories develops a speculative architecture. In this project, and just like van Balen's And Nowhere a Shadow, technology is interconnected with nature. The plant is fed with an engineered nutrient mixture combined with harvested rainwater. This system, then, is monitored by the inhabitants to prevent the fern to decay and, in doing so, to protect the building and its dwellers from externalities.The Supercomputer/Pushing Boundaries | Marshmallow Laser Feast | Future Perfect ı Close, Closer, 2013. Image credits: ULGC 2013A disappointment, however, was another installation, the Supercomputer/Pushing Boundaries by Marshmallow Laser Feast. Not the project on its own but its curatorial approach. It seems to me that another curatorial strategy would have been more appropriate for this installation. Indeed, I nearly missed it. It is because I noticed a visitor intrigued by a wall that I raised my head and finally saw the projection on the wall. The room likely was too dark for that installation. Such curatorial decision raises the question of grouping a complex set of micro-projects with their own context when one of them probably would have required another option. Indeed, it seems to me that the other installations have overwhelmed the Supercomputer, unless it was intentional.Here lies the Triennial's conceptual center: architecture's agency. What position, what role can architecture play in an ever-changing world, when everything goes fast causing unpredictable, irreversible turbulence? What methodology? What is the architecture's agency in the face of this shift? Or, better, what could we do?The common denominator of these micro-installations resides in the exploration of bodies across a shifting society, technological apparatuses, connectivity, and uncertainty creating new potentials for design. Liam Young wrote in his statement that "Our familiar infrastructure of roads, buildings and public squares are giving way to ephemeral digital networks, biotechnologies and cloud computing connections." This paradigmatic shift is profoundly transforming our perception and relation with others, with space as well as time. It is also redesigning us. Transformation is going too fast to be controllable calling into question design's potentiality, say, what is design's agency in the face of this transformation? How design can tackle it? For my perspective, this is the message that this set of curatorial projects attempted to convey. What if architecture reconsiders its relationship with contingency? That architecture is bound to contingency, as Alisa Andrasek forthrightly wrote in the 25th issue (summer 2012) of Log Journal of architecture, this is an indisputable fact. And no-one will contest her statement. She, then, is right to claim that architecture, however, has not integrated contingency. In this context, this is indisputably that architecture must cope with contingency to problem-address a set of uncertainties. And no! Not everything is under control except if we, happy nihilist, continue to view our changing world as a… continuation (I am thinking of Timothy Morton's excellent essay "Same as it ever was"for the 35th issue of Volume Magazine.)Speculative architecture allows for trials and errors to stimulate creativity. An object, for instance, is too unstable or irreversible to be finished. It must be capable of absorbing contingency to adapt and respond to uncertainties. This is one of the characterists of speculation: never allow for finite product, accept processual, becoming. Second, society, as a large, contingent and complex system, becomes a laboratory to explore, or speculate a set of scenario that could leverage new ideas, new potentiality. Neither cannot its contours be fixed. Nor cannot they be hard. So are its structures. Society must be understood as fluctuating all the time. Remember what scientist Ilya Prigogine said about fluctuations: "[T]hese fluctuations are sometimes amplified on the macroscopic level and lead to non-equilibrium structures, to biological structures, and so on." Now failure. Failure is at the core of society. Society is based on trial and errors like nature. And yes, not everything is under control, once again in that you have to deal with contingency, indeterminacy, instability, fluctuation and change. See these hyperobjects like radioactive decay, weather, biological cell, the Earth, they are some examples of irreversibility. It seems to me that Future Perfect attempts to unfold the importance of integrating this very fact that we no longer must consider our modern world (or architecture,  or nature, or city, or any object) stable, finite. It also reveals that future should not be comprehended as something too blurry or, on the contrary, too predictable. Future is fluctuant and ever-changing, consequently creative and innovative. So must be urban space. As Liam Young explainsIn Future Perfect the city is being avidly redefined. For instance, I live in London and my friends live in London, but I spend most part of my time on Facebook or on my twitter network, therefore my experience of London is actually an augmented one. It is one distributed across luminous rectangles scattered around the planet. The city as a physical place is starting to disappear as a notion altogether. In this sense, the Future Perfect city isn't necessarily just about a place, but about a community, and this community is connected through technology. The Future Perfect city is an assemblage of devices, servers, proxy locations, IP addresses and of people positioned at the end of fiber optic cables and circuit boards, scattered across the world. And, in the end, the physical place that we describe is just one place. I wouldn't necessarily call it a city in the traditional sense — it is a community that is formed through technology. In general Future Perfect is interested in the idea that emerging technologies are fundamentally changing the way that we live and interact with each other. They are fundamentally changing the idea of what a community is or what a city is.Imagining the future allow for tackling the present. Liam Young continuesWe take emerging trends and we exaggerate them, we play them out in a series of different scenarios so that we can test them and access them. We can talk abstractly about something like climate change, we can see it on the news, we can hear scientists talk about how many degrees the temperature is rising or how many meters the ocean level is rising, but it is not very tangible.Hence the critical function of speculation, or science fiction:Science fiction has a great capacity to communicate these urgent ideas and present them in a way that generates a conversation. And that allows us to be more active in thinking about what our future is what futures we want. We can all collectively try and get to somewhere preferable, exciting and positive as opposed to just waiting for us to have the future thrust upon us by forces larger than ourselves.Let me put these fascinating problems aside for another moment. Back to the Triennial, and more explicitly to the curatorial function of and its articulation with architecture. How does architecture articulate curating?The reason why I have gone too far with my analysis of Future Perfect is that I wanted to stress a possible articulation of fiction, speculation, contingency and curating within the notion of potentiality. Fiction and speculation first (allow me for putting these two notions at the same level for that matter). Let me go back to Liam Young's statement about the potentiality of science fiction as a tool to "communicate these urgent ideas and present them in a way that generate conversation." Curating is a form of fiction or speculation. It lies in "critically examining the present". Curating can allow architecture for testing, experimenting as François Roche said about the role of exhibition in his design practice. I'm thinking of Une Architecture des Humeurs, this design research/exhibition for instance. For the architect, the exhibition can be "a suite of visual indices," as François Roche said, or a result of a research, this is, at least, how it seems to be articulated in R&Sie(n)/New Territories. In the case of Roche, the exhibition is part of his practice, like research, a process, or a speculation.First, the architect extends his role into a curator. Second, the exhibition elaborates, experiments, tests a scenario-based project that deploys, a "constantly mutating sequence of possibilities", to paraphrase François Roche. An approach not very different from Future Perfect to a certain extent.What interested me in this Triennial, beyond the theme of future practices as elaborated by Close, Closer, is the way the curator, Beatrice Galilee and her associated curators have articulated the potentiality that curatorial function can offer to architecture. Of course Future Perfect is not the only exhibition that stresses this potentiality. Other exhibitions and events have done it but differently. Galilee and her curatorial team have used curating to investigate the state of architecture practice in this new and intricate era, how the discipline of architecture is challenging this very complex mutation that is transforming architecture profoundly (and, in turn, how this mutation is challenging architecture). In this context, Close, Closer is an example of the potentiality of curatorial practices in enabling a discussion about architecture's agency in tackling these issues presented by the show.With an evidence, this form of curating may have not seduced everyone. Some critics have complained the lack of coherence or the dizzying problematic of the edition or, worse, its puerility. To the contrary, it seems to me that these critics reveal a misunderstanding of the potentiality of curatorial practices within architecture. Such criticism, in fact, is itself too accustomed to pre-codified exhibitions — the solo show, or the mid-career survey or the group show. Or, it also is possible that the format of the biennial itself should be clarified in its distinction from the Venice Architecture Biennial model and its national pavilions. The field of art has already engaged a reflection on it. Given the growing number of exhibitions, biennials as well as other forms of curatorial practices like lecture, conversation, or even, publication, it won't be a surprising if architecture is confronted with this task of engaging a serious reflection of the potentiality of curating as an expanded field, at least to avoid such misunderstandings.The Institute Effect ı Close, Closer, 2013, Image credit: ULGC.The Institute Effect ı Close, Closer, 2013, Image credit: ULGC.Neither did I find Beatrice Galilee and her associated curators' curatorial approach to this edition the best curatorial approach architecture ever has. Nor, on the contrary, would I say another curatorial approach would have been better, or something has not been deepened enough for a better understanding of the curators' statement.The Institute Effect ı Close, Closer, 2013, Image credit: ULGC.Beatrice Galilee is neither the first nor the only one to break with the tradition in curating architecture in this manner — I'm wondering, for instance, what curatorial methodology Think Space's curators will establish for their exhibition Money — a hint: the curators have opted for a competition-based curatorial strategy. These curators are no longer willing to merely fill up an available space. As I attempted to demonstrate, they aim to project their own ideas, their research into the space.The Institute Effect ı Close, Closer, 2013, Image credit: ULGC.The Institute Effect ı Close, Closer, 2013, Image credit: ULGC.The Institute Effect ı Close, Closer, 2013, Image credit: ULGC.The Institute Effect ı Close, Closer, 2013, Image credit: ULGC.The Institute Effect ı Close, Closer, 2013, Image credit: ULGC.The Institute Effect ı Close, Closer, 2013, Image credit: ULGC.The Institute Effect ı Close, Closer, 2013, Image credit: ULGC.The Institute Effect ı Close, Closer, 2013, Image credit: ULGC.The Institute Effect ı Close, Closer, 2013, Image credit: ULGC.The Institute Effect ı Close, Closer, 2013, Image credit: ULGC.Close, Closer was curated by Beatrice Galilee, and co-curators Liam Young, Mariana Esparza, José Esparza Chong Cuy, assisted by Dani Admiss as the third edition of the 2013 Lisbon Architecture Triennial, from September 12 to December 15, 2013.NotesAll subsequent quotes by the curatorial team and architects in this blog are drawn from their writings in the triennial catalogue.* Liam Young (ed.), Expect Everything and Nothing Else, Booklet for 2013 Lisbon Architecture Triennial/Close, Closer, 2013* 2013 Lisbon Architecture Triennial, Close, Closer ı Os Lugares Estão Para As Passoas e Vice-Versa, Catalogue Guide, 2013.* Thinking in Practice, Future Perfect ı An Interview with Liam Young, 2013* Zygmunt Bauman, Wasted Lives: Modernity and its Outcasts, Polity, 2003.* Jeremy Till, Architecture Depends, MIT Press, 2009.* Jeremy Till, "Scarcity contra Austerity", Design Observer, 10.08. 2012* Scott Timberg, "The architecture meltdown", Salon, 4. 02. 2012* Alisa Andrasek, "Open synthesis// Toward a resilient fabric of architecture", in Log journal of Architecture, Issue 25, Summer 2012.* R&Sie(n)/New Territories and Caroline Naphegyi, "Protocols & Process ı in Cahier Spécial du magazine Mouvement, pdf (in French. in English).* Timothy Morton, "Same as it ever was", in Volume Magazine, Issue 35 "Everything is Under Control", 20-22.* Catherine Rampell, "Want a Job? Go to College, and Don't Major in Architecture", The

During the summer of 1947, Richard works for the Dress Joint Board in New York City's Garment District. The experience heightens his liberal sensitivities toward the issues of working people. His fellow student summer workers clue him in on the ideological struggles within the union, including the affiliation between some garment manufacturers and the mob in […]

During the summer of 1947, Richard works for the Dress Joint Board in New York City’s Garment District. The experience heightens his liberal sensitivities toward the issues of working people. His fellow student summer workers clue him in on the ideological struggles within the union, including the affiliation between some garment manufacturers and the mob in […]

Rene Thomas Folse, JD, Ph.D.is the host for this edition which reports on the following news stories. Federal Appeals Court Tosses California NFL Comp Cases. Court of Appeal Clarifies Continuing Jurisdiction Over New Body Parts After Petition to Reopen. Choice of Law Provision Upheld in Employer's Civil Case. Fraudulent Medical Research Found in Evidence Based Medicine. Eurasian Organized Crime Behind Southern California Medical Fraud. Over $200K Fines Imposed in L.A. Garment District. WCIRB Actuarial Committee Recommends Pure Premium Rate Increase. Next QME Competency Examination Set for October 27. Officials Say California Comp Overhaul This Year Seems Imminent. DWC Seeks Medical Evaluation Advisory Committee Nominees.

Debt Talks Continue on Capitol Hill President Barack Obama said he's now open to a short-term deal to raise the nation's debt ceiling if it will allow time for a broader plan to be put in place. There are 13 days left before the August 2 deadline, when the U.S. risks defaulting on its financial obligations. A new bipartisan budget plan emerging from the Senate would slash the deficit by almost $4 trillion over a decade, through a mix of spending cuts and new tax revenues. Markets Stocks fell slightly on Wednesday, after their big rally on Tuesday. The Dow lost 16 points, closing at 12,572. The S&P 500 was down one point, to close at 1,326. The Nasdaq shed 12 points, closing at 2,814. The Hudson Yards Project The Hudson Yards project may finally be getting the anchor tenant it needs to start construction. Crains is reporting Wednesday that the developer, The Related Companies, is close to signing a deal with the luxury handbag company Coach for 600,000-square feet of office space. The luxury handbag company would move its corporate headquarters from the Garment District. Erik Engquist, assistant managing editor at Crains, brings us up to speed on the project. He also talks about what Coach brings to the table.

There's more bad news for Social Security and Medicare. The economy, rising health care costs and a drop in taxes have all shortened the life of the two entitlement programs. That is, unless Congress and the White House take action. According to the annual trustees report, Medicare will run out of funds in 2024, five years earlier than expected. The Social Security trust fund will run dry in 2036, one year before officials thought it would. The trustees for the programs say today's news underscores the need for reform. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, chair of the trustee's panel, says larger, more difficult adjustments will help reduce uncertainty.Inflation concernsRising food and gas prices are pushing inflation to its highest level in two and a half years. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says inflation rose by more than 3 percent since April of last year. In New York, it rose slightly less than the national rate. But even as consumers pay more, businesses are actually holding off on raising prices even higher as wholesale prices are increasing even faster.  WNYC's "Slice Index" -- an informal survey of pizzerias in the 5 boroughs -- finds a slice of cheese pizza is pretty much holding steady at $2.50 on average.  This, despite many owners telling WNYC that they are paying much higher prices for ingredients, like olive oil and cheese. Markets Stocks fell today, the second weekly loss in a row. Friday, it was worries about Europe's on-going debt crisis that left investors nervous.The Dow Jones fell 100 points to close at 12,596. The S&P 500 lost 11 points, ending the day at 1,338. The Nasdaq fell 35 points, to finish off at 2,828.Wall Street to the Garment DistrictThis week, wiretaps made the case against a leading hedge fund manager, the governor continues shaking up "business as usual" in Albany and we're paying more for food and gas, but the Federal Reserve doesn't seem too worried. Also in New York's garment district, the question might not be, "Who are you wearing?" but "Who's still here?"Greg David, Director of the Business and Economics Reporting Program at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, shares his insight on this week's latest financial news, including analysis of Wall Street accountability, the state budget, and concerns surrounding several high-profile designers leaving the Garment district.