The Creative Cookie

Christine Jiwon Ra x Art to Ware

The second in our series of collection drops coming out every 2 weeks is available now in collaboration with recent Parsons School of Design graduate and South Korean designer Christine Jiwon Ra! This collection is hand-dyed, painted, and covered in reclaimed buttons to create one-of-a-kind upcycled garments using out-of-circulation pieces from our friends at Nuuly.

 

“This collection was created with a focus on using pre and post-consumer 'less than ground zero' textile waste destined to be thrown away. Through incorporating artisanal hand dyeing techniques, each item has been designed to have transcendental value in my customer’s wardrobe,” said Christine. “I want to encourage more careful and meaningful relationships between garments and their consumer with my pieces designed to be treasured for life.”

 

Pop into the space, at 21 Greenwich Ave, to shop and celebrate AAPI History Month with this exclusive collection! Check out @arttoware on Instagram and TikTok for up-to-date content on this collection.

 

If you are curious about fashion rental - subscribe to Nuuly and save $10 off your first month with our special code "ArtToWare".

Fashion is Self Care: Change is a Good Thing!

For those of you who have been tuning in to the fashion is self-care pieces that I’ve been writing, I am exceedingly grateful. This experience has been so amazing and I’m beyond honored that I had the opportunity to share these amazing and creative people with you. The fashion is self-care series is taking a brief pause but I promise we will be back in June with a new and improved fashion is self-care series. If you’ve enjoyed reading these pieces, please keep an eye out for the revamped series! Again, thank you for taking the time out of your day to learn a little more about alternative ways to view the fashion world, and remember to always treat fashion as a form of self-care.

If you’d like a refresher on all the visionaries who shared their thoughts with us, you can find the fashion is self-care series here!

O.o.h. Baby x Art to Ware

Ooh Baby, who was recently featured on our fashion is self-care series, has joined the team of designers for the Art to Ware pop-up shop. Art to Ware x Ooh Baby is a one-of-a-kind upcycled collection using out-of-circulation garments from subscription clothing rental brand Nuuly, available exclusively at Art to Ware pop-up starting May 13. Each item is hand up-cycled and original. Make sure you check out the new collection on May 13 and read more about Ooh Baby in her most recent Creative Cookie feature, Fashion is Self Care with Ooh Baby.

Interested in ordering a piece and you are not in NYC, don't fret just email us at [email protected].

These Are the Faces Behind the Art to Ware Pop-Up Shop

With the creation of the Art to Ware pop-up shop, the Creative Cookie team has been graced with so many new faces to get the shop up and running. Today, I am so happy to share a little bit about each person who has worked tirelessly to make the pop-up shop happen. Each member of the Art to Ware team talks about what the pop-up shop means to them and why they chose to get involved with this one-of-a-kind opportunity. 

 

Christine Jiwon Ra

CC: Tell us a bit about yourself and what is your role in the store?

CJR: My name is Christine Jiwon Ra. I am a South Korean creative born in Seoul and raised in London, Hong Kong, and Tokyo with a degree in Fashion Design and Fine Art from Parsons School of Design in New York. I am in charge of the visual display/interior design of the store and am curating the space to make it feel like a beautifully considered "gallery meets retail" experience. I am also a consigned artist at Art To Ware, selling my ceramic and wire sculptures and wearable art, as well as my own paintings. 

CC: Why did you want to be a part of Art to Ware? What drew you to it?

CJR: I met Lesley through a Fashion Design course taught at Parsons Academy on Saturdays, and upon showing the middle school students some of my own work, she approached me to get involved with this pop-up store. I was incredibly excited by the idea of not only uplifting a small business with a focus on highlighting sustainable brands but also to meet and work closely with an inspiring team of all women/POC creatives like myself.

CC: What does the store mean to you?

CJR: I believe we need to be both inventive and creative in exploring more sustainable and ethical avenues in fashion. My way of doing so is to tackle the paradigm of the thoughtless consumer mindset that relies on continually replenishing one’s wardrobe. I am collaborating with Nuuly to release my line of one-of-a-kind, handmade garments upcycled from donated garments (to be released June 3rd). Honoring each garment and not only the physical labor that goes into them but also thinking carefully about the sourcing of each material used is paramount to shift the behaviors toward the throwaway culture of today’s average consumer. This Art To Ware exclusive collection is created with a focus on using pre and post-consumer 'less than ground zero' waste destined to be thrown away as a material and making sure each item in my customer’s wardrobe to have transcendental value through artisanal design through encouraging meaningful relationships between a garment and a consumer.

 

Rachael Stein

CC: Tell us a bit about yourself and what is your role in the store?

RS: I'm the General Manager of Special Events for Art to Ware! I love planning events that promote community, bring awareness to big issues like sustainability and equity in fashion, and leave people feeling inspired and empowered to make a change. I'm looking forward to working on some exciting events at Art to Ware, many of which will be in collaboration with the talented designers and artists featured in the shop. Stay tuned! 

CC: Why did you want to be a part of Art to Ware? What drew you to it?

RS: Lesley and I connected last year over our shared passion for representation and equity in the worlds of sustainability and fashion, so when she asked me to join the Art to Ware team, it was a no-brainer! I'm excited to be working with a diverse group of women to bring this unique pop-up experience to life.

CC: What does the store mean to you?  

RS: For me, Art to Ware means empowering diverse and independent designers and elevating fashion that is truly environmentally conscious. 

 

Tomy Grein

CC: Tell us a bit about yourself and what is your role in the store?

TG: Hi! My name is Tomy Olivier-Grein & I am a multi-faceted artist based in Bushwick. I own & operate my own line specializing in pearl jewelry called Common Exchange. I will be working in the store every Thursday, and am excited to also have opportunities in assisting in the graphic design aspect of the store/brand! 

CC: Why did you want to be a part of Art to Ware? What drew you to it?

TG: My neighbor, Roxy, works for Lesley’s husband. I was over at her apartment telling her how I really wanted to get another job but I was having a hard time committing to anything I didn’t feel excited about. It was basically divine timing because the next day she called me and told me about Art to Ware, and that they were hiring! I am very much committed to the economic advancement of women of color, as well as the concept of leaving our Earth in a better condition than what we inherited. 

CC: What does the store mean to you? 

TG: To me, Art to Ware is the future. All of our employees are women, we have queer women and women of color. When we talk to customers about stock, we can tell them exactly who is making them. We can answer questions other brands probably couldn’t, because of a system of transparency and a commitment to stray away from the kind of consumerism that impacts our planet & climate. I think that is something really special. Lastly, it doesn’t feel like I’m an “employee” of someone else most of the time. I genuinely feel excited to go to work, and it feels like we are ACTUALLY *a part of something* rather than simply working *for someone*. That’s really cool.

 

Kasey Lettrich 

CC: Tell us a bit about yourself and what is your role in the store?

KL: My name is Kasey Lettrich and I am the General Manager of Communications for the Art to Ware pop-up shop. I grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and am now a senior at West Virginia University studying journalism with minors in strategic social media and fashion merchandising. I started my journey with The Creative Cookie in November when I joined the team as the fashion journalism intern. 

CC: Why did you want to be a part of Art to Ware? What drew you to it?

KL: I have enjoyed every minute of working for Lesley Ware as the Creative Cookie intern and knew that I wanted to be a part of whatever she created. When she announced that she was starting a pop-up shop I couldn’t have been more excited to get involved. This store is a place of acceptance and creativity and sustainability and I believe in everything that it stands for. 

CC: What does the store mean to you?

KL: To me, Art to Ware is a platform for young creatives to get their name in the New York City scene. It is also a place where you can be accepted for whoever you are and buy things that support that image. It is a creative environment that is opening doors for so many people, myself included, and I couldn’t be more honored to be a part of it!

Fashion is Self Care with Morgan Widmer

Morgan Widmer, a fashion design student at West Virginia University and previous intern for The Creative Cookie is in the midst of creating her largest collection yet. She recently helped Lesley Ware to create her book, 101 Ways to Love Your Style, and wrote a cookbook of her own. She is a believer in fashion as a form of self-care and incorporates it, not only into what she wears every day but also for the people who wear her designs. She said, “With my designs, I like to think that they offer the wearer an escape into a dreamland or an imagination land where they can feel free to be creative and have fun and play.” Morgan’s view on fashion is inspiring to so many, and hopefully, her view will be one to make the fashion world a more sustainable and beautiful place.

Continue reading to hear more of Morgan’s growing experience in the fashion industry and how she incorporates fashion into her life as self-care. Make sure to check out her Instagram, @morganwidmer, to follow her on her fashion journey. 

CC: Tell me a bit about yourself. What do you do? Where are you from? 

MW: I am from Buckhannon, West Virginia but I go to WVU (West Virginia University). I’m a fashion design student in my senior year but I don’t do a lot right now other than my senior collection. I also have written a cookbook, Easy Yummies for Vegan Tummies, because I love to cook.

 

CC: Why are you studying fashion?

MW: I first decided in high school that I wanted to study fashion because I just loved being creative and I always loved art classes and I also loved clothes so it seemed really fun to me. I was going to do physical therapy as a safe career but it sounded miserable. I shadowed a physical therapist and thought, “I can’t do this. I have to do something that actually means something to me.” I was really encouraged to keep doing fashion because of how terrible the fashion industry is and I wanted to help make a change.

 

CC: How did you find out about The Creative Cookie? How long have you been partnering/working with Lesley? 

MW: I found out about Lesley through my professor Beth who found out about her through a friend to do a remote internship because no in-person internships were happening last summer. So, I interned with her over the summer working on her book, 101 Ways to Love Your Style. I am working with her now on another book.

 

CC: Tell me about some of your designs. What are some of your greatest accomplishments in your work?

MW: I am working on my senior collection right now so that is the biggest design project I have done. I actually just entered a pitch competition with my designs and made it to the finals!

 

CC: Tell me a bit about your final collection.

MW: My final collection is called “Dessert Before Dinner” and I actually wrote a blurb that can explain it better than I can: “Dessert Before Dinner serves as an exercise to extend the imagination rather than thinking so logically all the time. It questions norms and exists to encourage others to do so as well. Then life begins to feel a little different- more fun, free and inspired. Why can’t you wear a scarf as a skirt or a fork as a necklace? Why do shoes have to match and why can’t you eat dessert before dinner? Maybe you can.”

I use scraps to make all of my designs so I source them from FABSCRAP in New York and they source textile waste from designers that would otherwise be put in the landfills. I also like to use the scraps of my scraps to make bags and stuff so I’m all about sustainability in my designs and I like to use natural dyes.  

 

CC: What is something you wish you could tell young girls who want to study fashion?

MW: I have found that the most important part of fashion and designing collections is truly bringing what’s inside of yourself and putting it into your work to make it completely original. It can be really hard to find that like what is actually the aesthetic within yourself. I think it’s harder, in the long run, to just compare yourself to others. But, you won’t really get far doing that so I think it’s important to definitely stay true to yourself. And, to have fun!

 

CC: What inspires you and your creations?

MW: I am often inspired by vintage films, surrealism, other kinds of art, and, particularly, my grandad’s art. He was an artist and an architect and so I’m inspired by a lot of the colors that he used.

 

CC: Where do you see yourself in 10 years? How do you think the things you are creating right now will help you achieve those goals?

MW: I get really stressed out when I think about the future and I used to think about the future a lot so I’ve tried to not actually have a plan but to just try my hardest and what I’m doing in the moment and see where it takes me. I think that what I’m doing right now is what I will be doing in 10 years in the sense that I’m pouring myself into my work and doing what I love to do.

 

CC: What is your idea of “fashion as self-care” and why?

MW: I think that the clothes you put on your body can really set the mood for your day and your life. With my designs, I like to think that they offer the wearer an escape into a dreamland or an imagination land where they can feel free to be creative and have fun and play. For me, I like to wear a lot of colors and kind of play around with all kinds of things because I think it’s fun. I definitely make my day different when I’m wearing an outfit that is fun and I feel like I curated rather than just something boring.