One of the more interesting moments of my last NY trip was meeting a designer whose work I've never mentioned here and haven't had the pleasure of wearing, but whose name has been on my radar for the last two years. If you're at all familiar with the menswear side of interesting, handmade, small run fashion, i.e. InAisce, Sruli Recht, and any other label Layers or re. porter sells, you have probably come across the name Zam Barrett. If not, a very short online research session will show you that a) he already has quite the loyal following, and b) he's most known for his jeans. With the ridiculous aftermath of the tragic Bangladesh factory collapse (i.e. certain large clothing companies not agreeing to sign the Safety Accord that would make the companies accountable for the conditions of their factories and thus safety of their workers), I've been on the hunt for mens jeans that are made ethically. Not for me, as I'm happily stocked with enough jeans to get me through perhaps even one more degree. The issue is that I have now got my man hooked on black skinnies, but I have to make sure that his new fashion sensibilities don't conflict with my fashion morals. Also, his habit of wearing his wallet in his back pocket (courtesy of his chain-wallet wearing days) means he needs a new pair every year. My meeting with Zam was set up (graciously by our mutual friend, Patricia Ayres) at just the right moment then. All of Zam's pieces (clothing and accessories) are made in-house, in a 'factory' in Brooklyn that consists of him, a team of eight artisans/tailors, and an adjoining showroom (with some lovely tree stumps as stools). Meaning you can see every step of the production of Zam's designs, feel all the lovely natural fabrics and see the incredible seam detail first hand, try on the finished product, and have a philosophic conversation with the very man behind it all, all in the same studio. As I wasn't sure if I'd come home to news of receiving zero funding for the last year of my degree, I kept myself from purchasing a pair of minimalist jeans for my man...or a linen blazer for myself...or a cotton/metal coat for myself...or anything made of the gorgeous woven silk swatch Zam showed me...But, dear Zam, I will be in touch. Especially given the 40% 50% off code now up for your shop (PARIS40 PARIS50). And you, dear kOs readers, you may want to keep an eye out...because Zam Barrett womenswear may be coming soon...
Oh, seeing as this (iPhone) photo (taken by Patricia) has already been posted on the Internets, I suppose I should share it here as well. This is Zam and I in his showroom, him wearing his own work and me wearing Ursa Minor. Yes, I'm pretty much blonde now.
.JPG)
Goodness, Henry Rollins just played (well, on Sunday's show) one of my favorite Monty Python bits, "Neville Shunt", from which I got a blog title once: "But where is the ambiguity? Over there, in a box." That blog post was also NY-themed. Hmm...
