Just wanted to share a few swell new items that have arrived in the last few weeks, all made with reclaimed or upcycled materials. These are all examples of creative recycling, not to mention great design!
Sarah of sewZinski makes purses and wallets out of reclaimed leather and hand-embroiders amazing designs on them. We have 8 different designs right now that range from pretty to pretty rockin’, including a fox, leaves, lucky charms, a Russian doll and a Mexican “luchador” mask. Awesome!
Aren’t these earrings sweet? They’re made of hand-dyed fragments of vintage doilies that have become a bit too tattered for their original intended use. Made in Philadelphia by Dot & Irma, who also does lovely screenprints on vintage wallpaper sheets!
Jersey boy Jon Compton creates hats for men and women from upcycled fabrics and salvaged garments, using vintage wooden hat blocks. He recently brought in a bunch of new styles, like newsboy caps, cadet caps, a re-imagined trucker cap and this one, the porkpie. Sizes range from XS to XL.
There’s always something new at the Emporium; stop by and browse next time you’re in the neighborhood, won’t you?
There is a jazz classic, “Good-Bye, Pork-Pie Hat” [Charles Mingus 1959] in memory of Lester Young, 1909-1959].
Young was a woodwind/brass instrument specialist dubbed “The Prez” by Billie Holiday [US rank higher than Duke (Ellington), Count (Basie), etc.].
I have read that the deep platonic relationship between Young and Holiday [1915-1959] was perhaps the ONLY one in her super-troubled life that was based on pure Friendship and mutual professional respect. Unlike so many others who exploited her talent [and her body!], he made no demands on her–they just worked together like a charm.
So I always wondered what this famous hat looked like. Now I know!
[...] value (Wikipedia). Grid magazine’s blog, the Griddle, recently featured Vix Emporium’s ecofriendly collection of stylish products created from upcycled and reclaimed products like these hand embroidered purses [...]