Have You Been There?: Born in the U.S.A. (...And Then Expanded to Help Those in Need)

Erin and Max of Suno. Photo from here

Not to get all preachy, but if there's one thing I know (and it's quite possible that there is ONLY one thing that I know) it's that most of us have it pretty good. Of course life's never going to be perfect, and these times especially aren't ideal, but there are cultures who live off of less than most of us could possibly imagine. Last summer I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel to a Brazilian favella and meet some of these people for myself. Do you know how much they would have loved to have had jobs that utilized their talents and treated them fairly? To work hard to cultivate a better living situation?

ENTER: Max Osterweis and Erin Beatty, proprietors of the New York-based fashion line, Suno. These two burst onto the fashion scene with their Fall 2010 fashion week apparance and have only gained notoriety since. This pair of New York clothiers, decided not to take the traditional route to clothing production. In fact, the one they chose is more difficult than the typical "outsource production to China or Europe" road taken by so many labels. They took their assembly of fabrics and clothing to Kenya to help "develop these other small economies as well as nurture the talent there."

Suno Spring 2011 from here

Now that doesn't mean they set up sweatshops in these developing countries to procure cheap labor. Osterweis spent over a decade hoarding textiles he had collected from his travels to Kenya, and finally decided to invest in a company that could employ the local talents. He would treat the workers fairly, foster their craft and send tailors to teach the locals new skills. In return he got beautiful, hand-made textiles with which to produce his line. It was a situation which could only be described as win-win. They've since expanded to India where all of their embroidery and beadwork are hand-crafted.

I first learned Suno's story thanks to a March 2011 Vogue, but they've gotten recognition from the likes of Elle, Marie Clare, InStyle, Lucky, W, Glamour and plenty of others. And for good reason. Their clothes are spot on for this spring. They've totally utilized the prints trend in a way that doesn't blend in with all the florals and aztec prints we've seen from so many other designers. But don't think they're a one trick pony riding out the main trend that fits with their established style. Beatty has made it clear that there will be no African prints in their Fall 2011 line. It makes me super excited to see what else they can come up with!

Above Suno photos from here.

Now, don't think just because I've lauded Suno for doing their part to help developing countries that I can't appreciate a good ol' American-made brand. I was very proud to learn of Edith A. Miller from that same Vogue. Would you believe it? Nancy Gibson and Jennifer Murray are two ladies who appreciate a good tee shirt. They appreciate them so much that they hunted down a family-run Pennsylvania knitting mill which, up to that point, only produced men's tees and talked them into producing a line for women as well. Thus sprang forth Edith A. Miller. I definitely wouldn't mind having one or two of these hanging in my closet to pair with... well just about anything!