Category Archives: Spotlight

Spotlight on: Ring Cozy

When my friend Ana Maria first told me about her new venture “Ring Cozy” I was intrigued. The concept of Ring Cozy is simple: a neoprene sleeve keeps your precious engagement ring safe when you’re being active. No more taking your ring off when you’re playing sports, doing chores or working with your hands. It’s such a simple concept but one that makes total sense.

I recently sat down with Ana Maria to find out more about how she got the idea for Ring Cozy and what keeps her inspired -

1) Tell us a little bit about your background. Why and how did you start Ring Cozy?

I’ve been coming up with invention-type ideas for as long as I can remember. Even before I was old enough to wear makeup I thought that all compacts should come with lights around the mirrors so you could powder your nose in the dark. I think that’s happened by now :)

With Ring Cozy, I had the idea after seeing that I was damaging my ring while working out. It was something that I could easily prototype on my home sewing machine and then figure out the rest. I also knew that I couldn’t be the only woman in the world worried about damaging her beloved ring! My guy paid good money for it and it means a lot to us symbolically … the least I could do was protect it.

2) Life before Ring Cozy?

We were living in London for my husband’s job and I was lucky enough to turn that move into an opportunity to explore my own interests outside of a 9 to 5. I took my passion for flea markets and started a web shop selling small vintage pieces that I bought at markets in Europe (that was too much fun). I simultaneously started dabbling in freelance photography and graphic design work which gave me many practical skills and tools for launching Ring Cozy.

3) Best/Worst part of your job?

Best: Meeting other women who share the same concerns about their rings while being active and hearing that Ring Cozy is their solution. I know that I’m not saving the world but in a small way Ring Cozy helps save something that is precious to someone.

Worst: The feeling of needing to be “on” at all times just because your work is on your laptop and your laptop is in your home.

2) Who/What inspires you?

People with a can-do attitude and determination to see the bright side of things. My parents definitely embody that and they inspire me to no end. Also, travel inspires me because it forces one to see and experience things differently. Even if it’s just a few hours drive from your hometown, there’s bound to be something that stands out and catches your attention.

3) Beyond Ring Cozy what fuels your soul?

Exploring. Exploring a new city, an antique store, a museum, a national park, you name it. There’s plenty out there to keep a curious mind going.

3) Favorite travel destination?
I’m going to cheat and do more than one:

The Coffee Triangle in Colombia for family and beautiful landscapes

Brugge, Belgium for Christmas in a Medieval town

New Orleans for the music and soul of the city

4) Describe your perfect day?

If it includes at least one long leisurely meal with good company then I am one happy girl. I guess that fuels my soul, too.

Find out more about Ring Cozy  and support Ana Maria on Kickstarter

Spotlight on: Bold Vegan

You might remember my friend Molly from several posts back – the Vegan chef who shared with us her delicious tofu salad recipe. A lot has been happening with Molly since the last time we chatted; not only has she moved from the Bay Area to New Mexico but she’s also launched an amazing cookbook Bold Vegan.

I recently caught up with Molly and her co-writer Luanne to find out more about cookbook writing, healthy eating and just what the heck is tempeh..

Bold Vegan is such an amazing and exciting way to look at vegan food. Can you tell us how it came about?

Molly & Luanne: It was a collaboration that came from wanting to provide bold flavors and new techniques of cooking to people who want to eat less meat.There are many people right now wanting to explore less meat in their diet and there are a lot of amazing vegan and vegetarian cookbooks out there. We wanted to offer recipes that were uncommon to this part of the world.

Some of the recipes in the book are really hard to find because they are so unique, like savory pan fried turnip cake with garlic and bean sprouts (Char Koay) — found sporadically or at night markets in Malaysia. We thought it would be fun to bring these rare recipes to readers.

At what age did you start cooking and where did you get your inspiration from?

Molly: I started shadowing my mom in the garden and then the kitchen at a young age, around 5 or 6. She has always been my culinary inspiration.  I was raised a vegetarian and it was important to her that I knew how to cook so that when I got older, food wouldn’t be an issue. When I was growing up there were nowhere near the amount of vegetarian and vegan restaurants and cookbooks as there are now.

When I was younger, I used to go to McDonald’s with my friends and I would order a cheeseburger with lettuce and no burger patty. My friends and the workers behind the counter looked at me like I was crazy. I remember the cashier having to call the manager because there was no button on the cash register to request that modification.

What is your favorite recipe from the book and why?

Luanne: They are mostly all my favorites. These are dishes that I grew up with in Malaysia and are not commonly available here. It brought back a lot of memories. I’m excited that people are able to experience a part of South East Asian food in their own homes through our book.

Molly: The stir fried tempeh with green beans in sambal sauce and coconut rice is one of the  best things I’ve ever eaten. That dish is like heaven in my mouth. Tempeh dishes in the US are often really bland. Indonesians however, know how to cook some tempeh! I am also really proud of the sambal sauce because it is traditionally made with shrimp paste and it’s difficult to make dried shrimp flavor without shrimp! It took me many hours in the kitchen to get it just right.

 

Did you discover any interesting ingredients while writing the book that you had not come across before?

Molly:  Lot’s! I had little experience cooking Asian food before my first trip to South East Asia in 2009. I arrived there and a whole world of food and new ingredients opened up. One thing I realized after the book was complete was that I didn’t use my oven for one single recipe. Everything is either steamed, blanched or pan fried.

What is the number one thing that people need to understand right now that they probably don’t know about a vegan diet and how eliminating meat and dairy can affect their lives for the better?

Molly: This is such an important question. If there is one thing that I want people to understand it is that we are all in charge of our own health. The human body is an amazing machine, capable of a lot and we are designed to be healthy. Our bodies are like cars, give them good fuel and proper maintenance and they will run well for a long time. So much illness and disease can be prevented and even reversed simply by eating a healthy plant based diet.

The Western diet is one that is nutritionally void. There is so much fuss about carbs, fat and protein when really, the most important thing for our health are Phytonutrients which come from plants. When people consume their calories from processed food, meat and dairy, they are setting themselves up for a lot of health problems. The good news is that this can be reversed by eating the right things. Bring on the green veggies, grains and beans and your health will start looking up.

The first step is realizing / awareness and then comes the learning / education which leads to implementation.

Any suggestions on how to get a meat lover to eat more vegetables?

Luanne: As a meat eater all my life, I’ve managed to reduce my meat intake drastically by adding a healthy dose of vegetables in every meal.  For me it has always been about adding, not subtracting like most diets. This is when the paradigm shift occurs. When you add lots of leafy greens, you feel good and you have better digestion and bowel movements. When you feel better, you wanna keep doing it. .

One thing I have noticed is how I feel after I eat a completely plant-based meal vs a meat one — I don’t feel lethargic or feel the need to take a nap after a plant-based meal. After doing this for awhile, you will notice the difference. Your body and palate changes and the meat requirement for every meal no longer becomes a requirement.

Will you be writing more cookbooks?

Molly & Luanne:  We are working on our next book now – A vegan cookbook geared towards meat eaters, due out later this year. We are super stoked about it! We had so much fun with our first book that we quit our jobs and moved to New Mexico to write the second!

Where can people find Bold Vegan?

boldvegan.com

You can order the eBook or printed version directly through the website.

Spotlight on TVS Press

 

I have a confession to make..I love stationery. There’s something to be said about receiving a card from a friend you haven’t heard from in a while or a hand-written note, and although it’s getting more difficult to find handcrafted paper products there are still a handful of producers dedicated to the fine art of printing. My friend Emily is one of those producers and I recently caught up with her to find out more about her company The Victory Special Press, home-roasted coffee and life in Alaska.

Emily TVS Press

1)When and how did you start The Victory Special Press? I woke up one morning in the summer of 2010 with a strong desire to learn to make paper by hand. I took a week-intensive course that I really enjoyed, but then I had a bunch of paper that I didn’t know what to do with. So, I found a letterpress class about an hour away and signed up for that. Ends up that I fell more in love with letterpress printing and started the business within a year, but I do still enjoy making paper for my own personal purposes.

2)Life before The Victory Special Press? I’ve been all over the place, job-wise and location-wise. My degree is in photojournalism and I did a brief stint at a paper in New England, but then I taught both Art History and English as a foreign language. I’ve lived in Boston, New Zealand and Paris. Whew! The Victory Special Press has definitely helped me to settle down and focus.

3)What’s the best part of your job? Probably the yin and yang of the process versus the printing. When designing I get to be free-spirited and creative, but while printing I have to be very precise and a bit of a handyman. It’s exciting to use many different ways to problem solve on any given day.

4)What’s the worst part of your job? I don’t like cleaning the press all that much.

5)How would you describe the style of your designs? I like clean, simple, gender-neutral designs and colors. It’s too easy to put a bunch of stuff on a design – I think that less is more, especially in today’s world where we’re constantly inundated with images. I often incorporate lots of “old-timey” and vintage Western/Gold Rush imagery. I’m assuming that comes from my Nebraska roots and current home in Alaska! Those tried and true typefaces from the 19th and early 20th century are great – there’s a reason they’ve been around so long. And if I can find a way to get my vintage wood type in a design, all the better.

6)Who is your greatest inspiration? It’s cliche I guess, but my grandfather. He started a company during the Great Depression with the money he and my grandmother saved for their honeymoon. With that small start-up cash he ended up doing amazing things with the company and for the community I grew up in. He never took his success for granted and had such great humility throughout his life. I hope I have incorporated many of those values into my business.

7)Beyond TVS Press what fuels your soul? Being as self-sustaining as possible. Obviously we still need lots of things provided to us (electricity, gas, and so on), but I like to make and create as much as possible. In our house we roast our own coffee, make our own veggie stocks and pasta, pick berries in the summer, grow herbs, and knit our winter apparel. It’s really fulfilling to provide for yourself rather than relying on others.

8)Favorite travel destination? I love to travel and have been fortunate to have visited many places over the years, so any place new is always exciting to check out. I like places where I can explore and do some sightseeing, but can also relax over a coffee and chat with locals. Since moving to Alaska I’ve been really keen to check out all sorts of places throughout the state. But internationally? That list is long. If it works out, I hope the next big trip is to go to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia!

9)Describe your perfect day. Waking up to a cup of our home-roasted coffee; sketching and designing and some printing (of course!); an afternoon outside either hiking, skiing or mountain biking; then and a nice dinner of homemade pasta paired with classic cocktails.

Look out for Emily’s creations at www.tvspress.com and Anthropologie stores nationwide.

Spotlight on: Molly Patrick

Those of you who follow my blog will know that I have been struggling with vegetarianism for quite some time. I don’t eat meat during the week but often find myself straying during the weekends. That’s why I really admire my friend Molly. Not only has Molly been a vegetarian her whole life, she’s also a vegan chef, runs a chain of healthy vegetarian restaurants called Nature’s Express and recently launched VeganBuzz.me. Read on to find out some of Molly’s favorite recipes and how her unusual childhood shaped who she is today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You grew up in a teepee in New Mexico with no electricity or running water. Can you tell us more about what that experience was like and how it shaped who you are today?

I never knew that the way I grew up was any different from anyone else. It wasn’t until I got older and started going to other kid’s houses that I started to realize that my house was different. I remember really wanting an indoor toilet and a regular shower, especially in the winter because it was cold but I don’t ever remember being embarrassed or really wanting a “normal” house.

I have the best parents in the world and all I knew growing up was love, acceptance, support, fun and security. Looking back, I am extremely grateful for growing up the way that I did. It made me grounded and humble. There are a lot of Americans who act as though they are very much entitled. I escaped that because I was raised very simply and with a lot of love.

 

You’ve been a vegetarian your whole life and are a big proponent of a plant-based diet. Why are you so passionate about this?

How long do you have? I was raised without ever eating meat and as I got older it wasn’t something that I wanted to explore. I never had a desire to eat meat so I never did. I became completely vegan (no animal products whatsoever including eggs and honey) 3 years ago and never looked back. In the first 2 weeks that I eliminated dairy from my diet I was shocked at the surge of energy that I had and at the way my skin was glowing. It was very easy for me to transition into a vegan diet, especially because I love to cook!

I am passionate about my dietary choice for numerous reasons. From a health perspective, there is way too much scientific evidence that links animal proteins with diseases, like diabetes and cancer, to ignore. Americans have very devoted relationships with their Doctors and are motivated a lot by fear. They will take one prescription to treat one condition and then take another prescription to treat a condition that came about because of the original prescription! It’s ludicrous! We are one of the richest nations in the world and yet we have the crappiest health care systems. If everyone took responsibility for their own health and started eating right then we wouldn’t be spending billions on health care every year.

It really is that simple.

I am also completely disgusted with meat production in this country. Americans spend over 70 billion dollars every year on their pets – they buy their cats and dogs strollers (ugh) and then turn a blind eye to factory farming where animals get skinned alive, live in their own filth, are confined their whole life, get pumped so full of hormones and then given antibiotics to help their infections so that they will live long enough to produce adequate yields of meat.

I have a choice, so I choose not to contribute to this terrible industry.

How important do you think giving up meat consumption is for the environment?

The meat and dairy industry as a whole is terrible for the environment. There is a ton of evidence that backs this up and I will give you one example. The Environmental Defense Fund has calculated that if every American skipped one meal of chicken per week and replaced it with a vegetarian meal, the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as if the nation removed more than half a million cars from U.S roads.

I have always wondered about environmentalists who eat meat!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You just launched a website VeganBuzz.me – can you tell us more about it and why you started it?

Yes! I am really excited about VeganBuzz! I try to stay informed about vegan things going on in the media and found that I had to go to lots of different resources to find out the latest happenings in the vegan industry.I wanted there to be one place that was easy to navigate, aesthetically pleasing and had up to date information about all things vegan. There wasn’t a site like this so I decided to make one. 

Do you have any tips for all those meat-eaters out there who would like to turn to a kinder diet?

I have a ton but I will give you my top three:

  1. Be easy on yourself and know that it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. It is a process. Even if you commit to 3 meals a week that don’t have milk or dairy in them you are making a huge difference. The healthier you get the better you will feel and the healthier you will want to eat. Eventually you will switch from  “I should” to “I want to”.
  1. Watch the documentaries Forks Over Knives and Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.
  1. There are a ton of awesome vegan blogs out there that are sure to inspire you. Whether you are inspired by fashion, cooking or shopping. I recommend Alicia Silverstone’s blog, http://www.thekindlife.com/ and the green gossip blog, http://www.ecorazzi.com/

 

What are your favorite foods? Can you share a favorite recipe?

I don’t discriminate, if it’s vegan I will eat it! However, I try to stay away from processed food as much as possible. My general rule is: if it comes from the ground then eat it, if it comes from a factory, just say no.

You can find recipes on my blog, mollypatrick.com but here is one for the road - 

Your Mama’s Egg Salad Just Got Bettter!


16 ounces firm tofu
1 cup of celery, finely chopped
¼ cup red onions, finely diced
2 Tablespoons fennel, finely chopped
¼ cup Kale, finely chopped

Sauce
1 cup mayo
1 tsp. yellow mustard
½ tsp. apple cider vinegar
½ tsp. lemon juice
1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
¼ tsp. turmeric
½ Tablespoon of fresh dill (or 1 tsp. dried)
¼ tsp. sea salt
⅛ tsp. sugar
⅛ tsp. white pepper

- Rinse tofu and place in a strainer. Press as much moisture out of the tofu as you can with a paper towel.
- Grate tofu into a large bowl with a cheese grater.
- Place celery, onions, fennel and kale on top of the tofu.
- In a medium size mixing bowl add the sauce ingredients and mix until well combined.  
- Add sauce to tofu and stir until combined.

You live in the Bay Area – any vegan restaurants to recommend?

The Bay Area vegan food scene is a wet dream for vegans. My top three SF vegan restaurants:

  1. Millennium – Higher end but ridiculously good with a killer wine and list.
  2. Gracias Madre – Amazing Mexican food and super cool vibe.
  3. Enjoy Vegetarian – Small and dinky – super yummy Chinese food.

My top three East Bay vegan restaurants:

  1. Nature’s Express (I might be bias because I work there but the food is seriously AMAZING) – If there’s one thing to try, have it be the Cheesy Mushroom Chik-un Melt wrapped in a blanch collard leaf, please.
  2. Potala Vegan – Macrobiotic – every cell in your body will be smiling when you are through with your meal.
  3. Flacos – If you haven’t tried their tacos and you live in the east bay, get your ass there! (I will most likely be there!).

 

How do you stay inspired?

I am inspired everyday by the possibility of change. I believe that if more people had accurate knowledge about the crap they eat then a lot of people would make changes in their diet. There is a shift happening right now. Veganism has never been as mainstream as it is currently is. 

People like Ellen DeGeneres, Russell Simmons, Alicia Silverstone, Bill Clinton and Mike Tyson are all really vocal about their diet — let’s face it, vegans love to talk about the fact that they are vegan! This society is motivated by famous people so a lot of people are starting to get curious about it. With that comes an opportunity to inform. I believe in informing when asked as opposed to shoving something down people’s throats.

What can we expect from you in the following months?

I have been working on my first cookbook for what seems like forever! I hope to have that out in the next few months. Apart from that, you can expect a lot of vegan coverage!


Kayu’s Favorite Jewelry Line

Minz must-have rope bracelet

We are huge fans of Minz, a chic and totally wearable line of accessories created by the sister team of Adeline and Nicole. Minz’s humble beginnings can be traced back to the days of Friendster when the sisters used to showcase their collection on photo albums. Now the line includes breathtaking earrings and necklaces incorporating pearls and turquoise, and delicate charms. Most recently Minz expanded into the online space with the launch of their store Minz Loves, a place where other emerging designers can showcase their work alongside Minz accessories.

Adeline Tan, one half of the Minz duo, recently sat down with Kayu to talk inspiration, sibling rivalry and her season’s must-haves.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into fashion?

My background is in Banking & Finance and I enjoy crunching numbers just as much as I enjoy wiring beads and baubles together. I’m a completely self-taught jewellery designer. My dabble into jewellery design started out as a hobby as I looked to satiate my love for unique accessories which I couldn’t find in stores.  Minz is a reflection of our personal style and draws inspiration from the randomosity of fashion made for the young and restless at heart.

Minz is a family business – what’s it like working with your sister?

Working with Nicole is a joy although it’s of course not without its ups and downs. We complement each other in different ways which is reflected in our design. Her style is understated with a feminine touch while mine is more edgy. It’s great to work with someone who is always in sync with you and to be able to bounce ideas off each other.
 

Minz statement necklace  

How would you define your personal style?

You’re likely to catch me in a pair of tailored shorts and a blouse on most days. I tend to stick to basics in neutral shades and colour blocks which I like to play up with a statement necklace or bangle stacks. I would say that my style is casual chic with a feminine edge.

What are your three style must-haves?

A big tote, sunglasses and a LBD.

Who are your favorite designers and why?

I love how Miuccia Prada has married the essence of Prada and repurposed the designs. I also love Club Monaco. They have a great collection of basics which are not overly casual.

What can we expect to see from Minz in the coming months? 

We will be bringing on more labels onto our website- more accessories, bags, shoes and ready to wear to complement the Minz collection. Expect real fashion. We aim to enhance the online shopper customer experience by bringing on things that are relevant to a daily lifestyle. Something that works from 9 to 5 and into the night.

To check out more of Minz go to http://minz.com.my/

Luxury Concierge with a Conscience

With today’s busy lifestyles it’s hard enough organizing one’s life, much less doing it in a way that’s ethically and socially conscious. New lifestyle management agency Ethique helps individuals and businesses with everything from booking leisure services to conducting research and sourcing products, and all in a way that combines quality solutions with social and environmental values.

Kayu sat down with Ethique founder Pimme Pande-Jones to find out her views on sustainable luxury and what we as individuals can do to make more informed choices.




How did you become interested in sustainable luxury and what does that term mean to you?

I was working in Bombay in TV and Film, and I was surrounded by this unbelievable growing wealth, and yet there was this increasing disparity between rich and poor; also the effects of climate change were all around, from flooding to earthquakes, to toxic fumes from rudimentary roadside cookers. At first I used to wonder how people could comfortably drive past the abject poverty. And then I realised that for the most part, they just look past it, they don’t know how to help; they are frustrated by it.

Over the course of 8 years and three poignant moments: an interview I did with The Dalai Lama, to a conversation with the Head of a renewable energy organization, to watching Al Gore’s ‘An Inconvenient Truth’, I decided to look into how to motivate wealthier, more influential people towards ethical aims, to be able to influence the luxury market to become more accountable, and so Ethique was born. Sustainable luxury to me is a traditionally influenced form of luxury that covets artisanship and uniqueness, that values people and our planet; sustainable luxury is not about excess, it is the opposite, it is about slowing down the way we consume, and creating a connection between the object we purchase and it’s origin, one where we can be proud to know both it’s journey and it’s legacy.

How do you go about picking the pieces that make it into Ethique?

I choose what really grabs my attention, what I feel not only stands out in the cluttered luxury market but also pushes boundaries in ethical design. And I have to feel convinced about the brand and it’s ethical endeavours, I’m very clear about my objective and look for a similar ethos with other brands and designers. I stay away from an ethical claim if it seems wishy-washy.

What are some of your favorite ethical designers and why?


Mr. Larkin – not sure if they’re still around – but I loved the clean lines, beautiful flattering feminine shapes and I love the vintage inspired designs and their progressive attitude towards sustainable fashion and ethics in general. I also love From Somewhere for their innovative, stylish re-invention of recycled, discarded fabrics and Olsen Haus for their edgy vegan footwear. And of course I love Kayu‘s whole approach to ethical fashion, but especially the gorgeous, retroesque clutches that are little works of art – I think even my husband wants one!

In your everyday life, what are some of the things you do to walk the talk?

I am quite conscious about energy conservation; I hate seeing appliances on ‘standby’ and go round the house switching off all the power points which annoys my husband! I use public transport and walk a lot! I recycle huge amounts of rubbish and compost all the food waste.

I’m actually not a big shopper, but I love Vintage, swishing, thrift stores. I also love mixing designer with high street. As long as I feel comfortable about the ethics behind the brand, then I will adopt it. I upcycle clothing where possible and though I don’t eat meat, I stick to sustainably sourced fish. I have my favourite restaurants with ethical values where I know I don’t have to ask about the origins of the fish or produce becasue they are transparent about those things.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to make more sustainable choices when it comes to their purchasing habits?

Don’t buy so much! But when you do, be clever about it. If it’s fashion, choose fabrics that are durable, well constructed and longer lasting. Look our for bamboo, milk fibre, and try to stick to organic cotton if possible. Read Ecouterre and Treehugger for more ideas. And if you need help, hire an ethical Stylist likeThink Style or talk to Ethique!

What can we expect to see from Ethique in the following months?

More diverse ethical fashion and lifestyle brands on the boutique. More events. Our Asian inspired concierge services are launching later in the year. And meanwhile, our new Private Networking Group, Circle, for forward thinking people and brands has just started and it’s free to join: http://www.ethique-concierge.co.uk/static/Member_Services

SPOTLIGHT on Darjeeling Cotton

In May 2011, my good friend Denise started a line of 100% cotton bedding called Darjeeling Cotton. KAYU asked her about her background, inspiration and how each quilt sold from her collection directly benefits children in Asia. 
What inspired you to start Darjeeling Cotton?

While traveling in India I came across traditional hand block textiles that were so unique and beautiful. I fell in love with the colors and patterns and was awed that these textiles were made by hand by village craftsmen. I realized that the textile traditions of Asia are so rich and diverse and it made me want to share it with the rest of the world.

How do you choose the colors and patterns for your collection?

We take classic and traditional Asian textile patterns and update them with vibrant colors and contemporary detailing, turning them into fresh, fun and modern designs. 

Where is your bedding made?

Darjeeling Cotton products are made in India. We hope to expand our future collections to showcase textiles from other parts of Asia. 

Each quilt sold educates a child. Can you tell us a bit about why this is important and how the donations are made?
A sound education, especially at the primary level, is the single most important gift that a child can receive, beyond the basics of food, water and shelter. Education equals opportunity which is what children need to enable them to rise out of their impoverished surroundings. For every quilt sold Darjeeling Cotton donates USD12 to provide one year of education to a child. The donations are made to the Central Asia Institute, an NGO that promotes rural education and literacy in remote regions where there are few or no education opportunities. 


How do you stay inspired?



I love traveling to different countries and discovering textiles indigenous to those areas. Every country has its own unique and beautiful textile traditions which I find fascinating!

What can we expect to see from Darjeeling Cotton in the following months?

Hand block prints are extremely striking and suitable for other products aside from bedding such as tote bags, cosmetic pouches and other home accessories which we plan to offer in the coming months. 

For more information and to purchase Darjeeling Cotton products go to www.darjeelingcotton.com 

Samantha of StyleSofia

A couple of months ago I was introduced to the gorgeous Samantha Choong, super stylist and photographer. Sam was responsible for the images in Kayu’s Autumn/Winter 2010 lookbook which I’m sure you’ll agree turned out beautifully.
What you may not know is that Sam also owns trendy webstore StyleSofia which, despite being less than a year old, is already making waves in the online fashion world. Recently Sam took some moments out of her busy schedule to talk to us about StyleSofia and what her views are on sustainable fashion.

  • When and why did you start StyleSofia?
Stylesofia was founded in November 2009. My aim was to make fashion more accessible for everyone around the globe with chic, classic pieces you’d keep and wear over and over.
  • How would you describe the StyleSofia girl?
Having an unlimited budget is not necessarily a blessing when it comes to getting dressed; money can zap creativity. The Stylesofia girl is someone who is style savvy and experimental; mixing luxury with thrift, and new with vintage. She is someone who can make the best out of her monthly budget while looking completely effortless and stylish.
  • What are the trends and your picks for Spring 2010?
I’m glad you asked! This Spring/Summer brings about a fresh take on many of my favorite FW pieces.I love how gold is transitioning to a more grubby tone, making it less in-your-face. I also love that nude is back with an edge. Think about pairing your studded accessories with neutral pieces instead of black to give yourself a more subtle look. This is also the season of finely tailored cuts so its important to pick pieces that are structured, yet effortless looking.
Cream padded blazer ($27), StyleSofia

Metal scoop jersey dress ($30), StyleSofia
  • How do you go about picking the pieces that make it into StyleSofia?
I believe that everything I pick is an extension of me. I don’t buy things because i think someone else will love them, I buy them because i love them. Quality is very important and I ensure that all our pieces are of good workmanship & fabric.
  • Where is your favorite place to go to buy pieces?
Anywhere and everywhere! I don’t specifically lock myself down to one single location; I can do a buy even when I’m on holiday somewhere exotic.
  • What in your wardrobe can you not live without?
I’m truly in love with classic and versatile pieces. Things I could not live without include my vintage Bally slingbacks, Topshop dead skinny matte pants and thrifted Bretton sailing top.
  • What is your view on sustainable and ethical design?
We can all help by ensuring the the materials we use are low impact and recyclable, and that we prevent production wastage through proper management and planning. We all have to be conscious about the way we do things to ensure we don’t further contribute to the earth’s degradation.
  • Any fashion tips?
Work on establishing your own personal style. I know this line is very overused – but finding your own signature style takes years and years of trial and experimentation. I’m still in the process of experimenting and collecting the pieces that truly represent me. Experiment and make mistakes.
  • What’s coming next for StyleSofia?

We will keep on bringing you exciting, must-have pieces while planning for interesting collaborations and features on our site. Watch our space!

To learn more about StyleSofia and Sam check out www.stylesofia.com