Secondhand: Amberle and the Thrift Store

 

Like many teenagers, I didn’t want to spend time with my family. I regarded them as nice people with whom I was forced to cohabitate with until such time as I was released to pursue the thing I wanted most “My Own Life,” independent of other’s demands, desires, and transport limitations. Like many teenagers, they continued to demand my participation in activities with them, as if they didn’t recognize my difference, my purposeful growth and movement away from them. There were some family activities that I continued to enjoy, but was forced to express a general displeasure toward in accordance with my commitment to the code of teenage dissatisfaction. Often, on winter Saturdays in the season where the light returns and the cold remains, my younger sister would ask to go to the Salvation Army, our term for a motley collection of second hand shops in the neighboring town, again and again until our parents, serial home redecorators, yielded to her in exchange for her cooperation in a visit to Home Depot. My presence would be requested and I would begrudgingly agree to join. At the secondhand stores, I bought floppy flannel shirts that were miraculously in style, comfortable, appropriate for my body type, and available in vast quantities. I always bought at least two pairs of unstylish narrow leg jeans. My sister would buy gold lame anything, sparkly tops and acid wash jeans. My parents would consider large wood cupboards and over the years developed an impressive collection of “secretaries” desks with drawers and compartments with a folding cover. Back at home my sister and I would sit with our growing collection of sewing machines and bags of fabric, buttons, trims, and notions, while our parents wiped off their new piece of furniture and considered sanding and stripping it of its existing varnish and painting it a bright color. Let the deconstruct begin. I specialized in opening the out seam of the legs of the jeans and inserting large pieces of brightly colored material to create bell bottoms or adding the entire legs of a second pair of pants resulting in enormous, sweeping wide legs which were also, mercifully, popular in the 1990’s. My sister had (and still has) a great affinity for bedazzling, setting rhinestones, and grommeting, setting metal rings into clothing. On one occasion, when she was around 10 years old, she also opened the outside leg of her jeans, but employed a different tactic by setting a line of grommets from the ankle to the hip on each side of the seam and lacing them back together with a long leather strip. This style, while preternaturally fashionable for 5th grade, was deemed “too revealing” by her teacher and therefore for public use in general and sadly, she could only wear them around the house.
Our parents supported us not only in our quest for individuality, but introduced us to the supplies and skills we use with A. Bernadette today. Our affinity for and defense of “secondhand” or “used” clothing as the raw material for sustainable fashion, for fashionable fashion, is not an economic or superficial choice. We believe in secondhand clothing because it represents quality: we select materials that have lived before and show that they can stand up to even more wear and tear. It represents the environment: we are honoring all of the resources and labor put into the material and garment and delay that cotton, rayon, leather, and effort from becoming landfill. It represents connection: there are no true “raw” materials, even when we work with “new” materials we recognize that they were grown, designed, and manufactured, by many others throughout a global system. The understanding that everything is connected to and influenced by others whom we may never meet helps us value our materials down to the scraps swept up off the market floor and respect all those who contributed to our products.

How A. Bernadette is Sustainable

“Sustainable design is a philosophy that seeks to maximize the quality of the built environment while minimizing or eliminating the negative impact to the natural environment.” Jason F. McLennan The Philosophy of Sustainable Design

How do we maximize quality while minimizing negative impact?

Short Term Solutions

Zero Waste: A. Bernadette uses recycled and natural materials to make beautiful garments, accessories and housewares. We accept donations of fabric from individuals and corporations. We bring these materials to Uganda and use every single piece.

Sometimes it’s easy. Our Butterfly Dresses has a simple design that uses the entire width of the material. The one piece that is cut away for the neck hole is used as scrap to stuff pillows that our tailors make and sell in Uganda.

Sometimes it’s more challenging. Our towels are made from recycled bath towels and donated material. In their first design, we removed the edges and the rib of the towel and cut them to make 11 x 11 inch squares. This resulted in thin pieces of scrap which were used to stuff pillows, but they weren’t really used. For our second order, we decided to fold the entire towel into 6 or 8 pieces to make a set. This means some towels will be a bit bigger than others, but size doesn’t matter, reducing the amount of waste does.

Long Term Commitments

We know the artisans we work with and are committed to working with them. When we find a new product we like, we give examples to artisans and hire local experts to teach new skills. It would be easier in the short term to buy crafts from any of the numerous artisans in Jinja, but we don’t.  We trust the artisan groups to work together and with us as full business partners. When we have questions about a design or are negotiating a price for a new item, we know who we are talking to and trust in our long term relationships to be honest with artisans and know that they will be honest with us. Our business is based on these relationships we are committed to people: we pay our artisans fairly and collaborate with them as equal partners and present our customers with the highest quality products and services; planet: every single item we design and create reduces waste and emphasizes function and beauty; profit: we are committed to profit sharing and transparency with customers and artisans. As we profit, we will expand and increase our product range to offer more fair trade products to customers and more opportunities for artisan groups.

If these walls could talk they’d say “We’re so bored.” Sitting at a cafe in Jinja waiting for good coffee.

Table 1: A British man in his late 60’s with a northern accent and two Ugandans: a big man who does all the talking and a smaller, silent partner, discuss religion. The big man says, “You know the Muslims are 15% and the evangelicals are 10%. They are leaving us for the Pentecostals now. The Rastafarians, you know the ones with the long hair and the drugs, took over entertainment with the homosexuals. The parents want to help keep their children clean, so they tell them to go to the Pentecostals for entertainment. We are losing members.”

 

Table 2: American backpackers discussing their recent raft trip. “I got stuck under the boat. It was crazy, I definitely thought I was going to die.” One girl’s voice is significantly louder than the others. She uses the phrase “developing country” in every sentence.

 

Table 3: A white woman and her chocolate toddler.

 

I’ve sat at each one of these tables before and participated in all of these conversations. I’ve argued, stupidly, with old men about religion, trying to explain my point of view, that gay people presented no threat and in their own Ugandan history, before Western involvement, kings had both wives and husbands.

 

I’ve been the girl with the loudest voice at the table, blathering on and on about various near death experiences in developing countries.

 

My demographic now (single, educated, 30s woman) is chocolate baby territory. Many Ugandan and Western women choose when to have babies, husband or not.

KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid

It’s the small things that make the difference. I don’t know about you, but I am deeply affected by simple, daily events. If I don’t get a good night’s sleep, I am going to be grumpy the next day. When I’m not sure what I am supposed to be doing, I become depressed and realize that my life is meaningless.

I left my home in New York City at 4pm on Thursday and arrived in Jinja, Uganda at 7pm Saturday. My flight was delayed out of Newark. We stopped in Lome, Togo for a few hours and weren’t allowed to get off the plane. I missed my connection in Addis Ababa and the airline sent me to a strange hotel for the night. None of these things bothered me. I enjoy the liminal space and the expectationlessness of travel. The directions are specific: stand here, line up there, take off your shoes, give me your passport and ticket, fasten your seatbelt, eat this, watch this. If I stand in line long enough, I will get to where I want to go, most of it is out of my control.

So I finally arrived and things got difficult. I needed money, food, and a local cell phone number. I had to make decisions: use the ATM or wait for the bank to open on Monday? How much to withdraw? Which will give me the best rate? Eat fried chapati or negotiate for vegetables and cook? Which cell phone company? Buy a cheap phone or put a SIM card in my American phone?

Each decision is followed by another. The $100 bills aren’t the newest and will get a lower rate. Do I still exchange them? The vegetable lady is definitely overcharging me, but it’s only by $2. Do I argue? The phone is registered, but stops working after an hour. Do I go back to the same woman on the street who I bought it from or throw myself against the masses at the actual store?

The decisions multiply and become more challenging. I go from bank to bank to see which has the best rate for the old bills. I negotiate with the vegetable woman, who doesn’t lower the price, but throws in an extra tomato. I go to the cell phone woman again and again, each time thinking the problem is solved only to have the phone stop working a few hours later. Then I shove my way to the front of the line at the store, declare my problem in a loud voice, and am told I have to get a passport photo and a copy of my driver’s license in order to register my phone.

My accomplishments are unfortunate. I get Ugandan money, bring it straight home for safe keeping, and don’t put enough in my wallet to buy what I need. I shop and cook and eat all the food immediately. No one answers my phone calls.

I can’t sleep. I go to bed at 10pm and wake up at 2am and fall back asleep at 6am and sleep until noon. I’m inadequately feeding myself, making unanswered phone calls, and staying in my room for more than 12 hours. I am at the functional level of a 3 year old.

Through the grace of the Internet, I meet with Gerald and talk about work and family. He tells me Group B has already scheduled a meeting for the following morning, no phone necessary. I put money in my wallet and drink nice coffee. Harriet from Group A answers the phone. Betty from Group C answers the phone. Joyce the tailor calls me! Betty and Kymbi answer the phone. I sleep through the night. I find the tiny purposes of my life: walking around a strangely familiar tropical town, talking with my friends about the work we will do, eating a peanut butter and banana chapati, and somehow, it’s enough.    

Goal: To Study Werk.

Why do we work? How do we work? How do we want to work? What do we consider good work or bad work? If we no longer has to “work” what new type of work would we pick up. This summer as I refuse traditional work, I set my sights on redefining how to live a sustainable, meaningful life with no boss. Stay tuned as the journey has just begun.

 

2/9- Tuesday Eco Craft Night – Macrame Plant Holders

Testing out Tuesday craft class – what do we think? Make your old and broken new again!?!? Plant holders made from headphones? LA Maison d’Art 259 W132nd St HARLEM

Join our meet up! WHY DIY

Join our Meet up – WHY DIY

Check out WHY DIY on Meetup http://www.meetup.com/WHY-DIY/
We’re teaching macrame plant holders Jan 9th! I’m thinking of adding up cycled charger, head phone, and other wires to give it a more Eco chic feel!

Inside the mind of A. Bernadette

Its been close to 4 weeks resuming my life as CEO of A. Bernadette, entrepreneur extraordinaire, and fashion professor. Here are a few observations:
1) I’m starving… All the time. Working for someone else you look forward to breakfast, lunch and dinner. Planning what you will eat and how you will spent your free time. In entrepreneurial land you keep working forgetting to nourish yourself. Breakfast has moved to noon, lunch at 3pm and maybe dinner at 9pm if you don’t just pass out.
2) You wake up feeling refreshed, ready to go and you go. Emails, phone calls, meetings and other tasks are quickly performed before most have finished the first cup of coffee at work but you keep going until the tasks are complete. Sometimes that is as early as 2pm but you can’t slow down. You end up mindlessly working on a task that could take half the time but your mind is working too fast.
3) The present is gone. Always thinking of the next 10 steps you’re on a constant downward spiral of feeling you are not doing enough.
4) You have no idea what day of the week it is. It does not matter. The rush of Friday is gone because each day is Wednesday, always a day of work in front of you and always one behind.
5) You search for flights to exotic places. Thinking yes I will have time in March to escape for a weekend but that weekend never comes.

Its not all bad and you can change the above. You are the CEO and no one will yell at you if you fail yo achieve a task. As long as you can battle your own free will, take a chill pill, and relax you can turn this whole boat to stress/starvation ville around. My goals for February: more yoga, swimming, stay in bed till 9am twice a week and MAYBE a date once a week. Seeking happy thoughts!

Cheers,
A. Bernadette

Preach Brotha Preach!

“Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life.” Bob Marley