AMBATALIA GOES TO NY

Hello NYC

"New York is the center of the universe!" declared the cab driver as Molly and I pulled up to the Javits Center to set our booth up for NY Now, New York's international gift show. With over 2,800 businesses representing their products under one roof, it did seem like we were at the center of something. 

We were assigned booth #2486 in the section of "Home Furnishings and Textiles" and had three days to prepare before the show started.  Ambatalia was extremely lucky to share the booth with Oakland-based artist Maria Schoettler. Ambatalia does a lot of collaboration with Maria, where her beautiful illustrations come to life on cloth, but Maria also has her own line of post-consumer paper goods that were on display as well. 

Prior to the gift show I was well aware that there was a lot of stuff in the world, but being there put this into a whole new perspective. Tchotchkes, knickknacks, doodads, and trinkets lined the shelves of the booths row after row. The buyers for Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters wandered casually by, and looked at our stuff. It all seemed so strange to me, and it made it quite real that Ambatalia, and the products we produce, are part of this international global market. 

Across from Ambatalia's booth was Pendleton, the company that made the blanket that sat at the foot of my bed as a child. In the main hall was Library of Flowers, the company that produces my favorite bubble bath. Downstairs, Yellow Owl Workshop had a booth, and for my birthday I just received a set of their stamps. Surrounding me were the faces of people who administer these products. Up to this point, I had bought into their realties. Their products and their displays at the show were perfectly tailored to my liking. There might possibly be a photo of me on the bulletin board in their office labeled: "target market." Is it a bad thing that we buy into these fantasies?

In a world where literally every sort of product exists, it is more and more important to make wise and knowledgeable decisions. We met a lot of people that really believed in Ambatalia. People wanted to know where we sourced our fabrics, if they were certified organic, and where they were being sewn. We are based out of San Francisco and everything is sewn locally. We know exactly where we are getting our materials from and select carefully. A lot of the buyers and consumers at the gift show really do care about these factors. They want to buy a long-lasting product that they can feel good about on a social and environmental level. This is exactly what Ambatalia wants to promote. I was extremely grateful that I was at Ambatalia + Maria Schoettler's booth standing behind products that I really believed in, aesthetically and also ethically.

Maria, Molly, and me at NY Now 2013

Ambatalia + Maria Schoettler's booth

Maria Schoettler, check out her work.

Set up.

The Javits Center.

workin on

I'm lucky enough to do projects with live culture and this is an apron dress I'm working on for them.

I used the other side of cone mills denim and my own kind of wash where I  put alot of denim in a hot washing machine and then I let it sit for a long time all tangled leaving some indigo streaking and wrinkles. You can't totally see it here but looks fab.

 I'm  interested in offering goods sewn purely by hand. There is something about it that is so genuine and its a natural way I can work and be with my family.  One of my favorite things to do. This is a 30" Cone Mills denim. I used a sturdy bright orange stitch. The pockets are from the underarm area of the apron. I call it my no waste pockets or moon pockets. There a little bit more love in this one.

 Being at Dwell on Design was a lot of fun. Three days in L.A. Maria Schoettler joining me made all the difference in the world. She makes my Ambatalia aprons look soooo good. 

We are collaborating on textiles together. Our first Project was the baguette bag and now we are doing produce bags together. All of the textiles are made with real French seams and Maria's art work is amazing. If you haven't seen her eat local calenders. Put it on your list for must have this holiday season. I 'v never seen any thing so beautiful and useful.  She also does native plants calenders and greeting cards. Screen printed in Oakland Ca. You can purchase ambatalia textiles.

Go to our NEW WEB SITE TO SHOP.

 The performance art piece showcased Japanese artist SASAKI, clad in a silver jumpsuit, listening to a donor’s heartbeat and tracing the pattern of the rhythm in red paint with an airbrush. Each hexagon in the series represents one minute’s duration of the donor’s heartbeat. The art is being created as an effort to raise money for Architecture for Humanity’s relief and rebuilding efforts in Japan.

yep that's me, my heart beat was pounding on a loud speaker. It was pretty cool. Every heart beat has a different sound and rhythm uniting all of us in the big honeycomb.

 working on a new bag, hemp, French seams in side out with hand cut and sewn leather handles.
Sturdy, Sassy and Sustainable. 

 Maria

 Happy customer with apron dyed by Rebecca Burgess 

for Ambatalia in Toyon, native to California

Making Happy, Smock

Linen Smock

I created this smock for my kitchen line. I love it. Yeh, its great for cooking but meant for the streets as well. It looks perfect on Ashley.