WilliamsburgFashionWeekend

behind the scenes of our latest shoot

photo by jena cumbo

Team Spirit
By Tamara Laine
 

The new wave of Rock ‘n’ Roll wears black and denim- at least that’s how the band Team Spirit rocks the stage. This new “trans-Atlantic” band is the best of British and American rock together with loud guitars.  

“We always get in a competition, about what country produced the best music,” lead singer and guitarist Ayad Al Adhamy admits. The fusion of the two countries gives way to the hip rock ‘n’ roll sound of Team Spirit. 

The band is composed of four members Ayad Al Adhamy (Lead Vocals and Guitar- Team Britain), Cosmo Kilburn Di Giulio (Guitars- Team America), Roman Tobias Pettigrew (Backing Vocals and Bass- Team Britain), and Mike Addesso (Drums- Team America).  

Their new album, to be released next April, will undoubtedly shake the monotony of heavy metal lyrics. Deafening influential bands like Thin Lizzy and Metallica shaped the strident tracks of their upcoming EP.  The idea that life exists in a paradox between good and evil stands out in their songs.  Jesus, He’s Alright is a song about “how shit gets fucked up,” says Ayad.  “Team Spirit has a shrediness that mixes elements of our childhood into pop.”  Ayad comes from a religious background, which comes out in their music.  When it comes to fashion, however, the band has a less than orthodox perspective.  It should always be “free,” says Ayad, or “optional,” according to Mike.

There’s No Place Like Rehab For The Holy-Daze
By Gina Tron

“I’ll be institutionalized for Christmas..if only in my dreams”  - Bing Crosby

While sitting in the festive throne that is my uncomfortable office chair, I try to imagine what it would be like to spend a December day roaming the hallways of a packed suburban mall. A mall packed to the brim with bloodthirsty consumers cutting each other in line at Forever 21 to the soundtrack of Nicky Minaj singing “Deck The Halls.” When I fantasize about this, my brain immediately begins to think of death; as a practical defense mechanism. 

I don’t much like the holidays anymore. Yeah, yeah. Everyone knows the holidays are commercial as fuck. It’s so damn hip to say that the holidays are commercial, that I think Spencer Gifts may be selling a shirt with that phrase. It’s 50 percent off til next Tuesday, so don’t forget to trample your neighbors to death en route in scoring that deal!

The holidays are a melting pot of bullshit and potential domestic disaster.  For example, watching your soul-sucking aunt attempting to make up for her lack of empathy by showing off her ability to buy Looney Tunes-themed Christmas ornaments. The holidays? More like the horror-days! There exists a myriad of shit that will lead you to potentially prefer to spend Christmas in a mental health center. 

The holidays are rough, even on the seemingly sanest and most rational of people. There’s all this media-based pressure to have a merry good time and more often than not, your family and personal lives are void of a Disney-sized amount of merriness. There is no time like the holidays to shine a heat light on the radiant flaws of your life. 

This holiday season, we at Williamsburg Fashion Weekend would love to shine the light on the flaws of the fashion industry. It’s easy to hate on the mainstream industry, much like its easy to tear apart the obvious flaws of a child star gone mad in the media spotlight. Though, we don’t hate this sexy kid that is the mainstream fashion industry. We love that bitch, and we we love the potential that lies deep within her. But she has some problems, some major problems. She made some poor decisions with her outsourcing addiction. She also appears to have lost her luster for life, and seems to be incapable of letting loose these days.  We want to shake the shit out of her, and bring her back. The fashion industry needs a bit of rehabilitation. We need her to prosper properly so that we all can too.

Everybody needs a little reboot here and there. Sometimes destruction is construction if utilized properly. Re-evaluate your flaws, and try to improve them. Better yourself not just for you, but for everyone around you and the community at whole.

With New York City having undergone its own mini-apocalypse, destruction is literally in our backyard. So this Holiday Season, reassess what’s important, and shop local. Give the gift of rehabilitation to the fashion industry.

a few of our designers at our holiday market this past weekend. 

MADE IN NYC // A Factory Thrives in Greenpoint
By Bob Bland
With Dynotex Ltd Owner, Alan Ng

Dodging traffic across McGuiness Blvd in the industrial section of North Brooklyn was worth the effort to visit Greenpoint Design and Manufacturing Center, the granddaddy of all NYC’s incubators. Incorporated in 1992, this visionary group of repurposed factory buildings are home to over 300,000 sq ft of industrial space, 100 small businesses and 500 artisanal workers.

Inside the Factory

We had the rare opportunity to tour the apparel manufacturing operation of Alan Ng, whose company Dynotex Limited was founded 13 years ago in the Garment District of Manhattan, and moved to GDMC in 2003. Dynotex is a good choice for independent designers who need small runs because they provide quality woven & cut-and-sew production, cutting, patternmaking and grading- all in one 5,000 sq ft
facility. Throughout the interview we could tell that Mr. Ng is proud of his employees and facilities,answering every question and demonstrating totally transparency while walking us through the garment making process. Designers should allow 8 weeks of lead time and order 100 pieces per style for the best pricing, though smaller orders and rush jobs are accepted, as time allows. The biggest advantage of producing locally is that easy communication & ability to visit the factory floor ensures that designers
can make better fitting & higher quality garments that are true to their original intention.

Fashion is not an automated process, and whether in a Brooklyn sample room or a huge Shenzhen factory, every aspect is done by hand. To produce locally at a competitive price, “…the designs have to be novel, and everything has to be high-quality,” said Mr. Ng.

Challenges

The public transit system is crucial for manufacturing workers, who might be traveling from outer boroughs where housing and living expenses are less costly, to the factory. Dynotex has struggled with this in the Greenpoint Design and Manufacturing Center, which is only serviced by the G train. They even arranged shuttle buses to the factory for a while, because Greenpoint transit is so difficult. The Labor Department of the US government does strict examinations to ensure quality work conditions,
reasonable hours and wages, and no one can bring work home. One of the biggest challenges is the overhead- because of regulations and high NYC rental costs, $.21 of every dollar goes to the government. Despite these difficulties, Dynotex has thrived- retaining 65% of the factory employees for eight years or more. Based on my experience, this is a much better turnover rate than most design houses.

Why Buy American?

“People still buy clothes made in Italy at a much higher price [versus made in China],” said Mr. Ng, and that statement raised a good point: why exactly should people buy American, and how do we build “Made in America” back into an internationally-loved brand? Our fabric selections are usually much better quality, and the process is artisanal, not mechanical. NYC designs are often cutting-edge, our graphics & street style unparalled. But we can’t just rely on the consumer to look at the label and
buy locally because it’s “the right thing to do”. As an industry, we can cut waste and make apparel manufacturing in NYC affordable by only producing the most interesting and sought-after designs, on less frequent production cycles, taking the time to educate buyers, retailers and customers on what a USA-made purchase really means and why its so valuable.

About Dynotex Inc:
236 Greenpoint Avenue
Building #6 2nd Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11222
Phone: (718) 532 9068
Email: DynotexInc@gmail.com

Pop Art By WFW Designer Marco Santaniello

Deck The Halls Wearing Uta Bekaia 

Photographer: Jena Cumbo

Styling, Julio Frias

Hair and Makeup, Jessie Sung

Stylist assistant Wendell Bryant

Model: Erin M. Click NY