This short film, Plastic Bag, by director Ramin Bahrani (Goodbye Solo)
traces the epic, existential journey of a plastic bag and is voiced by
Werner Herzog, one of the German New Wave’s greatest directors.
Born as a personal pact between Farah Malik, a Pakistani Muslim, and
Dana Arbib, a Libyan Jew, A PEACE TREATY creates employment for
skilled artisans working in places of socio-political strife,
effectively supporting their craft while elevating their products to
the level of high design for an exclusive, international audience.
Inspired by the hand-crafting cultures of the Middle East, Asia,
Europe and Africa, A PEACE TREATY was first conceived when Arbib and Malik met while living in Rome. The two discovered that they shared both a love of high fashion and a desire to increase awareness of ancient, disappearing crafting traditions.
Each season, A PEACE TREATY travels to a particular region and seeks
out local village artisans to re-define an accessory, creating limited
edition pieces in style-unique colorways.
A PEACE TREATY's seasonal collections are currently available at
www.apeacetreaty.com and a limited selection of boutiques.
Beirut designer brings prisoners’ handbags to
Paris catwalks
February 4, 2010
Lebanese fashion label Sarah’s Bags has had huge success employing female prisoners to sew and embroider accessories.
London, England (CNN) — In the prisons of Lebanon, women are turning their attention to fashion and stitching their way to a brighter future.
They’re part of a program run by Sarah’s Bags, a Beirut-based label that employs convicts and the recently-released to sew and embroider handbags by hand.
For the past ten years, the program has steadily grown, after catching the eye of the Lebanese elite early on, including the wife of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri — still one of their best customers — and Queen Rania of Jordan.
Today Sarah Beydoun, the company’s founder, has plans to expand and has set her sights on European markets.
“We’re starting to exhibit in Paris. It’s part of becoming more international. We want to sell to more stores beyond the Middle East and the Gulf,” she told CNN.
Having already had a successful sales trip to Paris in 2009, Beydoun is planning to return in February, hoping to attract new stores. But unlike her clients at home, she says the European buyers don’t blink when they hear her bags were built behind bars.
“You feel that the fashion world doesn’t care where it comes from,” said Beydoun. “They just care about the end product … at least the buyers for the department stores.”
Beydoun said she won’t emphasize that fact at the upcoming Paris shows, but that her strategy remains “to target stores that can carry our story and not just our collection.”
And what a story it is.
Beydoun devised her business plan while working on a university thesis about women in prison.
Then with the help of House of Hope (”Dar al Amal”), a non-governmental organization that supports vocational training in Lebanon’s jails, Beydoun began sub-contracting handiwork to female inmates.
The women who work for Sarah’s Bags have been convicted for a range of crimes, from prostitution to drug dealing, even violent crime. Whatever the charge though, the opportunity to learn a skill and make some money has helped hundreds find hope of a fresh start.
“One of Beydoun’s proteges, who was convicted of murder — a crime of passion, told CNN that “learning to sew stopped me obsessing about my crime, it helped my situation.” She asked to remain anonymous as she does not wanted to be stigmatized for her crime.
Not all the women employed by Sarah’s Bags have worked out, however.
“There were those who didn’t meet deadlines, or would lie about when they finished their work, but we keep on those that are serious and those we can trust,” said Beydoun.
Several women have even become real partners, building their own teams.
“Slowly the girls started to come out of prison and they would come to my shop. I would offer them to work with me. Each girl would take her designs and go to her village and do her handiwork and teach a small group of women around her how to work,” said Beydoun.
Beydoun is now relying on these out-sourcing teams to help her ramp up production as Sarah’s Bags enters the Western market.
To make the leap, she’s tweaking her designs to make them more universal, which means less Arabic calligraphy and more conventional shapes.
However her wares fare abroad though, it looks like Sarah’s Bags will always have a devoted following of customers, and staff, back home.
Oliberté is the first to market premium urban-casual footwear made in Africa. Africa is more than just poverty and Oliberté is the start of a revolution that shows, through urban footwear, this is the real Africa! Oliberté is not a charity – it is a company that believes you can change how the world views Africa and help build lives every time when you buy a pair of Oliberté shoes that are made in Africa.
Wednesday, October 28th
8PM SHARP!
Tribeca Grand (Screening Room)
2 Ave of the Americas
NYC
The night of cocktails and conversation will illuminate the road to this challenging industry for professionals, students and followers alike. Get the inside scoop on what exactly goes into the glamorous life from new product launches, magazine spreads, trend forecasting, fashion shows, and more.
Panel: 8-10 PM in Screening Room
Cocktails: 10 PM / Open Bar By Marani Vodka
Speakers include:
· Lindsay Taylor Huggins / Senior Fashion Market Editor, SELF Magazine
· Christine Barberich / Editorial Director, Refinery 29
· Kathryn Finney / Founder, The Budget Fashionista
· Farah Malik / Co-Founder & Designer, A Peace Treaty
· Samia Grand-Pierre & Lois Sakany / Bloggers, High Snobette
· Sara McCormack-Bridgman / Publicist, Ghostown
· Jasmine Takanikos / Trendforecaster, JTC
· Leah McSweeney / Founder, Married To The MOB
· Luna Vega / Digital Producer, Sauvage Studios
· Lynette Astaire / Fashion Photographer
*** MODERATED BY RUBY VERIDANO-CHING / MTV VJ North America***
RSVP: rsvpnyc@ladieslotto.com
Price: Pre-Pay Info: $15 Pre-Pay (By 10/27/09 or until tickets are
available). http://tinyurl.com/LLBTBPPnon / $20 Day of (cash only)
Member Price: $10 CASH
We ditched the photo studio for a more cozy apartment shoot. Everybody helped with everything - especially holding the bounce boards to capture the beautiful, natural light. That’s the way we roll.
Jewelry drops soon. Get ready!
photo: devin doyle (gazettalux.com)
makeup: bethany brill (http://bbrill.com/)
model: aleksandra @ q models
Afghan Hands- A Peace Treaty’s next collaborative project, (and one of the most important organizations in the world right now) just got chosen for the BBC World Challenge!
In our work with them we are employing and training 200 women; providing incomes and education for them and their children. These women are all war widows whose husbands were killed by the Taliban. Afghan Hands ensure a safe and secure environment for the women and their families to rebuild their lives and to live, work, play and receive training and education.
A Peace Treaty has been working on this project for the last 6 months - the craziest was the air-lifting of materials from Dubai and Pakistan into Kabul. Most roads are blocked off and NATO trucks make it impossible for land transport of items into Afghanistan. The ongoing political instability and war have meant a complete dismantling of trade and commerce. We had to get materials like fabric and thread to these women so they could use their expert specialist embroidery skills (skills that are pretty much extinct the world over).
We love AFGHAN HANDS!!
Please spread the word and ask everyone you know to vote here:
Like the traditional carpets that inspired them, KILIM’s scarves are a labor of love and art. Each scarf takes up to eight hours to craft. Motifs are first carved on woodblocks and then used to layer dyes onto fabrics. This age-old technique is in decline as cheaper printing methods take over. Finding Pakistan’s best woodblock printers to carve the designs for KILIM, A PEACE TREATY’s aim - manifest in the collection’s sleek and vivid geometries - is for a revival of hand-carved woodblock printing.
Is Angela Missoni literally following me around? Is she now secretly using me as a new muse? The Fall 2009 collection is unbelievable! Layers upon layers of woven fabric and subtle color variations, it is just heavenly. Damn I wish I was a Missoni so I could visit weavers’ heaven and have lunch with my family every afternoon in our Milanese villa which is connected to our design studio. This collection is just my style, like a stylish goat herder who visits Italy every year by collecting milk money.
I’ll guess I’ll settle as an Arbib, its not so bad….
Dana
Boots: TPU Sole Tights: Wolford Cotton Velvet Dress: Etoile Isabel Marant Coat: Theory
Woven Cape: Grey Ant Ring: A Peace Treaty Necklace: Peruvian Shaman necklace by way of Lauren Stern
Hat: Fox Fur Hat from Moscow
Farah
Booties: Acne Pants: Zara Top: Topshop Bracelets: from mom’s and grandmother’s collections and others
picked up in travel Necklace: Forever 21 mixed with own homemade chains/charms Mascara: Dior
Blush: Nars Bronzer: Lancaster
(Yes Dana actually really dresses like this everyday)
Recession Special Travel Guide: INDIA
If you can’t afford to travel to India like the Beatles did in the 60’s here’s India 2009 right at your doorstop (beyond your cabbie and the tech support guy):
1) Nothing but love for 13 year old Ukrainian models, but there’s something about a full grown woman. Two years shy of 30, Lakshmi Menon is rocking us like so many hurricanes. Named Vogue’s 2008 “This Years Model,” and a regular at H&M and Givenchy, she inspired us in Hermes’ 2008 India-centric lookbook.
2) Don’t let M.I.A.’s giant smurftupuss Grammy dress fool you, Manish Arora’s Spring 09 circus inspired collection was something to behold. We love the daring patterns and bold colors.
3) Everyone’s favorite sikhster, Waris Ahluwalia. We admit it - Waris’ Omnia Vincit Amor (”Love Conquers All”) collection, influenced by traditional Indian Mughal jewelry, has our hearts going boom.
4) Even though Frieda Pinto hardly spoke in that *cough* oh so ordinary film that is getting waaaaaay too much acclaim *cough*, she captured our hearts and minds with her luminescent beauty. Here’s hoping that her loveliness will help transcend any dirty gossip involving an ex-husband…
5) Ghandi knew what was up. Grab yourself a piece of nonviolent fashion by bidding on his glasses, shoes, and pocket watch going up for auction in NYC.
If you want to be a civil disobedient but can’t afford the 20k+ price tag, pick up some Chloe sandals and a pair of Armani specs and you’re good to go.
