Bag Ladies

Last month, I had the pleasure to be a part of a really cool look book for Vavvoune, a super chic leather goods brand based in Brooklyn. The brand is focused on simplicity and sustainability. The products are made of full grain lambskin that's locally sourced—how cool is that?! Val Blaise (the designer) hit me up to see if I was down and of course I was like "totally!!" and the rest was history. It was shot by photographer Shen (sorry, don't know his last name, but his IG is @shendig27) and the lovely Sage White (@sage.white) did the makeup. I modeled with the gorgeous LaBrie (@tiedyetrappin). After the shoot, we hit up Peaches in Bedstuy for dinner + dranks. It was a great way to spend the last day of summer.

See what we cooked up...

Since I'm a tote bag type of person, this was my fave. It's like a super fancy tote.

Ready to put my life in it.

This purple was stunning... especially with grey.

Great way to add a pop of color to your wardrobe.

These cuties were great to carry around too—right on trend with the bucket design. Love the croc detail on the leather.

I just LOVE this photo of LaBrie—the color combos are perfect and she looks gorgeous.

I really love the leather pattern on this one. So bold and chic.

For those of you who carry purses to a party/concert, this would be ideal—small, but not too small. 

This is a great overnight type of bag. Perfectly oversized.

To shop Vavvoune or learn more, visit Vavvoune.com

Also, follow Val Blaise on IG @Vavvoune + @vavvoune.handmade

Cool Brand Alert: Slow Factory

"Dune Field On Mars" 

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to meet with Celine Semaan, the mastermind behind the coolest new brand Slow Factory. It was a rainy morning and we met for tea and scones at Variety Cafe in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I truly left feeling re-inspired and fed with the satisfaction of knowing that there really are good people left in the world especially here in New York.

"Crater Water Ice on Mars"

What is it that you need to know about Slow Factory? They produce handcrafted "sustainable essentials", aka beautifully awesome scarves that are made of silk and modal (a processed bio-based textile made from the cellulose of beech trees) in Italy. Modal is actually better than cotton in that it's resistant to shrinkage, it's feels softer to touch, and it fades way slower. The designs on the scarves are actually photos of different images in the galaxy as well as the view from outer space of different cities. These lovely scarves are also fair trade and are made with eco-friendly dyes as well. Sounds pretty awesome, right? Well, it actually gets even better...

Two weeks ago, they teamed up with ANERA to launch the DIGNITY Fund, an effort to infuse social responsibility to the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. This fund supports humanitarian aid to the refugees throughout the region. This special project has arrived in such a timely manner given all of the social and political debates that are now circling the media (in regards that area of the world). The DIGNITY Fund was also inspired by Celine's own experience of having to flee her home in Lebanon in the 1980s due to its civil war. It's very admirable when a brand has true humanitarian efforts in addition to creating a high quality product because it shows that their vision goes beyond them and that the end result is to make this world a better place. This is exactly why Slow Factory is one of the coolest brands out at this time—there's a truly great product linked with an even greater cause.

"New York by Night"

Celine Semaan, Designer & Founder of Slow Factory

 "Slow Factory is the link between our world and galaxies whose distance reaches places beyond our imagination." —Celine Semaan