Purpose & Re-Purpose: THREADshow 2011

On Sunday April 3rd, I attended the THREADshow at Horton Plaza’s Event Space. I attended the event last September (see the post here), but sadly missed another one in December. I received an email reminder for this seasons show, which allowed me to attend as press this time around. I decided to head there early, and I’m glad I did! Arriving early allows you to not only take advantage of being able to get at the goods first, but it allows you to take in everything with a few go-arounds before committing to the booths you really want to spend some time in.

If you are unfamiliar with the THREADshow, here is a little summary:

About THREAD Show // Good Style. Good Value. Good Karma.
THREAD Show is a travelling juried showcase of the best independent fashion and home designers on the West Coast, and the music and art that rock their world. This dynamic one-day retail environment has showcased more than 7,000 emerging designers since its inception in 2003. THREAD allows consumers a unique opportunity to support their local economy, reduce their carbon footprint and discover emerging designers while scoring deals and purchasing one-of-a-kind wares in a fun and unique setting. For more information, visit www.threadshow.com.

If you like up and coming indie artists, clothing and accessory designers as I do, then you will enjoy this type of event. When I arrived, I bumped into one of my former choir members, who had won tickets from another blog. It was fun to catch up, but once inside, we went our separate ways in order to make it to all of the fantastic booths. I always love walking through the art area first. The coolest part of the gallery this year was the Toygami display, which is a play on origami, Japanese paper-folding art.

There were a couple of new things this year: one was the “Man Cave”, equipped with a bar and putting green. I considered asking my husband to help take pictures, and maybe he would have come if he knew about the “Cave.” What I liked instead of the runway show was the “Live Style Series”, which was a live display of models styled by 5 different local fashion bloggers. Attendees could then vote for their favorite. I will have to keep up on the THREADshow blog so that I can participate in their next blogger event!

After a couple of rounds, I stopped at a rack of eye-catching purses. They were convertible purses with a studded design that looked like the Union Jack. Called “The G Collection, Fashion with a Purpose” I met the creator, Galyn, who showed me around their little booth, which also displayed hats and jewelry. She basically does most of her business through these types of events, and a portion of her sales goes towards philanthropic causes, such as Doctors Without Borders. I knew I wanted one of those studded purses, and hearing everything Galyn had to say made for an easy decision to make a purchase. Already a great deal at $40, it was nice that it was also accompanied by warm feelings of doing something good.

I was very glad to find a knit clothing line out of New Orleans called liaMolly. I was not able to really dive in and look at all they had to offer last year. When I saw their booth this year, I knew I had to stop by and hang out a bit. The line consists of beautiful knit clothing that are not just your typical sweater set. These are delicately crafted retro/vintage looking knits done in exquisite patterns and colors. I found a beautiful kimono-style black sweater and snapped it up at a mere $45. I got the chance to chat with Kaye, the C.O.O of liaMolly, who was very gracious although she was quite busy. I loved the little suitcase display!

I ended my day at a booth called Bottle Hood. My upcycling radar honed in on this display because of the unusual use of Bombay Sapphire and Skyy Vodka bottles that I saw in the distance. I spoke to Leslie of Bottle Hood, who gave me a little background on their concept. Bottles are reclaimed from local restaurants, bars and even local events which would have been thrown out. They use local crafts people to turn these ordinary bottles into fantastic glassware such as tumblers, lamps, vases and candle accessories. Visually, I couldn’t get enough of all of the items, but purchased just 4 pieces of shaped glass that I intend to turn into necklaces. That doesn’t mean that I won’t buy more! The actual store is located in El Cajon, but they also sell their items online. Additionally, they also make appearances at local farmers’ markets and street fairs, accepting bottles that would have been thrown away or recycled, to create more of their wonderfully earth-friendly goods.

All in all, another fun and successful THREADshow. I found a few good bargains that not only keeps me stylish, but saves the planet and gives back to the community. Special thanks to Dara Bu from Elle Communications for the reminder email (I’ve signed up for the updates now!). Thanks also to Gayln Gorg of The G Collection, Kaye Bertheaud of liaMolly, and Leslie Tiano of Bottle Hood for taking the time to chat with me.