SAPLINGS unite!

years ago when i had my shop in the lower east side, patch 155, all of the designers whose stuff i sold used to tell me they wished i would organize a network so we could all know each other and share information, advice and resources. it can be a surprisingly isolated life when you are making things on your own, often out of our apartments... at the time i thought it was a great idea but i was just too overwhelmed with running the store to give it my attention. over the years most of these same designers have all become friends, and we bump into each other while participating in group fashion shows and sales. but since these events are so intense, we never really got the chance to sit down and tell our stories and share ideas... so finally last summer i decided it was time to put this plan into practice, and SAPLING was born! after much brainstorming and determination to come up with a really good acronym, that's what i came up with. it stands for Society for the Advancement of People Loving Independently Nurtured Goods! as our header states, 'the SAPLING society is a group of makers, designers, and artists trying to spread the love of all things handmade. we embrace sustainability and eschew mass production'. so we have all met about once every month or two, since last july, and it's been a beautiful thing, in my humble opinion. we've rotated around at different members' homes, studios and stores, and it's so inspiring to see where and how we all live and work. we've organized one sample sale and participated in two holiday sales together, discussed goals and ideas for developing and expanding our businesses, visited a cooperative women's sewing facility, and shared organic fabric resources and design advice. you can see the complete list of members and check out their sites on our blog... which we hope will sprout unto an online community forum of its own for independent designers and makers all over the globe!