Industry Panel (presented by I+W): PRODUCING THE GOODS

Industry Panel (presented by I+W): PRODUCING THE GOODS

Time: 10:00am-11:30am
Location: Frist Center for the Visual Arts
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PRODUCING THE GOODS
The production process and what it takes to source, sew and manufacture fashion in the United States. An emphasis will be placed on the importance of and challenges to keeping production in this country.

Panelists: Natalie Chanin, Otis James, Barry Wishnow
Moderator: Carrie Eddmenson, co-owner, Imogene + Willie

OTIS JAMES is a designer and creator of handcrafted clothing and accessories in Nashville. He was recently named winner of Garden & Gun magazine’s “Made in the South” awards in the fashion category. His ties are sold online and in stores around the U.S. and in Singapore. James recently collaborated with musician Justin Townes Earle to produce a limited edition, hand-printed bow tie collection. He is currently developing further collaborations with other artists and expanding his line of caps. See his work at www.otisjamesnashville.com.

NATALIE “ALABAMA” CHANIN is owner and designer of the American couture line Alabama Chanin, made from 100% Certified Organic Cotton by artisans located near Chanin’s home in Florence, Ala. Chanin was a finalist for the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award for Fashion in 2005. In 2009, she was chosen as one of the designers for the Cooper Hewitt Global Triennial, “Why Design Now?” She launched a line of tabletop and home textiles with HEATH Ceramics in 2010, as well as the newest Alabama Chanin bridal collection. Chanin has a degree in environmental design from North Carolina State University and travels the world to lecture on slow design, sustainability and cultural preservation. She works from her home in Florence as designer, manufacturer, stylist, filmmaker, mother, artisan, cook and collector of stories. See her work at www.alabamachanin.com.

BARRY WISHNOW has led and consulted with a veritable who’s-who among fashion brands over several decades. After working in the 1970s with J. Schoeneman, the leading men’s clothing manufacturer, he joined Yves Saint Laurent to develop its YSL men’s business. Wishnow then returned to Schoeneman as president and CEO, the youngest senior executive in the business. He completed Burberry’s first North American license for men’s and women’s shirt and tailored apparel; formed Hugo Boss AG, where he served as president and CEO; and served as president of the men’s group at Calvin, creating the comprehensive licensing network that led to the CK brand. In the mid-1990s, he formed the Barry Wishnow Group, consulting for an international client roster that included Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Joseph Abboud, Catherine Malandrino, Luciano Barbera, Amanda Wakeley, Rosie Pope, Oswald Boateng and Windsor of Germany. Wishnow moved to Nashville in 2009 and has developed the concept for BASH, a 1940s-inspired bespoke brand for men and women. Representing a high quality, definitive point of view, BASH will become a format for modern fashion retailing. See more at www.bashbybarrywishnow.com.

Moderator CARRIE EDDMENSON started her career in fashion as a principal at Sights Denim Systems, formerly the world’s preeminent denim development laboratory and premium finisher, located in Henderson, Ky. For 12 years, she worked in product development and design with companies including Paper Denim & Cloth, Rogan, Earnest Sewn, Levis Vintage Clothing, Ralph Lauren’s RRL, Joie, and Loomstate. In the early 1990s, she worked closely with Francois Girbaud, Lee, and Levis to develop new denim processes and inventions that led to the aesthetic of modern denim finishing. Through Sights, she started a product design and development company in Istanbul, Turkey where she lived for three years. While there, Carrie worked with the companies Diesel, Replay, Pepe, and Levis Europe to design and develop products for their European market. She attended Kentucky’s Centre College, where she studied arts and humanities. In 2009, Carrie and husband Matt Eddmenson left Henderson for Nashville, where they opened Imogene + Willie, now a rising star in the world of quality, American-made denim and ready-to-wear. Read more about I+W and Matt Eddmenson below. Also, see www.imogeneandwillie.com.