Unsung Trunk Show: Saturday, April 22

We would love for you to join us for our first trunk show, featuring handbag designer Oovoo and jewelry designer Barefoot Czarina. We are having a virtual trunk show for our customers who don't live in the D.C. area. A discount will be automatically calculated when you buy anything by these two designers online!

Scott Gibson Gets a Nice Blurb in the New York Times

When he's not busy designing beautiful clothes for Unsung, Scott Gibson finds time to support the arts. Scott was mentioned in the New York Times dance review for a new work inspired by 9/11, called Fissures:

"This mix of hope and sadness is communicated through movement alone by Mr. Passafiume's five dancers, whom the costume designer, Scott Gibson, turns into everymen and everywomen dressed in bits and pieces of clothes in earth tones. They look like people who have lives and thoughts outside the dance studios where they have trained long and hard."
-Jennifer Dunning, The New York Times, Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Scott designed the gorgeous costumes for the performance, which is now playing at Lincoln Center. (Photo by Richard Termine, New York Times.)

Prizy Sebastian in New York Moves

We're a long-time fan of Prizy Sebastian's for her utterly feminine clothing. Dresses and blouses in whisper-soft fabrics, jewel tones and exquisite detailing. One of Prizy's signature dresses makes an appearance in New York Moves magazine this month.

New York Moves covers fashion and lifestyle for urban women. We're big fans of the edgy articles and monthly columns with great headers like: "bitch" (letters to the editor), "chow" (food), and "scope" (as in horo).

New York Moves Design Edition, April 2006. (Photograph by Emily Travis.)

Check Out Our Myspace

Don't forget to check out our myspace, lovingly crafted by our resident fashion vixen Lulu. Lulu always has her hand on the pulse of the lastest and greatest fashion news, and she shares her views with us there. We also love to hear what Lulu is listening to at any given moment. The girl knows how to rock out!

Project Runway Open Casting: Update

Unsung's ultra-talented designer and namesake of the Sirius clothing and accessories line (she had the name way before the satellite radio company) tried out for Project Runway today. I was lucky enough to accompany Siri on this exciting day, but I had to sign a release not to spill any of their inner workings so I'm sorry I can't report more, except to say: the long line was made bearable by all the raw energy (creativity, excitement, nerves) and great people-watching.

I do want to pass on this piece of advice: to all the emerging designers out there, it's worth it to try out next year. Even if you don't get chosen for the show, you get to meet amazing people with similar goals and dreams, get a behind-the-scenes look at one of your favorite shows, practice presenting yourself and your work (artistic philosophy, technique), get feedback from the folks at PR (who, if you think about it, have seen so many designers they can give an honest opinion if you want it), and meet some of the people who make the show happen. That's a pretty decent day's work.

Here's a picture of Siri, with friends Stephen (a fellow designer) and Jane (his model), whom we met in line.

Project Runway Open Casting this Weekend

NYC is the final city for open casting for Project Runway. Several of our designers will be standing in line at Macy's this weekend, auditioning for season 3. We know how talented they are and we'll be there to give moral support. (Check back for pictures.)

Better get your dibs on the merchandise at Unsung before some of these designers become the next big thing!

Belabunda Bikini Featured in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2006

I keep the SI Swimsuit page bookmarked to give me incentive to eat well, but even if my diet consisted of celery and Metamucil I would never look like these models. However, I can get the same bikini as the one worn here by Bridgett Hall.

The simple suit is Belabunda's most basic bikini style and even normal human beings look good in it. The halter top gives great push-up and you can adjust the bottom to sit lower on your hips or higher on your belly.

The bikinis are Brazilian style, so they are cut small. But they're so much fun and so flattering that once you get used to baring a bit more behind, you'll want to stay near water just to keep one on.

We Love the New Jewelry Designer: Right of Purple

Metal rules! (and so does purple.) Cases in point: Kiss, Prince, Calder, Grimace, jewelry, Right of Purple.

In this case, delicate, hand-crafted metal. Gold, to be precise. We covet every piece by Right of Purple, a new jewelry label out of NYC. Everything is hand-crafted by this talented young designer who apprenticed with Jill Platner. You can tell she really knows and loves her metal: subtle details and graceful curves are worked through every piece. Dangles and charms evoke fragile things fossilized in time: fallen leaves or a brush stroke on rice paper. The necklace clasps are even beautiful enough to wear in front.

Celebration Blew My Mind

I saw the most amazing band at North Six the other night. So much that I keep thinking about them and feel I have to share. Celebration opened for the Rogers Sisters' (another fave I try to see live whenever possible) album release party. Aside: The Rogers Sisters' new album, The Invisible Deck, is excellent and you should all go out and buy it. Back on point: Celebration gave one of the most intense, hypnotic, energetic performances I've seen from anyone anywhere in a long, long time. They seriously rocked my world--in that frenzied, religious cult, state of ecstasy kind of way--and I don't use that term lightly. Go out and buy their album too; I've been listening to it non-stop; I'm listening to it now.

If you love the indie rocker girl style, check out the links to both these bands because these women--Celebration's Katrina Ford and the Rogers Sisters' Jennifer Rogers and Laura Rogers--have it down.

Tim, You're Supposed to Represent, Not Dis, D.C.

I read today that Tim Gunn (of Project Runway fame) was born and raised in D.C. As a cheering squad for all things stylish in D.C., I was disappointed to read in the interview by Express that Tim wonders how he ever lived here, saying "No one understands fashion at all!"

Tim, you and I can agree that D.C. is short on Chanel jacketed, Christian Louboutin heeled women running down the Metro platform, but let's all remember this:

D.C. is home to some serious indie fashion, much of it born from the world-renowned local music scene here. And fact: Since Unsung first opened its doors to the public, the well-heeled and the hip, young and old, male and female, coiffed and dreadlocked have come out of the woodwork to find our little showroom in an alley.

If people in D.C. don't understand fashion, why do they bother?

Jon Wye is featured in the Washington Post

We love it when our designers get great press, so when we saw Jon Wye in the Washington Post, we were proud as mother hens. Jon has expanded his line from funky belts (as well as t-shirts and undies) to his newest creation – the Petruchio Necklace. In true Jon Wye form, he named it after a Shakespeare character and uses a naturally heart-shaped sea-bound seed (continuously polished for two months) as the focal point of the necklace. So Jon….what’s next?

Oovoo is Featured in TIME

Pauline Lewis, founder of the handbag line Oovoo, was recently featured in TIME Magazine for her support of hundreds of women in Vietnam who hand-embroider and assemble her wonderful handbags. The women receive fair trade wages and many other bonuses. Thanks for doing the right thing Pauline! It's nice to know you are doing good for others while looking fabulous.

Meet the Muscle Behind Unsung

Alishia Frey, in management for more than ten years, once transformed a struggling art showroom on the verge of collapse into a hugely successful gallery with more than a million dollars in sales. And she did it all in one year.

Grace Wang’s expertise in client service management and internet fundraising earned over $1 million for nonprofit and charity organizations.

What happens when both women come together with their impressive credentials and creative vision? Unsung Designers is born. Unsung operates under the philosophy is that "people buy who they are." So, resumes aside, exactly who are co-owners Alishia Frey and Grace Wang?

How did the two of you first meet?
AF: We were both working for a fundraising consultancy in Washington, DC. I was in charge of development and sales.
GW: I was in charge of client relations.

So how did you get into fashion?
AF: Although my background is in gallery management and sales, my passion lies with fashion design. To me, promoting a fine artist and a fashion designer are very similar. Our goal is to promote lesser-known designers and sell their designs so that they will achieve critical mass – much like a gallery.
GW: Honestly, my background is in public relations and communication. But fashion design is an art I have the utmost respect and admiration for. People with the creativity and skill to construct something beautiful as well as useful are just incredible. I believe my professional experience will bring a lot to Unsung. After all, I want to promote these wonderful designers and give everyone out there the same access to the exceptional talent I get to see every day.

What made you decide to start a business together?
AF: From time to time, Grace and I would both take trips to NYC independent of one another. We would go to the designer markets in Nolita, and shop the boutiques in SoHo, and when we returned to DC we would be stopped on the street by people asking us where we got our shirt or cuff or earrings. We joked that one day we should start a boutique in DC bringing these designers’ creations to this seriously lacking market. In January 2005, we both quit our jobs and began working on the business plan full-time.
GW: When we worked in fundraising, we put in insane hours at the office. During particularly long and stressful days, we threw around the idea of opening our own boutique. Alishia and I both have an intensely strong work ethic. What brought Unsung from a daydream to reality was the fact that, along with our mutual passion for clothes, we recognized this in each other.

How did you come up with the idea of Unsung Designers?
AF: It was always our intention to work only with designers that were generally unknown to the public. We saw their appeal and knew that others would love their creations, too.
GW: We both love to shop independently owned boutiques and designers markets for those really unique finds that add flourish to or completely change an outfit. We love independent designers because they create what they believe in. It’s an amazing connection when you find a designer that clicks with your style perfectly. It’s like love at first sight.

How do you find and select your designers?
AF: Research, word-of-mouth, other designers, friends. We are speaking to new designers daily.
GW: Many of the designers we work with are ones we’ve bought clothes from. It’s a tremendous feeling to say “Hey, I love your work and I want other people to know how great you are.” I want to spread the wealth.

What makes Unsung stand out from other fashion e-tailers?
AF: We have created a very professional website that offers not only great clothing and accessories to indie fashionistas, but also other unique content – like this blog, for instance. We also plan to create a private forum on our website exclusively for our designers to share ideas with one another about production, sources for materials, etcetera. We also plan to have a design contest in the future where our customers will vote for the best design, with a cash prize going to a designer. So be on the lookout for that!
GW: We’re really focused on having an indie website that’s nurturing to designers. We’re all about promotion, and not just in the conventional ways. We want to strike the right balance between those two things.

How would you describe your own personal style?
AF: I am Unsung’s perfect customer, really. I love unique things that cannot be found at department stores. I like finding pieces and weaving them into my wardrobe – mixing and matching what I have and re-inventing the wheel. I am not a slave to what everyone is wearing. While I may partake in the trends, I generally like to do my own thing.
GW: I am also Unsung’s customer, even though Alishia and I dress pretty differently. I like comfort, which more often than not contradicts with style. But trust me, you can have both! What I find comfortable is what stays in place -- I don’t want to have to pull, fluff and adjust every two minutes. I like clothes that are fluid and flattering, things that are made of super soft cotton jersey. Or shoes I can run for the train in. Or something I could just as easily wear at the beach. Or a soft, slouchy bag that all my stuff fits into.

What's your favorite recent find?
AF: You know, for years I never wore earrings. Actually, since I was 10. I don’t know why. But now I cannot get enough! I really like Tickled Pink’s Ming Briolette dangles and You Lucky Girl’s Phillis dangles. Check ‘em out.
GW: A buttery soft opalescent leather bag by November 18 (which we will carry in the fall) is so luxurious it makes me want to weep. Also, a pair of flat, ankle-wrap espadrilles from Sacco -- they go with literally everything. I’ve almost worn out my pair of two months!

Welcome to unsung blog

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unsung blog is a forum to share creative fashion ideas and information. We'll share news and views on unsung's designers. We want to hear about your killer finds and favorite emerging designers, and see your snapshots of hot looks found on the street. Share your distinctive vision with fellow fashion junkies. Also, keep an eye out for special invited guest contributors.

In the unsung spirit of promoting emerging designers, we'll feature exclusive interviews and insights from up-and-coming designers, as well as cutting-edge fashion previews, advice, and innovative ideas. Get the inside scoop on designers and trends; share juicy gossip; connect with fellow fashion fanatics. All right here!

unsung blog is a community of creative, energetic, and cutting-edge fashion lovers who want to support the scene by helping promote unsung talent in the industry. Together we’ll discover the freshest new designers and showcase fringe fashion at its finest.

xoxo,