Underground Indie Website No Longer a Secret

We're in the July issue of Lucky! Loving the emails from indie fashion lovers all around the world: Belgium, England, Australia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia. Unsung ships globally so you can protect your identity from mass-produced generica anywhere in the world!

Alek Wek and Smith on Sullivan Summer Sale

What makes this supermodel so beautiful? Hint: It's more than what's on the outside. Come see for yourself at Smith on Sullivan this weekend. Alek will be debuting her collection of gorgeous handbags at this great new boutique all week (June 20-27). And she'll be at the store this weekend if you want to meet her and find out more about her line.

Kareen Smith Designs will also be holding its summer sale this week. Come browse the designer's irresistable summer dresses and meet Kareen in person. She'll even do minor custom alterations for you if needed.

Smith on Sullivan is located at 171 Sullivan Street (b/t Houston & Bleecker).

Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn this Weekend

Some of the best designers and crafters we've ever seen will be found at the Renegade Craft Fair in Williamsburg, Brooklyn this weekend. Many are our beloved Unsung Designers, so drop by, do some shopping and support these indie designers!

11am - 6 pm Saturday & Sunday at Williamsburg's McCarren Park. The easiest way to get there is to take the L train to Bedford Ave. and walk up to N. 12th St.

Hot New NYC Boutique: Smith on Sullivan

One of the most talented designers we know, Kareen Smith, has opened her own boutique in the Village. If you're in NYC you should stop by and say hello. The store is filled with the most adorable undies and bikinis, hard-to-find European skincare products, vintage pieces Kareen has collected throughout the years (she has been a stylist for years and her taste shows in her selection), and of course, the latest by Kareen herself.

Her summer collection is to die for. She uses the lightest, softest, sheerest, gauziest materials to create pieces to make you look and feel beautiful in the hot city summer. Our faves include the Safari Dress that will take you into the bush in elegance; the Grecian Dress that will make you look like a goddess; and the Delphinium Blouse that will travel stylishly with you all summer long.

Don't worry if you won't be in New York anytime soon. Unsung is the only place to buy Kareen Smith Designs online anytime.

Onion Trunk Show this Saturday 6/10

We Don't Care About Celebrity Sightings...

we'd much rather spy on people we know.

The Apple flagship on 5th Avenue documented the 1st 24 hours of the store with a live webcam, and we spotted our favorite web designer, J (name withheld to protect his top secret identity), cruising by on his bike at 11.

You can't hide from us--we have eyes everywhere. MWAHAHAHA-MWAHAHAHAAA!

Scott Gibson in Daily Candy

Scott Gibson, fellow Buddhist and one of our favorite best-kept secrets in the fickle fashion world, got a very cute feature in Daily Candy today. Enjoy, world! He won't be our secret for long.

You Won't See Yourself Coming...

Our resident MySpace editor had a little to say about the importance of supporting independent businesses. I can’t agree with her more, and I am so guilty! I walk down the street with my venti Americano in hand, then grumble in dismay when I hear a chain store wants to push my favorite mom & pop deli out of the neighborhood. We can all do our part; it’s just being conscious of our daily decisions. We may have to walk a block out of the way, or plan a Saturday shopping excursion downtown, but let’s not wait to lament the extinction of the indie business. Enjoy…

My little diatribe du jour, but I cannot stress enough the purchase of INDIE in everyday life.

Of course, our focus in on indie fashion – so let me be clear as to what this is. Our unsung designers are not affiliated with a major fashion house. They are fashion designers who create their own designs, making most by hand in single or limited quantities, or in small production runs usually in the US.

Buying indie is a choice – it is an act against Generica (generic-America). Walking down the city streets these days I see Banana Republic, Chipotle, GAP, Starbucks….. where are the INDIE choices? They are being slowly eliminated by the increase in property values in the inner city.

At Unsung Designers, we are finding emerging designers and putting them on the web (and in many ways on the map). The web allows us to reach people trying to make that Indie choice.

So if you find a great independent coffee shop, grocer, record store – and of course online boutique such as www.unsungdesigners.com - Spread the Word. They will only survive if people start caring about America becoming Generica.

Of course, the added benefit is when you walk down the streets in our unsung designers’ clothes… you won’t see yourself coming!

Introducing Unsung's Newest Young Talent: Miyagi

Check it out. Miyagi's first collection in classic black and white is so technically mature we couldn't believe it was his debut line. His philosophy is mixing sophistication (immaculate tailoring and clean lines) with "cuteness" (faux flower petal adornments), which he believes makes his garments more feminine.

We are enamored of the cropped stretch pants which are like fitted capris, modern knickers, sleek clam-diggers... whatever you want to call them, they are unbelievably modern and girly at the same time. They're made out of a polyurethane blend, so they stretch yet hold their shape much better than other stretch fabrics. The denser fabric also holds you in like a charm, and we love the adorable accordion pockets that make your butt look higher. We've worn them with stiletto sandals, ankle kitten boots, platform wedges...

Miyagi also makes gorgeous, body-skimming blouses with amazing detail, and funky pieces adorned in braided ribbon and even a removable flower brooch.

Parson's 2006 Line Debut

Parsons School of Design did an amazing job on its 2006 line debut fashion show. Set in a beautiful old church in the LES, there was an electric charge in the air. The young designers showing their work were surrounded by friends, family, industry reps and press, who crowded the narrow street outside to get a good seat.

Models from Elite and other agencies shared the catwalk with student models. Designers to watch included Rosalina Pong whose black wool crepe mini dress with wide sleeves sent oohs and ahhs through the crowd, and Shilpa Rajpara whose jewel-toned silk top and flowing beige silk pants were stunning.

Several designers created corset tops or used them to layer and cinch. Raw, neutral tones were predominant in the first part of the show, evoking the hue of natural undyed cotton or muslin. Get ready to see some of these young talents at Unsung Designers before they become the next big thing!

Who's Your Mommy?

Gina Michele Featured in Daily Candy Today

We're happy to see one of our fabulous new designers, Gina Michele, featured in Daily Candy today. Check out the Drawstring Top that Daily Candy loves, or Gina Michele's entire collection of fun dresses, tanks and silkscreen tees.

unsung/offline: Saturday, May 6

first Saturday of every month... protect your identity... buy unsung.

Get away from the herd. Come check out all the great new merchandise we have in for Spring. This Saturday, May 6, noon to 6pm (same time, same place, as always).

Cool Supermodel

These days there are all kinds of celebrities branching out in new directions: sports stars singing, singers acting and starting clothing lines, actors directing and becoming global ambassadors, models hosting talk shows and designing clothes... but one must wonder: how much are they really invested in their new ventures? In supermodel Alek Wek's case, she is dedicated and passionate. I was surprised and impressed to see her personally showing her handbag line Wek1933 at Designers & Agents today. Alek is not only stunningly gorgeous as we all know, but gracious and down to earth and obviously believes in her work. I mean, how many celebrities do you know who would personally go pitch their work if it wasn't on Oprah or the Tonight Show or some star-studded event? Alek Wek is real and I adore her for doing things the way the rest of us do, rather than using her money and fame to bypass the usual processes. Everyone should check out her handbag line. (I love the Akua Bag shown here.) They're beautiful and functional, and much of what she does goes back to her support of charities and humanitarian causes.

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!