Whether you're building a sustainable closet or an ecofriendly brand, it's a journey of commitment and improving things as you go. If you wait until you’ve figured out how to be "perfectly" sustainable to start, you legit might be waiting forever. So instead, just begin right now with the budget and resources you have. Here are 5 simple, but impactful steps you can take today to get your sustainable journey going at no extra cost….
Read moreConsciously Considered: SUPERPOWERS AND SHORTCOMINGS
Let’s talk fiber content. No doubt, the sexiest topic in the industry.
Whether you're into fashion or not, we all wear clothes (at least I think so). And as a consumer, it's important to know what your clothes are made of, how fiber affects garment performance and what impact it has on the environment…
Read moreProcess: SS19 MOODBOARD
With the days warming up, the Spring/Summer19 collection is underway (literally as of yesterday). Though I don’t want to reveal too much of the story yet, here's a look at the moodboard to hold you over…
Read moreLately: SEATTLE, WE'RE COMING
2019 keeps serving change and I'm just trying to keep up. Look out Frasier Crane because the cats and I are coming! That’s right. In just a few weeks, DECLARATIVE is moving to Seattle!
It’s been mixed-emotion city over here. I'm excited for Seattle’s strong sweater weather, but it's hard to say goodbye to Augusta. I've seen the Garden City bloom before my eyes over the past few years and in that time, it‘s become my home…
Read moreConsciously Considered: “MAKE IT LAST” KNITWEAR CARE
Choosing natural fibers over synthetics. Prioritizing quality, slow fashion over quantity, fast fashion. These are great ways to have a more sustainable closet, but I get it. At the end of the day, your budget is your budget. And these factors aside, making our clothes last is a way we can all be more sustainable in 2019. To help keep your knits in tip-top shape and extend their life, here’s an overview of Knitwear Care…
Read moreFrom Kristine: MEET DECLARATIVE
It's 2019 baby, and I can't think of a better way to kick off the new year than by sharing this next chapter of RESPONSIVE TEXTILES with you: “I would stand and look out over the roofs of Paris and think, 'Do not worry. You have always written before and you will write now. All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.'" ~Ernest Hemingway
I came across this quote at 1 AM back in April, and the idea of a “one true sentence” immediately resonated. The whole quote resonated…
Read moreFrom Kristine: A BIG CHANGE
Last week, I shared RSPNSV's story and the growth that's happened over our six collections. For one, I'm no longer a graphic designer trying to be a knitter. For another, "responsive textiles" has since become an industry term for smart fabrics. (no jk) Now for my news, which you may want to sit down for. After considering these changes, I've decided it's time for our brand name to evolve too…
Read moreFrom Kristine: PLANTING SEEDS IN 2019
Does the end of the year also make you reflective? I was legit wide awake for hours last night thinking about the past 4 years of RESPONSIVE TEXTILES.
Fun fact: I created the name for a class assignment in 2012. At the time, I thought it'd be a surface design studio, something a little closer to the graphic design degree I was finishing up. Its mission? To design fabric that's RESPONSIVE to your individuality, body and lifestyle. (Sound familiar?)
Jump to 2014. I’m in the middle of brunch (where my best ideas happen), and I decide apply to Fashion Week San Diego under the name RESPONSIVE TEXTILES…
Read moreLately: KRISTINE'S COLLAB WITH TEEN VOGUE!
Fiber Content. Construction. Seams. Dyeing. A lot goes into a sweater, which dictates its performance and price point. As a designer, these factors create the fine line I walk in my design process between quality and cost. As a shopper, it means better understanding what you're looking at in stores and empowering you to make the best choice for your budget and lifestyle.
So in collaboration with Teen Vogue’s Sammie Scott, I stepped out of my comfort zone and in front of the camera (phew!) to break things down for you, as we played a game: Cheap vs Expensive…
Read moreStyle Files: YOU'RE HOT THEN YOU'RE COLD
(Literally though!)
Whether it already feels like winter or you’re experiencing multiple climates a day, one thing is true about this time of year: temp control is a struggle.
How can you dress for the cold when every store is blasting their heat? Why is it winter when you leave for work, but spring by lunchtime (and now you’re stuck carrying around that heavy jacket)? Can the air just pick a lane already? Not sure about you, but I legit ask myself these questions all season long…
Read moreConsciously Considered: 4 STEPS TO STARTING YOUR CAPSULE WARDROBE
Have you ever cleaned out your closet only to find your capsule wardrobe has become a cluttered mess again? Because yah, I've been there. Recently freed-up space has an uncanny habit of filling up again, and it's no coincidence.
When I began this process for myself, my closet was stuffed to the brim. Logically, I just started tossing the clothes I never wore and stopped when things looked organized. This lasted few months, but slowly, my closet returned its earlier, tornado-looking vibes…
Read moreFrom Kristine: PRICE CHANGES
A core value RESPONSIVE TEXTILES and I both share is transparency. With that said, I have an announcement to make, and it’s one you may want to sit down for. Come June 8th, your favorite pieces will experience a shift in pricing.
The main reason: I've actually started tracking my hours of work (not just for knitting each garment, but also packaging, size grading and material sourcing - to name a few), and it turns out that there's a lot of time I hadn't been accounting for in our current prices…
Read moreLately: THE EARTH IS MELTING
It is February 22nd, and the past few days have felt like spring. In Augusta, GA, flowers are in bloom. Yesterday, people in Maine were wearing T-shirts, and Central Park reported 76 degrees. Sure, it's nice when it's "nice out." However, I find this pretty alarming. Our climate is warming up.
I lived in the Northeast until I was 22 (first in NJ and then in RI). During that time, I never experienced a February day that boasted 70 degrees. Yesterday, some of these places hit the 80s. In fact, it was the hottest February day ever recorded in Newark, NJ...
Read moreFrom Kristine: REFLECTING ON 4 YEARS
If you know me, you know that I love anniversaries. And this past Monday, Feb 5th, was a notable one. Four years ago to the day, I met with Fashion Week San Diego and pitched RESPONSIVE TEXTILES for their SS15 runway shows. (Ahh, how time flies?!?) This meeting, out of the many meetings that have happened since, is important because it started our journey to becoming the brand we are today. I talked a bit about this on social media, and many of you reached out wanting to hear more. So as a perfect #tbt, here are the details. Now, let me set up the situation...
Read moreConsciously Considered: "BUY LESS, CHOOSE WELL, MAKE IT LAST" THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
Kitschy holiday sweaters are cool. But consciously-crafted sweaters that can serve you all season long? We think those are even better. Yah, we are biased, but hear us out. Only 1% of the materials flowing through the consumer economy remain in use 6 months after sale. (1) That is a lot of waste going into our landfills. And why? Because they either fall apart or fall out of trend. With the fashion industry being the second biggest pollutant in the world, it is time for a change...
Read moreProcess: THE STORY BEHIND FW17
Fall/Winter 2017 is here, and I am thrilled to finally share these pieces with you. When I started "Lady of the Lake," I was thinking about water and the mythological women from Camelot and Hamlet. However, as I worked on the collection... well, I hit a wall. A big, sucky, creative block. Weeks went by with little progress to show for them. And although the experience was trying, it seems fitting that RESPONSIVE TEXTILES' fifth collection would be a landmark one for me as a maker. It would also perhaps be the most RESPONSIVE one yet...
Read moreConsciously Considered: BE MATERIAL-ISTIC
"WE ARE TOO MATERIALIST IN THE TRADITIONAL SENSE OF PURCHASING ALL OF THESE THINGS, BUT IN A DIFFERENT SENSE, MAYBE WE ARE NOT MATERIALIST ENOUGH?" ~THE MINIMALISTS
I recently heard this while listening to The Minimalists Podcast at the gym. Let me quickly set the scene. There I am. Hating every moment of this self-induced, treadmill torture when I hear these words and a light bulb flicks on. I paused my workout for a moment to jot this question down. Then I spent the rest of my work out mulling over this statement...
Read moreFrom Kristine: MAGIC BORN OUT OF UGLY BEGINNINGS
What the F is that?!? Well ladies and gents, take a close look and behold. That crazy collection of yarns and drop stitches is the first swatch I ever created on a knitting machine. It is my beginning. An ugly beginning on a path that would quickly become a passion and eventually turn into a career. I found it today while decluttering the studio, and it was wonderful to see this baby again. This swatch was born in the winter of 2012 at my friend Leah's house on her knitting machine. She generously took the afternoon to give me a little introduction to the machine because I had been itching to learn and had yet to get into the class (which I would finally get into that next semester/my final semester of RISD)...
Read moreLately: ABOUT THE UPCOMING FW17 COLLECTION
You heard it here first people! The upcoming Fall/Winter 2017 Collection is on its way at last! Here are a few details/fun facts/sneak peeks to get you as excited as we are...
Read moreFrom Kristine: EMBRACING THE BLUES
Real talk time: I spent most of today and yesterday sitting in my studio, struggling to be productive. Pushing papers to the left and then to the right. The struggle was real. For the past month really, I've felt stuck. My lack of productivity has only made me feel worse. After hours today of being swallowed by this "bleh" feeling, I finally stepped away from my work and took a look inwards. I decided to embrace the blues...
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