Artist's Statement

As I walk and drive through life I am constantly thinking, constantly inspired by what I see around me and I try to jot down ideas as I go along. I'm lost without a pen and paper, a check list, a brief note. YazBerry Fashion is my outlet to bring that which inspires me to life, in a tangible, wearable, useful way. I create because whatever it is that keeps me up at night with ideas spinning through my head must be fed by putting my hands to work manifesting my visions.

I am obsessed with recycling; I think I was a first wave 'reduce, reuse, recycle' student and it stuck with me from an impressionable age. I strive to recycle as much as I possibly can; this comes through in my design work. I love working with recycled materials. I almost prefer them to new materials, though I do use a mix in my work. There is something about picking up a discarded material, taking in its limitations and characteristics and finding a way to breathe new life into it. I consider this sustainable fashion.

In the last fifteen years I have made my way around the world. I am inspired by the colors I see, vivid tropical hues, bold eastern pigments and delicious color combinations. I try to capture these colors, textures and sights in my work.

I enjoy examining everything I can with my fingers and my eyes, learning its texture, seeing its ornate details. I pay attention to these things and create with the details and hand in mind. I am inspired by vintage garments, architecture and the textiles themselves. Because I work with a lot of recycled materials, often the material tells me what it should become. I enjoy designing this way and find it more challenging to design from a drawing or a vision and find the materials that work to make this vision come to be.

My work is colorful. It has strong shapes, bold colors and patterns and subtle details reminiscent of vintage craftsmanship. I create with people that enjoy treasure hunting in mind. People that enjoy the art of dressing themselves in special items, pops of color, three or more colors at once like me. I design for people wanting something unique, one of a kind; something not available in malls or department stores. My work is wearable art.

- Virginia E. Berry

TO VIEW THE YAZBERRY PRESS KIT CLICK HERE.

I Orderded a Glowforge 3-D Laser Printer!

I am going to own a laser! I have been stewing over this for a month. Should I buy one, can I justify the pricey purchase? Do I really need this? Making lists of pros and cons...the only thing ever on the con list is the price...so today I placed an order for a Glowforge 3-D Laser Printer


If you want one for 50% off the retail price you can pre-order for another 15 days or so (check the website to be certain) and you will get $100 off if you use my link and so will I! I just pre-ordered a Glowforge 3D laser printer. It was an earlybird unit, so it was half price. They still have half-price units available, and this link is an EXTRA $100 coupon. Please, help me pay for this thing so I can make you amazing creations.

There are sooooo many things I can make with this and want to make. This tool will replace many processes I currently do by hand. Cutting of leather lace, cutting of vinyl records, cutting of fabric pieces. It will also bring in the ability to etch and pierce so many things! My favorite feature is I can hand draw anything, and place it in the Glowforge 3-D Laser Printer and it will cut that design into anything! As many times as I want. No need to train myself on Computer Aided Drawing though I would like to learn someday.

Wow, ok, so I am considering a GoFundme/Kickstarter Project which will have amazing laser cut gifts at the different donation levels. Stay tuned.

 Here are images of some of my work I hope to improve by using the Glowforge 3-D Laser Printer:

Finished my prototype for my Benjamin Franklin Kite necklace. I am very happy with this and will be making a series of these where each is a one of a kind. Price to be determined.

A photo posted by Virginia (@yazberryfashion) on Sep 23, 2015 at 6:15pm PDT

3D Lasers & Leather?

I have been thinking about learning how to use and incorporate laser printing and cutting in my leather design process. While I love hand cutting leather, and will likely continue to as a sort of "originals vs. prints" concept, I have been wanting to automate the process by making my hand drawn ideas CAD designs and then learning how to program a laser printer or cutter to cut these designs.

There is a new product out there Glowforge which could make this possible at home! You can cut wood, leather, etch glass, cut felt...so many interesting applications. If you get a chance flip through their galleries because there are already so many amazing things this printer has made...

I want a Glowforge so bad! Meanwhile, I think last year I read about a makers group in St. John's that has a laser in their collection of tools. I may need to further investigate...

If you want one too, you can sign up for their mailing list to get this awesome tool 1/2 off.

"The 3D laser printer that makes beautiful things, quickly.

Our first Glowforges will be half price.
We don't want you to miss out."

Screen Capture from the Glowforge website available 9.18.15

The Hand Cut Leather Lace Process - Revisited

You may recall my post on my hand cut leather lace process a few years ago. I have been re-inspired by cut leather work recently and decided to film the making of a new necklace design to give you some more insight into my process and technique. The piece featured in this video is available on my facebook page for purchase. This design could also be made in bronze or silver foiled leather. I have a few other colors on hand too just let me know what you are looking for.

Rescued materials, travel inspired design, functional fashion

I have a tough time answering the question, so what is your work like? How would you describe it? I can profess about it in writing much better, so here it is: 

YazBerry will leave people asking you where you got it!

I was the kid growing up selling dried wild flower bouquets to the neighbors from my wagon. I've always been most content working on creative projects. Sewing, drawing, painting, coloring, building things...One of my favorite games was "business"; I had a wooden box filled with fax cover sheets and blank receipt books.

While in college I had my first run with clothing design. Working in the costume shop at the Skidmore Theatre, my creativity was put to the test creating costumes from thin air based on an idea from the director. I then produced two collections for student fashion shows.

BA in hand and a day job to boot Etsy crossed my path. *light bulb* the perfect outlet for the creative working person. Of course I dream of quitting my day job like most Etsians, but for now the bills must get paid and Etsy is the perfect forum to run my business while I sleep. I recently have started selling directly on Facebook and in some local stores.

I have been transient the last *ahem* nearly a decade; each space I have lived in I have always made room for a studio. My current studio is a tiny, closet-less bedroom in my rented house with borrowed furniture. My living and creative space are often woven into and on top of one another. I have a hard time keeping projects in the project room...they sneak into the kitchen, the living room...it works. I thrive in organized chaos.

My favorite materials are discarded clothing found in secondhand shops. Textiles inherited from retired friends and family. Found objects from flea markets and the beach. My absolute favorite thing is to determine the limitations of a discarded item, discover its potential and work it into a functional piece of wearable art.

YazBerry is in essence, a grand recycling experiment; manifested in the form of wearable art. I am a first generation "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" student and have found it is one of my guiding mantras in all that I do in life. Always finding ways to reduce my impact on the ecosystem and preserve the beauty around us for those to come after.

At the moment I am mostly flying solo on the YazBerry frontier. At times my generous husband will help with projects; my number one fan and best sales person. My mom also helps at art fairs.

I always carry a small notepad and pen with me. I never know when something will catch my eye, inspire a design and need to be captured before my short term memory allows it to float on the wind. I am particularly inspired by architecture, eye catching color combinations in ethnic textiles and the artisan craft of peoples around the world.

I rarely make the same item twice. It feels like a chore and I want your YazBerry creation to be singular in this world. I stand by the promise that YazBerry will leave people asking you where you got it!

Enjoy!

Virginia E. Berry-Phillips
Designer * Creator * Picker * Maker

Rescued materials, travel inspired design, functional fashion

(Exerpt originally found on my Etsy.com "About" page)


YazBerry will leave people asking you where you got it!

I was the kid growing up selling dried wild flower bouquets to the neighbors from my wagon. I've always been most content working on creative projects. Sewing, drawing, painting, coloring, building things...One of my favorite games was "business"; I had a wooden box filled with fax cover sheets and blank receipt books.

While in college I had my first run with clothing design. Working in the costume shop at the Skidmore Theatre, my creativity was put to the test creating costumes from thin air based on an idea from the director. I then produced two collections for student fashion shows.

BA in hand and a day job to boot Etsy crossed my path. *light bulb* the perfect outlet for the creative working person. Of course I dream of quitting my day job like most Etsians, but for now the bills must get paid and Etsy is the perfect forum to run my business while I sleep.

I have been transient the last *ahem* nearly a decade; each space I have lived in I have always made room for a studio. My current studio is a dark walk out basement filled with yellow lights and borrowed furniture. My living and creative space are woven into and on top of one another. It works. I thrive in organized chaos.

My favorite materials are discarded clothing found in secondhand shops. Textiles inherited from retired friends and family. Found objects from flea markets and the beach. My absolute favorite thing is to determine the limitations of a discarded item, discover its potential and work it into a functional piece of wearable art.

YazBerry is in essence, a grand recycling experiment; manifested in the form of wearable art. I am a first generation "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" student and have found it is one of my guiding mantras in all that I do in life. Always finding ways to reduce my impact on the ecosystem and preserve the beauty around us for those to come after.

At the moment I am mostly flying solo on the YazBerry frontier. At times my generous fiance will help with the online shop. My number one fan and best sales person. My mom also helps at art fairs.

I always carry a small notepad and pen with me. I never know when something will catch my eye, inspire a design and need to be captured before my short term memory allows it to float on the wind. I am particularly inspired by architecture, eye catching color combinations in ethnic textiles and the artisan craft of peoples around the world.

I rarely make the same item twice. It feels like a chore and I want your YazBerry creation to be singular in this world. I stand by the promise that YazBerry will leave people asking you where you got it!

Enjoy!

Virginia Berry

Designer * Creator * Picker * Maker

Fashion as Art

I think so. I consider myself an artist. Fashion is the medium in which I choose to express myself artistically.

art1    /ɑrt/[ahrt]
noun
1. the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.
2. the class of objects subject to aesthetic criteria; works of art collectively, as paintings, sculptures, or drawings: a museum of art; an art collection.
3. a field, genre, or category of art: Dance is an art.

Today I came across a couple interesting articles addressing fashion as art. Both raise the question does fashion have a place in an art museum? "Does Fashion Deserve To Be In a Museum?" in Bust Magazine, and a New York Times article, the Bust article references: "Gone Global: Fashion as Art?" I argue that yes it does. The articles arrive at a similar conclusion while addressing some interesting issues such as what criteria is used to select designers, how some design houses are funding their own exhibits as sort of a brand marketing cum art statement, which has a number of interesting arguments along with it. I highly suggest you read these articles, excellent food for thought.

My art background is wide spanning. I have taken art classes since I was a child and have been schooled in mediums such as painting and clay. I've learned about perspective, the play of positive and negative space, the way primary, secondary and tertiary colors work. How to mix colors, how to make colors play certain tricks on your eye. I've also had the privilege of slowly meandering through some of the world's greatest art museums in Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Rome, New York, Chicago, Minneapolis. I move slow, I stare hard and my cerebral sponge soaks in as many details of the Masters as I can. I treat a clothing store and a fashion magazine the same way as I do the Louvre. I even treat people watching in this way.

My fashion design is derived from an accumulation of art education and observation. I consider each piece a wearable sculpture. A three dimensional painting. A study of positive and negative space. A play of color, texture and volume. This makes me slow, deliberate, obsessed with detail and extremely particular about the end result. Flaws? I think not, these are what gives character to my work. Enjoy!

Write-up on YazBerry on Riverwalk Market Fair Blog

Nice write-up by Amy Acheson on the Riverwalk Market Fair Blog. Here's a quick view, be sure to visit the blog to read about other artists and farmers showcasing their work and produce at the market.

Exclusive Interview: Fink aka iheartfink

I am a self proclaimed (diagnosed) print junkie. My closet is filled with bold, graphic, subtle and classic prints spanning the decades. I hunt them out. I am drawn to them like a moth. A quick peek at the Fink collection found on iheartfink.etsy.com you can see why I dig their work.

Here are a few of my favorite Fink designs. Someday my closet will be filled with them! Fink is the collaborative effort of textile artists Karen and Kristen. Both artists design the prints on their textiles, hand print them, make each garment from scratch without patterns, model and photograph their own work. Even more amazing is that they work out of studios in two different states, NY and NM!

I was so intrigued by this business set up, my first question was how they worked out the details of their independent design business with so many miles (and some time zones too) between them. Here is what they had to say:

karen - "we met in the boston area where we were both working on the comedy central animated series dr. katz professional therapist...we became fast friends, kept in touch & after many years of not working together anymore we realized that we really missed it- that we had a particular energy that worked well creatively and that we needed to find a way to make it happen, we did and off we went...."

kristen - "yes, our Boston times were great and it became obvious over time that even though we were miles apart we could make something happen...and here it is"

I asked the ladies how they would describe Fink to someone who has never seen their collection before:

karen - "our tagline says it best for the style---nouveaux flowerchild chic . but more importantly handprinted & handmade from scratch. one of a kind- each item has an incredible amount of work put into it. we can't stress that enough. that enough"

kristen - "yes, everything Karen said. I tell people about our clothes...show them in person when I can and still they say "so, where do you get your fabrics?" even after I told them we print them...then I show them the screens and how we do it and then get the "WOW!!!" "OMG" and "AMAZING!!" stuff. we do our best to explain our work in written words on Etsy and other sites but when our customers receive the the clothes they really get it...and then they come back for more!"

Something that always intrigues me about designers (and bands) is how they come up with their name. Here is what Karen and Kristen have to say about the origin of Fink:

karen - "the usual...just chit chatting & laughing really. it doesn't really mean anything but what it means. it's funny. fink is a funny word and we love people who are finks."

kristen - "well, though we found it by giggling and conversing over cocktails...it makes so much sense. Fashion + Ink...Fink."

When asked about their muse, where they find inspiration for their textiles and silhouettes, they shared the following:

karen - "wow that is a tough one because inspiration is all over the place but a simple answer would be vintage of course- we both love love love vintage, and imagination & of course mother nature for colors & prints- she is a big influence."

kristen - "yes, I agree w/ Karen...vintage is number one. movies, books, music, memories, cocktails, conversations, love...they all inspire!"

I wanted to really find out about what goes on behind the computer screen at Fink. I asked Kristen and Karen to share about some of the hardest aspects of their designing and business. Some of the challenges included space. The solution: improvise, that's what the kitchen table is for. And every creative person's challenge: not enough time. Kristen's thoughts on solutions for shortage of time?

"I don't have the space problem here in Santa Fe and I feel most fortunate about that...for me it's time. that is really a positive thing though...like they say "time flies when you are having fun"...it does. and I am not willing to have less fun so time will keep flying!"

Both Kristen and Karen have been able to dedicate themselves to Fink 110% of the time. They are grateful for the freedom and spontaneity their independent design business has given them and welcome conversations from you!