THE GOOD CHAT

The Good Chat is a monthly one hour conversation hosted by the TRIBUTE team on current affairs like fashion, history, music, art, photography, new textiles, retail, and of course the COVID-19 and its impact.

Today, more than ever, we believe our work goes beyond clothing, it is so much more about the conversations and exchanges we have, gathering disruptors, thinkers, scholars, and custodians under the guise of respect. 

The objective is to recreate the kinds of encounters we miss from real-life TRIBUTE but online and engage with our community on subjects that interest them. 

Each Good Chat sessions explore the culture of TRIBUTE.

Date + Time: 03/26/2021 at 12pm EST

Loggin information: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89146310595?pwd=Wm96RS90RHQ3R0hJdG83MndZd1VUZz09
Meeting ID: 891 4631 0595
Passcode: 700578

Don't forget to subscript to our YouTube channel.

March 2021

A textile love affair

Did you know that the origins of computing have something to do with the algorithmic nature of weaving? That double-entry bookkeeping and modern finance come from the textile trade? 

Textile (n) any filament, fibre, or yarn that can be made into fabric or cloth, and the resulting material itself. It is one of the most interesting, functional art forms whose history is as rich as the known civilizations that scholars have studied. 

Textiles are everywhere, they are omnipresent and interwoven into the private and public practices of every culture, both formal and informal, quotidian and ceremonial. Textiles bring a bundle of emotions embroidered in the fabric of our life.

Join us for a lively discussion with two artists and a curator who have diverse practices and make use of textiles in their work. How do materials carry meaning, and how do artists amplify and animate this meaning in powerful ways?

Speakers:

Camille Ann Brewer - Curator and weaver and dyer of yarn and cloth, director of Erik Van Wert Dye Works in Detroit, Michigan

Chloe Bensahel - Artist based between Washington DC and Paris

Roxana Geffen - Artist based in Washington DC

The discussion is moderated by Joelle Firzli, co-founder at TRIBUTE.

February 2021

Influenced by the realities of climate change, garment workers conditions and cultural transformations as well as the current sanitary crisis, brands, today, must be committed to designing collections that will, simultaneously, celebrate and foster diverse sociocultural heritage and identities and impact sustainable growth - reducing and diverting waste generated from productions, manufacturing and packaging with the environment in mind as well as protecting the health and safety of the workers and the communities in which they work. They must reshape the industry and rethink fashion.

For this Good Chat session, we have invited four brands with whom we collaborate at Tribute to discuss their dedication to  delivering sustainable, eco-friendly, and ethical products. Each in their own way, and in their own space have proven that it is possible to design with sustainability in mind. 

Speakers:

Aristide Loua - Founder and Creative Director at Kente Gentlemen, based in Abidjan, Ivory Coast 

Amine Jreissati - Founder and Creative Director at Boyfriend the Brand, based in Beirut,  Lebanon

Aaron Smith - Chief Operating Officer at Alex Crane, based in Brooklyn, New York

Karen Wood - Founder at Neu Nomads, based in Brooklyn, New York

Karla - Founder and Creative Director at Coeur, based in Mexico City, Mexico

The discussion is moderated by Gabrielle Clay, Communication Manager at TRIBUTE.

January 2021

Fashion matters deeply, from the dressmakers and designers that create the garments, to the industry that sells it and the wearer that has historically relied on it as a tool and sign of identity, expression, power and status. It is fantasy, desire and memory. It facilitates one’s agency and it offers a rich platform to reflect on key social and cultural issues, from practices to consumption and production through identity politics. It is a complex system with a lot of variables and mixed signals. It allows us to construct, display, communicate, alter and/or conceal.

In November 2020, we launched "un/fold: a style anthology of Washington DC", a research project that brings together art, photography, storytelling and fashion. Un/fold dives into the untold history of fashion in the capital and how it has evolved over time. For our first Good Chat of the year, we would like to explore the history of fashion and identity in D.C. Where does fashion exist in Washington DC? And what does it mean? 

Speakers:

Elizabeth Way - Assistant Curator at The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology

Farrah Skeiky - D.C. based photographer, creative director, and writer

Nancy Davis - Curator Emeritus, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History

Jason Barnes - Performance artist and fashion historian

The discussion is moderated by Joelle Firzli, co-founder, CEO and curator at TRIBUTE.

September 2020

Lingerie is secret, sexual clothing; it touches the naked body and, like the body, it lies hidden beneath the outer layers of dress- to be revealed only under intimate circumstances.
- Valerie Steele - 

Needless to say, a lot has changed since the days of whaleboned corset of the 17th and 18th Century, the closed-crotch underwear of the 1910s, the 1950s pin-up and the no-underwear underwear trend of the 1960s. In 1990, during her Blond Ambition tour, Madonna stepped on stage with her Jean Paul Gaultier cone brassier, a satin top with conical breasts. 

There is no doubt that lingerie has always been a subject of fascination. Today, just as the intimate industry moves toward comfort dressing, functionality and uniformity, more than ever, lingerie is proving its staying power.

What is the importance of lingerie? As the ideal of feminine beauty changed, how did it evolve? What is a well-constructed bra? How is it to run a lingerie boutique during a pandemic?

Tune in for an intimate and exposed conversation between Stephanie Jacek, the founder of lingerie boutique, Le Bustiere, and Joelle Firzli, from TRIBUTE. 

August 2020

In this episode of the Good Chat, Gabrielle Clary, Communication Manager at TRIBUTE, is talking with style blogger Kamrin of @naturallykam. . Dubbed the “Blazer Queen”, Kamrin focuses on ethical fashion, ethical styling and eco home decor. Her goal is to raise awareness and support for affordable and accessible fashion for all, inspire you to have a more conscious closet and help with the transition towards ethical fashion.

WATCH HERE

July 2020

On Fashion Studies? Looking at the different paths to approach this multi-layered field of study. 

In this episode of the Good Chat, join four MA in Fashion Studies [at Parsons the New School of Design] alumni and one MA in Fashion Studies candidate for a candid conversation about the importance of understanding the historical, cultural and social aspects of fashion and the different career possibilities it offers. 

Speakers:

Laura Beltran Rubio - Art and Fashion Historian / Ph.D. candidate in American Studies at The College of William and Mary. [MA in Fashion Studies 2016]

Michelle Mc Vicker - Collections and Education Assistant at the Museum at The Fashion Institute of Technology. [MA in Fashion Studies 2017]

Anthony Palliparambil Jr. - Adjunct Faculty, The School of Art and Design History and Theory at Parsons School of Design. [MA in Fashion Studies 2017]

Emilia Ferrara - DC Commissioner for Fashion Arts & Evens, Founder of Capitally Magazine. [MA in Fashion Studies 2022]

Moderated by Joelle Firzli - Co-Founder of TRIBUTE and independent fashion researcher and curator. [MA in Fashion Studies 2016]

 WATCH HERE

June 2020

The Performative Fashion show
In this episode of the Good Chat, we recognize that the fashion industry’s response has been hollow. They preach but rarely practice. They offer short term solutions instead of long term commitments while continuing to directly profit from black culture and marginalizing black designers, photographers, models, employees, and business leaders. On Instagram, (companies from Prada to Reformation) have tried to contribute to the conversation by posting statements opposing racism, and creating funds to support Black organizations. The truth is, this will no longer suffice. The  fashion industry is part of the problem, and still has internal work to do to effectively create systemic change. Today, our work goes beyond clothing, it is so much more about the conversations and exchanges we have. We can do better.

Speakers:

Joy Kingsley-Ibeh - Kingsley Model + Talent Management Founder.

Jason Barnes - Drag Queen/Artist/Fashion historian.