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10/25/2013

Sam Jones Interviews Chef Irvine for Thrillist


One thing Irvine never fails to find time for: making his muscles even more enormous. Our correspondent Sam Jones, from the only occasionally SFW show At Home With Sam Jones, caught up with him at Northfield, NJ's Island Gym to ask him some deeply probing questions.

10/08/2013

T-Project: The Answer To EVERY American Fashion Designer's Prayers

After spending over ten years in the fashion industry working with designers from Alexander Wang to Zang Toi, I grew to understand the importance of being able to both source material locally and find manufacturers willing to work on smaller minimums without compromising the quality of their craftsmanship. The industry lacked a one stop shop where designers could walk in with an idea and have it brought to fruition all under one roof. Until now.


Introducing T-Project (Tuscany-Project); A New York satellite production and sourcing hub that's developed an innovative, seamless way to provide American designers, both high-end and contemporary, with full access to a network of over 16 artisans and the best craftsmanship Tuscany has to offer. T-Project navigates the production process on behalf of their client's and offers an a la carte menu of services ranging from raw material sourcing, product management, design, operations and manufacturing without ever leaving Manhattan! Hello? This is infuckingcredible! 

Never before has the playing field been leveled to such an extent. Designers no longer need to finance costly, exhausting trips spending countless hours walking through fairs trying to decipher what the vendors are saying while attempting to communicate back with some half-assed broken Italian or what I like to call Span-talian; You know... you take the Spanish that you learned in school and add a few more vowels. (Although, in actuality, the vendors don't really care what you're saying as long as you're wearing a low cut blouse. Ciao Bella!)

Aside from the full scale production and manufacturing, T-Project works with highly skilled Tuscan "modellerie" to develop samples, offering brands access to some of the most sought after professional sample makers. Having worked with the best brands in the world, these model makers can render exquisite composites of even the most creative and difficult of designs at surprisingly doable prices.

I visited their showroom on October 1st for the debut of their 2014-2015 'Made in Italy' Trends & Collections Presentation (they'll be showcasing their work until October 30th) and was blown away! I met Gaia, one of T-Project's representatives, who showed me some of the most extraordinary work from some of their affiliate manufacturers along the likes of Altre Mani, Beauty Brass, Calzaturifico Eleven, Cappellificio Memar, Denim Pelle, Enrico Pucci, Galeotti Piume, Giano Gerruzzi, Lartigianabottoni, Most, OBI, Parentesi Quadra and Pelletteria Pratese. Each unique collection was shown in it's entirety, allowing us to see the quality of their samples first hand. I'm talking about feathers,  buttons, resin accessories, labels (laser stamped and reverse laser stamped), various trims, all different kinds of material, beautiful custom jewelry, bags, hats, belts... I could go on for days here.


The bottom line is that T-Project bridged the gap between Italy and NYC by launching a turnkey Tuscan operation that gives designers the opportunity to produce high-end articles from accessories and shoes to garments and outerwear without ever having to deal with the headaches and ulcers that come with working overseas. It truly is A ONE STOP SHOP.  



 P.S. Adam, Gilles, Jill, Lazz, Bibhu, Brandon Sun, and Alvin Valley.... YOU'RE WELCOME! (Now how's about front row next season?)

T-Project:
347 West 36 Street, Suite 1100
Between 8&9th ave
212-334-9060 or info@e-tuscany.com
Open Mon-Fri 10am-6pm