Ahkun Summer Pop Up In NYC This Weekend

Afia 'Gem Gown' with artisan-made textiles sourced from Ghana

Detail of a textile from Ghana featured in the Afia Collection

Ahkun, a New York City nonprofit, wants to prove that socially responsible style can be both fashionable and affordable. On July 30 and 31, Ahkun will host a pop-up sale event in NYC featuring carefully curated clothing and accessories from independent designers, sustainable brands, and fair trade organizations. Ten percent of sales will be contributed to artisans abroad through the micro-lending website Kiva.

No-waste, hand-woven silk ikat skirt from Study NY

Sustainably produced in New York City

Participants include: Afia by Meghan Sebold, a sustainable women's apparel line that utilizes textiles from Ghana; Study NY by Tara St. James, winner of the 2011 Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation Award for Sustainable Design; Indego Africa, a social enterprise that partners with women artisans in Rwanda on products for brands like Nicole Miller and Anthropologie; and Made by Survivors, a nonprofit that provides survivors of sex trafficking with employment and education.

Zero-waste 'Chavela Bag' by Viva La Vida NY

Other pop-up vendors include: Auralis Studio, Holstee, Lolafalk, Lynore Routte, Simply Nu, Tompkins Point Apparel and Viva La Vida NY.

You can RSVP for the event via Ahkun's Facebook page or simply stop by from 11am to 6pm at the Lower East Side Girls Club at 56 East 1st Street in Lower Manhattan.

Afia's New Capsule Collection to be Debuted at Guilded

Cannot wait to attend the official debut of the Afia collection at Guilded in NYC on May 5th. Created out of traditional West African textiles by pattern makers in Chicago and NYC in conjunction with the fair trade Dzidefo Women's Cooperative in the village of Kpando, Ghana, Afia's Summer 2011 capsule collection is the creative vision of designer Meghan Sebold.

All of these stunningly bold fabrics are sourced from small vendors in Ghana, and as part of 'urban indigenous' chic and sustainable production storytelling, create a bridge to 'history, proverbs, moral values, and social codes' with their traditional, though contemporary, motifs.

For more information on the upcoming May 5th event and a line up of other designers who will be participating visit Guilded's event page. And isn't model Fardosa Mohamed, gorgeous?

Images courtesy of Afia / credits are as follows: 

Design: Meghan Sebold

Photography: James de Leon
Model: Fardosa Mohamed
Editing: Evan Felts
Styling: Julianna Vezzetti
Assisting: Elizabeth Cloyd and Jackson Tonti
Jewelry: Liten Blomma by Jessica and J.M.V.