Sketchbook

Changes Coming to 4 All Humanity

Change can always be scary. It's forging ahead into the unknown. Taking control of situations life has thrown your way and deciding to do things differently.

That's what we are doing here at 4 All Humanity. It's been a great 2 and a half years with you and we are so thankful that you have joined us for this journey! We have learned a ton over the last 30 odd months and want to put that learning to good use.

"Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better."  -Maya Angelu

When we first started, I was fresh out of the commercial apparel world and had never really designed for myself. I didn't truly know what my personal design aesthetic was. It took me awhile, but I  have found my voice as a designer. Designing is a very personal endeavor, and with each design I'm sharing a little bit of who I am and how I see the world, with you. And that is why I'm so excited about the changes being made at 4 All Humanity.

There is nothing to be worried about, we started as an ethical fashion brand and we will always be an ethical fashion brand, it's part of our DNA. The changes are only going to make us better, provide even more impact for our artisans, and give you better ethical fashion to love!

What does this mean for you?
Over the next couple of days we are going to be working behind the scenes getting everything ready. So while we are working away it's your last chance to pick-up your 4 All Humanity favorites. Maybe you've pinned em', wish-listed em,' or just said, "maybe one day." Well that one day is here! May 31st will be the last day that you will be able to purchase the 4 All Humanity classics on 4allhumanity.com.

June 1st we will be revealing what we have been working on! Here's a little sneak peek to get you excited!

If you have any questions about the changes, please feel free to comment or you can always email me at zoe@4allhumanity.com, I would love to talk with you!

-Z

March Adventures

As the weather gets nicer and the sun shines a little bit brighter, we all breathe a sigh of relief. The long winter is over, we can bask in the sunshine... and kick off our shoes - letting our toes be free!

I think we have that same sense of relief here at 4 All Humanity. The gloom of the overcast winter days are gone and sunshine and fresh air are our new best friends and everything seems possible. And possibilities lead to projects.

We have had a busy March preparing for some really exciting projects. One of which I'm completely giddy about. I can't say too much before it is revealed, so I will give you this: Twelve women, a photographer, a story teller, and a dreamer will come together for one epic evening!

What other projects have we been working on? Scouting out new locations for photoshoots, reworking our labeling to better tell the stories of our artisans, and of course wearing really ridiculous sunglasses.

March flew by and we are ready for whatever April brings our way!
-Zoe

If you'd like to stay up-to-date with our adventures follow us on Instagram for daily (well almost daily) updates in the world of 4 All Humanity.

Behind the Label: Kitenge Shorts

After we introduced you to Susan, one of our talented seamstresses, I got to thinking that we should show you how our Kitenge shorts were created. Before I was a technical designer in the apparel industry and before I went to school for fashion design I thought that clothes just happened. I had no idea the amount of time and detail that went in to creating even the most simple t-shirt.

With Fashion Revolution Day on April 24th I thought that it would be fun to show you inside the process of creating our clothing, to get you asking "who made my clothes?"

One of the biggest lies that we hear is that massed produced apparel is not hand made. This couldn't be farther from the truth. So much more could be said here, but I will leave that for another day. . .

Before anything else, you have to start with an idea. Here is a sketch of our short with fabric swatch.

Next we create the sketch into a technical drawing. A technical drawing is going to feature all the little intricacies of the short, like what type of hem, closure, pockets, darts etc. The purpose for the technical drawing is so that seamstresses like Susan can look at it and understand what the short should look like.

Once the technical drawing is done we move to creating a tech pack. The tech pack has all the details about seam and stitch type along with trims like buttons, zippers etc. This is what Susan will look at to know how to sew the short. It could be compared to home sewing pattern instructions.

After the technical drawing, and tech pack, comes the pattern. We draft all patterns in-house.

Once we find the right fit we move to grading the pattern. This is taking our base size and grading it out to all the sizes that we are going to carry. Grading is an important process because we want to make sure that the fit stays proportionate as you move up and down in sizes. Here is a photo of our pocket pattern piece for the short. You can see that all the sizes are nested together, and shows just how the pattern grades from size 2 to size 12.

When everything looks good in our pre-production sample we move into production. This is where Susan shines! With her skills as a seamstress and understanding of patterns she crafts a perfect pair of shorts each time.

Here is the final short, ready to be worn and loved by you.

This Fashion Revolution Day, ask "who made my clothes?" Do you know?
Love always,
Zoe

February in 4 Photos and a few words

This February, much like all Februaries, has been cold and long. I forget how much I don't like February until we're half way through it. Which is very unfair to February. I'm sure it's a great month, but I'm just so ready for it to be spring that I forget to enjoy February in all it's Groundhog, Valentine's and President's day glory.

This February we had a quick photoshoot for our spring products, worked on graphic designs for a super secret product coming this Fall (Can't tell you yet. . . our lips are sealed!), and played a little in the snow.

Maybe next February I'll remember to give it a chance.

Love always,
-Zoe

January Sketchbook: Traveling to Guatemala

January is a month full of newness. Everyone is deciding their New Year's resolutions and setting goals for the new year! It's an exciting time. We're just as excited about a new year as everyone else, such possibility! This year I started the year off with a journey to Guatemala to work with a few of our partner artisans. I've put together a few of my favorite photos from the trip.

Working with our artisans always leaves me feeling full of inspiration and hope. Hope for their futures and the exciting new products that we are developing. Isn't it hope for a better future that gets us so excited for setting new goals and resolutions every year? Hope is an essential part of life, so spread some hope today to someone who needs it.

Love always,
-Zoe