slow. sculptural. sentimental.

At uluru, there is great intent in each silhouette, seam, and detail. I believe that less is more. I believe clothing speaks your identity and that your identity should be yours; fluid not fickle, and definitely not defined by a label. There is space in my garments for women to interpret, move, accessorize, layer, and wear.

My inspirations come from history, others and mine. A time when fashion (or life for that matter) was slower, producer and consumer were closer and quality was valued over quantity.

In developing a sustainable business model it is my wish that everyone in the process, from farmer to consumer wins.

Fall winter 2008 inspirations:

-Irving Penn’s photographs of Balenciaga designs in the late 50’s and early 60’s.

-a red suede jacket my grandma Fritzi designed and made

-Frida Kahlo, a woman with intense identity, who despite a lifetime of adversity persevered with style and substance.

fabrics:

SBP (sustainable/biodegradable products tm) certified hemp herringbone and twill, sbp certified silk/hemp charmeuse, sbp certified hemp/wool/lyocell, sbp certified bamboo twill denim, organic handspun alpaca, Italian merino, grade a cashmere, heavy silk crepe, sanded silk charmeuse, silk crepe de chine, and organic merino wool

producers:

First samples and patterns are made in uluru’s studio at

5 in 1 studios in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Every effort is made to produce the wovens locally.

Pieces are embellished in Alabama, at Lovelace crossroads in collaboration with Alabama Chanin. Each production piece is numbered and signed by the artisan.

Organic alpaca is handspun and knitted in Peru by master knitters.

Cashmere and Italian merino knits are manufactured in Hong Kong and Shanghai where the fine knit technology exists.

Alabama Chanin collaboration:

Caroline recently befriended Natalie Chanin at a sustainable textiles conference in London. ULURU has been given the opportunity to use the artisans of Lovelace crossroads to hand embellishing uluru garments.

Each season uluru chooses a female hero as inspiration, a woman of substance, courage and style. In 1953, Frida Kahlo, the iconic artist wrote, “feet why do we need them, when we have wings to fly?” which inspired the wing, spine and bugambilia, handstitched embellishements.

Peru:

The master knitters are Aymara and Quechua pre-Inca descendents. They belong to independent cooperatives and communities. Many members live in simple adobe homes with thatched grass roofs and no electricity or running water. Some knitters manage small organic farms caring for llamas and sheep, and cultivating wheat, potatoes and "quinoa," a high protein Andean grain. Those living near the shores of lake Titicaca tend alpaca herds. Knitters are paid a fair wage for their work and participate in skills workshops and personal growth opportunities. Several knitters have traveled to the USA and Europe receiving international recognition for the quality of their work. Earnings from knitting go towards improving living conditions for families and strengthening native communities.

pants:

Trousers were initially fit on Caroline (5’10” and curvy) and graded down in attempt to give every size a better fit. In addition, we borrowed from men’s silhouette and tailoring details.

hemp:

A sustainable agricultural crop even when not harvested organically. Perfect rotation crop, fast growing, “nitrogen fixer”, abundant leaf coverage prevents erosion. Uses significantly less water than cotton and produce 250% more fiber.

The actual fabric is stable, holds dye well, long lasting, mold resistant and thermo-dynamic.

my wishes:

I wish for partners (from mill to retail outlet) in mobilizing the powerful force of retail fashion to accelerate the effort towards social and economic justice, eco preservation and enhancement.

I am also looking a special investor interested in, fashion, science,

"up-cycling" and bringing manufacturing back to the US.