Author: claire lardizabal moser

  • Umbrla Supply’s “Buy a Hat, Plant a Tree” Mission

    Umbrla Supply’s “Buy a Hat, Plant a Tree” Mission

    Photo courtesy of Matt Brodeur

    You may have spotted the upside down umbrella logo stamped on hoodies, hats, and t-shirts around the streets of Denver. Beside the clean design, neutral tones, and comfort factor, those umbrellas stand for something more. For every purchase made at clothing brand Umbrla Supply, one tree is planted through the non-profit reforestation organization, Plant-It 20/20.

    The brains behind this green fashion dream, which brings another meaning to circular fashion, was manifested by Adam Swartz, an Indiana University-Bloomington graduate and founder of Umbrla Supply. While he was studying art management, he was given a project to come up with a real world business plan. Adam began to make shirts to sell around campus, with the idea that every garment sold would go toward the planting of one tree.

    When he graduated in May 2014, Adam moved to Boulder, Colorado and has been in the Centennial State ever since. He ran Native Roots Dispensary’s social media until this past summer, while scouting new manufacturers and suppliers for Umbrla Supply in the meantime. In October 2016, the brand branched into a new venture, Umbrla Creative, as Adam teamed up with business partner/roommate Matt Brodeur, a freelance photographer, to help him with his brand. Umbrla Creative has grown immensely in the last two years; they offer videography and marketing services out of a brick-and-mortar in LoDo, and get to travel all over the world to represent brands they love such as Boulder’s trek-gear company Matador and Ned’s Full Spectrum Hemp products out of Paonia.

    When Adam’s not focusing on his business, he still designs for Umbrla Supply on the side. He describes his clothes as a reflection of his personal life: minimalist and clean, earthy heather tones combined with grey, teal, and fuschia. Adam says since he’s started, Umbrla Supply has planted 5,200 trees through Plant-It 20/20 and other local organizations. This winter, be on the lookout for Adam’s latest designed sweatshirts and hats, as well as a possible Tokyo pop-up shop and more collaborations in the Far East.

  • Dior: From Paris to the World

    Dior: From Paris to the World

    dior

    The highly anticipated fashion exhibit, Dior: From Paris to the World, will be open to the public on Monday, November 19 until March 17 at the Denver Art Museum.

    After two years of meticulous curation, an A-team led by Dior expert Florence Müller, the museum’s Avenir Foundation curator of textile art and fashion, and renowned architect Shohei Shigematsu, an OMA New York director and partner, visually tells the story of the iconic French designer Christian Dior (1905-1957) and the playful path the House of Dior follows.

    In 1947, Dior shocked the fashion world in more ways than one. After the devastation of World War II, Dior’s bright and colorful vision put Paris back into the international spotlight as fashion capital of the world. It was as if the end of the war allowed Dior to finally breathe and express himself freely. The result: a “New Look” of dresses that celebrated the female body (cinched waistlines, fuller pleated skirts, embellishments) and becoming a fashion pioneer by being the first to accessorize his creations with his own purses, gloves, and heels. “The world was his playground,” Müller says, as Dior was invited to India, Japan, and the Americas to design dresses for the wealthy and royal. Though Dior reigned for a short 10 years, his vision has inspired six more artistic designers to pay homage to the house he built.

    The exhibit is chronologically set for the most part. At the beginning, as you pause to admire Dior’s rendition of the New Look over the past seventy years, you’ll notice the up-cycled mill aluminum backdrop, which Shigematsu says was to mimic the titanium juts of the art museum itself, but also feels like a nod to Denver’s own growing industrial feel. After checking out designs by Dior and his successor, a then-novice Yves-Saint Laurent, you’ll be stunned by “The Office of Dreams,” a wall full of suspended dress sketches made of white cotton muslin. Then take a tour of women who’ve sported Dior throughout the years (Marilyn Monroe, Rihanna, Charlize Theron, to name a few) and get a glimpse into Dior’s evolving line inspired by surrounding eras, culture, and art. There’s much to see at the Dior exhibit (18th century French-inspired dresses sure to impress Marie Antoinette herself, as well as a neatly stacked rainbow wall, chock full of bold statement accessories), so visit DenverArtMuseum.org to get in on this exclusive display of fashion history today.

    Written for Hand in Hand, a publication. See original article here.

  • Chicago, Illinois

    Chicago, Illinois

    • Did you even go to Chicago if you didn’t go to Portillo’s?
  • Where to Go When Eating Solo

    Where to Go When Eating Solo

    Here’s what you might guess about the Boulder food scene after a casual stroll downtown: it’s alive and thriving. You might need to trust us on this one (and perhaps erase years of societal conditioning), but the scene is also quite welcoming to the solo eater. We’ve scouted five of the best spots to visit if you’re wanting to immerse yourself in an authentic Boulder dining experience or grabbing a quick bite to eat alone. So read up and take yourself out on a date; you deserve it.

    For people-watching: World Famous Dark Horse Bar and Grill
    Locals, college students, visitors… they’ve all gravitated to the whimsical neighborhood bar and grill that is the Dark Horse since 1975. Its unassuming exterior obscures a playful inside maze full of knick-knacks such as mechanical gears, boots glued to the ceiling and peanut dispensers. After 3 p.m. it’s self service, so mosey your way up to the food counter to order a juicy burger, then find a seat at the bar for a local brew while you wait for your name to be called. With tons of seating space, great happy hour specials and a weekly trivia night, this bar is a great pit stop for the solo traveler.
    2922 Baseline Road, 303-442-8162, darkhorsebar.com

    For your weekly cleanse: Zeal
    Everything about Zeal is Zen. Not only are you treating your body to flavorful and nourishing superfoods, you get to do it al fresco by the babbling Boulder Creek. Follow the never-ending signs through the tiled garden path to a quaint and intimate patio setting, complete with cavernous umbrellas and twinkling lights. It’s the perfect place to unwind and enjoy a refreshing acai bowl, wholesome mighty bowl (packed with quinoa, chickpeas, sauteed greens, sweet beets, carrots, cucumber and lentils), or filling grass-fed meatballs and zoodles in an addicting tikka masala sauce.
    1201 Arapahoe Ave., 720-252-3398, zealfood.com

    For a sweet breakfast fix: Foolish Craig’s Cafe
    Forget pancakes and Belgian waffles to start your day: Foolish Craig’s has just the right idea with its sweet crepes (which are so good, it made that TV host with the wild hair stop by. Cough, Guy Fieri, cough.). Order “the whole thing” crepe, a sweet and spongy crepe filled with hot, oozy Nutella and topped with caramelized bananas, walnuts, cinnamon and whipped cream. Wash it down with an iced Americano (spiked version also available upon request).
    1611 Pearl St., 303-247-9383, foolishcraigs.com

    When you’re craving sushi: Hapa Sushi Grill and Sake Bar
    Asian fusion, when done well, is exciting cuisine. Such is the case at Hapa. Known for its delicious blend of Japanese and Hawaiian nosh, this sushi favorite has those tropical and savory flavors down. Grab a seat at the sushi bar and watch the masters craft your roll, or sprawl out on its sunny patio, where you can watch the passersby stroll through Pearl Street Mall. We go for the lunch special, which comes with a sushi roll and tuna poke salad in a fried rangoon shell. You also can’t go wrong with the Hawaiian pork sliders or Red Bird chicken katsu bowl with Japanese steak sauce.
    1117 Pearl St.,303-473-4730, hapasushi.com

    Where it feels like home: The Kitchen
    What draws us back to The Kitchen again and again may have something to do with its always amicable staff, its perfect juxtaposition between industrial and classic design in an airy layout and, of course, its fresh takes on American cuisine. Go at midday for the seasonal lunch menu, like the Munson Farms grilled corn on the cob, topped with Aleppo chili, charred green onion mayo and popped sorghum (a type of cereal grain). Then treat yourself to a butterscotch pot de crème.
    1039 Pearl St., 303-544-5973, thekitchenbistros.com

    Written for Boulder Weekly. Read the original article here.

  • San Francisco, California

    Photography by Claire Lardizabal