What I love about Save The Great South Bay is that I get to meet so many people who care about the bay, and want to get the message out — This bay is worth saving! Â One of the organizations that reached out to help is a company called Loomstate.org. Â Scott MacKinlay Hahn, a true leader in the sustainable fashion movement, is with his brother, the founder. Â They also happened to grow up out our way — His family ran the concession at Sailor’s Haven through 2005, almost forty years!
Scott approached us about a year back, wanting to see if he could create a line of apparel for Save The Great South Bay. Â The apparel would be made out of sustainably grown, organic cotton, the inks would be bio-degradable, eco-friendly. Â Â Finally, the apparel would be produced right here on Long Island.
As some of you know, my older sister is autistic. Â She was born in 1957, back when autism was a rare condition. Â Â From the time she was eight, even before she could speak, she painted. Â It wasn’t until 12 years ago, however, when she started at The Pure Vision Gallery as its second artist in residence, that her career really began to take off. Â Today, she is a fixture at the annual Outsider Art Fair in New York City. Â Her works generally go for $400Â and on up.
Here are a some paintings of hers that you may be familiar with:
Susan’s artwork has been used in the past for our T-Shirts.  This last year, an online fashion company, Tinkertailor.com began using Susan’s artwork for the custom dresses and blouses they sell online.   Her innocent, colorful renderings are now on $1000 dresses.
Which brings me to Spectrum Designs. Â Spectrum Designs at 382 Main Street Port Washington, is a 501(C)3, is dedicated to employing those with autism do what they do best – precision tasks. Â For printing and shipping apparel, they are unmatched. Â Â So for the price of a Save The Great South Bay shirt, you will be helping Loomstate in its mission to create sustainably made fashion for non-profits, Spectrum Designs, and Save The Great South Bay, a 501(C)3, as well, of course, as those with autism.
Proceeds will go to an web based environmental map of Long Island that local citizens would add to – a crowdsourced environmental map of Long Island, with all the issues and assets of every community there to see! Â From wildlife shots to illegal dumping, to where to recycle anything — the map will be a living snapshot of the health of your community.
Here are four hot items from our store:
They are Loomstate designed, printed by Spectrum. Â Proceeds go to a crowdsourced web based environmental map of Long Island, so that all communities will know its wildlife, and where to recycle, and where there is illegal dumping, or a failing outfall pipe, or where to recycle. Â It will allow communities to map their own environmental issues so that they can be addressed. Â In this effort, we tried to design apparel in a way that was consonant with that mission — sustainable, local, hiring local artists and local workers to produce.
They can be purchased here, at our Save The Great South Bay store.
And should your own organization need its own swag — organically and sustainably produced — we have all the printing, warehouse, and logistic capabilities you’d need. Â We want to make it easy for local environmental groups to get the word out. Â Let us know how we can help you.