Southern Taste Makers, International Women's Day, Best Internationally Sourced Clothing, Creative Morning
Charleston's Venita Aspen and Susan Hull Walker named two of Southern Living's "new Southern tastemakers"
August 15th, 2019
As part of their September issue, Southern Living magazine has named 13 of the South's best tastemakers, described as "stylish go-getters who are shaping their corners of the South." Two Charleston women made the list: founder and creative director of textile company Ibu, Susan Hull Walker, and model and content creator, Venita Aspen.
A tastemaker, is by definition, a vague word used to describe those who influence our taste — in culture, in food and drink, in fashion, in what we consume (mostly online) every day.
Walker's Ibu is not only a retail store, it's an international movement that supports and sells the works of women makers all over the world. Recently, the company launched weareibu.org, a nonprofit foundation to support female artisans through business and design skills and training.
If you haven't seen Aspen rocking pieces from local female entrepreneurs/designers (Gal Meets Glam, Hart Studio, Candy Shop Vintage) on Instagram — you're not following enough local designers. (She sports pieces from big companies, too, because she can do it all). The model is also an entrepreneur in her own right as the founder and creative director of The Aspen Agency, a content creation studio.
Pick up a copy of Southern Living's latest issue, on stands Fri. Aug. 23.
This international Women's Day, Celebrate with Ibu's Runway Show Featuring Women's Designs from Around the Globe
February 21st, 2019
Ibu, a local store (and international movement), supports and sells the work of women makers from around the globe. On Fri. March 8 a.k.a. International Women's Day, Ibu debuts its first line of exclusively designed ready-to-wear called the Ibu World collection.
The "Fashioning Change" event, held at the Gibbes Museum from 6-8 p.m., features a champagne reception followed by runway show and remarks on the Ibu Foundation. Tickets are $100 and can be purchased online.
This runway show highlights textile design techniques from women makers around the world; a singular dress will be interpreted 25 different ways. In a press release Ibu founder and creative director Susan Hull Walker says, “While extraordinarily chic, Ibu World is a celebration of heritage and skill and women. The collection underscores our commitment to putting fair wage and ownership of design in the hands of women for purpose, empowerment, and success."
This event also marks the launch of weareibu.org, a nonprofit foundation created by Ibu to support female artisans through business and design skills, training, and equipment for expansion.
IBU Movement
Staff Pick
Susan Hull Walker talks about loving work at Creative Mornings
November 20th, 2015
Susan Hull Walker, founder of Ibu movement, an organization and store that advocates for and sells global women-made textiles, spoke passionately about her work at this morning's Creative Mornings Charleston (CMCHS). "I'm going to make this topic sexy," she said as a way of introduction, acknowledging today's not-so-hot theme of "work." And she did.
Walker graduated from Harvard with a degree in world religions and began her post-college life as a minister in Maine. She says that being a minister, while somewhat satisfying, did not fulfill the answer to the question: What do you really love? Walker quit her job, left her marriage, and traveled around the world.
Sweet gig, right? We kept waiting for Walker to let us in on the secret — how do you do what you do, because it looks pretty cool. The answer: time.
"It was a 32-year pregnancy," Walker said. She finally discovered her passion for textiles after years of waiting tables and studying dance therapy, among other things. Speaking to an audience of mainly 20- and 30-somethings, Walker's words struck a chord we weren't quite expecting her to hit. Her common sense — do what you love and do it well — seemed so much more reasonable through the lens of time. (Overnight successes always fail to inspire in the same way.)
As for her textile finds, Walker acknowledged the high price point for many of the items she sells, like a $300 skirt. "They're for people willing to pay for the real deal," she says. She showed slides of each step taken to make a cloth hand towel. The end product is beautiful and after seeing the process, the price point makes sense. Would you spend days making something just to ship it across the world for cheap?
As a former minister Walker said she is interested in the ancient texts of women and she points out that most religious texts come from men and that women use textiles to tell their stories. Ibu, which is a word for a woman of respect in Indonesia, currently works with 76 women's cooperatives in 40 countries.
In the Q&A session one attendee asked Walker how she educates people back in Charleston. It's all well and good to help people around the world (although Walker doesn't look at it as "help," she says that she has a "reciprocal" relationship with artisans), but how do you help those at home? Walker said that she's starting to send feelers out to women indigo dye-ers out on Wadmalaw. She also welcomes groups to tour her store and hear about the story behind Ibu movement.
This month's CMCHS 30-second pitches could be called "gift guide for good." Head to watermission.org/christmas to buy a gift that gives back — for each $10 you donate in the name of a friend or family member one person receives safe water, and your friend gets a 5x7 keepsake card with photography from Malawi.
Distil Union, an "objective design shop," also pitched — their store opens today at 525 King St. They call themselves a pop-up shop bringing modern design to Charleston. And they make really cool iPhone cases where you can also store your ID and credit card. We're biased — they gave every CMCHS attendee one to take home.
