I cannot tell you how long I’ve been meaning to write about my dear, beautiful friends at Eko-Lab. We’ve been working out of the same studio space for about a year and a half and the more I get to know them, the more I appreciate their work. Melissa Kirgan and Xing-Zhen Chung-Hilyard are a rare breed. They are artists whose medium happens to be what is typically one of the most careless and wasteful industries- fashion.
These ladies don’t follow trends and they don’t mass produce. They do what comes from their hearts and create beautiful, unique works of wearable art.
They often collaborate with artist, Jennifer Wen Ma, who will sometimes come in and hand paint a limited number of garments.
For pieces with a larger production run, they might hand silk screen Jennifer’s art onto yards of fabric. All of this happens right in our studio and it is so beautiful to see in action.
Eko-lab have recently been focusing more on accessories. They make one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces, often using recycled materials such as slices of glass from bottles and other found objects.
They have also recently started working with laser cutting felted wool to make beautiful stoles which were sold at an exhibition Jennifer recently had in Beijing.
These ladies are truly inspirational and I am so lucky to know them. Check out their shop and facebook page.
;a
