The co-lab features one professional every week in our newsletter and social accounts for the member spotlight. Now we are layering in a brand spotlight! So many co-lab members have started their own brands and we want to share them!
Alexandra Ulmer knows knits. An entrepreneur on a mission to clean up the toxic textile industry, she founded AU Baby to bring the world's first purely plant dyed, functional fiber baby blanket to market. With over a decade of knit design experience in luxury fashion (OC, Prabal Gurung) and as a material innovator in performance sports (Nike), she's now turned her attention from the catwalk to the crib. AU Baby is a clean, sustainable baby blanket collection that marries Alexandra's passions for sustainability, wellness, and textile design.
Despite growing up in Oklahoma City, Alexandra skipped to London to study Knitwear Design at CSM and learned to sew in Jeremy Scott's garage before settling in NYC, then Portland, OR. You can find her knit designs in the Smithsonian and now immortalized in bronze by Jeff Koons.
WE-AR4 is driven by this love and powered by our decades of experience working for world-class brands with visionary creative talents. We have founded a brand that places impact at its core while also making timeless, high-quality products that you want to wear over and over. Products that become a staple in your wardrobe. Products that seamlessly weave into your individual style.
The most direct path to sustainability is to buy what makes your heart beat a little faster and to wear it for as long as you can. Our ready-to-wear and handbags give you a head start. By using excess materials, our products have a significantly lower carbon footprint than the same product made in the traditional way. (Making the material—weaving, dyeing, tanning—can account for up to 80% of a new product's greenhouse gas emissions.)
In addition to using excess materials, we try to make responsible choices every step of the way. You can read more about these efforts on our site.
Café Co-Lab's are small, weekly networking groups focused on specific topics. They are an opportunity for co-lab members to connect, share resources, and engage with other members.
All co-lab events are free to members. Zoom details will be posted on the day of the event in our private community Slack in the #cafe-co-lab channel. All questions can be directed to info@jointhecolab.com. To become a member and receive access to these exciting events, join us here.