Once again, I had the pleasure of going to a festival this past Sunday that showcased the talent of all the fabulous fashion artisans of San Francisco. This time, it was in San Francisco’s shopping hot spot of Hayes Valley…

SF Fall Capsule Design Festival had some designers that I am familiar with like the funky hip baby wear company, Milk Bomb and Amy M. Cools, owner of the East Bay based afterglow.

I also saw a booth for oda a SF label started by Angie Kim, Mandalyn Begay and Maggie Kim that combines Edwardian romanticism and Tokyo pop funk. I remembered running into them at that Green Global event I went to last year.

One of oda’s designs at SF Capsule

Did I mention how beautiful the day was? I was just happy that all that rain from the previous day had passed through to reveal the most GORGEOUS weekend - gorgeous enough to paint a nice little picture on a graffiti wall!

Sometimes, going to these events just doesn’t illustrate the design talent of the Bay Area, but it just showcases the eccentricity of the area. I just loved these robots. I forgot what booth they were at, but I just giggled every time I passed by. They made me feel like a kid again:

There were plenty of jewelry vendors there, but one in particular caught my eye:

There’s something about miniaturized trinkets and pictures on jewelry that always intrigues me. Graphic designer, Odessa Chen of Swan Dive Design offers up vintage images on jewelry as well as funky-chic feathers, keys, pistols and other chachkis strewn on chains. I asked her how she made some of her jewelry and she quipped, “That’s an ancient Chinese secret!”

I guess we’ll never know…

Then there was this booth (little kids, please close your eyes)…

They may have just carried screen print tees, but the name itself caught my eye enough for me to take a picture of it.

After a while, the crowd got a little intense so I had a bit of a hard time getting snap shots of some of the booths - but I did manage to get one more…

Satchel Studio carried some of the most vibrant iconic-driven bags…and you know how much of a “murse” guy I am.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news yet again (i.e. the passing of Isabella Blow), but it seems like some defecating hoodlums decided to rip off Afterglow, a boutique owned by designer Amy M. Cools. The store caters to the independent designer and sells some of their fabulous clothing. Not only that, but it showcases the fashion talent in the East Bay.

Amy sent out this e-mail informing us of her unfortunate loss:

Hello everyone.

I’m sad to announce that my darling little shop afterglow was robbed early this morning, sometime between 12:00 (I looked at my shop while going home last night) and this morning at about 6:00, when my neighbor arrived at his dental lab & heard the alarm. The thieves hacked thru the thick wood door to get to the deadbolt, which they pried apart enough to kick the door in.

The thieves made off with a huge amount of clothing. They didn’t touch the jewelry or accessories, tee shirts, or a rack with my newest pieces, Donna Lou’s new pants, or Camilla’s bicycle dresses. They targeted the big rack that included the main bulk of my designs and the collections of these designers, over 150 pieces in all & totalling over $12,500 in retail value:
Donna Lou (except for the sailor pants), Nicacelly, and Super Sugar Ray Ray, and the one remaining tunic by Porcelynne.

For you ladies, don’t worry: your pieces are covered by my insurance, and you will all be taken care of.

My landlord immediately installed a metal sleeve around the door where the locks are, and will install yet another deadbolt & possibly a roll-down door, so I don’t expect this to happen again.
If you could look out for anyone trying to sell my designs or the other designs, who you don’t know, or can pass this email along to anyone who may hear or see anything, I’d really appreciate it. All items have sewn labels (mine is AC, the others are as mentioned above) and are tagged.

This is a tough blow to my little business, but I’m even tougher, so you can bet I’ll be back in full force before too long, & I’m doing all I can to recover the lost afterglow collection.

Yours, Amy

I am all about supporting local designers and showcasing the talent of the Bay Area. That said, it’s a shame that these criminals just stole all of these items which people passionately made with their own hands. In a way, it’s like someone stealing your child.

I like how Amy maintains her optimism - she definitely is on the right track by keeping her chin up. This way, she’ll be on track in no time!

Take a gander at some of Amy’s products and those of other designers by visiting their website.