Isabel Slone

1 month ago | torontolife.com | Isabel Slone

Another day, another battle over Toronto transit—only this time, one side has called in some questionable reinforcements. A group of Bathurst business owners are bent out of shape over a recent proposal for priority transit lanes between Eglinton Avenue and Lake Shore Boulevard, part of the city’s new RapidTO program. According to the city, the transit lanes would shave up to 7 minutes off some trips during peak commuting hours.

1 month ago | theguardian.com | Isabel Slone

The first time Hyacinth Tucker did someone else’s laundry, she earned $20. “I didn’t think of it as a business. This was just another side hustle,” she said. It was 2022 and the Maryland-based army veteran needed money. She was going through a divorce, and Covid had staunched the flow of income from the event facilities she owned, so she had taken to driving for Uber and pet-sitting. Tucker was visiting a friend whose dirty clothing was strewn on every surface.

1 month ago | businessoffashion.com | Isabel Slone

The last couple years haven’t been kind to slow fashion. Brand after brand that prioritised fair pay, sustainably sourced fabrics and manufacturing in small quantities to eliminate waste has succumbed to a combination of rising costs and consumer indifference. Among the casualties in the last year alone:Ilana Kohn, Wray NYC, Alder Apparel, Ana + Zac and Esby Apparel. Things may get worse before they get better. In surveys, fewer consumers list sustainability as a top priority when shopping.

1 month ago | fashionmagazine.com | Isabel Slone

Courtney Rafuse loves the smell of rot. The Toronto-based perfumer has been mixing up spicy, skunky potions for her brand, Universal Flowering, since 2016. Rafuse is known for creating challenging scents that contain notes of blood (cleverly described as “copper wire accord”) and sweat. Reviewers have described her fragrances as smelling like “Barbie in the microwave.” Yet despite their prominent elements of filth and decay, Universal Flowering perfumes are considered anything but fetid.

2 months ago | freakpalace.substack.com | Isabel Slone

Greetings from Laredo, Texas. I’m here to check out Laredo Thrifting Tours, an organization that aims to divert waste from the landfill by bringing tourists out to dig through massive piles of unwanted clothing. All told, there are somewhere between 20-40 ropa usadas (or, giant used clothing warehouses) where thrift stores in Dallas, Atlanta etc. truck their unsold stuff and let me tell you, I have struck gold at these places.