Sustainable Style with Substance

Ten words for 2010: vintage fashion, style blogs, flea markets, vintage markets, online shopping, 80s fashion, New York City fashion, Brooklyn Flea, Fresh Prince of New York, and Hip Hop 4 Life.

Sammy Davis may share a name with a famous American entertainer, but she has cultivated an identity all her own. The 23-year-old Harlem, NY resident, who sports a “Carpe Diem” tattoo on her left wrist, is seizing the day by “making vintage fashion accessible for the contemporary woman”.

“Fashion is something we do every single day. And if you don’t care about Sammy Davis Vintage because it offers you fabulous fashion, fine,” says Davis. “But at least care about the idea of sustainable fashion, and how you can begin to consume less, consume right, and consume with your own earth-conscious choices.”

When fashionistas buy clothing from Sammy Davis Vintage, they reduce their carbon footprint by recycling clothing, they buy power that influences the design and production decisions of corporations, and they gain unique investment pieces. Davis’ inventory spans the late 60s to 90s and appeals to a 20-something professional female who works in a creative, urban industry.

“I buy and style for the girl who is starting out in her career but wishes to wear something that sets her apart in both her professional and personal life. She shops at H&M because it’s the most prolific portal for easy, affordable trends,” says Davis. “I aim to be the ‘H&M of vintage’, to appeal to this market and to make vintage just as accessible and exciting.”

Though her clothing hails from decades past, Davis stays on the forefront of technology. She started blogging at 16 and co-founded AWKWARD is Awesome, a now-defunct blog that catered to 20-something females. Currently, Davis blogs at her professional website, highlighting what she wears and demonstrating how to incorporate sustainability with fashion, food, and entertainment. She also tweets at her personal account and her business account.

“I can sell online and use standard social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook to promote my brand. I can blog about my style to raise awareness of my brand. I can connect with other style bloggers and self-proclaimed fashionistas within fashion communities. I can sell on eBay or Etsy, or the brand-new online vintage marketplace, Market Publique,” says Davis. “The Internet has allowed me to be my own public relations, my own marketing, and my own showroom.”

Davis’ work requires a tremendous amount of creativity and cultural awareness. Because some women are unsure about wearing vintage clothing or don’t know how to appropriately style it, Davis has to know which piece of clothing will make a woman feel the most fabulous and open her eyes to the possibilities of vintage.

She is constantly making style suggestions and experimenting with own outfits. On New Year’s Eve, choose to re-wear a bridesmaid dress instead of buying the easiest-prettiest-thing on the mannequin, rock a DIY headband, or transform a romper into a pair of shorts.

In March, Davis will produce, style, and curate a 90s-inspired fashion show for the fundraising event Hip Hop 4 Life, Fresh Prince of New York and hopes to relaunch SammyDVintage.com, which will support her presence as an online retailer.

“Shopping Sammy Davis Vintage is supporting the American arts, too. American arts continue to thrive because local artisans are supported and promoted by local residents,” says Davis. “I am a curator of art through fashion, and I am a local vendor of these styles. By supporting my business, you are sustaining a local artist and the idea that a community can economically flourish thanks to the support of its own population.”

Smashing Stereotypes about Scientists

Ten words for 2010: New York City, biking, Cam’ron, synaptogenesis, electron and laser-scanning confocal, microscopy, morphological analysis, interneuronal, American history, and patience.

James Reilly usually has a difficult time trying to explain what he does to people outside of his lab. The word “neuroscience” is enough to confuse and overwhelm most.

Reilly is a 26-year-old PhD student who lives in Manhattan. As he describes it, Reilly has been collecting “evidence about how interneuronal connections change based on cellular mechanisms” for the past three years.

As a result of his research, he will be able to provide new evidence about how these interneuronal connections change. These connections are important because they directly impact the healing process after brain injury or disease. In addition, these connections support normal brain function.

The work can be intense, but Reilly is organized, patient, and passionate about what he does. Says Reilly, “My greatest challenge is doing lots of things at once without getting confused, taking too long, or becoming overwhelmed.”

Even though Reilly spends his days (and sometimes nights) fully immersed in science, he does get to express his creativity, a trait stereotypically not assigned to scientists. Says Reilly, “I grow neurons and use microscopes and microscopy image analysis software in new, fancy, and sometimes difficult ways. I use new technology all the time and new computer programs to analyze images of neurons or to control the microscope.”

Reilly also enjoys and appreciates American arts, which give him a break from the lab and his colleagues, who are also immersed in their experiments and research.

“I take any opportunity to see, hear, or otherwise experience the arts (mostly performances and museums),” says Reilly. “Then I talk about them with friends, family, and whomever.”

Reilly believes that young people should consume less mass media and generate more dialogue about the creative arts. He says, “I see some young people at every art thing I attend so I guess they care enough to keep the whole operation going, which is all that’s really necessary I guess. As long young people keep the arts alive, it’s that much easier for them to become more popular.”

When he’s not observing cells under a microscope, Reilly enjoys listening to Cam’ron, one of his favorite creative individuals, reading about American history and culture, exploring New York City, and bicycle riding. He is passionate about biking and rides to New Jersey and the outer New York City boroughs when he has free time, even when it’s cold outside! Says Reilly, “One of my proudest moments of 2009 was riding my bicycle 1,000 miles with a high average speed during my spare time in one month.”

In 2010, Reilly will complete the next set of neuron imaging experiments, which have been in progress for over two years. Beyond that, he hopes to publish his research in well-read publications so that other people can apply his findings to their own research. He would also like to be recognized and appropriately compensated for his work.