Going Green with Smart Glass Design
"I look at the world through the eyes of an artist. People might see an empty beer bottle, but I see a potential dress." -Kathleen Plate- Plate makes every piece by hand. She uses vibrantly colored stained glass, silver solder, and sterling silver employing traditional stained glass methods. Always with simplicity in mind, her glass styles are simple and easy to wear and use. Smart Glass Design encompasses Plate's philosophy of honoring the earth, the human spirit, and its diverse nature.
Last October at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, Smart Glass Design was a featured collection at the Green Initiative Humanitarian Show, held at Smashbox Studios. Some of the highlights were glass-ring dresses made from the company's necklaces and rings. Was everything that the models wore made out of glass? Everything you saw on the runway tonight was made out of recycled bottles, cut, fired, and we just designed them from there. What made you want to get into designing eco-friendly accessories? I've always thought that way. I never really thought of eco "stuff" as anything different from what you should [just] do. Glass is beautiful, and the glass you see on the table, like at a dinner party, is beautiful. Why not make something out of it? What's the educational process for something like this? I have never had a design or business class, but I've owned my own business designing for 15 years. I look at the world through the eyes of an artist. People might see an empty beer bottle, but I see a potential dress.
I don't know. I guess . . . maybe more glass. (Laughs) Like maybe a body suit? Yeah like a body suit or a slip dress. I think a slip would be perfect. What are these made out of? These are the necks of the bottles. This one is Corona, different beers. This is the body of the beer bottle. Pinôt Grigio. And the last dress is made out of Heineken bottles. You'll recognize the colors. What are your price points?
Have you encountered any obstacles while pursuing this eco-friendly direction, as opposed to the more traditional methods of designing? I always tell people with the eco, especially the recycled items, we have togo backwards before we can move forward. I just start with an empty beer bottle and have to somehow turn that into a viable product. So I have to saw it down, I have to fire it and grind it, and then I get to start designing. So it's not really an obstacle, but I don't think people realize the amount of work that goes into it. I'm creating my own raw material. I don't get to call somebody up and [ask them to] send me some beads. I make my own raw materials.
To learn more about Smart Glass Design, visit their website at www.smartglassjewelry.com. Interviewed by Kaylene Peoples |
Some of the designs are Coco-Cola licensed and range in price anywhere from 
$72 (Double Dangle earrings) to $260 (Large Charm Necklace). The boutique line features non-recycled and recycled gold necklaces, earrings, cufflinks, etc. There is even home and hardware consisting of drawer pulls, fan pulls, recycled glass Christmas and Chanukah ornaments, prices ranging from $9 to $28.
So realistically, how would one accessorize something like this? Let's say you're going to go to a party. What would you really wear with this glass dress?
The accessories are very mid-ranged. The prices start at $50 up to $200. I like my things to be affordable for everybody. Part of my mission is to put the recycled product out into the market place so people can have conversation pieces and talk about it. I want it to be on the runway and on soccer moms. So those who wear it, if someone compliments their piece, they can talk about what it's made of as well as talk about the environment.
Smart Glass Designs has been featured on OK! Magazine, Everyday With Rachel Ray, Cosmo Girl, Bon Apetit Magazine, US Airways Magazine, Hollywood Weekly; several news shows, including KTLA Channel 5; several online publications; and worn by celebrities Amy Smart, Nora Zehetner, AnnaLynne McCord, Sienna Miller, and others.
