FASHION WEEK: AN OFFERING OF INSPIRATION

BRINGING VISION TO LIFE: A HAITIAN PHOTO SHOOT WITH RUSSELL JAMES, DAVID BELLE, AND ADRIANA LIMA

"I’ve just come back from a trip to Haiti that was an absolute dream come true for me. I knew it was the perfect backdrop for creating something magical."

-DONNA KARAN 

FINDING THE CALM IN THE CHAOS IN L.A.

SUPPORTING THE WORK
OF HAITIAN ARTISANS

If you want to see the soul of a culture, look at its art. You will see traditions passed on generation to generation. You will see their natural resources, their unique hand.Most importantly, you will see the beauty of the culture’s history and the hope of its future.

ISABEL ENCINIAS

"A great piece of jewelry can bring anything to life," says designer Isabel Encinias. "It instantly gives attitude and character. You can tell a lot about people by the accessories they wear."

Isabel has been collaborating with Urban Zen, as well as traveling regularly with Donna Karan to Haiti with the objective of developing artisan commerce sustainability projects. Given Isabel's multi-cultural background and experience, she’s a natural for the job. The daughter of a French woman and Hispanic-American Apace father, Isabel grew up between New Mexico and Paris. After traveling the world with a photo-journalist, the father of her three children, she became design director at John Hardy in Bali, where she stayed for three years. Today, when she’s not in Haiti, Isabel travels between her home in Paris and working with Urban Zen in New York.