HAPTIC LAB ALUMNI
POP-UP STOREFRONT CONTRIBUTORS 

Lizzie Scarlett 
Towndrow

Lizzie is a textile artist and ceramicist based in South London. Her main practice is Patchwork Quilting, where she explores the passing of knowledge and stories through the processes of hand-making, sharing, and play. She advanced these methods during her recent MFA degree in Craft and Textiles, at Konstfack, Stockholm.

In Spring 2013, Lizzie spent two months interning for Haptic Lab. Emily had begun a Kickstarter campaign to drive the production of the Constellation Quilt, and was embarking on the Sailing Ship Quilt. “I was living the dream in Haptic Lab’s studio in Dumbo, with a group of wonderful creative women. I spent my time quilting, painting sailing ships kites, learning the ropes of the business, running errands, grabbing ice coffees and flying kites. I learnt so much from my time at Haptic Lab and Emily's thoughtfulness and unbridled enthusiasm that goes into the creation of every Haptic Lab product”.

Alayna Rasile 
May West

Alayna’s work with textiles and design began when she moved to NYC and joined the Haptic Lab team in 2012. Since then, she has started a zero-waste clothing line of one-off garments made of naturally dyed and vintage materials called ‘Absorka.’ Along with her collaborator Charlotte Sullivan, Alayna is imminently launching a line of plant-based outerwear called ‘May West’ that utilizes the insulative fibers from the milkweed seed pod as an alternative to synthetic or goose down fill in jackets. Alayna is a big believer in the sustainable innovations happening in the fashion industry and the impact that our purchasing power has to create the world we want to live in.

Elliot Waters 
Elliot Waters

Elliot Walters is a San Francisco-based artist and designer working primarily with clay. Her work places value on playfulness and simplicity. All of her ceramics are handbuilt and highlight the sloppy perfection of the human touch. You can find her work at www.elliotwalters.com. Elliot joined Haptic Lab as a Wholesale Manager in 2015 and worked with Haptic on two NYNOWs, a pop up in LES and the Architectural Digest show.

 Christi Johnson
Mixed Color

Christi Johnson is the creator behind mixed color, a textile studio providing functional pieces that are thoughtfully made as well as sharing skills so that others may do so themselves. After nearly a decade in the fashion industry in Los Angeles, Christi had grown weary of traditional large-scale manufacturing, and moved to NYC for an artist residency at the Textile Arts Center and to explore other options. During her time in the city, she was introduced to Emily at Haptic Lab, and worked part time hand stitching some of the quilts while enjoying quality time with other makers, as well as getting some much needed exposure to the inner workings of a small business. Christi now lives and works in Sullivan County, western New York state, creating her collection of textile goods made with natural materials and plant dyes, as well as providing educational resources for those interested in exploring textile arts.

Nathalie Di Sciascio
recto/verso

Nathalie worked as an intern and studio assistant at Haptic Lab. She now splits her time dealing antique rugs and creating one-of-a-kind unisex clothing (and accessories!) for anxious queers.

Rebecca Perea-Kane
Thicket

Thicket is minimal, botanical jewelry made from castings of botanical samples and other natural objects using sustainable, recycled fine metals. Owner and designer Rebecca Perea-Kane was Haptic Lab's first employee back in 2010.

Barbara Begley
Barbara Begley

Barbara Begley is a multidisciplinary artist, writer, and art-enabler originally from San Francisco, California. She is a founding member of queer art incubator Undiscovered Countries, which is celebrating its 7th birthday this month alongside Haptic Lab's 10th. Her graphic novel Half Lives (issues of which appear in this storefront) is a collaboration with illustrators Shakhed Hadaya and James Brooks Robinson and the band Gandor Chorale. Barbara is the current Studio Manager of Haptic Lab.