Writing a column about fashion and shopping in Portland over the
past couple of years has meant that a large proportion of this space
has been devoted to the new: Portland’s wild west has attracted
pioneering entrepreneurs across industries, a phenomenon that the
retail boom is a prime example of. Now that the economy is taking a
dive, I’m nervously anticipating having to watch some of the same
businesses I’ve bolstered shutter their doors. This week’s victim:
Nau, the ambitious sustainable active-wear company started by an
all-star cast of Big Sportswear veterans, called it quits on Friday,
May 2, posting a statement on the home page of their website (nau.com). Citing “the current highly risk-averse
capital market,” it explains that the company was unable to raise
enough funds to continue its ambitious plan to bring stylish outerwear
to a hip, eco- and socially conscious demographic.
Even before it came to this, the company had been criticized for
everything from its business model to its price points to its drab
color palette. But even critics tipped their hat to the company’s
founding principles. As it reads on the website, where the entire line
can now be purchased at a 50 percent clearance discount, “At this time,
investors are loathe to invest in anything; especially, it appears, a
company like Nau that has the audacity to challenge conventional
paradigms of what a business should be.”
On a much brighter note, another local entrepreneur, Elizabeth
Dye, who recently took over complete control of The English
Dept. boutique after founding partner Joy Cohen bowed out,
is debuting her spring/summer line this week. In a move that echoes the
splashy, new wave-y about-face taken by her colleague Adam
Arnold this season, Dye is overhauling her own conventions.
Citing the pressures of the election, a particularly long,
monotonous winter, and this new chapter of independence in her career
as possible triggers, Dye sums up the guiding emotion of this
collection as “Enough! Enough of acting too cool, of boring sameness,
of modern for modern’s sake.” Seizing on a zeitgeist of restlessness
and urgent resistance to the oppressions bearing down on us, Dye threw
out her safeties and gravitated toward design elements she’d previously
feared: Purple. Neons. Busy patterns. (A wide departure from Dye’s
preceding body of work, which focused on Sunday dressing with
occasional Victorian airs, not to mention the bustling wedding and
occasion dresses that her shop specializes in.)
Although dress-heavy, Dye (who wisely classes up the crazier fabrics
to avoid a too-childish effect) is also promising “wacky tops,” shorts,
skirts, and in a new foray, a bathing suit. Here’s looking forward to
the reward of fresh ideas. (The English Dept., 1124 SW Alder, Fri
May 9, 7 pm, RSVP to 224-0724, and arrive early as space is
limited)