Finalist Q&A: Jasco New York LLC

Started over 60 years ago, Jasco’s beginning coincided with the beginning of American fashion. Over five years ago, they launched a luxury organic and sustainable line of fabrics called Jasco Eco, and their sales and the collection have been growing steadily. Jasco donate their organic fabrics to fashion departments across the county to inspire design students and raise awareness.

How did you come up with the idea for your business, and what, or who, is your main source of motivation?

The DNA of Jasco is supplying high-end fabrics, and from the beginning, sourcing luxury natural yarns. Always researching new fibers, our company was introduced to organic wool yarn and Jasco Eco developed from there. From merino to organic merino, from mercerized cotton to organic Pima, to organic blends and other sustainable/renewable fibers, our Jasco Eco collection is being sought out by the new eco fashion designers across the country, and we have even captured the interest of some veteran Seventh Avenue designers and designers abroad. Our main motivation stems from the impulse to impart the social consciousness in our personal lives into our professional lives, ie. our business.

What is a unique feature of your business?

Jasco® has a unique story. Started by George Silver over 60 years ago, Jasco’s beginning coincided with the beginning of American fashion as part of the collections of Claire McCardell, Norman Norell, Oleg Cassini, Pauline Trigere, etc. Over the years, Jasco has sold almost every major designer in the US and was the original fabric vendor of Donna Karan, Diane von Furstenberg, Marc Jacobs, to name only a few. Please visit the Timeline section of our website www.jascofabrics.com for the complete picture. Over five years ago, we launched an organic line of fabrics called Jasco Eco. Jasco® is a registered trademark for luxury, quality and service and is now acknowledged as a resource for the finest quality "green" fabrics.

What are your thoughts on the connection between small business and the local community?

The great majority of the Jasco Eco collection is Made in the USA. For decades, Jasco has donated our fabrics and now our eco-fabrics to fashion departments across the county to inspire design students and raise awareness. We are members of the OTA – Organic Trade Association, a community of likeminded professionals, and my husband, Howard Silver, is a member of the CFDA – Council of Fashion Designers of America which works with the local fashion community to support breast cancer and AIDS awareness, among other community issues.

Why should the Idea Cafe regulars vote for you?

Although attention to eco-fabrics has been mounting in the fashion community, availability of fine quality knitted organic fabrics have not been readily available until Jasco’s entrance into the fast-growing green market. Fashion has always been about creating a feeling - a feeling of how good we look in a well designed garment and an awareness of how good we feel when wearing an item of clothing made from luxurious, beautiful fabric. We are proud to be eliciting a new feeling - that of fashion defining one's personal responsibility for improving the world we live in. We hope to use the Idea Cafe award, if privileged to be the recipient, to help revitalize our website to communicate the mission of Jasco Eco.

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