10 August 21 - 27, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Fashion Forward New clothing label Natanya Friedka is adds something new to the Dallas closet: a conscience. BY LISA PETTY I t’s no secret that the modern fashion industry is one of the world’s biggest offenders in terms of negative environ- mental impact. From trendy impulse buys that throw off microplastics in the wash, to the thousands of liters of water required to make a pair of jeans, to the over- worked and underpaid folks who sit behind the sewing machines for fast fashion, there’s a lot to feel guilty about when we get dressed in the morning. Nancie Schwartz is out to change that. The Dallas designer wants fashion to meet func- tion and trim the waste in the process. And she’s doing it one retro-inspired frock at a time. Schwartz comes by her unique combina- tion of skill and social consciousness hon- estly. Born and raised in Detroit, surrounded by family who worked in the linen and auto industries, she experienced firsthand the myriad repercussions of overseas outsourc- ing on businesses and communities. Fast forward to her post-grad life, and the bud- ding young designer headed out of Michigan and straight for the glamorous epicenter of fashion: New York City. Throughout her career, though, she once again witnessed the widespread impact of the rapidly evolving global supply chain. As her designs for these big-name companies were increasingly manufactured in China, Bangladesh and India, she began to question carbon consumption, material sourcing and labor conditions, among other far-reaching consequences. “In New York, in the garment center, pretty much all the production, every place I worked, everything was made overseas,” she recalls. “There’s definitely upsides to it, but there’s also a lot of downsides.” And so, when life presented the opportu- nity to relocate to Big D in 2024, Schwartz and her husband made the leap. She also took the opportunity to launch her own forward- thinking fashion label, Natanya Friedka. Named for the designer’s first and middle names in Hebrew, the ethos of the brand is equally personal. “Less than 3% of apparel is made in the U.S., and less than 12% of brands are female- owned,” she says. “We proudly do both.” In addition to these foundational tenets, her first capsule collection is expertly crafted from premium, consciously sourced fabrics. And the look? Think ultra-femme, vintage-inspired silhouettes channeled through a Palm Springs palette. “I put to- gether this small line that I’m very excited about,” she says of Natanya Friedka’s five- look debut. “I felt it was a little bit different than a lot of what you see out there, and it’s very intentionally and thoughtfully made.” For example, Schwartz’s Sutton dress, available in soft orchid or peach, features an environmentally virtuous poplin fabric made from recycled bottles — you’d never know it from the luxurious feel, though. Her Nicole two-piece set employs a 3D jacquard fabric and strappy halter details to evoke equal parts mid-century charm and modern sex appeal. The signs of fine craftsmanship, such as im- peccable tailoring, silk linings and high-end hardware help each piece earn its place in a stylish, well-edited Dallas wardrobe. Coming up for the new-to-Dallas designer, a Natanya Friedka holiday collection is slated for later this year or early 2026. Shop the current capsule at natanyafriedka.com. ▼ SHOPPING FETCH IS HAPPENING OUR FIRST LOOK AT FETCH, A NEW VINTAGE STORE AND MATCHA BAR THAT OPENED EARLIER THIS SUMMER IN DEEP ELLUM. BY SIMON PRUITT S hout it from the rooftops: Fetch is fi- nally happening. A premonition 21 years in the making from Mean Girls character Gretchen Wieners, Fetch is a specially curated vintage store and coffee bar. The shop is owned and operated by vintage curator Rebecca Hall (no relation to the actress of the same name), who cut her teeth in the Texas fashion scene for years by selling at pop-up markets with her husband. Stepping inside Fetch is like being thrown into a coquette circus, with a red lipsticked couch at the center flanked by two rotating clothing carousels. One in the front, which col- Maria Flash You don’t have to go to California to serve a summery Palm Springs fantasy. ▼ Culture lects Fetch’s latest curated finds, and one in the back, with a more traditional vintage selection that includes options for men. To the left side of the room, a small DJ booth spins a pink heel on the turntable, playing an eclectic pop playl- ist that ranged from Depeche Mode to ABBA in the time we spent there. To the right side of the shop sits a sizable matcha and espresso bar, with Hall’s sister, Renee Gonzalez, serving up drinks every day. As for the drinks, Fetch serves coffee from the local brand, Cultivar, along with Rocky’s Matcha. The menu lists coffeehouse standards like a latte, cold brew, or espresso, but Fetch’s signature “studio drinks” are the standouts. Admittedly, they are a bit pricey at $9 a pop — we tried the Dear Jane latte and Paris L.A. matcha. The Dear Jane is a double espresso latte with cherry-vanilla syrup and cold foam, topped with hefty black cherries. It was de- licious and would be the star of this show if not for the Paris L.A. matcha, which made a believer out of a longtime matcha skeptic. Made simply with cold foam, herb syrup and coconut, the drink was the best matcha we’ve ever had, and worth the high price tag to at least try once. From a roster of flea markets, thrift stores and swap meets, Hall curates the clothing selection herself. She intentionally includes size and various aesthetic options for all cus- tomers, “not just the mean girls.” She opened her storefront just three weeks ago, joining the budding boutique fashion scene next to Linda Bishop’s Hey Koneko and Koneko Studio on the cusp of the eastern end of Deep Ellum. The shop was conceived as a home for nomadic vintage vendors, but the response to the Mean Girls concept was too big to ig- nore. After posting that the shop was hiring, Hall says her inbox was flooded with over 100 resumes, mostly from young women who were dying to get involved with the shop based on its sheer force of personality. “It’s overwhelming,” Hall says, having only been open for three weeks. “I feel flat- tered, but at the same time, I feel bad be- cause I would love to hire everybody, but we’re still a small business.” In Dallas, good vintage shops are a dime a dozen. But a store with its own identity, particularly one that resonates with large swaths of people, is a store that’s built to stay. Fetch , 3902 Elm St., open Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. ALWAYS IN YOUR FEED. FOLLOW US
