Week in the Life: Nora Abousteit, Founder of Kollabora and BurdaStyle.com

				(Photo: Mark Wiggin)
				Nora Abousteit is the founder and CEO of Kollabora.com, a sewing, knitting, and jewelry-making community that aims to be the largest of the Do-It-Yourself websites. A lofty goal, but if her track record is any indication, then Kollabora is a community to keep an eye on. She came to New York five years ago from her native Germany to launch what would become the largest sewing community in the world, BurdaStyle. “I worked in the staff of the German publishing house, Hubert Burda Media, when I heard about the plan to rejuvenate an old print fashion magazine, Burda Style, with sewing patterns. They wanted to bring it online and to a new market and customer. As a passionate seamstress and someone who loves technology and the Internet, this was the perfect project for me.” Nora built BurdaStyle.com into a lively, 800,000-member community of sewing fans, and began considering how to evolve the model and launch her own project. Kollabora.com is the result.
	(Photos: Mark Wiggin)
	1Standout Makers: Sown Brooklyn, Kazz Dapper Duds, Kihara, Leah Cocarri-Swift (she designed this project for us), Novita Estiti [BACK]			Members of Kollabora are referred to as “Makers,” among which is some undeniable talent1. According to Nora, there is a huge potential “Maker” market and more and more businesses are recognizing the trend. Says Nora, “Building and making things is part of human nature; it gives you a sense of accomplishment. A few thousand years ago, we wouldn’t have been able to survive without building and making things. It’s in our DNA and even though the need is not so apparent as hunger or thirst, the neglect of it is detrimental to our physical and mental health.” So, is DIY crafting becoming a necessity as it once was long ago, or just a natural extension of the collective and collaborative powers associated with large online communities of the creatively inspired? Is there a nascent lifestyle of self-sufficiency underway, or are we just having fun making stuff? Is this a form of homesteading or just a little homemaking that is headed for regretsy.com? Probably a little of all of the above. And if it is, in fact, in our blood to make the things ourselves that we’ve been conditioned to buy, then that’s a good thing for Nora and Kollabora because They plan to grow well beyond the current patterns, techniques, and supplies available on the site. The content will soon grow to cover home decorating, woodworking (like, how to build a barn!), electronics, and more.  It will take Nora’s unique DNA to pull all of this off. She is half German, where she grew up, and half Egyptian, where she attended The American University in Cairo. She attributes her ability to create a community such as BurdaStyle and now Kollabora (in Latin collabora is the word for working together) to both of her cultural backgrounds. From her Eqyptian friends she learned, “If you live in the spirit of all for one and one for all, everyone will be taken care of.” And her German upbringing taught her, “Being late or canceling in Germany is unforgivable. A rare virtue in the FOMO (fear of missing out) and double-booking world of New York City.” I asked Nora to share with us a week in her life so we could pull back the curtain for a moment and see how one woman stays inspired to…well, make a community of the inspired.  - Jackie Rampoldi, Contributing Editor
				Governors Island / Costume History / Term Sheets / Swings “While on the swings I received a term sheet from the investor!” 7am I woke to a text from one of my potential investors . We chatted on the phone and the person told me terms. Nice! 11am Despite apocalyptic weather (storm front coming up; I learned of it because of #DarkSky trending on Instagram), I went to Pier 6 at Brooklyn Bridge Park to meet with friends and to take the ferry to Governors Island. 1pm We walked and tried the swings. While on the swings, I received the term sheet from the investor2! I guess I should go swing more often! 2pm We also decided to see an exhibit called “Tattered and Torn (On the Road to Deaccession,” about 19th Century fashion design. One piece in the show was titled “Kitchen Work,” and we took part in that installation3. 4pm We then went to a party in Park Slope of my friends Andrew and Cindy McLaughlin. Cindy founded Style for Hire. My good friend Kevin Slavin was there also. Kevin is the best storyteller; check out his TED talk on algorithms.
				(“KitchenWork.” Nora, second from the left)
	2Nora is currently seeking investors for her new company, Kollabora [BACK] 3Tattered and Torn (On The Road To Deaccession), an exhibit of 19th Century costumes from the upper echelons of the museum world. [BACK]
				“Carpet picnic with friends in Park Slope.”
				I AM Here / Berlin Wall / Secret Tunnels / Street Performance “It’s nice to have hidden, surreal spaces in the city.” Today was the official “I AM Here Day.” The theme was “secret,” dress code black with hat or sunglasses. My amazing friend Priya Parker, the founder of Thrive Labs, spearheaded the I AM Here concept. She helps people and companies find their vision, based upon their values. Here’s how Priya describes I Am Here Day: “To practice being present and fully where we are; to overcome FOMO (fear of missing out) on what else we could be doing. To simplify. To hang out with interesting people, have great conversation, and spend long days together the way kids used to play—without the next thing scheduled. To build meaningful relationships with others. To unplug from technology and other distractions. To discover the city we live in.” 10am I met seven friends in The Whitney at the restaurant, UNTITLED. 11am We went to see the Berlin Wall piece on 53rd St. I got a bit nostalgic and homesick, but in a good way. 12pm We toured around the tunnels of Rockefeller Center. My old office used to be there and I never really liked the low-ceiling corporate atmosphere. But I always liked the tunnels. There is one from Fifth all the way to Seventh Avenue. Part of it seems to come from a sci-fi movie of the 1950’s. It’s nice to have hidden surreal spaces in the city. 12:30pm Anand and Priya had to run an errand. I mentioned Priya earlier. Anand Giridharadhas is a brilliant writer; I love his bi-weekly New York Times columns, a mixture of culture and politics explained through touching and endearing real stories. 1pm Mariquel (Waingarten) and I decided to perform a street dance. Mariquel’s husband, Gaston (Frydlweski), gave us some money, and we made another $10. Not bad! And even better, MANY people watched. Well, some. Mariquel and her husband Gaston moved from Buenos Aires to NY to launched HICKIES, an elastic lacing system that turns any sneaker into slip ons and gives your kicks some character. You must watch their Kickstarter, it shows you how lovable and stylish they both are. 2pm We moved on to the Grand Central area. There was an eagle sitting on the corner of Grand Central from the building across the street. We originally went to see the model for the Lincoln figure in DC, but it was gone, so we went to the former Daily News building and saw the biggest indoor globe (why do people always care so much about superlatives?). The globe is decades old and has all kinds of old borders. Yugoslavia and the USSR still existed; the world was very different. 4pm In front of the Daily News building, we started chatting with some folks and found one of them was Magee Hickey, a famous local TV anchorwoman, whose reports our friend Kevin watched from a very young age. Mariquel explains the HICKIES and she likes them! 7pm We ended our evening with a dinner at La Esquina.
				“A portion of the Berlin Wall on display at 520 Madison Avenue.”			“World’s largest globe at The Daily News building.”
				“Mariquel and I do a street performance for some extra cash.”
				“My friends Mariquel and Gaston showing off their HICKIES.”			“Mariquel explains HICKIES to local news anchor Magee Hickey in front of The Daily News building.”
				Lawyers / Investors / Subway Knitting “My favorite place to knit is in the street or on the subway.” This day was not so colorful. I started working at home because of an early phone call with my lawyer, made a few more calls with the potential investor that sent me the term sheet over the weekend. I first thought I wouldn’t go to the office, because often I can concentrate better at home, but I love to be at the office with the team. It is much more fun. People make me happy. I had to get ready for the Wired UK photoshoot on Thursday, i.e. I had to find time niches when I could knit. My favorite place for this is in the street or in the subway, especially in the evening after work.
				“I knit on the subway platform.”			“I knit in the subway car.”
				Interviews / Infographics / Meetings / Sewing “This will be very staccato, like my day.” 6am Got up to email. 8am Interview with Süddeutsche4, they want an infographic about the maker movement. 10am Sprint meetings, knit next to Doryon while filling out web 2.0 insurance. 1pm Lawyer calls. 3pm Portrait shoot. Investor meetings. 5pm Monthly Tommi and Rick meeting. 9pm Sewing until 2am to finish my dress for Wired UK photoshoot.
				“I’m getting make-up for a portrait.”
				“Having my portrait taken.”			“Meeting with Kollabora team.”
	4The Süddeutsche Zeitung, published in Munich, is the largest German national subscription daily newspaper. [BACK]
				“Up really late sewing my dress for a Wired magazine shoot.”
				New Office / Old Friends / Fresh Notebooks / Good Food “It’s such a luxury to spend time with friends.” I can’t believe I survived today. I went to bed last night after sewing until 3am because I needed to finish the dress for tomorrow’s photo shoot with WiredUK. 9:30 I slept till 9:30am, wanted to have at least six hours. Rushed shower and then dialed into the first phone conference at 10am with our drop-shipping partner. Our biz dev Carol Cho discussed packaging, their catalog, and all kinds of stuff. I am trying to figure out how we can get better quality pictures from them. 11:30am While in the first phone conference, I texted to my lawyer that I will call him a few min late. I took a cab to work to make the call since there is no reception in the subway. My days are so busy momentarily, that I have to say “no” to a lot of people who want to meet up for coffee or drinks. It’s such a luxury to spend time with friends, it feels amazing. 12:00 I met with some of my current spacemates for office space, because we need a new space in three weeks. I think I am not stressed out enough about that. Well, I guess it’s more that I have to prioritize fundraising. Without money, no space! 12:30 I phoned my lawyer from the lab space at SVA where we have our current Kollabora offices. Our offices have little privacy and I love the machinery. 1:30 pm I met my oldest friend Mai Abu ElDahab from Egypt (first person I met in university) and her husband, a French performance artist, for lunch. They are the cutest couple and so much fun. I’ve learned a lot from Mai. One of her mantras is that you always have to do the right thing. Even if someone treats you wrong. I totally internalized that and it keeps you clean and sane. We went to a Belgian cafe, then Joe’s Coffee; the barista attacked them for smoking in front of the store, quite a culture clash. He was an angry man that doesn’t understand that some people are different or are not aware of certain rules. He needs to learn to give the benefit of the doubt. It’s so powerful and allows you take things less personally and makes you stronger. 3:30pm I stopped by Muji and bought my favorite notebooks. They are quite similar to a kind of Moleskin ones, but about a third of the price. I take all my investor notes in them, it’s super messy, and I give each one a Roman number. Right now I am at notebook IX. 4pm Went to Tekserve to replace the second headset I’ve lost in four weeks. No clue how I do that. 5pm Went to polish my nails to look good for the photo shoot tomorrow. 7pm At home I cooked fresh pasta and pesto from Eataly and a doggy bag steak from the Bowery Hotel. Needed something quick and good quality. I eat anything as long as it’s good quality. Bad food puts me in a bad mood and I don’t get into bad moods easily.
				“I slipped away to the lab at SVA for a call with my lawyer.”
				“Getting my nails done for the Wired shoot.”			“Good food, good mood. Bad food, BAD mood.”
				Wired Photoshoot / Hair & Make-up / Art Opening / Dinner with Cameron Diaz  “I told them, ‘That’s what I do. I walk and knit. I don’t have time otherwise.’” 8am Today started at 8am to get ready for phototshoots. My friend Paivi took care of my make-up and my friend Yukiko did my hair. Paivi is not a professional make-up artist, but she is an artist and knows how to sculpture people. Yukiko is the best hair artist in the world. She cuts and styles at all the big fashion shows and runway shows. I got to know her through our graphic designer, Hikaru. I love Japanese aesthetics and the people are wonderful. 10am First shoot was with Wired UK, second with Wired Germany. They independently asked to do a shoot and interview and it happened to be on the same day. Wired UK was with Miller Mobley, LOVE him. I secretly always wished to be photographed by him and now it happened! We were shooting at the Flatiron building. I wore a self-made dress—the one I stayed up until 3am to complete—and walked in the streets knitting, upstairs from the subway, crossed the street and bought a hot dog (always while knitting). I told them, “That’s what I do, I walk and knit. I don’t have time otherwise.” Oh yes, I already told you, too. The second photographer was Isabel Asha Penzlin. She actually did all the photos for my first book, The BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook. They wanted me to be within strings, I think it’s a fun idea. We’ll see how it turns out! 4pm In the late afternoon I met with my friend Ashley Granata a co-founder of Fashism. She studied Textile design at FIT and it’s always great to meet and chat with other fashion/craft/tech friends. Tonight, I am going first to “Artadia: The Fund for Art and Dialogue” first in-house exhibition and then to a concert! Yay! The XX. 7pm I never made it to the XX show. I had dinner at Omen, which is a fantastic Japanese restaurant in SoHo. It really feels like you’re in Japan while eating at Omen. Their sister restaurant is in Kyoto. Cameron Diaz was sitting at a table nearby. There were constantly people going up to talk to her. She was very friendly with everyone and her patience with random people disturbing her dinner is exceptional. While eating, I got the final copy of the term sheet! I had to sign fast and so I went to a FedEx to print, sign, and scan. Their computers feel like they’re from my school computer lab circa 1996. Everything took soooo much time. I sent it one minute before 11pm when they closed. Phew, just about made it. But—missed the XX concert. Was very sad about that, but I guess the term sheet has a bit more of a long-term value.
				“Art opening at Artadia with its director Carolyn Ramo.”
				“Dinner with Cameron Diaz at Omen. Well, not with with.”
				“At FedEx until 11pm faxing my term sheet! But missing the XX concert. Boooo.”			“Missed the XX concert.”
				New Hope, PA / Envisaging a Vision “It’s been a lovely and busy week!” 9am I went for a ride to New Hope, Pennsylvania to visit the workshop of the late George Nakashima. I love design and he’s certainly an icon. Also, next year we’re launching a woodworking community so I take every opportunity to get more insight. 5:30pm I had a bite with Sean, our intern from HackNY, and gave him some feedback about the company he wants to start. Sean was a great intern, smart and ambitious. He recently started a blog called Softwarecake, he’s explaining tech for non-techies by comparing software to cake. Fun and informative. 7pm I then went to a party at Jesse Chan Norris’ place, a good friend who co-founded the music platform Indaba. Priya joined us and us and then we went for late dinner at Butter. We discussed my upcoming Visioning Lab. It’s been a lovely and busy week!
				“At the Geoge Nakashima workshop in New Hope, PA.”			“Sharing ideas with our former intern Sean over dinner.”
				“Drinks on my friend Jesse’s balcony.”
				Visit Nora at: Kollabora.com @noraa