http://www.industryofone.com Industry of One Wed, 03 Apr 2013 10:05:18 +0000 http://www.industryofone.com en http://industryofone.com/Richard http://industryofone.com/following/industryofone.com/Richard Wed, 03 Apr 2013 10:05:18 +0000 Industry of One 5315415 <img src="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard_intro.2_20_860.jpg" width="860" height="591" width_o="860" height_o="591" src_o="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard_intro.2_20_o.jpg" data-mid="28640685" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard_monday_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard_monday_o.jpg" data-mid="28598419" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard_monday.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard_monday.2_o.jpg" data-mid="28598421" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard_tues.b2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard_tues.b2_o.jpg" data-mid="28608474" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard_tuesday.3_860.jpg" width="860" height="573" width_o="860" height_o="573" src_o="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard_tuesday.3_o.jpg" data-mid="28598406" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard_tuesday.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="543" width_o="860" height_o="543" src_o="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard_tuesday.2_o.jpg" data-mid="28598408" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard_wednesday_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard_wednesday_o.jpg" data-mid="28598390" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard_wednesday.4_860.jpg" width="860" height="573" width_o="860" height_o="573" src_o="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard_wednesday.4_o.jpg" data-mid="28598388" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard_wed.2b_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard_wed.2b_o.jpg" data-mid="28639801" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard_wednesday.3_860.jpg" width="860" height="573" width_o="860" height_o="573" src_o="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard_wednesday.3_o.jpg" data-mid="28598393" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard_thurs.b_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard_thurs.b_o.jpg" data-mid="28607830" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard_thurs.2c_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard_thurs.2c_o.jpg" data-mid="28608181" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard.floor_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard.floor_o.jpg" data-mid="28598381" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard_thurs.3_860.jpg" width="860" height="585" width_o="860" height_o="585" src_o="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard_thurs.3_o.jpg" data-mid="28598385" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard_friday_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard_friday_o.jpg" data-mid="28598375" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard_friday.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard_friday.2_o.jpg" data-mid="28598379" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard_friday.3_860.jpg" width="860" height="573" width_o="860" height_o="573" src_o="http://payload150.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/5315415/richard_friday.3_o.jpg" data-mid="28598380" border="0" align="left"/> Richard Velloso - age 39 We're drifting through the wet back streets of Sunset Park and Olga is slouched beside me. Richard is telling the story of how they drove all the way to California this past summer and camped in West Yellowstone. Olga loved it, apparently. No small thing considering the 10-year-old, 75 pound chocolate lab traveled over 2,000 miles in the backseat of a Jeep Patriot. But the story is cut short. We're pulling up on the 14,000 square foot warehouse Richard, and Olga by extension, now call the office. The space sits squats at the edge of a man-made peninsula that spikes out like a neat Lego block into the water. It was scouted by his friend Leon, who runs a custom art handling business for galleries in the city, but the two of them now occupy the sprawling space, formerly occupied by a cabinet making business that retired after 40 years. To clear out the space, the pair spent days gutting the innards with a trash dumpster. From what they tell me, they've barely made a dent. "How are you doing, Boss?" We've pulled up to the security gate. "You have a pass?" asks the guard. "Not today." After shuffling some papers, we are in. Until recently, Olga Guanabara, a furniture design workshop and showroom, was located in DUMBO, just around the corner from Richard’s loft apartment. Richard, the designer, carpenter and jack of all trades for the business, launched the store back in 2011 after growing disillusioned as a roaming "for hire" freelance art director. As he tells it, he'd dabbled with the idea for years, but it took months to summon the pluck to start over. “I finally said, ‘Enough talk. Time to put your money where your mouth is,’” says Richard. “Time to give it my best shot.” When he finally did, he set up shop in a slightly unorthodox manner. “Most people do it the other way: have a studio first, a workshop... They grow and then maybe five or six years down the road, they own their own showroom or retail space. I did it backwards. I had the workshop and retail space at the same time. But the good aspect of that, was the exposure I got through it. I got a bunch of free press from opening day.” The press did more than create hype. As word of mouth spread, dealers and design showrooms, most of these planted just across the water, began to take notice. One piece especially, his "Ode to the Manhattan Bridge" dining table, fashioned out of a log fished out from under the bridge, seemed to capture the shifting tides of a post-Industrial, gentrified Brooklyn; slabs of steel are juxtaposed with weathered driftwood. An “industrial evolution,” Richard calls it. Incidentally, his dining room table, a prodigious slab of metal resting on two rounded pillars stitched together by driftwood, was the first piece he ever made by hand. However, it was good old-fashioned foot traffic that stands poised to bring new momentum to the furniture brand. When Richard tells me the story, his measured words, doled out in syncopated spurts, don’t hint at what’s ahead. For several weeks, a guy would walk in, look around and then drift out. One day he came in and paused long enough to introduce himself to Richard. It was Jim Brett, president of West Elm. He asked him if he’d be interesting in doing a collaboration. Nearly a year after that initial conversation in late 2011, Richard’s design pieces were released: a coffee table, side table and console. For someone who had eschewed the advertising world in order to create handcrafted furniture, I can’t help but wonder if the relationship with the mass market retailer felt suspiciously like a corporate job. Richard doesn’t think so. “It was great to have somebody, some company, think you’re doing something right -- enough even to put a good amount behind it,” he says. The collaboration also puts Richard’s brand in front of millions of eyeballs (and wallets), no small feat considering that Olga Guanabara is practically a one man venture, with a dog. Post-recession America has witnessed a boom in artisanal, handcrafted industries. And like an overripe peach at a Brooklyn farmer's market, it's been plucked and cooked up into a bubbling formula of success: a dash of vintage, a hint of organic, a pinch of farm to table. These are all good things, but I have to wonder what it must be like to truly practice the handcrafted rhetoric, like Richard. It's telling that West Elm Market, a new concept store for the retailer that describes itself as a “community market for hands on living,” now features vintage-inspired goods for the home, a La Colombe coffee bar, and a workshop space for classes. And, it's just down the road from Richard's former space. West Elm, though, is no Walmart. The retailer started in DUMBO and its collaborations with local designers, like Richard, have made home goods, denoted by words like rustic and milled, more accessible and affordable [for full disclosure: this writer has freelanced for Kinfolk Magazine, a sometimes partner of West Elm]. If you can't buy Richard's handmade dining room table, you can always purchase the console. Richard seems removed from, or at least unconcerned with, marketing ploys and brand stories. Maybe he left that behind with the 30 second TV spots. Or maybe, it’s because it really is that simple: an ex-ad guy who grew up in São Paulo, worked on his grandfather’s ranch in northern California as a child, headed up the creative department at an agency in Brazil, lived and worked and rose the ranks for a dozen years in New York, became intrigued by furniture design and found a log that sparked an idea. To schedule an appointment at Richard's new workspace, please email hello@olgaguanabara.com or call 718 522 7100. To shop the West Elm x Richard Velloso collaboration visit West Elm. Q - When did you finally think, “I can do this professionally. I can sell furniture”? A - I’m still wondering if I can. I don’t know if there was ever a time I thought, “I can do this.” It was just, “Let me try it and see what happens.” I’d been talking about it for six months, nine months, back and forth with my friend Renato Yoshima who helped me open the storefront. I’d been looking at some spaces to rent. Then I found a place on Pearl Street and something just clicked. Q - Was it hard to give up on advertising? A - Leaving the comfort was difficult. But leaving the business wasn’t hard. Advertising had changed so much. Became so much more corportate since I started out. Q - What was the process of starting over like? A - Well, I knew that if I needed to, I could swing some freelance projects here and there. Or if all else failed, try to go back. The economy these days isn’t that great for anyone going back, though. Which, I guess, is a good thing. You don’t know anything better. If times are hard, it’s not like you ever had it that good. Q - Do you feel like the same principles that made you an art director helped you with the brainstorming process for Olga Guanabara? A - The background, those years in the business, definitely helped. But it’s funny. It all depends. Sometimes you’re just looking at a cool piece of wood and that sparks something. Sometimes, you’re just walking under the Manhattan Bridge and that sparks something. Q - What is it like being your own boss after all these years? A - Being your own boss is fantastic. The challenging part is that you don’t have that safety paycheck on the fifteenth or the thirtieth of every month. When you push yourself so much, sometimes you wish you had a boss that would tell you to go home. But when it’s your own thing, the level of enthusiasm and passion takes it to other levels. Q - Have you ever wanted to throw in the towel? A - Yeah. It’s crossed my mind once or twice. It’s hard when you really like the job. But I also believe that if you can make it work in the long run, you may have a healthier lifestyle. Q - Were there any specific manufacturers or designers that piqued your interest in furniture? A - I lived in Brazil between 2002 and 2005 working in advertising. Brazil in the '40s, '50s, '60s experienced a gigantic boom in furniture design. Especially because of the wood: the richness and vibrancy of the wood. Many famous Danish designers came to Brazil and experimented with rose wood. There were quite a few famous designers in Brazil as well in the '60s, who made a name for themselves. I started getting into vintage furniture in Brazil. I designed a couple pieces myself. But I wasn’t even thinking of switching careers. I just needed a TV unit and something for my CDs. We still had CDs back then. When I came back to New York, I brought all my furniture, including those pieces I’d bought from a famous designer back in Brazil. But of course my apartment there was much larger, so I had to sell a bunch of it off. I made a fortune. It still took me six years after that to come up with the idea, the concept of a store. Q - Tell me a bit more about your West Elm collaboration. Has it prompted you to think about working with factories to produce more pieces? A - I'm not interested in mass production -- at least in the context of China. But I’m open to doing bigger runs of limited-edition pieces. A lot of the materials that I deal with, no matter where you make the piece, don’t come cheap. It’s always going to start out at a higher price point. But I would like to make it accessible to a few more people. Q - What are your goals for this new year? Moving into the Sunset Park warehouse creates a lot of new possibilities. A - I’d love to get into a few more Architectural Digest-type magazines, like Wallpaper* Magazine. In May I'm going to be showing a couple pieces at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF). I have a few new designs that I’ll be taking to ICFF, like the finished version of my first chair. Q - And lastly, in what outfit do you feel most like yourself? A - I like to wear dark blue jeans, brown leather shoes a light blue button down shirt. Richard Velloso - age 39 We're drifting through the wet back streets of Sunset Park and Olga is slouched beside me. Richard is... http://industryofone.com/Jack http://industryofone.com/following/industryofone.com/Jack Thu, 07 Feb 2013 09:37:41 +0000 Industry of One 4933873 <img src="http://payload131.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4933873/jack.intro.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload131.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4933873/jack.intro.2_o.jpg" data-mid="26400338" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload131.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4933873/jack_monday_860.jpg" width="860" height="577" width_o="860" height_o="577" src_o="http://payload131.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4933873/jack_monday_o.jpg" data-mid="26400129" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload131.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4933873/jack_monday.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload131.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4933873/jack_monday.2_o.jpg" data-mid="26400125" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload131.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4933873/jack_tuesday_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload131.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4933873/jack_tuesday_o.jpg" data-mid="26400132" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload131.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4933873/jack_tuesday.3_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload131.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4933873/jack_tuesday.3_o.jpg" data-mid="26400121" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload131.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4933873/jack_tuesday.5b_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload131.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4933873/jack_tuesday.5b_o.jpg" data-mid="26400687" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload131.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4933873/jack_wednesday_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload131.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4933873/jack_wednesday_o.jpg" data-mid="26400175" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload131.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4933873/jack_wednesday.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload131.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4933873/jack_wednesday.2_o.jpg" data-mid="26400167" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload131.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4933873/jack_wednesday.3_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload131.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4933873/jack_wednesday.3_o.jpg" data-mid="26400163" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload131.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4933873/jack_wednesday.4_860.jpg" width="860" height="547" width_o="860" height_o="547" src_o="http://payload131.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4933873/jack_wednesday.4_o.jpg" data-mid="26400160" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload131.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4933873/jack_thursdayb_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload131.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4933873/jack_thursdayb_o.jpg" data-mid="26400152" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload131.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4933873/jack_thursday.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="573" width_o="860" height_o="573" src_o="http://payload131.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4933873/jack_thursday.2_o.jpg" data-mid="26400159" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload131.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4933873/jack_friday_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload131.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4933873/jack_friday_o.jpg" data-mid="26400149" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload131.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4933873/jack_friday.2b_18_860.jpg" width="860" height="573" width_o="860" height_o="573" src_o="http://payload131.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4933873/jack_friday.2b_18_o.jpg" data-mid="26416000" border="0" align="left"/> Jack Mazzola - age 42 Jack Mazzola is always moving. If his hands aren’t dotting a staccato-like rhythm of emphasis over his head, then he’s shifting his weight, gliding one long Balmain-encased leg over the next. Now he’s leaning forward, his long frame almost halfway across the room. Any minute now, he’ll jump up and take one liberated step across his 14x14 coffee bunk, the office space residing under Jack’s Coffee, and begin drawing on the whiteboard. He’ll do this after saying, “I’m all about analogies.” And suddenly, you’ll feel a tingle of the caffeinated thrill that Jack’s daily existence hinges upon. Here’s one of Jack’s analogies. “Imagine coffee being a character and you and I are actors. We have to give our interpretation of what coffee is. And you have to do it in a physical way. I don’t care how much research you do, how much picture taking you do; it’s going to be different. Jack's my interpretation of coffee. Jack's is my interpretation of The Experience." At a first glance, The Experience feels, well, familiar. Here is the aged wooden plank now doubling as a coffee bar. There is the exposed brick lined with the smudged black chalkboard hawking the usual assortment of cappuccinos and mochas, along with Jack’s signature drink, stir brew coffee. A salvaged military jacket, now sporting its own scarlet letter, only in this case one that readily admits an addiction to coffee, harkens all believers into its musky-smelling fold. But a second glance reveals something more. On the opposite wall, the eyes of coffee-drinking saints benevolently peer out from a collage of black and white photographs. Many of these are locals, some departed, some still with this world. Their presence seems to tacitly acknowledge a truth about the exchange between old and new New York. Businesses come and go. But some, a select few, are worth keeping. Jack is keenly aware of this tension. After all, he is part of old New Jersey himself. The byproduct of auto grease and a sprawling Italian family in the ‘burbs, Jack grew up working at the family business, his dad’s auto body shop in Lodi. His specialty was painting. His dad’s specialty was customer service. Now customer service -- client services, customer services, relationship marketing, call it what you will -- may not mean much in the days of around-the-clock 1-800 lines, but for Jack the term is real. Customer service at an auto body shop means you are splayed out under the underbelly of a car. One day Robert Sean Leonard’s manager, a frequent customer, asked Jack if he’d be interested in acting in commercials. Jack took him up on his suggestion and was soon commuting into the city twice a week to HB studios. At age 16, he left home. “Back in Lodi there was no drama class,” Jack deadpans. “The only drama was on the streets.” When Jack joined the AFTRA acting union, they gave him the opportunity to meet with the director of his choice. He chose Jimmy Bohr, the casting assistant on “Guiding Light.” Jimmy took a liking to him and gave him a gig on the show. Jack’s famous first words were, “What does a guy have to do around here to get a cup of coffee?” After “grinding it out” in LA -- this too is another “Jack-ism” -- at local coffee shops, restaurants and even a 19th century antique store while trying to propel his acting career forward, the prodigal son came home. In 2003 he opened his first Jack’s Coffee in the West Village. On opening day the line spilled over onto the street. Even the neighbors showed up, always a good sign given New York's precarious balancing act between businesses and neighborhoods. Jack was ecstatic. "When I first opened up my store, I thought, “God, I have a job. I can enlist all of my actor friends."" Even back then, The Experience was paramount. This meant that Jack developed his own coffee making technique, a patented stir brew method to enhance the flavor of the coffee. It also meant he sourced his beans from a fair trade coffee farm in the Dominican Republic and purchased his milk from a local dairy in the Hudson Valley, all good things now rendered banal by the pastoral iconography conjured in our grocery stores. But here's the key thing to remember about 2003. In 2003, bell-bottoms were in fashion. Destiny's Child was still together. And the words "organic," "fair trade" and "sustainable" might have not meant much unless you were a die-hard foodie, and this before "foodie" was even a part of our vocabulary. In 2005 Jack opened his second location at the South Street Seaport. The others, competing siblings though all beloved by Jack, rolled out a couple years after that. The Amagansett cafe, elbowed in between East Hampton and Montauk, is the beachy child, all whitewashed interiors and exposed beams. The 6th Avenue store is the most kitchen savvy. In fact, it is the first to contain its own fully-staffed bakery led by the pastry chef Camillo Sabela of Plaza Hotel fame. It's a interesting to observe, this success we are all obsessed with attaining. If only Jack could bottle it and place it inside the counter cooler alongside the yogurts and pressed juices. “It really is the true, American entrepreneurial story," he candidly admits. Rightfully so. It is ripe with contradiction and hopeful with possibility, both of these bound together by a certain urgency of time. How does a man declared "too green" for film launch a business and brand with no real connections or pedigree? Maybe it's his charisma, smooth and bold like his coffee. Or his vast background in the service industry, now polished to a sheen like his counters. Or maybe, just maybe, it's the sum of all these parts: The Experience. Jack's Coffee is open from 7:00AM to 8:00PM Monday through Saturday and 8:00AM-8:00PM on Sunday. Q - Jack's has always been a bit ahead of the curve. Quite ahead of the curve, in fact, given that you hatched your business before all these concept coffee shops and unique brewing methods came into being, before the crop-to-cup movement was a buzzword. Where do you think your interest in innovation came from? A - If I could coin that, that would be something, right? Q - You could bottle it up and sell it. A - Innovation comes from self. It's experience. It's a trait of an expression at a certain moment. The idea of the stir brewer, for example, I just felt like this was my interpretation for how I would go about doing something. Q - Do you think your background in bartending and serving gave you an outsider's perspective, which led you to rethink your process? A - Not really, because even when I was bartending and waiting tables, I always did my own thing. I remember when I first bartended at the Soho Grand Hotel sitting at these big seminars about customer service. And I remember that I never really paid that much attention. Nothing they were telling me was something that I already didn't know. Q - Do you think that came from watching your dad and how he did business? A - Yes, certainly. A lot of it was intuitive as well. The other day I was filling in my profile on LinkedIn, since I'm always getting these invites to LinkedIn and I thought I might as well check it out. The profile set-up process drills down to all these things, like college. Well, I never made it to college; I barely made it through high school. And I remember filling in my "Studies" as creative design, mechanical design and engineering, customer service -- everything that I learned at my dad's auto body shop. When it asked me about my college education, I filled out that I attended the "University of the Mazzola Auto Body Shop." And I learned a lot. It's street smarts. How does a guy who doesn't finish high school invent a coffee urn? Well, when I was working at my dad's auto mechanic shop I was always working on cars, fixing stuff. Maybe some of that stuck. Q - Would you describe yourself more as a connoisseur or a businessman? A - I'm both. It's a unique situation because I smash the two together. If you think about business, it's very simple. It's understanding a very simple formula of numbers. What does it cost to operate? What does it cost for me to make money here? Q - But I think it's more than that. You have to understand demand and value and intrinsically know what would someone want to buy. A - Yeah, and there's no book on that. But for me it's very clear; there's no gray. I've always known what my brand looks like. Q - Despite your certainty, your confidence, though, have there ever been any decisions you've regretted? A - You mention confidence, but it wasn't something I ever had much of as a kid. My parents moved around a lot, from small town to small town, so I went to three different schools at a young age. I've always been kind of in that survival mode, leaving home at an early age and coming to the city. My dad would always say to me that I had a clear head. He'd say, "The kid has such a fresh head. Going off to California, such a fresh head." I went to my sister's 40th birthday party last night and met my dad's brother, who I hadn't seen in years and is now 73 years old. They always said he had a fresh head. He's 73 and he's still operating bulldozers. There's something to be said for a "fresh head." Q - Tell me a bit more about your approach to community. I imagine your Italian background and dad's approach to business must have influenced your perspective. A - Working at my dad's auto body shop was the very essence of community. He knew everybody. And just because my dad didn't know you didn't mean he wasn't kissing you hello. Or treating you like you weren't family. I got a lot of that from him. Ten years ago they hadn't defined community like they do now. And now its pushed so much. But you can't teach someone about community. You can't hang a community board and say "we're a community." You have to have that inherited in your blood. I do and that's translated into my stores. Q - Do you have a favorite store? A - I have to say 10th Street is my favorite. I worked it. I opened it. There is a lot of expression in that store. And I keep on going back to that store for inspiration. Q - What is the quintessential "Jack" outfit? A - I love my jeans. I wear two pairs of jeans: I wear A.P.C. and Balmain. As far of the shoes go, I love slip-ons. I have an old pair of Vans. It has to be comfortable. Jack Mazzola - age 42 Jack Mazzola is always moving. If his hands aren’t dotting a staccato-like rhythm of emphasis over his head,... http://industryofone.com/Hilary http://industryofone.com/following/industryofone.com/Hilary Wed, 19 Dec 2012 15:13:34 +0000 Industry of One 4633178 <img src="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hillary_intro_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hillary_intro_o.jpg" data-mid="24659870" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_m_860.jpg" width="860" height="562" width_o="860" height_o="562" src_o="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_m_o.jpg" data-mid="24687478" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_monday.2b_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_monday.2b_o.jpg" data-mid="24662805" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_monday.5_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_monday.5_o.jpg" data-mid="24662800" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_tues_860.jpg" width="860" height="565" width_o="860" height_o="565" src_o="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_tues_o.jpg" data-mid="24703895" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_tues.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_tues.2_o.jpg" data-mid="24703923" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_tuesday.4_860.jpg" width="860" height="579" width_o="860" height_o="579" src_o="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_tuesday.4_o.jpg" data-mid="24662788" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_tuesday.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_tuesday.2_o.jpg" data-mid="24662791" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_tuesday.3_860.jpg" width="860" height="573" width_o="860" height_o="573" src_o="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_tuesday.3_o.jpg" data-mid="24662789" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_w_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_w_o.jpg" data-mid="24687477" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_wednesday.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_wednesday.2_o.jpg" data-mid="24662786" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_thursday_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_thursday_o.jpg" data-mid="24662792" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_thursday.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="573" width_o="860" height_o="573" src_o="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_thursday.2_o.jpg" data-mid="24662796" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_thursday.4_860.jpg" width="860" height="573" width_o="860" height_o="573" src_o="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_thursday.4_o.jpg" data-mid="24662793" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_friday.b_860.jpg" width="860" height="557" width_o="860" height_o="557" src_o="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_friday.b_o.jpg" data-mid="24672803" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary.flea_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary.flea_o.jpg" data-mid="24672801" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_friday.4_860.jpg" width="860" height="496" width_o="860" height_o="496" src_o="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_friday.4_o.jpg" data-mid="24662810" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_friday.3b_860.jpg" width="860" height="509" width_o="860" height_o="509" src_o="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_friday.3b_o.jpg" data-mid="24662811" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_friday.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="573" width_o="860" height_o="573" src_o="http://payload116.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4633178/hilary_friday.2_o.jpg" data-mid="24662814" border="0" align="left"/> Hilary Robertson - age 48 New York is a backdrop to the "made it," "built it" and "became it" type stories that we read about online. Why else would recent grads reeking of cheap beer and 25 year loan repayment plans move into a skeletal two bedroom that houses five? It's about possibility -- or at least the hint of it. So then, the idea of a 40-something-year-old, anchored by house and child, relocating to a city that balks at the notion of putting down roots becomes a bit more intriguing. Hilary Robertson, stylist, antiques buyer and the mother of one golden locked nine-year-old boy, does not shy away from speaking her mind -- on matters New York related and not. Nor should she. By the mid aughties, the English interiors stylist had reached the level of acclaim, and status, that makes a byline obsolete. She had written two books, styled endless shoots for the likes of Elle Decoration and Vogue Living and was a semi-regular contributor to the Food & Home pages of the Telegraph Magazine. In other words, hers was the name that immediately came to mind when fashionable Londoners needed a second opinion on a certain sofa, antique or trend. So when her husband, Alistair, received an offer from Chesney’s, the British purveyor of antique fireplaces, I have to wonder if she caught the scent of Northeastern possibility. In 2006 Hilary and Gus, then a toddler, sailed for New York aboard the Queen Mary. Hilary wanted her son to understand the distance they were traveling (another perk: there's no baggage limit). The picturesque mode of travel did not translate into an equally welcoming Brooklyn homecoming. “Everything that could go wrong, went wrong for a few years,” says Hilary in a bemused champagne-inflected English drawl. They had kept their place back in England and decided to continue paying the monthly mortgage installments. But then they came up against an unfortunate trio of circumstances: a bad renter who defaulted on monthly payments, roof repairs that drained the bank, and Brooklyn rental fees. “New York is not a funny place to be broke,” observes Hilary. Amen to that. Somehow, they made do. And even more perplexingly, they refused to leave. "I think that's the weird thing about moving somewhere...It's hard to know when to give up," says Hilary. One thing she did refuse to give up: her style. When the couple installed Gus in a local school, Hilary brightened up the mother brigade with her patterned furs, heels and makeup. No less demure, her mode of transportation: a scooter, for smooth (and quicker) sailing to and from school. Slowly, the Brooklyn emigres made headway. Hilary retreated into the halo of green of Pratt Institute to write. And she began shopping. As part of her consulting work for Ochre, the British furniture design company, the stylist would embark on buying trips to Brimfield to “spy.” “Buying for other people made me feel better because I was at least buying for someone,” Hilary wryly comments. Once, a friend asked her, “Who are you shopping for? Are you shopping for Jesus?” Perhaps she is. Shopping is the New York religion after all. Hilary has noted this shift in the shopper's psyche. The other day she was telling her step-daughter, Georgia, “People feel a lot less guilty about shopping in America. They’ll talk about it as if it’s something you need to do for yourself. While we have all this Protestant guilt about it.” I wonder what six years in New York have done to Hilary's guilt. Maybe, like the antiques we giddily survey at the Brooklyn Flea one nippy Saturday morning, it has been covered up in a patina of chipped paint or washed out by the New York elements. By the time we emerge from the maze of stands, an addition has been shrewdly scouted and negotiated: a beat up military desk for their son. When we return to the apartment, several hours later, Alistair is already at work installing the piece in Gus’ room. It is undeniable: the family knows how to shop. In fact, this curatorial knack for locating treasures among rust and relics has become their bread and butter. At least a spoonful of it. Besides the freelance styling work Hilary continues to handle, she also recently launched a vintage and antiques shop in Fort Greene, aptly named Mrs. Robertson. Her mother felt duly honored. “My mum was so flattered. And I didn’t even think of that. It’s very funny.” Hilary laughs easily at their initial rotten luck. But some relationships are not as easily patched up. For her anniversary a couple years back, her husband made her a crossed out “I heart New York” poster. The subversive reimagining of the iconic design now hangs in her closet. And Hilary is softening. She sometimes jokes with her friends that one day she’ll peel off the two bold stripes criss crossing the piece. “New York is an amazing place once you know where you are and you know what you’re doing. Because then it can only get better.” Mrs. Robertson is located on 88 South Portland Avenue, Brooklyn. Open Tuesday through Sunday, 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. Q - Working as a stylist feels like a very, you know, material profession...you could get caught up in that: the aesthetics (disclaimer: we don’t say that with any judgment!). But one thing that I want to say after spending the day with you is that it feels like it's more than just the interiors. It’s more than just aesthetics. A - Oh God, yes! I never had a vision that I had to have this type of house or this kind of thing. That’s not how I am at all. I love life to happen. I took this class in Dada and Surrealism and took it very seriously. When the recent New York Times article came out, a friend of mine sent it to my college professor. He must be in his 70s or something. He was really tickled and he said, “Is that our Hills? It’s very revealing.” And I thought, “What does that mean?” [Laughs] He probably thinks that reading Kafka didn’t do anything for me. But I think it did a lot. Q - After seeing your home and the items that you choose to put in it, I was surprised to realize I never once thought, “Wow. I wonder how much this piece cost?” A - Oh no! I don’t care about that. Q - I see that and I’m kind of astounded, because I feel like I would find everything too precious. I wouldn’t want to use it. I would be a miser. A - But nothing I have costs anything. I mean really. I do care about things for sure -- if I lost this ring I would be bereft -- but what really matters is my son and my husband. It’s just stuff. I did feel “at sea” when I came here; I felt like I lost my identity completely. Because in England I was the stylist. I was the one everyone asked, you know, “Do you like this? Should I get this?” And here I was no one. And that was really hard. And also I didn’t have my things. I didn’t have my house. I didn’t have my reputation. I didn’t have any of it. And it sucked! [Laughs]. I don’t want life to be about things. It’s about beauty to me...whatever that is. Q - But you found your identity. A - But that’s what so funny. I think I’m more sure of who I am and who I want to be now, than I ever was before. But it took the crucible of New York to figure that out, which is really weird to me. Q - What impact have the last six years in NYC had on your taste and style? A - Living in London means that you are very near France, so French interiors, architecture and design in general have always really influenced me. I especially love the work of decorator Frederic Mechiche and architect Jacqueline Morabito. I feel very far away from that world here, but it's still the look that I relate to above all others. Anyway, I'm very adaptable -- stylists have to be! I have bought more industrial stuff here than I might have in Europe and I think that the Hollywood Regency look is enormously fun. I've always loved movie sets from the 30s, 40s and 50s- Pal Joey or Mame, for example. I love glamour but for real life I go for elegant things mixed with rougher, simpler pieces. Q - I noticed that you like to mix up patterns & texture -- in both your clothes and styling. Do you feel like there’s a big difference between the two or do you think the different mediums speak to the same style? A - At the moment, there's such a big fashion trend for mixing patterns that is hard to resist. In fact, my usual way of choosing things is to take one colour and then layer variations of shade or texture together; my living room only has one patterned thing in it, my bedroom mixes a pinky taupe with grey, charcoal, and mauve; all related colours, my dining room is black and white. But when I get dressed, I mix things up more. I try not to be too predictable. My idea of sartorial failure is an all black outfit (although some people do this really well -- the pieces have to be well-tailored). I prefer mixing colours in threes like maroon, chartreuse and a dash or turquoise or dusty pink teamed with brown and something metallic. I'm a big fan of sequins, metallic threads; a bit of sparkle is fun for day. I don't go out at night much so I have to wear my evening clothes in the day or I would never wear them! Q - Where do you see yourself going in the next five to ten years? What is left to attain? A - Lots. Loads. I’ve got lots of ideas about pop up things I’d like to do. When I was doing Canvas, I couldn’t really show that that was my baby, and it was, which was kind of frustrating to be honest. I would like to have my own product, but I’d like to do do a whole thing with ceramics and do a ceramics pop up show. I’m very passionate about ceramics. I love them. Hilary Robertson - age 48 New York is a backdrop to the "made it," "built it" and "became it" type stories that we read about... http://industryofone.com/Kirk http://industryofone.com/following/industryofone.com/Kirk Wed, 07 Nov 2012 11:02:04 +0000 Industry of One 4391156 <img src="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.intro.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.intro.2_o.jpg" data-mid="23267892" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.mon_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.mon_o.jpg" data-mid="23256865" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.mon.3_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.mon.3_o.jpg" data-mid="23256863" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.mon.4_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.mon.4_o.jpg" data-mid="23256864" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.tues_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.tues_o.jpg" data-mid="23256869" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.tues.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.tues.2_o.jpg" data-mid="23256867" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.tues.3_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.tues.3_o.jpg" data-mid="23256868" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.wednesday.v2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.wednesday.v2_o.jpg" data-mid="23268158" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.wednesday.2.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.wednesday.2.2_o.jpg" data-mid="23268154" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.wednesday.3_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.wednesday.3_o.jpg" data-mid="23256872" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.thurs_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.thurs_o.jpg" data-mid="23256898" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.thurs.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.thurs.2_o.jpg" data-mid="23256894" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.fri_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.fri_o.jpg" data-mid="23256892" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.fri.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.fri.2_o.jpg" data-mid="23256881" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.fri.3_860.jpg" width="860" height="495" width_o="860" height_o="495" src_o="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.fri.3_o.jpg" data-mid="23256884" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.fri.6_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.fri.6_o.jpg" data-mid="23256890" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.fri.5_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.fri.5_o.jpg" data-mid="23256889" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.fri.4_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload104.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4391156/kirk.fri.4_o.jpg" data-mid="23256887" border="0" align="left"/> Kirkland Bray - age 39 The story of Billykirk’s genesis, an American-made leather goods company now based across the river in New Jersey, sounds suspiciously like the beginning of a joke. Two brothers from Minnesota move to LA. They search the yellow pages for a leather craftsman to make leather goods for them. Finally, they find a man, a third generation leather worker whose entire life has been devoted to the craft. However, the leather worker’s kids want nothing to do with his job. His daughter is a vegan. His son wants to be a lawyer. So he takes the brothers, Chris and Kirk, under his wing. For a price of course. One of the brothers ventures into the man’s shop at all hours of the day to hover over his shoulder and watch the process. Finally, the man gets fed up and offers to teach him how to make the leather bags. There’s also another version of this tale, joke constructs aside. A boy starts painting in high school. He attends college, moves to the West Coast to join his older brother and starts working as an assistant designer. Eventually he quits his job. All the while he continues to paint off and on. The brothers scrape together their savings and start a business, a leather design company, that grows and grows and takes up most of their time. Painting takes a backseat due to the demands of his job, but the younger brother loves it. In fact, he sets up an easel in his living room. He does some shows. He is even featured in the 2011 Artist edition of L’Uomo Vogue as one of six New York City artists to watch. And he does all of this rather discreetly from his Jersey City loft. Kirkland Bray, co-founder, designer, painter, wears many hats, or better said hand-blocked, American-made fedoras. But the role of painter and collagist is something he's been donning for well over two decades, ever since he began painting, somewhat on a whim, in high school. “I took my dad’s advice. He said, “Why don’t you try it?” I drew a lot as a kid, but I never really touched [painting]. Never any oil paints,” says Kirk. Once in college, Kirk took a painting class and something clicked. “That’s where I felt like there was really something there for me.” Although he continued to pursue other lines of study -- first buying and then fashion design -- painting was the one thing that stuck, no pun intended. After leaving an assistant designer job in Pasadena, Kirk landed at a coffee house in Santa Monica. The cafe, owned by a woman named Anastasia and her husband who used to be a customer, doubled as an art space for local artists. During his five years there, Kirk held three solo shows of his work and sold his first painting for $1,000, a veritable accomplishment for a fledgling artist. He also garnered a different sort of success: the signature of a certain Matt Groening. Kirk says, “Just the other day I was going through the guest list of people that showed up, and the Simpsons creator, Matt Groening, had signed it. I don’t think I ever met him, but he signed my book. It was like March something, 1999.” That same year, Kirk and Chris officially started Billykirk. In 2005 the brothers moved out east and headquartered the company in New Jersey. Despite the location change, the outfit maintained its personable approach to doing business. This is most likely due to the brothers themselves. "I've sort of made it a point,” says Kirk, “to get to know my neighbors since I knew I was going to be here a long time.” Case in point: a 20 minute walk around downtown Jersey City yields several conversations with other passersby. Not surprisingly, Kirk is a well-known face at his corner coffee shop. Billykirk the company and Kirk the painter now find themselves at an interesting junction. Thirteen years have passed since the brothers founded the company, and while sales have steadily grown, Kirk insists that they haven’t made it. At least, not yet. “In some ways I feel like we’re still breaking through,” he says. Still, he cites moments, like the recent partnership with J.Crew that lead to a full page feature within the catalogue, as a boon. And then there have been “sightings” though Kirk insists these are few and far between. “Some guy stopped me on the street the other day and asked, “Are you the guy from Billy Kirk? I love your stuff.”” Success has also met Kirk in his body of work. However, it has come in even, solitary doses, often coated in wishful hankerings for more time and punctuated by the strain of music reverberating throughout the apartment while he paints. Nevertheless, I get the feeling that Kirk is happy. Or at least relaxed about where he's headed. So for now, most leather good fanaticos will recognize him as the face of Billykirk. But there may come a day, when a lone passerby will stop him on the street and ask, "Are you Kirkland Bray? I just saw your exhibit." View the Billykirk collection here. View Kirk's artwork here. Q - Tell me about the start of Billykirk. Where did you get the financing, the momentum to start that off the ground? A - At first we didn't have any financing at all. It was just the money we had, which was not a lot. Q - Did you focus on custom orders then? A - Pretty much. For our first trade show, we rented a small booth. It was a magic show in Las Vegas. It was huge. Q - Was it the demographic you were going for? A - It was really the only trade show that was there at that time. There were no smaller, offshoot shows. So we shared this clothing booth with a company (I was doing some fit modeling way, way back then, which was a crazy weird job). I was doing fit modeling for this company and I asked if we could share part of the booth with them and they were like, “yeah, yeah, sure.” But it was a nightmare. I didn't know this at the time, but these people were big partiers, big-time drug users. I had to help them load up the van. Chris, I don’t know how this happened, but somehow he got to fly in. I had to drive in the backseat of this van, with stuff everywhere, and the guy who owned the company had terrible body odor. So I’m in this van and I feel so sick and I think both of them are on something. I needed to escape for my life and we drove through the night. Ah man. And then I had to drive a lot of the way back, since they were so hung over from being there. So I guess that was the price I had to pay. Q - Were trade shows the route everyone took back then? If you had to, would you go back and still sell at trade shows? A - You reach a large audience. You get to meet people. Now there are all sorts of ways to do it. You have people starting on Etsy now. But I think eventually if you want to get more serious about it and meet the good stores around the country and around the world, you need to do a show...I want to do a Paris show this year, maybe show in Berlin....I’d like to do a painting show there as well. Q - Switching gears a bit: At Billykirk you wear a lot of hats. How do you answer the question “what do you do?” A - I typically say I own a business. I mean, it would be great if I were able one day to make enough money so that I could just paint. That would fun. I feel like I have so many ideas that just don’t get done, as it relates to painting and art in general. But I think that part of it is that my time is so limited, so that instead of feeling like I can just try an idea, I have to be more sure that it’s a good idea. I don’t have time to experiment. Which is a total excuse. I do. I have as much time as everyone else, I just have to use my time. Q - Was it ever a challenge to label yourself an artist given the pressure? A - Yeah, I mean only because it’s always been more secondary. I mean I am. I don’t think you necessarily have to be full-time. I feel like I’m less of a designer than I've ever been because I've been having to do other things at Billykirk. Q - Do you feel like working in the design and fashion world paved the way for merging into the art world? A - You know, it’s interesting because for some reason I've always felt the need to keep them separate. I didn't want to be known for my art because of Billykirk. I want to be known for my art because I’m an artist. I think it’s ridiculous to think that way now, because if I want people to see my work, the best means to get there may be through Billykirk. So I try to embrace it. Q - So if you got to the point where you opened up a storefront in Soho or the East Village, would you show your work? A - Yeah, I probably would. Maybe I would do something like what Goose Barnacle does and feature a rotation of artists. We have so many great, old pieces that we've collected from our family that I would want to put in there. Q - How was your family reacted to your artistic endeavors? A - My dad sold medical products for 3M, not a creative job at all, but he was really great with people and art was an outlet for him when he wasn't working. He told me when I saw him around Thanksgiving last year, that he wishes he’d been an artist and not done what he did. But he has a comfortable life now. He’s retired. They get to travel and do their thing. But it’s interesting to hear him say that. Q - How did that impact you? A - It’s interesting. I don’t own a business by myself; I own a business with my brother. So everything I do impacts him. If I ever wanted to do anything else, it would be even harder for me to walk away, because I’m impacting him and his kids and his family. I’m sure he feels the same way sometimes. I don’t want to sound like I’m jumping ship or anything. I’d love to get in a position where I can do [Billykirk] more remotely and live somewhere else for six months. Be able to travel, go to Spain, live there for a while. Be able to do that and still have an impact on the company. Q - And lastly, in what outfit do you feel most like yourself? A - Mmmhhhh. Probably jeans. I’d say a good pair of comfortable jeans and a worn-in chambray shirt and pair of old, lace-up boots... I really love fall so this is my time of year. I can bring out the wool tweed sport coat. And I have this green vest from Sears. I got it for $2.50 at Goodwill years ago. It’s a quilted, olive vest with a collar on it. I wear it all the time in the winter. Almost every day to the office. If you run into me, I’ll probably be wearing it. Kirkland Bray - age 39 The story of Billykirk’s genesis, an American-made leather goods company now based across the river in... http://industryofone.com/Yas http://industryofone.com/following/industryofone.com/Yas Fri, 28 Sep 2012 10:27:21 +0000 Industry of One 4160761 <img src="http://payload93.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4160761/yas_intro_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload93.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4160761/yas_intro_o.jpg" data-mid="21875052" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload93.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4160761/yas_monday_860.jpg" width="860" height="581" width_o="860" height_o="581" src_o="http://payload93.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4160761/yas_monday_o.jpg" data-mid="21875049" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload93.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4160761/yas_monday.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload93.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4160761/yas_monday.2_o.jpg" data-mid="21875053" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload93.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4160761/yas_monday.3_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload93.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4160761/yas_monday.3_o.jpg" data-mid="21875055" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload93.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4160761/yas_tuesday_860.jpg" width="860" height="505" width_o="860" height_o="505" src_o="http://payload93.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4160761/yas_tuesday_o.jpg" data-mid="21875048" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload93.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4160761/yas_tuesday.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload93.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4160761/yas_tuesday.2_o.jpg" data-mid="21875046" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload93.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4160761/yas_wednesday_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload93.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4160761/yas_wednesday_o.jpg" data-mid="21875042" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload93.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4160761/yas_wednesday.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload93.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4160761/yas_wednesday.2_o.jpg" data-mid="21875041" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload93.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4160761/yas_wednesday.3_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload93.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4160761/yas_wednesday.3_o.jpg" data-mid="21875043" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload93.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4160761/yas_thursday_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload93.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4160761/yas_thursday_o.jpg" data-mid="21875040" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload93.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4160761/yas_thursday.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="580" width_o="860" height_o="580" src_o="http://payload93.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4160761/yas_thursday.2_o.jpg" data-mid="21875038" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload93.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4160761/yas_friday_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload93.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4160761/yas_friday_o.jpg" data-mid="21875034" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload93.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4160761/yas_friday.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload93.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4160761/yas_friday.2_o.jpg" data-mid="21875075" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload93.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4160761/yas_friday.3_860.jpg" width="860" height="602" width_o="860" height_o="602" src_o="http://payload93.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4160761/yas_friday.3_o.jpg" data-mid="21875525" border="0" align="left"/> Yas Imamura - age 28 You wouldn't expect to find a paper design studio in Hillsboro, a Portland bedroom community. Not, well, when you are so close to Portland. And even less so when said creative shop occupies the top story of a five bedroom house tucked away on a sleepy cul-de-sac. Yas, the designer of the paper goods line, Quill & Fox, and her husband Andrew are hidden within plain sight within the zig zag of quiet, family-lined streets that wind through town. Instead of housing a bouncing crew of thatch haired toddlers, they contain a family of another sort: whimsical monsters, portly terrariums and one very dignified-looking, mustached Lord Ampersand. Fantastic creatures aside, the couple has achieved a level of independence that is enviable considering their ages, 28 and 27, and mounted a creative suite within the bowels of suburbia. Inside the gaping interiors of their home, they pad between the office, the master bedroom, the craft room to the right of the living room. Their desks hug opposite sides of the same room, so that they are never more than a couple feet, or a holler, away from the other. I get the impression that this pace of life may have caught Yas, even Andrew, by surprise. Yas, a city girl from the Philippines, moved to Oregon to advance her career as an art director. Already, she had jumped careers -- from economics to advertising -- and when she landed at the Art Institute of Portland was intent on furthering what had been a dream job. Ironically, several years into her studies at AI, her enthusiasm for the corporate ad world waned. And then she met Andrew, a fellow student pursuing illustration. Three months later they were engaged. They say love changes things, but in Yas’ case it really did. If it weren't for her wedding, she may have never dabbled in stationery artwork. As she brainstormed designs for her wedding invitations, she discovered a niche. Her surging interest in typography and illustration came on the heels of her father’s rumblings about post-college job plans. So she took matters into her hands and dreamed up a job, anchored by a social media strategy, business plan and brand identity. Looking back on it now, Yas credits her background. “I was that kid that would block off chairs in a room and pretend it’s a restaurant. I was always pretending.” Quill & Fox is no imaginary restaurant, but Yas did feed her fledgling business tangible morsels: she gave it a name, designed business cards and thought out a packaging layout. Perhaps earlier than most. The project bobbed along carried and then last winter Quill & Fox’s cards began to dot Pinterest boards and creep their way into blog posts. Several boutiques in Portland snatched up Yas’ cards and Anthropologie picked up the brand. The publicity has been a boon but Yas isn't greedy about the success. “I work at my own pace,” she says. While the illustrator is intent on expanding the range of paper goods to encompass a whole tier of products -- recipe cards, children’s stationery, notebooks, standardized wedding templates -- she’s in no hurry. “There are so many ideas out there. You can never run out of cool ones...I’m not running out of time here.” Check out the Quill & Fox shop here. Q - Where did the name “Quill & Fox” come from? A - My dad would ask me, “What are you doing after college?” I didn't want to go back to do more internships. I really wanted to work for myself, but it had to be real. I couldn't just knock it off. Then Andy told me about this old WWII ship, the USS Quincy, and I thought, “This has history, I like it.” But it also sounded a bit, too masculine. But I really liked the “Q.” Q - What about it? The design of a “Q”? A - Yes. And I wanted a fox. Sometimes the most obvious answer is the one you overlook: Quill & Fox. I came up with quill, since I was into stationery. I like dual imagery and was exploring emblems and a more crisp, English look. Q - How did you get started? A - I started with a shop and a blog. I created a social media plan: Facebook, Twitter... I think what really did it [raise awareness] was Pinterest honestly. Pinterest is really a different sort of beast. It’s exponential. Everyone just continues pinning. People have asked me, “How did it happen?” It’s the Internet. Q - Why focus on weddings? A - When I was planning my wedding, I started doing a lot of my own wedding invites and I thought, “This is really fun.” I had just graduated with an advertising degree and I didn't want to stay in a corporate setting. Andrew, who had more of an illustration background, challenged me to focus more on illustrations, making me believe that you can really make a career out of it. And then it just kind of fell in place. It was right at the time of my wedding and I did an invite wedding suite and I thought, “This is so cool that you can turn out piece after piece into a whole collection." Q - Which is what I like about what you do. It’s more than just a piece a paper. It’s a gift almost. I mean, it feels like a gift, sending something more substantial. A - It’s personal. People actually keep it. I guess some people throw away wedding invitations... Q - I don’t think they’d throw away yours! A - I hope not. Then I got into cards, which at first I was hesitant to pursue, since it sounded a little silly. “I make cards. I’m a wedding stationery designer.” But the funny thing is, as I got into it I really liked it. I got to use my advertising background: you come up with a concept, something a little unique, an idea, like “what’s a unique way to do Mother’s Day?” Nothing too clever; I still wanted a more classic look. Q - What is it like working with your husband? Although he has his own projects (through his explainer animation company, What Now? Exactly!), I imagine you give each other input and advice. A - Andrew helps with the day-to-day operation and production work. It's a treat to have your husband as your go-to person, but he's also just hands down the nicest guy ever. The challenge on my part is not to abuse him too much! We can butt heads too, as with any partnership. I've learned a lot about taking suggestions and opinions from working with him, which funny enough, can be trickier when you work with your own spouse. Q - Do you ever foresee taking Quill & Fox in a more digital direction -- from a product perspective? With your interest in stop motion, I'm curious to know how you'd build upon the current brand platform you've developed. A - It's still something I think of. Quill & Fox has always been a summation of all my childhood nostalgia. That being said, I've always had an affinity for stop motion, in the same way Wes Anderson approaches it. I'm very much drawn to the story telling and curious spirit of stop motion...I've always been drawn to miniature objects and meticulous set designs. The possibility of using paper and found objects is absolutely endless! Q - Since you work from home, when do you usually plan out your outfit for the day? A - Most of the time, my outfits are based on snap decisions that fit my mood for the day. I tend to lean towards comfy loungy clothes (euphemism for pajamas!). But I've found that deciding your go-to outfit at the start of the day actually boosts productivity. It's something I've recently learned from Andrew since he's always dressed for work, even at home. Q - What work outfit gives you that "on top of the world" feeling? A - I don't have a specific outfit, but I always feel good when I'm wearing the "right" colors that fit my mood for the day.I also prefer clothing that's more androgynous, more neutral than frilly. Oh, and good hair-days! Special thanks to Le Happy. Yas Imamura - age 28 You wouldn't expect to find a paper design studio in Hillsboro, a Portland bedroom community. Not, well, when you... http://industryofone.com/Brooke http://industryofone.com/following/industryofone.com/Brooke Tue, 11 Sep 2012 07:01:17 +0000 Industry of One 4005139 <img src="http://payload85.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4005139/brooke_intro.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="586" width_o="860" height_o="586" src_o="http://payload85.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4005139/brooke_intro.2_o.jpg" data-mid="20959921" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload85.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4005139/brooke_monday_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload85.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4005139/brooke_monday_o.jpg" data-mid="20959430" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload85.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4005139/brooke_monday.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload85.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4005139/brooke_monday.2_o.jpg" data-mid="20959431" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload85.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4005139/brooke_tuesday_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload85.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4005139/brooke_tuesday_o.jpg" data-mid="20959428" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload85.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4005139/brooke_tuesday.3_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload85.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4005139/brooke_tuesday.3_o.jpg" data-mid="20959422" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload85.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4005139/brooke_tuesday.4_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload85.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4005139/brooke_tuesday.4_o.jpg" data-mid="20959421" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload85.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4005139/brooke_wednesday_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload85.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4005139/brooke_wednesday_o.jpg" data-mid="20959470" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload85.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4005139/brooke_wednesday.2c_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload85.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4005139/brooke_wednesday.2c_o.jpg" data-mid="20959784" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload85.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4005139/brooke_thursday_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload85.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4005139/brooke_thursday_o.jpg" data-mid="20959464" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload85.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4005139/brooke_friday_860.jpg" width="860" height="555" width_o="860" height_o="555" src_o="http://payload85.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4005139/brooke_friday_o.jpg" data-mid="20959461" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload85.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4005139/brooke_friday.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload85.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/4005139/brooke_friday.2_o.jpg" data-mid="20959457" border="0" align="left"/> Brooke Waggoner - age 28 If Brooke Waggoner is homesick, she certainly hides it well. Up until this past month, five days marked the longest stretch the singer-songwriter was home this summer -- home being the unabashedly normal fixer-upper she and her husband purchased over a year and a half ago in Nashville -- and her voice over the phone, mellow to the point of hypnotic, sounds remarkably relaxed for what’s to follow. She’s on the verge of wrapping up her vacation before heading out on the road again with “Jack.” As in Jack White, face and voice to erstwhile bands “The White Stripes” and “Raconteurs” and the closest thing to a rock mogul that Nashville has got. In Brooke’s suitcase of colloquialisms, Jack will always be Jack. Berlin, Paris and London mean gig nights with thousands upon thousands of teeming fans and after-parties that spill over into bleary flights the morning after. And home is simultaneous with Brad, her husband of three years, an occupational therapist and proficient gardener responsible for the upkeep of their garden. “We canned like crazy last year” Brooke volunteers. Good thing. What with touring with Jack’s all-girl band, writing music and gearing up for a soon-to-be released album (tentatively set for early 2013), Brooke sits on the cusp of the kind of success that may put canning on hold. Semi-permanently. Success, that ephemeral construct we are all after, is usually achingly slow. Like molasses without any of the sugar. In Brooke’s case, it’s surprising to see how quickly her career has taken shape. When she first moved to Nashville after studying music composition and orchestration at Louisiana State University, she paid the bills by working at a urine analysis lab. Although less than appealing, the early morning hours at the lab gave her the flexibility to line up gigs in the evening. That first year, which Brooke describes as “sleep deprived,” paved her way into the Nashville scene. After a year, Brooke quit to go on tour with a band for six weeks as their keyboardist. In exchange for touring, she negotiated a deal to open the show with music she’d written for her first EP. Around this time, she landed a management deal that “added some muscle” to what she was trying to do. Her first full-length album followed. Soon, her piano and string arrangements began creeping their way into the soundtracks of major network TV shows. Now, even a cursory search for her name yields the result, “Brooke Waggoner lyrics.” Speaking of lyrics, Brooke’s music has also grown into a sound of its own. Although the point of view distilled in her music is distinctively her own, the overall music landscape has shifted. Her first EP, “Fresh Pair of Eyes,” was cinematic in its sound, reminiscent of a Jon Brion score. Her next release (her first full length) plumbed the depths of heartbreak and repair with a jaunty, 70’s-esque pop lightness. “Go Easy Little Doves” (her last release from 2009) took a turn for the pastoral with lush “run through the hills” instrumentals -- the sort of music you’d want to burst down from above during those bereft-of-a-soundtrack life moments. Now, poised on the eve of another upcoming release, the single “Ink Slinger” (download it here) marks another departure for the musician. The last couple of years have been mired in change -- mostly good, perhaps some bad as well -- and this evolution, both personal and artistic, is felt. Nevertheless, Brooke remains remarkably calm about where she's headed. “The deeper into it you get, the less of a question mark it becomes.” Download Brooke's single here. Q - You are one of Nashville's success story. You moved here to pursue your music and you have. Do you ever wonder if you've outgrown this city? A - There's so much about Nashville that I love. It's a great city that offers many things. In some parts of my life as an artist, I feel that other cities would make more sense, but I also believe your surroundings are what you make them. Q - One of the things I’m most impressed by is the degree of normalcy you’ve been able to attain -- an unlikely feat in the music world. I mean, you actually own a home with a white picket fence. What is it like to go back and forth between performing in front of thousands all over the world and then returning to your shady nook in West Nashville? A - That's very important to me. I feel that I came from humble and modest beginnings as a kid and I don't intend on changing the way I've always lived based on what I do for a living. A "normal" home life is something my husband and I work very hard to achieve. Traveling and taking part in exciting work and projects are a huge part of our lives, but when we're home, we really wanna feel 'at home.' Q - To continue this same train of thought: touring and raising a family don't necessarily go hand in hand. What do you think needs to be part of the equation for the two to coexist side by side? A - I know I keep saying this, but it is what you make it. If we're fortunate enough to have children some day, I don't want to get overly anxious about how that will coexist with my work. Things like this have a way of working themselves out. I'm much less into timelines and planning than I used to be. We just want to always be looking forward while remaining flexible and enjoying the present moment. Q - Speaking of the present moment, you've made a big chunk of your bread and butter by licensing tracks as opposed to touring and selling merchandise. How do you balance the artistic and the commercial? A - I would say licensing is a "part" of what I do; I spent many years touring and continue to do so to build my base and grow fans and believers in what I'm doing. I don't feel that licensing has to be exclusively commercial. In fact, it's created an incredible platform for independent artists to grow their work and audience. All part of the process in my book. Artistry comes first, but business is essential. Q - What is it like playing for another musician? Has it been easy to relinquish creative control? A - Absolutely not. But then again, that's only "part" of what I'm doing. I can compartmentalize when it comes to different jobs and working. The more versatile I can become in order to broaden my palette, the better off I am as a performer, writer, & creative. Q - Tell me about your upcoming album. You've taken a different approach instrumentally (no strings) and the writing has a bit more attitude. There is a haunting nostalgia to some of the songs. What set you in this direction? A - I became obsessed with the idea of time travel for awhile and the reality of what it would be like to retreat to the past and change some decisions. To make some things right and fix bad choices. And then I realized that was a waste of energy; it is much more important to keep moving forward and take those lessons with you. I was also fixated on the idea of having a child. Not truly having a child but the idea of it... if that makes sense. It seemed so strange to me that I could ever actually do that. I still feel like a child. It's a strange place to be caught in the middle -- the middle part of life where you're not a child but not grown-up. A forever-adolescence I suppose. Q - What about the shift in sound? A - My new record pulls from a wide variety of things I love: brass instruments, analog recording, new orchestral colors. I'm also really proud of the stories these new songs tell. We've walked through some hard times with friends the past two years and these songs all pay homage to those people along with our own personal story: continuing to live life and balance the dark with the good. Q - Switching gears a bit: how do your “show outfits” differ from the type of clothing you might wear back at home in Nashville? A - It differs a little bit. I usually wear black when I play shows. Since I like a lot of color in my music I feel like my physical appearance shouldn't take away from it. And I almost always wear pants when I play. I feel more "armed" to go into the show setting. I'm exploring my femininity more and more in my music and my hope is that it can stand on its own. But if I'm at home in Nashville or not working, I like to wear a lot of dresses and color. Q - What shops or brands do you look to to fill your closet or suitcase with? A - Really whatever I find along my travels. There's a lot of vintage in my closet and I've been obsessed with the color green lately -- any and all shades of it please! I don't get into labels. Some of that requires just way too much energy and thought for me. Plus, it doesn't bode well for a deal hunter like myself. And I've always been a deal hunter. Always will be. There's no changing that. Q - What is that one article of clothing you try to bring with you no matter what? A - When I was in Paris a few months ago, I finally got to visit a true Parisian vintage couture shop (the real deal: none of this "fake" vintage stuff I keep seeing lately). It carried the most gorgeous clothing I'd ever laid eyes on. Now, being the deal hunter that I am, it was difficult to even imagine trying one of these pieces on. But I eyed this simple 1930's black silk and lace blouse with beautiful peach lining and a little black bow-tie that was sewn onto the collar. I put it on and decided, "I'm about to buy a memory. No qualms about it!" So I purchased it (ahem, with saved birthday money), and I now bring it with me wherever I go. It makes me feel like Marlene Dietrich or Edith Piaf. I love it. Special thanks to Cool Stuff Weird Things. Brooke Waggoner - age 28 If Brooke Waggoner is homesick, she certainly hides it well. Up until this past month, five days marked the longest... http://industryofone.com/Laura http://industryofone.com/following/industryofone.com/Laura Wed, 29 Aug 2012 10:59:30 +0000 Industry of One 3989451 <img src="http://payload84.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3989451/laura_intro.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="551" width_o="860" height_o="551" src_o="http://payload84.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3989451/laura_intro.2_o.jpg" data-mid="20869981" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload84.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3989451/laura.monday_860.jpg" width="860" height="573" width_o="1000" height_o="667" src_o="http://payload84.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3989451/laura.monday_o.jpg" data-mid="20869750" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload84.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3989451/laura.monday.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload84.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3989451/laura.monday.2_o.jpg" data-mid="20869748" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload84.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3989451/laura.monday.3_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload84.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3989451/laura.monday.3_o.jpg" data-mid="20869745" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload84.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3989451/laura.tuesday_860.jpg" width="860" height="585" width_o="860" height_o="585" src_o="http://payload84.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3989451/laura.tuesday_o.jpg" data-mid="20869768" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload84.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3989451/laura.tuesday.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload84.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3989451/laura.tuesday.2_o.jpg" data-mid="20869755" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload84.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3989451/laura.wednesday_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload84.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3989451/laura.wednesday_o.jpg" data-mid="20869751" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload84.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3989451/laura.thursday_860.jpg" width="860" height="512" width_o="860" height_o="512" src_o="http://payload84.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3989451/laura.thursday_o.jpg" data-mid="20869774" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload84.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3989451/laura.thursday.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload84.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3989451/laura.thursday.2_o.jpg" data-mid="20869773" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload84.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3989451/laura.friday_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload84.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3989451/laura.friday_o.jpg" data-mid="20869765" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload84.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3989451/laura.friday.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload84.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3989451/laura.friday.2_o.jpg" data-mid="20869764" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload84.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3989451/laura.friday.3_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload84.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3989451/laura.friday.3_o.jpg" data-mid="20869762" border="0" align="left"/> Laura Dart - age 29 Laura Dart firmly believes in the the principle of sharing great things. Which means that when she tells me that “I’ve always tried to use my friends [for jobs] but I’ve never felt like I could get them paid what they were worth,” I gulp convictedly. This nicety that she drops is not just wishful thinking either. Laura has spread the so-called love around in ways financial, artistic, and, perhaps most vulnerably, personal. As part of a fourth wave of photographers who gained their sea legs online, Laura’s evolution as an artist and photographer began as many projects, including this one, do: as a blog. Click back to the archives of 2010 and you’ll get a glimpse of Laura in the final throes of moving to Portland. Before Portland, came Nashville. And before Nashville, there was Chicago, Laura’s hometown. At an early age Laura felt the itch to do something artistic, but fell into an English degree while in college. After the fact, she debated returning to school to pursue a more defined skill set, but ultimately, took the path of apprenticeship. Or in her case self-apprenticeship. While working as a set stylist at Anthropologie, she began pouring all of her money into camera equipment and her time into building a portfolio. Her break came in December of 2008 when she shot a photo shoot for Trent Dabbs from Ten out of Tenn, an evolving collective of musicians from Nashville who toured and played together. When the group was in town, Laura would rent out cameras and offer to take photos. The resulting photos solidified the identity of Tenn and catapulted Laura into the Nashville music scene. Requests began pouring in and in the early spring of 2009 she moved to Nashville. For two years, she documented the music scene, honing her aesthetic and building a body of work. And, she started a blog. Before we get any farther, there’s a caveat that needs to be made: though present in the blog world, Laura is not much of a blogger -- meaning the outpouring of images and thoughts she pushes out on her photography blog is a byproduct, not the end result. “I’m not in the blog world,” she confesses somewhat abashed. She does not sift through site analytics or optimize her content based on readership popularity. In fact, before her images saturated the feeds of Tumblr and Pinterest, she gained visibility the old-fashioned way: through her work. People were good about crediting her photos in Nashville she says. And, after partnering with Imogene+Willie, artisanal denim manufacturers, to shoot one of their first look books, she became a fixture in the Nashville scene. A year and a half ago, Laura moved to Portland. She started anew: building relationships in the community, shooting assignments for free. And then last summer she shot an Oregon coast editorial, nearly iconic among Kinfolk fans, that was featured in the magazine’s second print edition. The photo-based narrative was about bringing friends together. While fans raved, agencies came calling. Now with several major ad campaigns in the works, Laura stands on the edge of heaping commercial success. She hasn't forgotten about her friends either. Over 30 of her friends were involved (and paid) in the behemoth production of several different holiday shoots. Q - Not to be overly dramatic, but you appear to be at a crossroads in your life: your career is on the pinnacle of huge commercial success. Where would you like to see it go? A - Success is a relative term. I feel like I have reached the next phase of my career, now that I’ve been given the opportunity to work with some larger companies. This past summer I was able to work with two large brands on holiday shoots that will be an entirely new direction for these companies. Being the new voice that creates with emotion rather than technical expertise is scary but invigorating. I would love to continue to work on commercial campaigns like these. I love working with a team of people and the creative energy that is present when everyone is working together on a single vision. I spent over a month with one company this summer, and it was sad to leave what had become a momentary creative family. Q - What does success look like to you? A - Success is so fragile. I move a lot and have left places right when I was at the pinnacle of “success”. I have started over a lot. I am not sure exactly why I do this, but I do follow my heart. Love has always been my main motivation, not a career. Whether it is love for a person, place, or opportunity. I have moved for all of these things and have no regrets for taking risks. Q - You have a very healthy perspective on sharing work, might I add. Was this a conscious decision? A - Involving my friends in my work has always been my heart. I have always dreamt of a collective where I can employ other freelancers from various mediums (i.e. musicians, artists, designers, chefs, writers, other photographers). Almost 100% of my current portfolio is images of friends. This summer provided a “dream come true” moment as I was able to share some larger projects with 30 of my friends, providing significant income to them as well. This is the real success moment when we are all succeeding together, being compensated for our talents. Q - Have you ever experienced a backlash because of this? Business can break up even the best of friends. A - Yes, actually. However, I try not to dwell on these moments but learn from them. The friends with whom there have been a disconnect are usually ones who are struggling with something internally. Although I do not like the idea of having a contract between friends, I learned recently that it is a necessity. I lost money on a project this summer, because I did not have this in place. Q - Switching gears a little: your photographs have a strong sense of togetherness and often times adventure. What importance do these elements play in your photography and how do you find a balance between the two? A - I have always desired to bring people together through photography. Photography began with my deep desire to connect with other artists. I have a tendency to retreat into my own mind and get lost and lonely there. Photography gave me a lifeline to reach out with to others. When I began, it was purely a gift that I desired to give to other artists. This is why I am drawn to independent projects usually with no momentary attachment. A photograph has such a powerful ability to encourage and give meaning. Exploration and photography go hand in hand for me as well. There is a fluidity that comes with creating through movement: new sights are discovered and shared in order to inspire and energize others to love and share themselves. Q - Was this need to connect with other artists at the core of your experience with the Ten out of Tenn collective? A - I love the feeling that comes with purely emotional shooting. I began my photography career in December of 2008 with a Myspace message to my favorite musician Trent Dabbs. I had a very strong connection to his music and work of creating a family of collaborative artists called Ten out of Tenn. I met him in Chicago before one of the Christmas TOT shows and showed up with only a rented camera and lens. I took him to a music store and Christmas tree lot for a one hour impromptu photoshoot; this is still one of my all-time favorite shoots. I knew absolutely nothing technical, but produced some of my favorite images with the emotion that I felt for the moment, person and music. I was so connected to this idea that a few months later I had quit my job in Chicago and was living in Nashville, shooting musicians full-time. Ultimately, this is my model for an artist collective. Q - Nashville was one stop in the road, but not your last. Do you feel like you've settled down for good? A - I do desire to be stable and have a home base, but this career is so transient. Most of the photographers that I talk to say that the majority of their work comes from out of state. They have to travel. I've embraced that in a way that I had to. I’m a wanderer but I desire roots and I’m striving for that. Q - No one day is the the same in the life of a freelancer and artist. What does a typical day look like for you? A - Since moving to Portland, Ore., almost two years ago, a typical workday has actually involved looking for work. I had a lot more stability in Nashville because it was an industry town with an endless need for new images. My days in Portland consist of hours of emailing and editing at a local coffee shop. On other days I will be lost in the mountains or along the coast in search of a unique location to photograph. And, on the best days, I will be shooting! Q - When do you mentally map out what you're going to wear to work the next day? A - For the first time in my life, I have a wonderful walk-in closet. Although I am definitely on a strict clothing budget, I have been acquiring my share of vintage dresses since living in Portland. Since I work from home, I can wear whatever I want. I usually wear a dress a few times a week to keep myself feeling more productive. Q - Anthro notwithstanding, what are some of your favorite places to shop? A - Anthropologie aside, my all-time favorite clothing store and place to shop is Imogene+Willie in Nashville, Tenn. The majority of my casual wardrobe is from there. I think I own close to ten pairs of I+W’s, which have been collected over the years, some in trade for photographs. The rest of my wardrobe comes from favorite local vintage stores in Portland: Palace, Rad Summer and Lowell. All curated by wonderful and talented women with a unique eye and affinity for fashion. Q - What shoot outfit gives you that "on top of the world" feeling? A - My Elizabeth high-waisted Imogene+Willie jeans, a fitted gray V-neck T-shirt, my leather sandals from Spain and a head scarf. This is my favorite look and I feel the most like myself. It is casual but perfect for a typical workday -- whether it happens inside the studio, out exploring on the coast or shooting in the mountains. Special thanks to Seek the Unique. Laura Dart - age 29 Laura Dart firmly believes in the the principle of sharing great things. Which means that when she tells me that... http://industryofone.com/Matthew http://industryofone.com/following/industryofone.com/Matthew Wed, 08 Aug 2012 09:04:00 +0000 Industry of One 3881553 <img src="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3881553/matt_intro_860.jpg" width="860" height="566" width_o="860" height_o="566" src_o="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3881553/matt_intro_o.jpg" data-mid="20255450" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3881553/matt_monday_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3881553/matt_monday_o.jpg" data-mid="20255449" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3881553/matt_tuesday_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3881553/matt_tuesday_o.jpg" data-mid="20255448" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3881553/matt_tuesday.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3881553/matt_tuesday.2_o.jpg" data-mid="20255447" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3881553/matt_tuesday.3_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3881553/matt_tuesday.3_o.jpg" data-mid="20255446" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3881553/matt_wednesday_860.jpg" width="860" height="576" width_o="860" height_o="576" src_o="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3881553/matt_wednesday_o.jpg" data-mid="20255445" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3881553/matt_wednesday.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3881553/matt_wednesday.2_o.jpg" data-mid="20255444" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3881553/matt_thursday_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3881553/matt_thursday_o.jpg" data-mid="20255442" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3881553/matt_thursday.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3881553/matt_thursday.2_o.jpg" data-mid="20255466" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3881553/matt_friday.v2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload79.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3881553/matt_friday.v2_o.jpg" data-mid="20255517" border="0" align="left"/> Matt Smith - age 28 The first decade of the third millennium, that is 2010, wrapped on a flat note for Matt Smith. Within the span of a year, both of his grandpas passed away. His work, as a forklift driver at a car battery distribution warehouse with a smattering of valet jobs on the side, was less than stellar. And then he got viciously stabbed outside of a Walmart in Atlanta. Matt wound up in the hospital for four days with stab wounds on his forearm and back. The case has yet to go to court. This collision of unfortunate events pushed the straight edge guitarist to evaluate his present life in Atlanta (and take up smoking). It put a fire under his britches so to speak. Or in his case, his “super 120s” wool trousers. Determined to move beyond this funk, Matt bought a one way flight to New York. And in May of 2011, he left Atlanta for good, bringing two suitcases, a duffel bag and a briefcase of impeccable style with him. Before New York, before Atlanta even, Matt was a small town boy who hailed from Summerville, Ga., home to the now deceased folk artist Howard Finster who created cover art for R.E.M. and the Talking Heads back in the 80s. After high school, Matt moved to Atlanta. The plan was to tour and study music production on the side. Matt quickly immersed himself in the local scene and began touring the country with a straight edge punk band. Tattoos materialized but, somehow, college plans never did. After a second tour, Matt decided he needed a break and cast his eyes on the retail world. Fast-forwarding several years and thrift store odd jobs later, Matt began working at Epaulet, a menswear-driven boutique with locations in both Cobble Hill and the Lower East Side. The fledgling label, founded in 2008, served as a perfect introduction to the business. Matt, a willing student, worked his way up: from manning the retail floor to kick-starting a personal shopping program and pitching ideas to factories. It hasn’t been easy. For as long as he’s lived in NYC, he’s worked six days a week, 10-12 hours every day, Tuesday through Sunday. It’s no wonder a conversation with him is peppered with mentions of stitches per inch, shrunken shoulders, the draping of a jacket...Which leads me to note that Matt is unabashed about his fanaticism to detail. An impeccable dresser, he favors classic, timeless items with a twist: an improved thread count here, a button there. Besides always looking Sartorialist-ready, his enthusiasm on the subject gives him an edge on the job. As he frames it, “Pushing the boundaries doesn’t necessarily mean coming up with a whole new idea. It can mean doing what I do better than everyone else. It goes back to the detail: how many stitches per inch, how many millimeters thick the button is. The things people obsess about in my world.” As the year continues to shape up, 2012 may leave 2010 in the dust. Matt, who inherited a “buy American” mentality from his dad, will continue to preach the value of supporting local factories with a heritage. And a message of quality. “We are what we make: a direct reflection of what we care about.” So watch that thread count boys. Q - Given the proliferation of online shops and brands, I have to wonder if NYC is still the epicenter of all things fashion. What's your take on the city: is NYC still the place to be? A - I think that NYC is still very much a place where people come to "make it." Especially in a number of creative fields, it's the center of the world. This is both good and bad. There are more opportunities, but, also, a ridiculous amount of saturation. For me, there was no question. In the world that I'm in, you need to be in New York, Paris, London, Italy or LA. As a friend recently put it, the people that really know what they're doing and are trying to change things could probably make more of a difference in LA because you could teach those people what is actually cool. Ha. I'm not sure if I could handle that city, however. Q - What about Atlanta? A - As much as I love Atlanta, it's only now starting to come into its own. While it will always have my heart, NYC provides more outlets and experience (and networking/connections). I'd love, perhaps, settle back in the South at some point, but here I'm learning and growing at a much faster rate. Q - You skipped the whole college thing and instead opted for part-time jobs to finance your music career. Have you ever felt like this has held you back? A - I've definitely felt that way in the past. As an 18-year-old from a small town, I really had no idea what I wanted to do or who I wanted to be. I just knew that I couldn't be stagnant and live the rest of my life in a 30 or 40 mile radius of my hometown. That said, I wish at times I would've done things differently, but I'm very thankful for the experiences I've had through random gigs and tours. It's something that every musician should do at some point. As cliche as it sounds, it will definitely change your life. Q - Getting into the clothing business has been a process for you. Where do you hope to end up? A - I spent a lot of time figuring out where I wanted to be in this industry. My goal is to basically keep doing what I'm passionate about. Whether that means working for a label and doing R&D and working or owning a store that sells well-made, tailored clothing mixed with vintage staples like brogues, denim jackets, etc. That's my main goal, but it's quite a ways off. Right now I'm concentrating on learning and honing what I do. Q - Are you interested in going the design route at all? A - I want to keep pushing things and coming up with new, interesting ideas. Not in a high-fashion runway kind of way, but for the world that I live in. There's a lot that you can do with menswear and tailored clothing. I obsess about the little details: the fabric, the size of button used on a shirt, etc. I'm completely neurotic and that's what drives me. I'd jump at the chance to be a part of the design process. Q - You work for an up-and-coming label but favor vintage. How do you strike a balance between the two? A - Before moving to the city and losing weight, I owned far more vintage clothing. Now, I'm less interested in the crazy pieces that you're likely to find in a "hip" second-hand shop. I've always been drawn to things like American-styled longwings and shirts that look like my grandpa might've owned in the 60s. These things are, for lack of a better word, pretty timeless. I'd like to think that I dress in a somewhat updated traditional way. Q - Not that you’re a prima donna in the least, but you do have an eye for meticulous detail in your own outfits. What does "getting ready" in your case involve? A - Thanks for the compliment. I'd like to think I'm pretty simple. Honestly, I rarely think too much about what I'm wearing. Basically my "getting ready" process involves jumping in the shower, deciding if I'm too lazy to shave, throwing on some clothes based on how exhausted/lazy I'm feeling or how the weather looks, and then getting going. I'm not into looking super prim and proper all the time or too put together. I feel as comfortable in boots and jeans as I do in a sport coat, tie and trousers. Q - Besides the brands you carry at Epaulet (obviously!), are there any other designers or shops that you are inspired by at the moment? A - I will always be inspired by guys like Ralph Lauren and Sid Mashburn, but I also like crazy dudes like Daiki Suziki from Engineered Garments. I am inspired by guys that push boundaries, although it's not necessarily my thing. Thom Browne is another one -- as are Ovadia & Sons. Those guys, especially, have an amazing eye and do things that are traditional, in a sense, but very interesting. Q - What work attire gives you that "on top of the world" feeling? A - I f****** love wearing suits. I'd wear one every day if I could. Seriously, nothing beats the feeling of seeing yourself in a well-tailored suit. Everyone should own a few! (Though I only have one or two at the moment.) I'm so stoked for fall because of the gnarly suits that I'm going to start bringing out. Add some great looking English-esque shoes or double monks and you're golden. Special thanks to The Bodega and Epaulet. Matt Smith - age 28 The first decade of the third millennium, that is 2010, wrapped on a flat note for Matt Smith. Within the span of a year,... http://industryofone.com/Adrienne http://industryofone.com/following/industryofone.com/Adrienne Fri, 20 Jul 2012 08:38:15 +0000 Industry of One 3772159 <img src="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_intro_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_intro_o.jpg" data-mid="19620838" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_monday_860.jpg" width="860" height="597" width_o="860" height_o="597" src_o="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_monday_o.jpg" data-mid="19620850" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_monday.b_860.jpg" width="860" height="556" width_o="860" height_o="556" src_o="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_monday.b_o.jpg" data-mid="19620853" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_monday.c_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_monday.c_o.jpg" data-mid="19620860" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_tuesday.v2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_tuesday.v2_o.jpg" data-mid="19620918" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_tuesday.b3_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_tuesday.b3_o.jpg" data-mid="19621038" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_tuesday.c_860.jpg" width="860" height="554" width_o="860" height_o="554" src_o="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_tuesday.c_o.jpg" data-mid="19620933" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_wednesday_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_wednesday_o.jpg" data-mid="19620940" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_wednesday.b2_860.jpg" width="860" height="547" width_o="860" height_o="547" src_o="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_wednesday.b2_o.jpg" data-mid="19620941" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_wednesday.c_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_wednesday.c_o.jpg" data-mid="19620951" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_thursday_860.jpg" width="860" height="586" width_o="860" height_o="586" src_o="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_thursday_o.jpg" data-mid="19620959" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_thursday.b_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_thursday.b_o.jpg" data-mid="19620966" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_thursday.c_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_thursday.c_o.jpg" data-mid="19620972" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_friday_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_friday_o.jpg" data-mid="19620977" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_friday.b_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_friday.b_o.jpg" data-mid="19620981" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_friday.c_860.jpg" width="860" height="572" width_o="860" height_o="572" src_o="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_friday.c_o.jpg" data-mid="19620992" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_friday.d_860.jpg" width="860" height="536" width_o="860" height_o="536" src_o="http://payload73.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/3772159/adrienne_friday.d_o.jpg" data-mid="19621001" border="0" align="left"/> Adrienne Antonson - age 29 If you ask Adrienne Antonson, designer, sculptor and gallivanting explorer, if she believes in the future predicting power of stars, she may hem and haw before confessing, “It kind of depends. Part of me believes. And part of me has a battle. Everyone has a destiny. I’m always the friend who’s reading horoscopes. Then again, my 94-year-old grandma is a psychic.” Whether you agree or not, it’s hard to deny the serendipitous line of fate -- call it what you will -- tugging you through her story. And this from a girl born on August 17th, the “Day of Explosive Power,” a day with a horoscope profile that reads “as accurate as hell” (for a similar reaction of your own peruse the pages of “The Secret Language of Birthdays”). Perhaps due to this interest in a greater narrative, Adrienne has shied away from expected endings. At an age when most young couples begin contemplating the purchase of a first home or birth of a child, she and her husband, Kevin, left their jobs in Charleston, South Carolina, to live in Vashon, an island off the coast of Washington. The move was the result of a “real estate porn” binge that spanned months. Once installed on the island that 10,000 residents call home, Adrienne began volunteering at a nearby alpaca farm. Her relationship with the family, spanning three generations of herders, grew steadily as she piled sod hills of manure and poured pellets and hay into troughs. She even was given the responsibility of caring for a newborn alpaca, who she named Carmen. Eventually, Adrienne and her husband moved onto the grounds rent-free in exchange for her help. The island honeymoon spanned a new season of productivity for the artist. Back in Charleston, Adrienne, a Fine Arts grad with an emphasis in sculpting, had honed her aesthetic by incorporating insect and angel imagery. Now, with the immediacy of alpaca fur, she began exploring more structural designs that relied on alpaca felt, hand-woven from the animal fibers collected during shearing season. She also began creating intricate life-life insect sculptures made of human hair -- sometimes her own. Perhaps more conventionally, she also continued to sew. Although Adrienne had toyed with the idea of giving up sewing altogether (in fact, she has give away her sewing gear multiple times), she decided to approach Nube Green, an eco-friendly boutique in Seattle, with several samples. After testing out several well-received trunk shows at the shop, Adrienne was snapped up as their in-house designer. From this relationship, STATE was born. Constructed entirely from repurposed fabrics sourced from thrift stores across the United States, Adrienne painstakingly hand-stitched every item in the collection. This past February the couple relocated to Brooklyn, trading in the vestiges of their farmhouse life for a railroad in South Slope. So far, the move has been a good one. Ferns and other waxy plants are sprinkled throughout their home, making up for the lack of rolling green hills outside. Adrienne has been able to convert one of the rooms into a studio. Sales are good. So good, in fact, that the designer has been re-examining her business model as of late and strategizing on the future of her label (she continues to produce most of the clothing by hand). This is New York City after all. No one comes to coast. And then, this past spring during Charleston Fashion Week, Adrienne’s future became a little clearer. During a session with the press, Adrienne serendipitously coined a term to embody her labor of work, “farm to hanger.” The press latched onto the word and Elle Magazine picked up the story. Almost unbeknownst to her, Adrienne had given name to a movement, and consciousness, that has been been slowly building within the fashion scene. Adrienne is still surprised by the turn of events. Destinies aside, she remains practical about her future. “I just want people like us who probably don’t shop 10 times a month to find STATE accessible." She also remains giddy about alpacas. This past week she met with a vendor in upstate New York who sells 16 different types of fabric sourced from alpaca fur. Expect great things from the next collection. Q - How did you come by the term "farm to hanger"? A - When I went to Charleston for Fashion Week, I had such a short amount of time with press, with judges, to get my point across about my aesthetic. Most of the other designers were using regular fabric, which is fine. But, I felt like my collection was different in that I was using nontraditional, sustainably sourced materials and was hand dyeing them, hand-stitching them and using lots of labor-intensive processes. For instance: I cut out the leather, hand felted the bonnets and made all the shoes out of scraps. So to be efficient, I started explaining my work to people along the lines of fashion's “farm to table,” referencing the culinary movement that’s happening. I just think of this as “farm to hanger.” The phrase really got the point across. People got it immediately. I truly believe that the sustainability movement is a huge component to the future of fashion -- to go back to where it basically started, away from mass-production and non-ethical and not-responsible processes. Q - Where has this momentum from fashion week taken you? A - It wasn't until 2 months later that I was ready to take STATE to the next level and I was meeting with factories, talking about increasing my quantities, looking into wholesale/online shop options. There were a lot of directions I could take it. When I’m working creatively, I often tell myself if I get in a bind, “You have what you need, you have what you need, you have what you need.” And then I just look around the studio until I find something that solves whatever creative problem I’m in. Usually a great solution (the perfect material/tool/ingredient) is right in front of me. Q - So what was the creative problem here? A - Well, just really figuring out how to grow into this next phase. And asking myself, “Do I take on an investor? Do I look into grants? Do I go on Shark Tank?” And then I realized, “You have what you need.” I have the skills to build an e-commerce site. I have the means to make the inventory. I have enough contacts in terms of marketing. So then it became clear that that’s what I needed to do. Keep it simple and true and not make it this big crazy thing. It will grow into what it needs to become. The best things happen organically anyways. Q - As you look to expand your business, how do you see your "farm to hanger" ethic working itself out in the growth of STATE? A - As STATE expands, I am looking for sources that I can grow with -- like mills producing high quantities of yardage from local fiber farms, factories in Brooklyn and Charleston that can meet my needs and vendors offering domestically made buttons from coconuts and other weird things. Really, I'm just casting a wider net for my materials and labor -- and there's plenty to choose from! Everyday, more and more fabrics that are made in the US are organic and high quality. And then, there's always raw fibers to be purchased from small American farms who desperately need the support -- which is the direction that inspires me the most. Q - In the past, you've opted for creative independence -- sometimes at the cost of isolation -- over the competitive chaos of city life. Yet now, you're poised to expand your business in New York. Where do you feel most prolific? A - I've lived in some extreme places (cabins in the woods, teeny tiny apartments, a farm, now NYC) and I've always worked a great deal no matter the environment. Even on vacations I have projects to work on. Making things is my default. And being in New York has definitely illuminated something inside of me. It's the place where things happen and I'm ready for things to happen Q - Switching gears a bit, I've been reading a lot about "coming into your 30s." So far, you've tested the waters with your insect sculptures and STATE. What would you like to accomplish in your 30s? A - I'd like to learn how to stay put in my 30s. The last five years have been nonstop. I'm looking forward to covering some ground, expanding my brand, developing a team and driving down the same road for a while. Ideal harmony would be getting into the rhythm of designing clothing, while also building elaborate sets and installations for STATE's photo shoot concepts. That's where my true love lies: when the art and design parts of me are working together. . Q - When do you mentally map out what you're going to wear to work the next day? A - Mostly, I'm pretty spontaneous: I let the day move me. Comfort and pockets are key in the city. And I always plan from the shoes up. Q - Besides your own creations, are there any other designers or shops that you look to fill your closet? A - I'm really not a shopper, except for shoes (and more specifically boots): CYDWOQ, Fiorentini + Baker, Marsèll... That's where I'm powerless. Q - What work outfit gives you that "on top of the world" feeling? A - Lately, head-to-toe navy blue has been my go-to look. I don't wear a lot of black, but I love the urban uniform of all black. I just do it in blue. Special thanks to Roots Cafe and 6/15 Green Community Garden. Adrienne Antonson - age 29 If you ask Adrienne Antonson, designer, sculptor and gallivanting explorer, if she believes in the... http://industryofone.com/Ryan http://industryofone.com/following/industryofone.com/Ryan Tue, 03 Jul 2012 18:48:26 +0000 Industry of One 2672738 <img src="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/ryan_title_860.jpg" width="860" height="591" width_o="860" height_o="591" src_o="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/ryan_title_o.jpg" data-mid="19184975" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/ryan_m_860.jpg" width="860" height="638" width_o="860" height_o="638" src_o="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/ryan_m_o.jpg" data-mid="19184949" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/franklin_v2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/franklin_v2_o.jpg" data-mid="19184923" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/ryan_t_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/ryan_t_o.jpg" data-mid="19184968" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/ryan_t.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/ryan_t.2_o.jpg" data-mid="19184926" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/ryan_t.3_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/ryan_t.3_o.jpg" data-mid="19184930" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/ryan_t.4_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/ryan_t.4_o.jpg" data-mid="19184938" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/ryan_w_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/ryan_w_o.jpg" data-mid="19184952" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/ryan_w.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/ryan_w.2_o.jpg" data-mid="19185092" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/ryan_bike_860.jpg" width="860" height="573" width_o="860" height_o="573" src_o="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/ryan_bike_o.jpg" data-mid="19184978" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/ryan_th_860.jpg" width="860" height="581" width_o="860" height_o="581" src_o="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/ryan_th_o.jpg" data-mid="19184960" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/ryan_th.2b_860.jpg" width="860" height="451" width_o="860" height_o="451" src_o="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/ryan_th.2b_o.jpg" data-mid="19185008" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/ryan_f_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/ryan_f_o.jpg" data-mid="19184966" border="0" align="left"/> <img src="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/ryan_f.2_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/ryan_f.2_o.jpg" data-mid="19185185" border="0" align="left"/> Ryan Greer - age 31 In the land of weathered denim, scruffy beards and earnest grasps at eternal youth, Ryan Greer is the proverbial day Methuselah. He moved to the promised land of Brooklyn over 12 years ago, eons for many Brooklyn newcomers. Since then, he has built a business and a home for himself -- from the street up. Despite his longevity in the Brooklyn scene, Ryan Greer is anything but ancient. As a high schooler growing up in upstate New York, he and his friends would drive across the Canadian border to sneak into local bars. When he moved to Brooklyn in the early aughts to attend Pratt Institute, this same unorthodox outlook prevailed and Ryan set up shop on the streets of Soho, selling screen printed t-shirts to local passers-by under the name Flux Productions. Acquiring a street vendor license was comparable to winning the lottery (in fact, the waiting list to receive one can last up to 25 years), so Ryan rented the permit services of a retired Irish vet named O’Brian. Their street-side partnership gave way to a booming business. Then the recession hit. With street sales shaky post-2008, Ryan branched out and began crafting leather totes, handbags and accessories that make even the manliest of men swoon. That decision may have been one of his best. In 2009 Thakoon approached him to create custom prints for the label’s t-shirts. A special edition run of screen printed bags soon followed. Then Ryan earned a coveted spot at the Brooklyn Flea. Despite the overwhelming success, Ryan has not forgotten his roots -- or the street. Stroll down one of Clinton Hill’s shady avenues and you may hear the whistle and squeak of his tires breeze by you as he sails by on his bike. Q - You grew up working with your hands in a wood shop with your father and brothers. What was their reaction when you branched out into design -- specifically into fashion? A - My family has always been incredibly supportive of my endeavors. As people who also design and create things, they've also been really helpful critics. Most of us are involved in craft in some sense and the separation between crafting something in wood rather than leather or felt is smaller than you might think. Q - When did you realize you wanted to pursue screen printing? Was it something you stumbled into? A - Screen printing really started out as an effort to avoid getting a "real" job. I was in art school and had been working as an art model and really needed something that could pay my rent and not require hours and hours of standing still. Printing shirts seemed like an easy redirection of skills and ideas I already had into something that I could make a living at. Q - You went from selling screen-printed t-shirts on Broadway to setting up shop at the Brooklyn Flea. What has that been like? I imagine you’re attracting a whole different type of clientele. A - I loved selling on the street in Soho for a long time. You get people from all over the place and every day provided a really unique testing ground for new ideas and prints. I had a lot of regulars that would come back week after week to see what was new and I really enjoyed being a kind of fixture in that scene. Over time the neighborhood changed as more big discount retailers moved in and the crowd changed as well and it became less and less worthwhile to be out there. The Brooklyn Flea has been incredibly consistent since starting there and the crowd is easily as varied and interesting as the streets of Soho. I do sometimes miss the element of "bringing it to the people" that the street offers but overall I think it was the right choice. Q - What led you to branch out into leatherware? A - The recession! I had a year when my income got cut in half and decided that the only way to survive would be to branch out and see what else I could make. I started with a few felt bags and gradually branched out into more and more leather goods. At this point it’s become a much larger percentage of my business than t-shirts and it’s good to be creating something more unique in a market that’s already flooded with printed apparel. Q - What are some of the biggest hurdles you face as an independent designer & business owner? A - It’s so much work. I've spent eight years of weekends on this job and I love what I do but it’s very difficult to turn it off and leave it at the end of the day. The biggest misconception is that being your own boss is somehow easier. It may be more flexible in some ways, but in my experience, succeeding at something like this is not easy. Q - How do you manage to stay innovative when so much of your day is spent on the production side of things? The cutting, hammering, sewing of the products themselves seems very labor intensive. A - I really try to make at least a few mystery things each week. This means creating things that are not entirely planned, which push me to adjust my design in the midst of process by just playing with different elements. Doing custom work is also really helpful in pushing the boundaries of what I'm comfortable making in order to serve someone else’s needs and ideas. Q - What designers / artists do you look to for inspiration? A - Most of my inspiration is not direct. I spend a lot of time looking at materials and photography and painting and inspirations for color, texture and balance. There's very little fashion that I pay attention to and I think that's actually a better approach, because it avoids the constant recycling that seems to plague a lot of fashion. Q - You've been working at this for a long time, almost a decade. What would success look like for Flux Productions? A - I'd really like to have a shop or two and be able to teach classes and do workshops with all kinds of different people. I think success would still be making things but would also involve the process of curating a space and creating shows and themes with other makers and designers. I have a lot of trouble separating personal success from business success because in a lot of ways they overlap. Q - What are some of your favorite places to shop? A - It’s pretty wide open. I usually shop with a very specific idea of what I want and then I go out and try to find it in the city or online. I really like checking out what's being carried in Odin (the buyer is a genius of some kind). I find Opening Ceremony kind of fascinating but I've never actually bought anything there. I really have no need for all my shopping to be high brow and would happily buy things at Muji or Uniqlo if they fit the idea of what I’m looking for. Q - What work outfit gives you that "on top of the world" feeling? A - Dark blue jeans, some chukka boot or other, a button up canvas shirt with the sleeves rolled up. I keep it simple. To shop Ryan's designs online, check out his Etsy account here. <img src="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/1_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/1_o.jpg" data-mid="19185201" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/2_860.jpg" width="860" height="638" width_o="860" height_o="638" src_o="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/2_o.jpg" data-mid="19185210" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/3_860.jpg" width="860" height="561" width_o="860" height_o="561" src_o="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/3_o.jpg" data-mid="19185208" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/4_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/4_o.jpg" data-mid="19185213" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/5_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/5_o.jpg" data-mid="19185207" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/6_860.jpg" width="860" height="581" width_o="860" height_o="581" src_o="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/6_o.jpg" data-mid="19185206" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/7_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/7_o.jpg" data-mid="19185205" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/8_860.jpg" width="860" height="574" width_o="860" height_o="574" src_o="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/4/153285/2672738/8_o.jpg" data-mid="19185203" border="0" align="left"/> Ryan Greer - age 31 In the land of weathered denim, scruffy beards and earnest grasps at eternal youth, Ryan Greer is the proverbial...