2.27.2013

16th COLONY : THE VIDEO LOOKBOOK

With a few weeks into the launch of 16th Colony, I'm really happy with how well it's gone.

I've had such a great response and have been pretty busy packaging up a bunch of ponchos and sending them out to new homes. Anyway, I wanted to post the video lookbook that I produced for the collection. I course always love a good photo lookbook, however I think that a short video lookbook can give you such a strong feeling for what the brand is - it's almost like you can sense exactly what it'd be like to be surrounded by that world and to so effortlessly wear each of the pieces. Everything about it, the music, the setting, the mood - it's to allow for the imagination to be let free to run wild.

2.24.2013

BLOGIVERSARY : YEAR ONE

This is the B-Day of Hanger Shortage's blog and I wanted to acknowledge it since I'm sort of sentimental and like to look back at what I was doing one year ago.

I decided to go through the entire blog and and look at all that I've done this year. Every post jogs a memory of course and I also can't help to think that it's seriously incredible that it has gone by this quickly. There were posts where I'd think "What?! I did that in September? That feels like 6 weeks ago!" But anyway, because of Hanger Shortage I've been able to meet so many like-minded, driven, talented people and I'm grateful that it's allowed for such great opportunities.

Having the blog portion of my site has also caused me to react differently to everyday life and now my camera is always in my purse. It keeps me on my toes and always thinking of things that not only I want to experience, but stuff that you guys may be interested in as well. Thanks to those of you that drop in to check everything out :)

I wanted to share some of my fav photos and the way I see it, these are basically quick slices of what the last year has entailed.

2.17.2013

WHO IS MILO GREENE?

I'm really hoping you guys have heard the band Milo Greene and their self titled album that released earlier last year.

Personally for me, when I first heard their sound, it kind of stopped me in my tracks and I thought 'Wait, what was that?'. It was unlike anything I've really ever heard before and immediately I was searching for more of their songs to listen to and along the way I learned a bit more about the band.



The members of Milo Greene are seriously multifaceted people. Not only is their record amazing, but they have also taken their passion for music and combined it with their love for film. One of the band's early goals was to create scores for movies. Naturally, they set out to create their own film called Moddison which is set to their entire album. The story and concept was created by them and filmed at one of their cabins, where they actually spent a lot of time putting the album together. Once the record was complete they wrote the movie script in about 3 days and filmed it all in less than a week. The quality and creativity of the whole piece is really impressive. This is not merely a long music video - this is a film.



In fact, their record label thought the initial concept was crazy and didn't exactly agree with it at first. The band finally convinced them that it could be split up into several sequential music videos and played separately - each with a different album track. I like that Milo Greene doesn't seem to let obstacles get in the way of what they see fits.

This philosophy has really been embraced since the beginning. When just starting out, the band initially made up a fake booking agent under the name Milo Greene, who would call and email on the band's behalf in order to snag gigs.



Anyway, I met up with the band in San Diego when they were finishing their first US headlining tour and chatted with them about their experience.They had some fun stories about being on the road, stopping at Rest Stops that all look the same and even cramming all of them into a taxi to head to a Bulls game in Chicago. But what really interested me the most was their focus. This is their life - they spend everyday working and pushing harder to meet their goals with barely any days off. And if they do have a brief few days to themselves, they end up using it to simply work more - Moddison is proof of that. The fact that they have such a clear vision and the motivation to move forward to accomplish those things is so inspiring. The band members have a level of passion that you don't often find, and I'm excited to see what's next for them. Definitely check out their music and their film Moddison on their site.

Robbie Instagramming random dog Penny

2.14.2013

BE MINE

Happy Love Day

XOXO

2.07.2013

MY BRAND LAUNCH : 16th COLONY

Alright guys here it is - the moment we've all been waiting for. Or at least just me.

If you've been paying attention you may have noticed that: A.) I've been slightly absent and B.) Some secretive, exciting things were in the works there for a while. Well now is the time where those subtle hints are revealed and I'm happy to share with you my new line 16th Colony. Let me give you a bit of a backstory - I think a lot of you may know that I've been a designer in the fashion industry for a while. My experience has been full of ups and downs and the building of thick skin but let me start from the beginning...

Growing up as a kid I drew a lot - I knew I didn't want some desk job. In fact, at that point I actually wanted to be a cartoonist - I'd spend way too much time in classes doodling on anything and everything. At 13, I decided that I wanted to design my own Halloween costume - the perfect princess gown. My mom took me to the local fabric store and let me pick out whatever I wanted. After choosing the fabric and sketching out the idea that was in my head my mom had a friend sew my design. Looking back it's sort of funny because we did a few "fit sessions" before I was satisfied and the final product was complete. I was very proud of my creation.

To be honest, this didn't make me gauk over high end fashion designers or even become super picky with 'who I was wearing'. Even though I love fashion, I also had a lot of other interests still, like sketching and painting. So when I went to FIDM, I didn't really relate to the girls who were obsessed with some of these big name designers. I didn't have the time, nor the interest, to learn about every big fashionista out there - I was too busy focusing on my multi level interest in all things art, plus gaining the knowledge I needed to know to become a skillful designer. I felt sort of like an oddball. Until now... I've realized that having multiple interests allows me to focus on all of it and develop multiple skills - on top of my love for fashion, sketching and painting, I've now become fond of photography and film.

At 18, I really wanted to intern for an evening gown designer - I was given a shot at it by assisting at one of her fashion shows and from that point on she took me in and taught me so many things like fashion sketching, pattern-making and sewing. I was pretty lucky to have that experience because it made going to FIDM a lot easier - I had a leg up. After college I designed Juniors Denim and Outerwear for Anchor Blue - until they eventually had lay-offs and closed their doors. It was disheartening but I didn't sulk long and instead was determined to find another design job. It wasn't easy though, there weren't too many available considering the market at that time - so in order to keep my skills sharp, I designed and manufctured a super small collection that consisted of a few dresses and tops. I literally had my hands in it all - I drafted all the patterns, sewed each and every piece, built a basic website and even conducted a fun photoshoot with all of my friends. After all of that, I sold some of it in a local boutique. My pieces remained in the boutique for a few months and it was exciting, but more than anything it was really just a learning experience for what to do and not do when I launch a brand for real. During this time I was doing freelance design and then shortly after I landed a job as Lead Denim Designer for a jeans company in San Diego.

I designed for that denim company for almost a year until they too had to shut down. This was starting to get frustrating and I realized I didn't want to rely on big companies and their traditional ways anymore. So I stuck to freelancing and started Hanger Shortage as a creative outlet. In the meantime, I've spent nearly the last year developing what is now 16th Colony. Everything from the fabric sourcing, design and sketching, pattternmaking, more fabric sourcing, labels, casting models, and producing photo and video shoots. It's been super intense - especially since I'm doing Hanger Shortage, writing for Locale, creating vids for fashion brands and also freelancing. It hasn't been easy and sometimes I've felt burnt out, but honestly nothing beats working for yourself, so I wouldn't trade this for anything.

Sourcing sample fabrics in LA

Sketching out the ideas

Pattern making process begins

More fabric sourcing

Custom ultra suede brand labels

Art directing the first 16thC shoot

Our lovely model Kate

Kate and I goofing off after a long freezing cold day in Carlsbad

Anyway, in case you were wondering, the idea for the feel of 16th Colony came to me last Summer - I was wearing an old black and grey poncho that I've had for years with cut-off shorts and combat boots a lot. I really liked the way I felt in that outfit - to me, it encompassed a vibe that felt artistic and also carefree and it was perfect for the weather in Southern California. I knew then, that I wanted to create those types of pieces for this line - a brand that evokes that exact vibe.

At this point, I'm starting off small - the line simply features handmade ponchos at the moment, and there are currently 3 styles, but I'm really happy with how everything has come together. The product range will surely grow one day, but for now I'm at peace knowing that I have complete control over all of the steps involved in the process - nothing goes out the door or in front of the camera until I'm absolutely happy with it and I'm not tied to the traditional, rigid delivery schedule that most of the fashion industry is held to. And as a designer, there's not much more that you could ask for.

So roam around the new site a bit - I think visually, you'll see what I mean: 16th Colony

2.01.2013

LIFE IN IPHONE PHOTOS - JANUARY EDITION

Ultra suede labels came in for my new line.

Screen Printing

Oh, Yum.