Author: Charlie Kolbrener

Despite the allure around many major fashion labels, not every single aspect of the design process takes place in their studio. That’s where companies like the New York Embroidery Studio come in, collaboratively working with other designers to help produce the garments that will go on to grace the runway, red carpet and more. We caught up with Michelle Feinberg, founder of NYES, to hear about how she started the practice and some of her favorite aspects of working in the fashion industry.

Michelle attended FIT in the city, and during her time in school began working for the historic business Manhattan Scalloping. She worked there until graduation, before having a stint at Victoria’s Secret, and then pivoting to Mona Slide Fasteners, the company that ended up buying a lot of the equipment from the defunct Manhattan Scalloping. In late 2001, the owner of the brand wanted to move operations up to the Bronx, but Michelle was committed to remaining in the garment district. “I really wanted to be close to designers,” she explains why it was important to remain in the neighborhood—where NYES operates to this day. 

By 2002, she had opened her own studio, humming along in the garment district of NYC. “I had the good fortune of being able to learn how to shave on their face, because I ran the whole business. So pretty much I got to keep all of my fashion customers,” Michelle explains. In this era, a lot of the manufacturing—for clients from Ralph Lauren to Tory Burch—was happening overseas in China. But by 2004: “I got tired of going back and forth and just decided, I’m going to do what I do well here. I wanted to keep manufacturing here. If you’re close to where manufacturing happens, you have the ability to innovate.”

In the years since the studio’s inception, the brand’s focus has become a bit more specific. “It’s gone from volume to more runway, specialty, and more product development. We’re doing a lot of prototyping, a lot of first samples, not a lot of mass market,” Michelle explains—although they are opening a new space soon to focus on mass production.

Throughout our conversation, Michelle keeps returning to the concept of collaboration. “What’s really fun about what we do is we get to collaborate with people,” she smiles to me in the conference room of NYES’ vibrant workshop. In all of NYES’ projects, Michelle is always committed to innovating and incorporating new technology to give the most opportunities to her clients. “It’s really development and anything with value add services. So from printing to embroidery and rhinestones, or specialty, novelty stitching. We do more of the things that a regular sewing factory that makes a basic hoodie wouldn’t necessarily have the equipment to do,” she explains. They were one of the first embellishment factories to incorporate 3D printing, a practice that many of their clients now come to them for. “We’ll use any sort of equipment, as long as we can help somebody create something new,” says Michelle. 

Recently, NYES has contributed work to multiple Met Gala looks, the US Olympics team and more exceptionally high profile events. Hear Michelle describe the excitement of working on pieces donned by Olympic athletes in her own words:

They worked with Vera Wang on Amanda Gorman’s Met Gala look in last year’s gala, and contributed to multiple looks at this past event. When we chatted before the event, Michelle told me, “We have a lot of amazing people we’re dressing for this Met Gala,” but interestingly, “a lot of times I don’t know who it’s for.” Often they’ll get requests from designers, but don’t necessarily know who the product will be for. 

Getty Images

Her history with the Met Gala revealed a bit about Anna Wintour’s involvement in the event—which is more than some would guess. “I learned that she really approves all of the sketches and she’s super involved,” Michelle tells me. 

NYES also works with numerous burgeoning designers, such as Marshall Columbia and other wonderful up and comers: “There’s so many amazing young designers in NY, and that’s why I really want to be accessible and help people innovate and come up with fun new ways to do things that can help them generate business.”

The most exciting thing on the horizon for NYES is the opening of their new 80,000 square foot space in Brooklyn to escalate the brand’s large scale manufacturing. “We’re excited to keep manufacturing alive and well and healthy in New York, so that designers can continue to manufacture here. And I really want to be around for the next generation of makers, to help them innovate,” Michelle eagerly tells me. 

From the brand’s inception, Michelle has been committed to keeping manufacturing and the studio HQ where fashion happens—in NYC. It’s a large part of what has allowed the brand to see so much success for the past 20 years, and will certainly keep their work in the spotlight for decades to come. 

“It’s really just a reflection, or extension, of myself,” Kara Jubin, founder of KkCo, tells me in our conversation exploring the development of her brand over the past few years. The LA-based designer launch KkCo in 2019, and has since released numerous collections unifying the historically disparate notions of utility and femininity. We had the chance to catch up about the genesis of the brand, the newest collection—entitled, BLURR—and the rest of 2022.

Kara prefers to let the pieces speak for themselves, opting for the name KkCo (the second ‘k’ is silent); “It has no meaning at all,” she chuckles to me when describing the name. She originally meant to call the brand simply “K,” wanting the name to construct zero connotation around the product. But when the initial name ran into trademark issues, she opted for a name reminiscent of a grade school chalkboard’s rendition of the 11th letter of the alphabet: Kk. 

With a background in domestic production in LA as a freelancer for a myriad of brands, launching her own line seemed the natural next step for Kara in late 2018. “KkCo was something that I feel was the result of perfect timing,” she tells me, referring to the culmination of the skillsets and network she had built freelancing coupled with her desire to build something more personal. “I’d always wanted to start my own brand, it’s something every designer dreams of,” she tells me, adding: “I wanted to give the world my perspective.”

The brand launched its first line in June of 2019.

The primary through-line in KkCo’s garments is a notion of utility. “A lot of it comes from gut instincts or hobbies or things I’m interested in at the moment,” Kara tells me, going on to explain the impact of outdoor culture from the LA area on the brand’s development.

“There’s always a functionality purpose to things. There’s always a balance to the utility,” Kara explains. Throughout our conversation, Kara emphasizes the importance she places on the pragmatism of every KkCo product. “Even if something is super feminine, it’s made of nylon or there’s some utilitarian twist,” she explains. In the early days, the plan was to keep KkCo direct-to-consumer, but as retailer interest in the nascent brand built, they transitioned into a hybrid model—doing exclusive wholesale capsules with certain retailers and other methods of distribution that toed the line between both worlds. In early 2020, they began working on a more wholesale basis, while maintaining exclusive capsules to sell direct to consumer. 

“In between [the wholesale calendar], we’re constantly still developing micro capsules for our site or to be offered to retailers that are smaller, but have deep meaning or research behind it,” Kara explains the brand’s current approach to distribution.

BLURR

KkCo

The brand’s latest collection, entitled BLURR, is a textbook representation of the ethos that has driven so much of Kara’s work. A brand built around the ambiguity between disparate practices, Kara’s intent with the recent capsule was to blur the worlds more than ever before. “With BLURR, we kind of blended those worlds. There are nylon dresses, but they’re super feminine,” she explains, adding: “but then they have utilitarian pockets too.” 

KkCo

A question she aimed to answer with this collection: “Coming out of Covid, how are we going to want to dress?”

The pandemic prompted many of us to reexamine our relationships with the comfort of clothing; as we begin to emerge, we need to find ways to maintain a commitment to what was once lost, but still feel confident about our appearance as we leave the house. “Its comfort, but doesn’t feel like you’re in a sweatsuit,” Kara describes the Canyon sets to me. “Still lounge, still comfort, but we’re ready to get dressed,” she smiles.

KkCo

I was curious to hear a bit about Kara’s personal favorite pieces. To my surprise, she is behind the lens for most of KkCo’s lookbooks, acting as designer and photographer. For this practice, the “utility vest is a photographer’s best friend,” she says. The numerous nylon pockets prevent a creative from needing to lug around a bag to carry the tools of their craft. “I like that there’s that balance. You feel feminine but it still has utility,” she explains. 

Kara is already working on the brand’s next collection, Apricity. “Apricity” is a criminally underused word to describe the feeling of the warmth of the sun—particularly in winter. “We went deeper into the idea of utilitarian mixed with feminine, but also pulling these colors that feel very much an ode to California in the winter,” Kara explains the forthcoming collection. “There’s a lot of 90s Oakley colors—or like 90s Quiksilver—washed out blues and limes,” she describes, a color palette I am certainly familiar with. That collection will debut in the fall.

She’s also working on the KkCo Outside project, a segment of the brand that focuses more heavily on functionality, specifically for the outdoors. It first launched last year with Urban Outfitters, and is returning this summer with Urban and SSENSE. She sourced a lot of old Patagonia, North Face and Gramicci to help construct the functional garments for the outdoor-focused line. 

KkCo, like its founder, is all about the ambiguous zone between distinct worlds. “Artfully weaving between masculine and feminine, sport and special occasion, function and form, KkCo occupies the space between,” reads the brand’s onsite description. Whether one identifies as an outdoors-aficionado, artist in need of extra pockets or just someone who wants to wear a pretty dress, KkCo is a good bet. You can shop the brand at their website or on SSENSE. 

“I keep reminding myself that the first Burning Man only had 35 people there,” Rama Mayo, president of Green Street Agency, kept reminding me during the run up to the inaugural two day festival this past weekend. His affirmations primed me for an event that was still a work in progress, knocking out the kinks and getting situated.

The actual event I attended necessitated no such disclaimer. It was a cannabis consumer’s dream. Over the course of two days, attendees enjoyed the food, art, music and—of course—weed produced by the welcoming community across a few blocks in downtown Los Angeles.

When revisiting a jam-packed two day event, it’s difficult to identify highlights for fear of accidentally omitting something spectacular. Nonetheless, these are some of my personal favorite activations and moments from Friday and Saturday.

Friday night was more intimate than Saturday, and featured numerous brands’ booths spread about a smokey (but well ventilated) floor. It was a party, boasting an environment that was simultaneously inviting and electric. The evening culminated with a chat between Harry Mack and GaryVee, performance from the former, and—finally—a bubble hockey showdown between Gary and, well, anyone.

You really have to see Harry Mack freestyle live to believe it. Gary was—as always—insightful, and got the crowd excited for the performance following Harry’s discussion of how he honed his craft. After hearing him talk about the countless hours he’s put into the practice, hearing him actually do it was the cherry on top.

The bubble hockey beatdown was absolutely insane. I had no idea what it meant to be “good at bubble hockey,” but after watching Gary demolish weed influencer (and dear friend) Adam Ill in a 9-2 romp, it all became pretty clear. I implore you to really inspect this goal. The man can play.

Saturday featured talks from Gary and Adam22, an interview with actor/director Jay Chandrasekhar moderated by Rolling Stone cannabis writer Mary Jane Gibson, a final performance from the legendary Juicy J—and more. All of this took place in the Majestic Downtown, a venue with dauntingly high ceilings and a historic interior that cemented the vibe of Green Street Festival as an ode to Downtown LA.

Everything on both days was hosted by the extremely charming comedian Mike Glazer, who managed to punctuate almost all of his introductions with staccato drags of rapidly dwindling Js.

There were too many wonderful brands present for me to reference every one, but a few booths that focused on social justice in cannabis were especially engaging. Farmer and the Felon, a brand cultivated by Cannacraft, had a great booth where representatives got to share the brand’s mission—partnering with the Last Prisoner Project to bring restorative justice to the cannabis industry. We also got to sample another Cannacraft product, the Lagunitas Hi-Fi Sessions, a really mellow alternative to alcohol.

At any legal cannabis event, it’s important to remember the numerous people impacted by the longtime prohibition of the drug. An organization called Freedom Grows had a booth running under the name “Bringing Light to a Dark Cell,” collecting signatures to pardon those incarcerated for cannabis, and raising money to “help prisoners with commissary money, books, magazines, family outreach, and public education.” Head to their site for more info.

Shot by Josh Monthei

https://www.instagram.com/josh.monthei/?hl=en

Plaid America also had activations for their cannabis brand Substance (“The cannabis brand helping end mass incarceration”) and art/pre-roll brand Skewville. Skewville’s site reads:
$2 per box will be donated to fund art programs in prisons because we know that for prisoners who participate in the arts, recidivism rates drop from 60% to 5%. Art heals. So does cannabis; individually and societally.

More to come on all of the above mentioned brands, as ONE37pm will be profiling numerous participants in the Green Street Festival over the coming weeks.

On the surface, the Green Street Festival was an absolute blast. But more than that, it signals a future of possibility opened up by the legalization of cannabis. Bringing an entire community together, entangled by a love of weed and an optimism about the future we can build together, the inaugural Green Street Festival is surely the first of many.

If you’ve been a cannabis consumer for a decade, then odds are you remember the nascent days of “wax pens” and the headache that came with figuring out how to use the devices inspired by e-cig culture of the 2010s. While the convenience provided by these early gadgets was eye-opening for a lot of smokers, the learning curve coupled with the poor quality of many of the initial inventions made the experience less than ideal. But in the years since, largely due to the innovations by Puffco, concentrate consumption has been getting more convenient by the day. We spoke to the founder of Puffco, Roger Volodarsky to hear about how he first started the brand and its trajectory to date.

Roger begins his story by talking about the early 2010s when, “what we were calling ‘wax’ at the time, hit the scene.” In that era, one of the only real ways to consume the wax (that we now call ‘concentrate’ or something more accurate) was through the archaic dab pens cropping up. “When that hit the scene in New York, I felt completely liberated, being able to run around the city and enjoy myself with no fear whatsoever of getting arrested,” Roger explains. But this was still an exceptionally new tech, and most of the products were prone to breaking. 

So a friend of Roger’s, who noticed his keen affection for the new smoking format, suggested, “Why don’t you try to do this yourself?” That was the birth of Puffco.

“I wasn’t doing it to make a ton of money, I really just wanted a better product than what existed in the market,” says Volodarsky. The brand launched in 2013, and one of their big innovations in the first few years was creating a vape system that didn’t rely on coils (or, god forbid, plastic wicks) and instead utilized a ceramic bowl. The Puffco accessories went through a few iterations, until the Puffco Plus launched in 2016—the culmination of all of the revolutionary tech Puffco was implementing into its smoking devices.

“It was built on the idea that this is a vape pen with no plastics in the air path, no glues and no fiberglass wicks,” Roger explains of the innovation. The Puffco Plus has had minimal upgrades since the 2016 iteration, as they got it right the first time.

https://www.puffco.com/products/puffco-plus

Puffco

“We still make the Puffco Plus; it’s selling better today than it did in 2016,” Roger tells me. Consumers have changed a bit since 2016, but they still keep coming back for Puffco’s beloved tools. Roger breaks down the difference in today’s vape market to me as comprised of two main factors: a higher expectation on the delivery of a fantastic experience and more educated users. Even with these changes in mind, the Puffco Plus still checks the boxes.

Puffco is always evolving and integrating new products into its line, but the next major device launch was the Puffco Peak in 2018. Interestingly, Roger tells me, “when we were developing the Peak, there was a big conversation of, ‘should we be making this’ Concentrate sales were slowing at the time.” They pushed through and created the rig, which is to this day one of the most efficient methods for consuming concentrate available on the market. “Today in 2022, concentrates are the fastest growing segment in the space,” Roger remarks. Both the Puffco Plus and Peak have streamlined the process of consuming concentrate, alleviating the learning curve required by the early wax-based products. 

I was curious to hear about the OneTreePlanted initiative listed on their website. “We want to leave behind a better earth than the one we were born into,” Roger tells me after I ask about the program. To my surprise, this is actually just one of many initiatives the brand takes to give back. Roger explains how they have a lot of charitable efforts as a company (from raising money for Lupus to philanthropic efforts to give back to marginalized communities), but don’t always spotlight them from a marketing perspective; rather, they’re doing these things because it’s the right thing to do.

“Puffco is always working on something new,” Roger eagerly tells me. “Currently, we have fouteen different projects in development, from apps to accessories to larger initiatives and projects,” he elaborates. The brand is “in a constant state of development,” as Roger puts it. “We have more ideas than we have time to execute,” he says—a good problem to have. With recent releases like the Cupsy and other improvements to their products always in the works, Puffco—as was the case in its nascent days—is always committed to evolving and creating the best possible product for their community. 

I often ask founders what their favorite thing about their brand is, and it can be tough to nail down the exact answer. But for Roger, the answers flows like water. “That’s easy. My favorite thing is the person Puffco—and my community of employees—has made me,” he recalls warmly. Almost a decade since the brand’s inception, Roger is exceptionally grateful for how the evolution of the brand has contributed to a personal evolution. And in every utterance of gratitude, he references his team and the role they’ve played in his development.

Puffco will be present at this weekend’s Green Street Festival, and is—as Roger put it—”in a constant state of development.” In many ways, Puffco and Roger are the blueprint for how a brand can rise to success while maintaining a focus on what it was built on: innovation and the community.

Sustainability has long been a topic in fashions circles, asking those interested in getting dressed to investigate their practices of shopping. And while there are certainly brands who operate sustainably, one primary practice remains supreme in terms of reducing one’s carbon footprint and getting the most use out of the garments that are already circulating: thrifting.

Throughout the pandemic, numerous new avenues for buying recycled clothing have emerged, opening up new possibilities outside of just going to your local Goodwill. Thrift2Death is an NYC-based thrift pop up market and meet up community, started last year by Treysaun McGeachy and cofounder Christain Neils. We spoke to Treysaun ahead of the first summer Thrift2Death event of the year, which will be taking place this Saturday, May 14th outside of Slope Vintage at 71 5th Ave in Brooklyn.

Throughout the pandemic, Trey began producing a lot of thrifting content on TikTok, posting reviews and other content meant to provide the community with resources for thrifting successfully. He was simultaneously working for a shop called Slope Vintage, and realized the potential opportunity for bringing a community together. He pitched the idea to his boss, partially based on the opportunity posed by the pandemic-initiated practice of closing 5th avenue to allow for shops and restaurants to spill out onto the street. 

“I have so many friends who are designers or curators,” Trey tells me, adding:  “So I thought it would be cool to highlight other people and small businesses, and just throw an event for the community.” They hosted the first event July 24th in the summer of 2021. “It went so well. It was a nice day, a lot of people came out and supported the businesses,” Trey recalls excitedly. The initial success convinced Trey that this could be a successful community-building model going forward. “Wow, this can be an actual thing,” was the immediate reaction.

They did events on a monthly cadence throughout last summer, and then had to figure out ways to activate throughout the colder months of NYC’s winter. They did a Halloween party with an org called Aftr Prty, did an indoor Holiday Market, and then did a fashion show in Spring 2022.  

Summer is when Thrift2Death really thrives, and Trey is eager to get back to the streets of Park Slope for more events this summer. “In the beginning, we were mostly asking friends to participate,” he says, but after the success of last year’s events, they’ve had to open up applications for vendors for this summer’s events. Trey has also remained committed to making sure that vendors’ participation is accessible; they charge vendors only $50 to participate. 

As far as who Trey likes to feature at the event, he tells me that they try to prioritize those those who are running a small business, rather than just those who are trying to clear out their closets. “We just love seeing people who are passionate about what they’re doing,” he explains, adding: “We try to prioritize people who, this is their lifestyle.”

As of today, there are four Thrift2Death fairs set for summer of 2022, with more to come. There will be an event on May 14th and 28th, and then two in June. In the coming weeks, Trey plans to finalize dates for July and August events as well, after which they’ll open up vendor applications for the many sellers eager to get involved with the event.

In a world where thrifting is not only an accessible practice to acquiring a wardrobe, but one that emphasizes sustainability above any other shopping method, Thrift2Death and Trey are demonstrating a future of fashion that will never go out of style. See you this summer. 

“We’re not just going to just grow weed, slap as many names as possible on it at different prices points, and see what works,” Scott Lambert, COO of Zanna, tells me in our conversation about their brand and the future possibilities. Throughout my conversation with COO Scott and VP of Operations Qudsia Sadiq, the brand’s emphasis on two key concepts keeps coming up: the community and quality. Zanna has been growing for almost four years, and with their activation at the Green Street Festival later this week in mind, the cultivator is poised to launch a lot of major projects throughout 2022. 

“‘Zanna’ means ‘God’s gift’ in Hebrew,” Qudsia explains to me, before adding that “cannabis being a plant, it really is a gift.” And in many ways, the brand’s ethos is about treating the plant as the gift it is, emphasizing giving back to the community and maintaining the quality necessary to allow the flower to live up to its name.

“The idea was to create a brand with the best quality flower at a price where most consumers can afford it,” Scott explains to me, a concept that comes up persistently in our conversation. Perturbed by the lack of access to affordable high-quality weed in California, the team behind Zanna has committed to creating premium flower for all of their brands at an inclusive price point.

“Our focus is to bring the best damn cannabis we can at the most affordable prices, so everybody who wants to participate can participate and enjoy premium quality flower without having to get a loan every time they want to go to the cannabis store,” Scott jokes to me, but the message is serious. Scott came in last year, and as someone working in cannabis for 20 years, he’s been able to provide a lot of keen insight into the community to help the grow the operation.

One of Scott and the rest of the leadership team’s key goals for the future of the brand is to uplift and highlight social equity partners in the community—in the form of brands, employees and more. “Our goal is to be entrenched in supporting the true cannabis culture that I come from,” Scott explains, adding: “We want to be in a position to help other people—especially those in the social equity program—to achieve their dreams.”

https://explorezanna.com/mission/

Zanna

Their master grower Richard Kirchnavy is an exceptionally talented cultivator who was previously incarcerated, and Zanna supports numerous initiatives intended to give back to those wrongly prosecuted by the longtime criminalization of cannabis.

Right now, Zanna’s extracts partner is a brand called Soil Grown. They also work with a brand called El Torro Verde on an Executive Cannagar, which is essentially a blunt wrapped in a Zanna-grown cannabis leaf. They both have exceptionally positive things to say about the head of that operation, Burney Irvin: “He lives and breathes and believes his product. And rolls just like that.”

They’re also in the process of working on Whoopi Goldberg’s forthcoming brand, which is called “Emma and Clyde.” They expect the brand to launch in June or July; stay tuned for more.

And finally, both are excited about the prospect of eventually creating a Zanna brand itself. With plans to create a Zanna space in their Green Street location (and activations at this weekend’s Green Street Festival), which will act as an “out of this world experience,” they’re curating strains specifically for the main brand. The ethos of both the immersive space and the forthcoming products ties together a lot of loose ends: “for consumers to find the explorer in them.”

Zanna is primarily distributed in California for now, with plans to expand in the near future. You can find the list of locations where products are sold on Weedmaps.

“Accessories make my whole world light up. It’s the flair,” Katie Caplener grins to me, eyes lit up beneath the transition lenses of an eccentric yet accessible set of glasses. The Austin-based designer and founder of VADA Jewelry grew up enamored with her grandmother’s jewelry, so much so that she named her brand after the woman herself.

On the other side of Katie’s family is her grandmother Dot, who grew up in rural Arkansas. Katie’s paternal grandmother would go to pawnshops and scrap gold, eventually taking it to a little jeweler in the town who would turn the recovered precious metal into the jewelry that inspires a lot of the current line. Dot herself worked with the jeweler to create a dome ring, and then gave one to each of her siblings.

“That was the first piece I created, but my own version,” Katie tells me, referring to what is still a centerpiece of the brand’s jewelry line to this day. 

https://vadajewelry.com/products/dorothy-skinny-dome?_pos=4&_sid=d57ab95b0&_ss=r

Courtesy of VADA / Cydney Cosette Holm

Katie’s nascent fascination with her grandmother’s jewelry snowballed into a love of vintage jewelry in general. And finally, in 2014, she began making jewelry of her own with a local jeweler—who she has now worked with for almost the entire 8 year run of VADA Jewelry.

https://vadajewelry.com/products/enamel-mourning-band?_pos=1&_sid=1cfd7528a&_ss=r

Courtesy of VADA / Cydney Cosette Holm

Enamel Mourning Band

“I was obsessed with the Victorian and Georgian era, especially mourning jewelry,” Katie tells me of the early days when she was transitioning from her love of vintage jewelry into concocting her own pieces for the VADA jewelry line. “That first collection was very Victorian mixed with 70s,” she adds before going on to explain the influence of mens jewelry and an interest in blurring the prescriptive notions of gender tied to certain jewelry. “I really took a lot of inspiration from Mafia movies,” Katie chuckles to me, with a cuban link necklace glistening over the collar of her shirt. “I like when masculine men wear really femme jewelry, so I think I’m trying to channel that,” says Katie, referring to the practice of wearing masculine jewelry as someone femme-presenting, and the inverse. 

Ultimately, a lot of Katie’s drive is still derived from her family and Dot’s early days scrounging for scrap metal. “I take a lot of inspiration from my family and growing up in the Ozarks. They wouldn’t identify as fancy, but I think that is the coolest part. They all have huge personalities and strong personal style,” she smiles. 

After 6 years and change focused primarily on recreations and variations of vintage-inspired jewelry, Katie launched VADA’s first eyewear collection on March 13th of 2020. If you recall, that was not the best timing. “It was a rocky start,” Katie puts it mildly. The decision to move into eyewear was driven by a similar ethos that initially got Katie into jewelry to begin with. “I’ve always been an eyewear fanatic,” she tells me, recalling how she had a similar obsession with vintage eyewear to that of her interest in jewelry. 

On the uncertainty of producing luxury goods in that era, Katie tells me: “For weeks, I was thinking, these things aren’t going to survive.” To Katie’s—and many other designer’s—surprise, the pandemic actually created a bit of a revitalization of interest in quality goods. 

A little over two years later, VADA is working on its 4th eyewear collection. The first run was a mere 400 units. In 2022, across two collections, VADA will produce a total of 10,000 frames, which Katie humbly refers to as “still very baby.” All of their glasses are produced in Japan, by a family owned manufacturer. All the frames are cut specifically for optical use, but can also be integrated as sunglasses. Katie, to my surprise, doesn’t need glasses; she just wears her VADA transition lenses out of a love of accessorizing. 

The third collection of eyewear will be entirely delivered by the end of this month, and they’re hard at work on the fourth collection, which inclues a new frame: Futuro.

Courtesy of VADA / Cydney Cosette Holm

“It’s a frame that took a lot of research and development, because I wanted it to have negative space,” Katie explains of the unorthodox frame style. By the end of this year, VADA will have released 12 total eyewear styles. 

Katie understands the power held by glasses within the accessories lexicon: “When you wear an eyewear frame, it can really change your identity.” In the words of George Costanza, they comprise “a new face.”

Katie ends our conversation with gratitude. She’s grateful to have built this brand without business school or any type of entrepreneurial training. She’s grateful to still own the entirety of VADA, as it allows her to maintain the core ethos of the brand. And, of course, she’s grateful that they survived a tumultuous time for small businesses. 

“As much as I hate the word ‘luxury,’ I’ve always been in the luxury market,” Katie says, before adding: “But we try to make it more approachable.” And a lot of that humble spirit can still be traced back to Grandma Dot and the salvaged gold of rural Arkansas pawn shops.

The concept of having fun is often lost in the increasingly gatekept world of fashion. That’s why speaking to Maya Wang, founder of FRIED RICE, was such an absolute delight. In every utterance, Maya’s commitment to play and truly enjoying the process of both designing and wearing garments is paramount. And her vibrant, eclectic clothing certainly mirrors her ethos: wearing clothes should be fun. 

We had the opportunity to catch up with Maya in the FRIED RICE Soho store to hear about the genesis of the brand and how she thinks about design—and to play a little bit of dress up.

“I wanted to start a brand that’s about a celebration of the creative community,” Maya grins to me in our first zoom call together. This is one of the main driving factors of Fried Rice. It’s a brand by a creative, intended to give back to the creative community. 

Fried Rice was birthed out of Maya’s “obsession with fabric and textiles.” Her fascination with textiles is a lifelong one: “I have a true respect for the textile itself. I want to respect the life of the original form of the fabric.” You can still see this fascination in all of her work, as so much of it is based on letting the interesting fabrics shine.

The NYC-based designer first began making dresses with an at-home sewing machine, and her creations immediately caught the eye of stylists and others whenever she left the house. Based on the response she got from creatives who would see her in her self-made creations, she decided it was time to start a business.

She launched the brand early on in her time in NYC, feeling that the city was exactly the right fit for the ethos she was trying to create. “We want to give people a sense of belonging,” she tells me. 

When Maya and I first speak about her design process, one word comes up repeatedly: fun. “I don’t think about colors, I think about: how do we make our life fun? How do we make our life more positive?” she tells me when I ask about how she first ideates around a garment. “When I say have fun—I want to play with colors, I want to play with fabric, textiles,” she elaborates. 

FRIED RICE

FRIED RICE

As we continue our conversation, the avenues through which people can have fun with the clothing multiply. A lot of FRIED RICE’s clothing incorporates straps, numerous pockets and other embellishments that allow the wearer to truly customize their experience. “There are 30 ways to wear the same piece, it’s all up to you,” Maya grins to me when we catch up again at the Soho store.

As depicted in the video above, Maya and I spent a lot of our recent meet up exploring the myriad of ways in which one can don FRIED RICE clothing. Since our meeting, I’ve been wearing a pair of their pants nearly every day, sometimes snapping the bottom of the pants to give a parachute pant effect; other times, I leave them loose and flowy. Maya views all of these potential customizations as opportunities for her customers to

Maya is one of my favorite designers I’ve had the opportunity to speak with. She radiates excitement and passion for her work in every conversation we’ve had. And the through-line of “fun,” which is so paramount to her design process, is also clearly integral to the way she moves through the world and communicates. “Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. But it doesn’t matter. It’s a process of creating. It’s about the experience,” Maya smiles to me as she recounts the process of creation. Whether you’re speaking to Maya or trying on FRIED RICE clothing, it’s certainly about the experience.

To read up on another designer to watch, check out our recent profile on Sebastien Ami.