Blog

Just going by the number of times we have covered it on our blog it's no secret that we are big fans of Hejfina, the preeminent boutique in Chicago to find modern, avant-garde fashion and furniture.

After finally visiting Chicago we're now able to officially add the store to our guide. But wait, that's not all. We also took the opportunity to get a few questions answered about the shop by owner Heiji Choy.

Interview after the jump.

With just one collection in stores and another due to arrive in stores soon designer Samantha Pleet has already garnered a good bit of attention for her cute, clever designs. We had a chance recently to sit down with Samantha to talk about her collections.

Interview after the jump.

We first noticed Rachel Comey's work a few years ago by way of a couple of men's shirts hanging at South Willard. The quality of materials, the thoughtful details, the timeless stylishness of them had us a hooked and looking for more. So we were very excited to be able to interview Ms. Comey during a recent visit to New York. We talked to her about her path to fashion, her design philosophies and her upcoming collections.

Interview after the jump.

LA based clothing label Augustine has been getting noticed with strong, focused collections of pretty, casual clothing. We recently sat down with co-founders Mitzi Guidry and Kelly Lynn Jones of the young fashion label to talk about their current work and future directions.

Interview after the jump

After a long, long layoff we've started interviewing designers and shop owners again! First up is an interview with Florian Köhler, one of the founders of Styleserver, a German (mostly) online clothing shop featuring the best and brightest of Berlin fashion talent. We asked Ms. Köhler to give us the skinny on the German fashion scene.

Interview after the jump.

Everyday we see more and more artists produce anything from T-shirts to ties to tableware featuring their art. It's a cheap, easy way to give people access to art, it's serves as a good promotion vehicle, and it's a way to make some money on the side. Recently, Loa Angeles based artist Brandon Francis contacted us to introduce us to his line of T-shirts, wallets and ties called Slowmovingvehicle. If you like artist T-shirts then you'll probably like his line. We did a quick interview with him about his work.

We noticed that on your website that you have done a lot of graffiti work. Is that how you got started in art?

Yes. Graffiti was the first form of art that I indulged myself in. I'm a product of 90's Los Angeles Graff. I started in about 89/90 and still partake in mild doses every now and then. It was actually the one thing that I was ever fully committed to as an individual and as a crew member. Up until then I didn't really have much interest in art. It plays a great roll in who I am today and the type of art that I do.

What are some of your influences as an artist?

Well my main influence would have to be everyday life. The good, the bad, and the ugly that we all experience in some way.

When did you first start doing a line of T-shirts, wallets and ties and why?

About 3 years ago. They are all excellent ways of getting my artwork out in the public eye. Chances are more people can afford a T-shirt or accessory rather then one of my actual paintings. It keeps me away from the 9 to 5 thing more importantly. I try to keep the items practical.

What are your goals/future plans with the line?

Not too sure, things seem to be working well without any type of plan so there is no need to make one at this point. I'm focusing more on showing my work rather then just the T-shirts since its pretty solid at this point. Just keep on growing and producing products.There are some home items and a possible toys in the works. You'll have to wait and see.

Where can people buy your T-shirts, wallets, etc?

Well my site has items that are only available on there. As for stores www.digitalgravel.com is a good place to look. I try to stay a bit under the radar. I'll have store listings on my site soon, I just have not gotten to it yet.

Do you have any favorite brands?

I'm not much of a consumer. They're are a few cool brands out there but, I can't remember what they are called.

Do you have any favorite stores?

Art supply and hardware stores.

You can buy the Slowmovingvehicle line at Digital Gravel. You can also pick up several exclusive items from the website. Check out the Slowmovingvehicle site for more information.