One on One: Interview with designer Laura Siegel

Up in the garment district on a Tuesday afternoon in March, Laura Siegel sits behind a desk adorned with Bolivian bells, statuettes and mementos-- they look ancient.  Around the desk, framing the room on racks, lies an extensive collection of clothing, perfectly draped on hangers. Though the office seems dark from a gloomy day, the room somehow seems brighter as Laura contently sits with a warm smile on her face.

At only 24, the collection is proudly hers-- and though it is only two seasons old, Laura is regarded by respectable sources and foundations to be on the radar as a young emerging talent. I spend the next hour with Laura, talking about the garments and her background.

Laura's mission goes above and beyond the idea of a designer choosing and interpreting a theme for each season.  As she talks, I quickly learn the adornments in the room to be inspiration and mementos from her travels around the world, particularly Bolivia and India. As she continues on even more, it becomes evident that Laura's endeavor and passion is ultimately an effort to give back to these countries; through outsourcing her fabrication to the artisans there, thus through doing so, also educating her audience on these cultures and crafts. In the big picture, though she chooses a theme for each season to explore, her line is very much about sustainability of foreign crafts which have the potential to eventually die.

Thus, foreign travel and culture go hand and hand with Laura's collection. Working with non-for-profits, Laura journeys to Bolivia and India with a guide,  her seasonal theme in mind, from village to village, waiting, looking, and discovering crafts and local artsians who will help bring her sketches (which sometimes have no fabric or color scheme) to life. Each village holds strength in a different craft, and I soon learn about Ajrakh Block-printing (an Indian technique of dying silk which has been a family trade for ten generations), Dhebaria Rabari (embroidery technique from the Kutch region of India), and Bolivian knitting techniques (all of her knits are made in Bolivia).  As I sift through the collection, each garment unique and beautiful in its own right, Laura chimes in with a story. The line, she explains, is inspired by dreams and caves, so each piece has a particular association in mind.

Ultimately, each garment becomes a manifestation of Laura's vision and these ancient crafts.

My favorite piece:

a few looks from spring 2012:

Laura's passion for the mission of her line, for her travels, and for the cultures she discovers, is undeniable, and her extensive knowledge and determination to share it with others is admirable. It is clear that as she travels and discovers and meets more artisans, her line will only get better and more beautiful. 

Laura's collection is currently sold at Curve boutique and End of a Century in New York City.

I am djing her trunk show tomrorow night from 6-9pm-- please stop by to see the collection and pre-order it for fall!

Here is a transcription of our interview below!

MF
How and where did you start designing clothing? Is it something you have always wanted to do?

LAURA
I always enjoyed designing clothes, but when I was younger felt a huge challenge in pursuing it as a career since I didn't know how to draw initially. It was when I was applying to Uni that my Dad inspired me to face the challenge and take drawing lessons so I could put together a portfolio for Parsons.

MF
When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

LAURA
I wanted to go into fashion, but always thought that I would be dealing more with the business end of things-since I really liked interacting with people and saw marketing as a way of being able to do that.  I applied to all the major business programs in Canadian universities and took the acceptance to Parsons as a sign of fate.  And I followed that path.

MF
Can you talk a little about your design process?

LAURA
I would say it's very organic.  Sometimes i start by sketching, draping, painting, researching or sewing, and a lot of the time the process evolves tremendously when I start working with the different groups of artisans.  It is that part of the design process, working with talent from other cultures and collaborating, the way human interaction influences the process in such a positive way, that excites me the most.

MF
Where do you pull inspiration from?

LAURA
Like I mentioned, the people I work with, new people I meet, other cultures- I spend a lot of time travelling and am always learning about new crafts and communities.  Also- the earth's natural landscape is something I try to emulate- every collection I have a different setting of the world in mind.

MF
What do you hope to achieve with your collections?

LAURA
Ultimately, I hope to connect the consumer to the people and the hand that makes a garment, see their life story and educate the consumer on the crafts and cultures that are out there. Also, a huge part of that education process would lead to heightened awareness and a stronger desire in the world to help maintain these crafts, preventing extinction which has happened to many types of artisan crafts.   Something I admire so much when I travel to Asia and South America, is the older worlds.  The ability to maintain the same away of life that people lived hundreds of years ago- the abundance of farm land and importance of farming to a lot of these cultures, women still wearing the same traditional dress that their ancestors wore, holding on to their ancestors values and with that, practicing their craft.  It is this entire way of living that I want to be maintained.. so it is no longer the case that craftspeople ever have to consider leaving their way of life to do construction work in a bigger town.  That is what I am achieving on one end- on the other end I want to give people timeless clothes that they can feel free and relaxed in. When I'm traveling, it's important that the clothes that I wear don't restrict me- and reflect my personality when I'm at my most calm, open, and adventurous state. This nostalgia is what I want to bring to my clothing.  My clothes provide option to the wearer that really evolve from person to person. I always look at designing clothes as creating a home for the body.



MF
Your fall 2012 collection is inspired by dreams, and you mentioned that this led you to think about rocks and caves. Why is this?

LAURA
It was about mourning the loss of a dream and coming to a realization in that process that there are other dreams- maybe dreams you used to have that have been in hibernation, or that need to be resurrected.  So it comes from the concept of a dream that has physically been living in a cave or underground, in the dirt, that has come out of hiding to be fulfilled.

MF
Can you tell us a dream you used and how it is interpreted in one of your pieces in the collection?

LAURA
One small aspect- the lost dream involves a particular sweatshirt, which was something that I wore every day (almost like it was my jacket) during a specific time period- and often ended up tying it around my waist, or other ways around the body (and not wearing it as an actual sweatshirt.  I used the same pattern from the sleeves of that sweatshirt and used it as a closure for a few of the pieces.

MF
You outsource the fabrication of your garments to artisans in India and Bolivia. Who has been the most interesting person you have come across in your travels and why?

LAURA
Honestly, it would be too difficult to say one person is more interesting than the others- but they are all interesting in different ways.  So one group- the embroidery group that I work with are fascinating because of their way of living. They have been able to sustain their culture and ways of life for centuries. Their values have been maintained, so working with them is like learning about the world the way it was in a different time.  Asides from that, their morals are incredibly strong.  They have been practicing their craft for generations and still practice it, thanks to Qasab, an organization that helped them revive the craft 2 years ago. (It was banned 15 years ago because it was part of the dowry system that the elderly women wanted to eliminate). Today, you walk in their region and you know which woman is from which community based on the type of embroidery they are wearing, embroidery encompasses their life from social status, to hobby, to a means of interacting with other members of the community socially.


MF
How do your designs change during this process where you find these artists to achieve what you envision?

LAURA
I start with a vision, but know that as a designer, the process can evolve in many ways. All the fun in designing lies in the unexpected.  It's those experiences while working that make the entire vision come to a new realization.  These artisans play a massive role in the evolution of each collection and in the end we always achieve a vision we all love.


MF
How do you feel your line has changed and evolved thus far?

LAURA
It's very young, working on out 3rd season right now.  So far, it has evolved by us really making more use of each crafts we work with and a stronger focus on quality.

MF
Where are you from? How has this shaped the way you design and think about design?

LAURA
I'm Canadian- grew up there, but I think it's my travels that have really influenced the way I think about design. I love the way so many of the places I've spent time in, solve problems and go about life in a way that is completely different from the way I was used to growing up.  It's a lot more organic, and very easy going, and involves making use of what you have right in front of you. Rather than having tools, and making use of new technology, its a more natural and instinctive way of doing things.

MF
How have you promoted the line?

LAURA
Presentations up in Canada- Toronto Fashion Week, a small pop-up at the Ace this year during Fashion Week.

MF
What advice would you give to young designers?

LAURA
Keep dreaming, keep creating, and continue to challenge yourself.

MF
How do you envision the future of the collection?

LAURA
This really is a lifestyle brand, so I can't wait for the day I get to start collaborating on furniture and home products.  I am really looking forward to the point where I can be bringing in other artists from around the world and matching them with artisans in developing countries to continue building a community of collaborations.

MF
Artists or designers that inspire you?

LAURA
James Castle, Donna Karan, John Hardy, Megan Park

MF
Favorite spots?

LAURA
The river in Vang Vieng, Laos…Soul Mama's-awesome veggie food in Melbourne...Vij's- Indian food in Vancouver...Angkor Waht…my parent's home...Quattro de Leoni's-Florence…the water and beaches in Bali

MF
Favorite city to travel?

LAURA
La Paz, Boliva

MF
Favorite New York City spots?

LAURA
Rooftops, El Almacen, Roberta's, Walter's, Museum of Natural History

MF
Three songs you couldn't live without?

LAURA
Let's make that 4 artists- All Marleys, Lykke Li, Arctic Monkeys, Local Natives

MF
Favorite object?

LAURA
My passport...

One-On-One: Interview with Mr. Gnome

It didn't take long for me to fall in love with Mr. Gnome's album Madness in Miniature. Released last year under El Marko records, the album displays an exemplary mix of the Cleveland based band's outer-worldly experimental sound: a blend of psychedelic and indie rock,  heavily influenced by surrealism.

The album has a distinct feel and flow, and upon a single listen, it is hard to not notice the incredible production value the record holds. But with Mr. Gnome, production isn't just production: it's a process of curating, and there is no fear involved at all. The use of experimenting with sound and arrangement on the record takes the listener on an actual quest: through extremes of light and dark, playful and powerful.  All are strung together seamlessly,  ultimately providing the soundtrack for a  dark cinematic adventure story about a lost world.




Perhaps most impressive about the entire endeavor-- the band is a mere duo: Nicole Barille on guitar and vocals, and Sam Meister on drums and keyboard. It's a mesh of two minds that provides a recipe for an album that is ultimately surreal; ultimately, hypnotic.



When the band came into town a few weeks ago, I of course couldn't wait to see them perform life, let alone meet the duo, and naturally,  interview them as well:

MF

 Where are you from? Has this influenced the way you both view and write musc? If so, how?

NICOLE:

We are from Cleveland, Ohio.  Yes, I think a person's surroundings/place of residence always seeps into the art they're making whether they realize it at the time or not.  The weather here is very extreme, very drastic from season to season and that can definitely affect your mood and overall feel of whatever you're creating.

*

MF
How did you start writing music?

NICOLE

I've been writing ever since I was about 14.  I got my first guitar the year before and just fell in love with the freedom of songwriting.  Especially during such a weird age…the joys of being a teenager - it was very therapeutic and helpful to lean on writing music as an escape from the real world.  Sam started writing during college - using a 4-track and layering vocals, guitars and a drum machine.  And then at the end of college we began playing together as mr. Gnome.

 *

MF
Can you talk a little about everyone involved with your band, its development, etc? How did you all meet? How many band members do you have?

NICOLE

We are a duo.  We met back in high school but like I said before, didn't start mr. Gnome until the end of college.  I don't think we ever set out to be a two-piece…we just started writing that way and things quickly developed naturally so we just kept moving forward.  I had a lot of songs that I had been writing on my own.  I couldn't finish any of them so I brought them to Sam and that's pretty much how the band started.  We had a lot of fun and we were both very open during the writing sessions so the opportunity to play without any restrictions was really exciting.

*

MF
What instruments can you play? What do you play within the band?

NICOLE

I play guitar and sing.  And I also play some bass and keys on the records.  Sam plays drums and keys.

*

MF
Your earliest memory with a musical instrument?

NICOLE

I used to play this little crappy Casio when I was about 7 or 8 and I thought it was the greatest thing ever.  I just taught myself to play different songs that I liked.  

*

MF

Can you talk a little about your songwriting process? 

NICOLE

Sure.  I'll either write some ideas on guitar - riffs and melodies - and then bring them to Sam and we begin developing them further.  Other times we'll just jam for hours and gravitate towards ideas that excite us or feel like they can really go somewhere.  Sometimes it takes a few days to feel like a song is complete, sometimes it takes a month.  

*

MF
I love the way you guys seem to experiment with sound. How you do this when you are in the songwriting process? In what ways do you experiment with/explore sound? Is it always changing?

NICOLE

Thanks so much!  I think with every album we make, we develop a better understanding of what we're going for.  With any job, over time you hopefully begin to evolve and grow with what you're doing and that comes with recognizing what you like and how to get that desired effect.  We demo out all of our songs before we head into the studio - layering instrumentation and vocals to push the song to be the best it can be in that moment.  And then when we get into the studio, we take those ideas and try to expand further on the demos.  We've had the pleasure of working at Pink Duck studios (Josh Homme's studio in Los Angeles) for the past two records and have been exposed to so much amazing vintage gear so that's definitely inspired our sound over the last few years.  

*

MF
 What sorts of things do you draw inspiration from in your work (could be anything - from other musicians to themes, objects, relationships, etc..)

NICOLE

We draw inspiration from everything - life, death, politics, family, life on the road, the people we meet, the bands we love.  We are huge art fans - folk art, surrealism, art nouveau.  All of that inspires every aspect of what we do.

*

MF
Why the name "Mr. Gnome?"

NICOLE

We were paying tribute to the tiny man that followed us around during our hallucinations.

*

MF
Discovering Madness in Miniature was unreal for me-- I absolutely loved everything about the flow of the album. How long did it take to write and record? What was the production process like, and how involved were you?

NICOLE

Thank you so much.  We wrote the record pretty much in between touring - so over several seasons - winter, spring and summer.  The winter material definitely has a different mood than the spring and summer songs so I think that explains the constant change throughout the record.  We produce all of our albums…take a lot of time to work on layering - whether it be instrumentation or vocal melodies. We like songs to build up, to create a climactic feel and always want it to be interesting from beginning to end.  After all of the full songs were recorded, we sat on the record for a few months, taking a minute to figure out how we were going to release the album and that's when I started messing around with interludes - writing really stripped down vocal melodies that helped transition each song into the next.  That was a really fun process and I think it helped the flow of the record…especially the first half of it.  We recorded those interludes at our home studio and sandwiched them between songs to create more of a full album vs. songs thrown on a record.

*

MF
Were there any artists and/or ideas that impacted Madness in Miniature?

NICOLE

Yes, definitely.  Like I said before, we constantly have our eyes and ears open to everything around us and feed off of other people's creativity.  Bands like Radiohead, the Flaming Lips, Pink Floyd, Portishead, David Bowie, Otis Redding…i could go on for quite a while - are some of our main inspirations.  With Radiohead and Pink Floyd - they've created some of my favorite records and I love the idea of putting on this piece of music that you could sit down and enjoy from beginning to end and get lost in the world they created…so that's definitely what we're always going for on every record.  Some of our favorite visual artists include Henry Darger, Frida Kahlo, Alphonse Mucha…lots of surrealism.  

*

MF
Favorite cities to tour?

NICOLE

We've fallen in love with so many cities in the country but some of our absolute favorites include Cleveland (of course!), Chicago, Seattle and Portland.

*

MF

Your ultimate goal?

NICOLE

To create a time machine. 

*

MF
Do you plan on recording another album anytime soon?

NICOLE

Yes!  We are very excited to record the next one.  Already have a ton of material that we need to sort through, decide what's best, and probably keep writing for the next few months.  We plan on recording sometime during the second half of this year.

MF
Can you talk a little bit about any of your music videos? How do you come up with a concept and the creative vision?

NICOLE

Just like our music, it's a totally collaborative process.  We'll sit down and talk about ideas, and generally speaking we end up doing the most twisted thing possible.  Sam directs and edits the videos, and our good friend Zack Kelly shoots for us.  It's a total DIY thing, with Sam's Mom making all the costumes, and us building the sets.  

*


MF
Three albums that impacted your life?

NICOLE

Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd
Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - David Bowie
Hail to the Thief - Radiohead
Any album by Otis Redding
The Footloose Soundtrack
oops thats 5! - these list questions are always way too hard…

*

MF
Favorite place in the whole world (and maybe a picture you have or have taken of it)?

NICOLE

Our home in Ohio…especially after being on the road for almost 6 straight months!

*

 MF
If you could meet anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

 SAM 

John Titor so we can talk about his inter-dimensional time traveling journeys.

*

MF
Favorite object of yours (and maybe a picture of have of it)?

NICOLE

Nicole - My 1959 Silvertone Hollowbody - "Black Beauty"

*

MF

Your spirit animal?

  

NICOLE

 a centuar

SAM 

Sasquatch

*

MF

Favorite films?

NICOLE

Both - The Goonies, Star Wars, Wizard of Oz and Walk Hard - The Dewey Cox Story.

Pre-FW12 - Relics

And so,  this heart theme continues on...

The Pre-Fall 2012 MF Collection continues with the theme of cardiology and love.

The FW12 Collection is inspired by music and religion, so it seemed seemed appropriate to transition into these themes by calling this collection Relics.

Inspiration Images:

 

 

I only was able to make two smaller styles for this season- a series of rings, and a set of necklaces, and an expansion of the EKG collection from SS12:

Fused Heart Ring Series

Inspired by St. Patrick's Cathedral:

Textures: flat or textured

Filigree: Wire border, or flat border, or no border

Metals: Sterling Silver, 14K Yellow Gold, 14K Pink Gold

Stones: with or without diamond with prong setting

Broken Heart/Lovers Necklace

Anatomical heart broken into two pieces. Keep both for yourself, or give one half away to another.

Comes as a single necklace, or as two separate necklaces for lovers or friends.

Metals: Sterling Silver, 14K Gold Plated Sterling Silver, 14K Pink Gold Plated Sterling Silver

19" chain

 

EKG Pendant Necklace and EKG Rings w/Colored Stones

New Music: HAIM - Forever

Adria Petty's NU-6 on Nowness

Adria Petty: NU-6 on Nowness.com.

From NOWNESS:

Adria Petty: NU-6

The Beyoncé Video Director Reveals Audio-Visual Hallucinations in a New Short

Hauntingly shot in black and white and accompanied by a cacophonous and angular score, LA-based filmmaker Adria Petty shares her latest film, NU-6. After suffering two ruptured eardrums and near deafness, the director of music videos for Beyoncé and Regina Spektor experienced a surreal episode while taking hospital hearing exam “NU-6,” induced by its strangely evocative test words such as “love,” “home” and “void.” “I felt the words I had to repeat were intimate. They had thoughts and images and history connected to them,” explains Petty, daughter of rock music legend Tom. “I felt embarrassed saying them in front of a stranger and I wanted to express that internal monologue,” she adds. Filmed over a single day, the film follows model Jessica Cook through the halls of a hospital and into a testing room where she is launched into an increasingly abstract and frightening space of inner-consciousness, fantasy and illusion. Citing influences such as Godard, Buñuel and The Twilight Zone, Petty found the filming process itself cathartic. “It was a very special experience because it was quick and spontaneous and creative for the sake of creativity alone,” she says.

tashaki miyaki - hollywood forever cemetery sings (cover)

SO GOOD

One-on-One: Interview with Estrangers

 There are lots of qualities of a band's sound that attract me to a their songs... But if it is the one thing that gets me most, it is a song that strikes a happy excitement within me right away.

Another late night, while browsing through Bandcamp, I "discovered" the North Carolina based band, Estrangers. Having always been enamored by crystal chandeliers, their album cover caught my eye almost immediately! Silly, I know, but upon hitting play, I knew I had found something very worthwhile.

 Black Ballroom proved to be full of upbeat little gems of songs,  much like the chandler on their cover. I ended up listening to the whole album. 

Aside from the immediate feeling of fun, there were several things that I loved about the band and album as it progressed. I couldn't help but note the songs to be both rhythmically and compositionally a reflection of some of my favorite 60's songs. This, for obvious reasons, got me very excited. But perhaps what sold me must was the integration and role of the piano within the songs-- an instrument which, when it comes to new bands, seems to have been slowly lost in the mix in recent years. Though, as a whole, the sound of Estrangers holds a great indie rock gone hazy and lo-fi (which the band defines as "fuzz pop"), many of the sweet melodic songs appeared greatly driven by the piano, something I found really refreshing.

Being the nosy person I am, I of course was intrigued to find out who exactly these guys were and get their story. While they were last in New York, I reached out to them to ask them a few questions about their musical background and process :)

You can listen to the album here:

MF

Where are you from?

Philip

Winston-Salem, NC.

David Todd

Originally Little Rock, Arkansas. Moved to Chicago for undergrad and florida for grad school.

Mike

North Carolina. 

-


MF

How did you start writing music?

Philip

 I played in a few bands in high school, which looking back, were terrible. I guess the songs slowly started to get better over the years. I hope at least!

-

-

MF

What instruments do you play?

Philip

Guitar, Bass, Piano very poorly, and I used to play Violin in high school

Patrick

I play drums mainly.

David Todd

All sorts of keys. I also play hammered dulcimer and the French horn. Be looking for these on the next Estrangers recordings.

Mike

Guitars, Basses, Drums, Singing, Percussions, Harmonicas, Keys, Recorder

-

MF

Your earliest  memory with a musical instrument?

Philip

Taking piano lessons from my aunt when I was like seven. My dad also played Violin since I was little so I remember hearing him practice.

Patrick

Making drums out of tins and folgers cans.

David Todd

One of the first memories I have is of reaching up higher than I could see at the time and pulling down on the chipped and yellowing keys of a rickety, brown, and peeling baby grand that was in my house growing up and hearing the plunking of the low notes.

Mike

My mother's casio keyboard.

-

MF

Can you talk a little about everyone involved with your band, its development, etc? How did you all meet? How many band members do you have?

Philip

There are a lot of us at the present, I met Mike, Pat and Trevor when they were in a band together a few years ago, and then once that band broke up they were free agents to start a new band with haha. I met Jodi when I moved back to Winston from Chapel Hill and always thought she'd be an awesome person to play music with. We met David Todd when he moved to Winston from Chicago, and he was instantly kind of just a good fit.

-

MF

Why the name "Estrangers?"

Philip

When we were starting out we had a list of about five or six names we were considering, and all of them were sunny and summery-sounding... except Estrangers. I think it's just a more interesting name, that word carries a bit of weight on its own, so I think there can be cool layers of complexity when its applied to a group of people making music. Especially if we don't smile!

Patrick

 Cuz we Estranged as hell!


click to see more below :)