Sometimes fashion week is lots of parties, Free stuff, Fancy town cars, and 1st class plane rides. Other times its getting on the wrong bus, Catching a ride in the back of a pick up truck, Getting lost on the J train for an hour and walking a mile in the rain to a fuel plant to meet a new designer.
CHANDI is a line we have had our eyes on for quite some time. Chandi was one of the lines we dreamed about wearing before the idea of a store was even a thought in our minds. Rumors welcomes yet another Brooklyn resident and Pratt graduate to Richmond!!!! SUPER STOKED
Casey and I arrive at the fuel plant. We remove our wet jackets and high heels and we walk 4 flights of stairs to the most adorable workspace I have ever seen in a factory building. Their are racks of clothes, the wall is a collage of old pictures of friends, test shots from photo shoots and clippings from magazines. A very fluffy Rabbit who is under the impression that he is a dog slightly glances at us then looks away. We are greeted by Chandi Lancaster our newest most interesting designer.
We of course placed and immediate order for her 2000never unisex collection. We viewed all of her sketches and we talked about her being a guest on Ricki lake as well as her passion for art and animals. Chandi is an official Richmond Girl. If she lived here we would force her to be our friends. Her line is amazing and we are so happy to have it in our store. you know the rules kids one of each size ranging from xs to medium. get em while their hot. we already sold 3 today.
WHY CHANDI IS AMAZING>>>>>???????because she toys with evolution. and shows us how amazing the world is going to look once the animal kingdom goes crazy... Also... her prints quality is amazing. It isn't just screen printed on. All designs are a part of the fabric.never fading. living forever.
if anyone is interested in the designer ready to wear line please contact us we can special order it for you. info@rumorsrva.com
Meeting and working with people like Chandi is why we only work with independent designers. Casey and I are lucky to get the oppurtunity to meet the people who make the clothing that inspire us. And I hope it inspires you as well... tees are $36 dollars. they are unisex and they are printed on American Apparel. Sweatshop free and Independent... thats how we roll.
here is a interview i stole from another blog...
Where are you from? How old are you? Where do you live now?
I'm from St. Mary's City, Maryland, 15 miles north of Point Lookout "The Most Haunted Lighthouse in America." I'm 31 now living in Brooklyn, NY.
Did you study fashion?
I studied painting at Pratt Institute.
Did you work for another designer?
Never! I worked for a bunch of artists and continue to collaborate with them. I've found that working for yourself ruins you for working for other people.
When, how, and why did you start your collection?
I started my collection the summer of 1996, it was the last summer before my last semester at Pratt. I was really concerned with identity and individuality, which inspired me to create my first collection of dresses silk screened with chromosomes. I had become concerned with the lack of individuality resulting from the mass produced brands. I think shortly after they cloned a sheep. Does cloning a sheep seem redundant to anyone else?
Who do you see as "your" customer?
I know a lot of the people who wear my stuff and it inspired me to start a "friend's" page on my website that includes photos of them in my stuff with links to their websites so you can see what they do. They're artists, musicians, designers, djs, actors, friends and animal lovers. They're from all over the US, France, London, Germany, Greece, Spain, Japan, Portugal, Israel, Australia..
What is the inspiration and idea behind your latest collection?
I designed the current t-shirt collection and the Ready To Wear collection: 2000NEVER in Berlin last summer. My line was turning 10 years old and for several years I had been traveling a lot collaborating with artists. I wanted to apply that lifestyle to my own business, to make it more mobile, change my environment and draw inspiration from it.
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