White Out

Honestly I've always been afraid of anything thing white other than a white t-shirt. White pants scared me, white skirts, white shoes..that is until recently. I bought a white vegan leather tank top a few weeks ago at Need Supply that has an asymmetrical opening in the back- it's the most amazing piece I own right now and ever since that purchase, I've had a thing for an all white and beige moment. Trying to find the perfect trousers is my next challenge to complete my look. Here are a few gals who hit the nail on the head with their white beige looks.

Home Run

I can't tell you how bad I've wanted a baseball jersey to wear like this, omg. I went thrifting and found this gem with the original tags still attached ($100!!) and snagged it for $20! I wore it for the rest of the day including when I went out that night- for sundown, I swapped my black jeans and slip-ons for leather pants, simple black heels and a small studded clutch.

Jersey, Sunnies & Clear backpack- Thrifted // Black Pants- UO // Slip ons- Zara // Geo Cuff [similar] - F21

NIGHT: Leather Pants [similar] & Clutch- F21 // Shoes- Report Signature

Made In RVA: Rec League

I get so interested in any sort of creative movement, especially locally. So when my interest in local designers peaked I knew I wanted to get involved and contacted first person I thought of who happened to be a friend of mine. Handcrafted in Richmond VA, Stuart King, 23, has put his heart and soul into creating and producing Rec League- a new line of men’s street-wear. The collection currently consists of various jackets, t-shirts, pants, bags and even joggers all created with the idea of durability in mind. Being a fan of many outdoor apparel brands, Stuart wanted to create his own idea of menswear that was not only functional but also aesthetically pleasing. I had the awesome opportunity to come chat with him about Rec League and all he’s been working on, including being on of the designers presenting during the RVA Fashion Week Designer Showcase. Immediately stepping into his apartment shows how much he puts into his craft. His room is filled with pattern samples, sewing machines, fabrics of many kinds and especially his wardrobe including a great sneaker collection. Its obvious Stuart is serious about Rec League because he surrounds himself with his work. He lives in a space where he is constantly around anything he’s been working on and anytime you live in your passion, it shows in the work you produce..and boy is it good. 

How was Rec League started and do you work with anyone else?

S: Rec league was started after I had an attempt sort of at a t-shirt company that I wasn’t really feeling any more, just kind of got tired of the name- and also wanted to be more hands on with everything so I wanted to start a cut and sew line. Rec League primarily consists of me and Luke Fracher who is the co-owner of Round Two RVA and also Will Paxton who handles all the graphics that I use for the small rounds of t-shirts that I plan on doing. But really Rec League wouldn’t be much of anything without outside help from other people around the city like Maria Parenti, Pat Perez and Matt Hill and a few other people that kind of make everything happen with me from start to finish on each product.

How’d you meet those people, just networking around Richmond?

  S: Yeah, Pat and Maria run a line called Safari International, Matt Hill I met through them and he’s just really interested in how everything works so sometimes we work together and he’ll have me cut out patterns and things like that and I’m trying to teach him how to sew. Luke and I met a few years ago, but we really didn’t become business partners you could say until like 6 months ago.

What made you get into designing, since you didn’t major in fashion design- what made you want to work with clothes and textiles?

S: I’ve always kind of had an interest in it since I was in high school- which I can really credit to a good friend of mine named Joel Robinson. I think we were just sitting in the back of our astronomy class and he showed me a new Bape look-book or something like that and then introduced me to Supreme and websites like Hypebeast and things like that. I was always interested in outdoor clothing like from L.L.Bean or Eddie Bauer or things like that, I’ve always been the kind of guy that’s gonna wear the same pants for like a month straight so I got into it because I wanted to make clothes for myself and because I couldn’t afford the clothes that I wanted.

Yeah I can relate to that- What do you aim to do with Rec League?

S: I really just want to continue making new pieces and eventually get my pattern making down well enough to the point where I can send my patterns to manufacturers to make them in bigger quantities for me. And also continuing to do shows locally and around the east coast probably.

Where can people find your work as of right now?

S: As of right now, no where really. Every now and then I’ll just do a small round of shirts whether its pocket t’s or printed t-shirts and I’ll put them in Round Two. Just selling them to friends around the city but really right now its kind of in the beginning stages. I’m working out all the samples and getting them ready for production so you probably wont see Rec League in any stores until 4 or 5 months from now, depending on when I get the manufacturing going.

Have you always known how to sew or did you teach yourself or learn?

S: I really taught myself, the first time I ever touched a sewing machine I was a freshman at VCU and for some reason I decided I was gonna make a jacket for some project. It was crazy to do that because I had no idea how to sew or how to work a sewing machine- I actually sewed the whole thing together with the presser foot up, I didn’t know what that was so it was all super zig-zagged and really choppy looking. And then I kind of put it aside for a little while and I was doing wood working and then halfway through my senior year I decided to do the 1991 screen printing thing and then made some 5-panels from scratch with a sewing machine. They really didn’t turn out that great but it was really rewarding for me because I actually made it ya' know. I think after those hats I decided I really wanted to teach myself how to sew, so I was pretty much self-taught. Haberdash did help me out a lot, I did an internship with them- always have love for those guys.

Are they in Richmond?

S: Yeah, they’re on Main Street- they handle local brand’s screen-printing needs and some cut and sew things.

Ok awesome! By the way, what was your major [during undergrad]?

S: My major was craft and material studies focusing on wood-working and textiles.

As you can see Stuart puts a lot into Rec League! I was very excited to get involved with him and can't wait to see what else they have in store for this year. I highly encourage anyone in the area to come out to view what Stuart has been working on with Rec League and support him along with other local designers at the RVA Fashion Week Designer Showcase at the Broadberry next Friday May 2! [More info HERE]

For more information on Stuart and Rec League check out recleaguerva.com

and on Instagram:

 @kingsj

@recleague

*Rec League logo courtesy of Stuart King // Rec League* 

-R.

Neon

Style Inspiration

Often I am asked the questions,
'who inspires your style?' or 'who do you look up to in the [fashion] industry?',
so well here they are..

Miroslava Duma

Blair Eadie

Eva Chen

Jenna Lyons

Taylor Tomasi Hill

Solange Knowles

This post has reminded me a lot of who I am. I've been saying this summer I wanted to go as minimal as possible, but seeing these ladies reminded me that I am not always a minimal kind of person. I'm attracted to color, bold prints, patterns, mixing and matching. But the transition to becoming more neutral and simple as far as color palette has been fun for me (the colors should be simple but the looks shouldn't disappoint). The way clothes make me feel when I see them and feel them, experience them...it's so indescribable. Reminds me of a quote I wrote down this week in one of my classes:

"Art is the realest deception of all, 

its deception that creates real emotions"

Peace and love,

xxxo

-R.