Photos / Mark Minton
Words / Bri Ng Schwartz
Styling / Phil Gomez
Glam / Rory Alvarez
Starring ChiChi and Mariano Garcia
As New York’s best dressed begin to defrost for Fashion Week, LADYGUNN is hotter than ever with the drop of our very first merch collection. This Thursday, LADYGUNN Drop 1 will take over DOORS NYC’s SoHo flagship to celebrate shared visions around eco-conscious fashion through upcycling with our favorite designers.
“Everything we do at LADYGUNN is done with intention.” shares our Editor In Chief, Phil Gomez. “Upcycling or repurposing something brings a new energy to it. For our first merch drop, we didn’t want to simply slap our logo onto clothing. Instead, we wanted to infuse it with the same energy and thoughtfulness we bring to our shoots: fully considered ideas that are special, unique, and made with love.”
Our debut collection features one of a kind designs from HESTA, MINDBLOWN, BTSA and Seville Michelle Jewelry.
Hester Sunshine, the mastermind behind HESTA, brings LADYGUNN’s black and pink palette to their signature Bondage Button Down and limited edition teddy bear keychains.
“This was a kismet meeting of what LADYGUNN was looking for and the kind of things that I keep hold of. Whenever I work on something and I like the fabric I’m using, I save all the little pieces of scrap that I can. I happened to have a lot of black and pink material left over from a project I just finished that I was very in love with.” – Hester
At the center of our collaboration was our ability to source the entire collection from their warehouse. The labels were the only part purchased! Outside of our work together, sustainability is always at the center of the Hestarverse. From working exclusively with ethical manufacturers overseas and small order production for every collection, no detail is left unconsidered.
“It’s been cool because we’re helping me reduce my massive amount of backstock. We’re able to create beautiful new things that people can love and I can have a little room on my shelf.”
Outside of the button-downs and bears, you can expect some other surprises from HESTA at our Thursday drop!
MINDBLOWN is made up of the powerhouse duo Millicent Grace Dunstan & Ben Lucas Jones and has been worn by music’s biggest names including Lola Young, Jade and Lizzo. Their LADYGUNN collection will marry their signature grunge-inspired deadstock delights and our logo spraypainted across hoodies, shirts and tights. The garments were sourced from BTSA, a minority owned LA based wholesaler who passed along their damaged garments for repurposing.
“We believe in taking realistic steps towards sustainability. Through careful management of our in-house production processes, we continuously seek to improve and reduce waste.” says Daniel Oh of BTSA. “Our commitment lies not in lofty promises and using green washed buzz words, but in practical actions that make a tangible difference.”
The environmental benefits are not the only positive that have come out of the collaboration.
“When they put T-shirts and hoodies into production, there’s always going to be some that are damaged, a tiny hole or a little stain or something, and those can’t be sold. That’s cool because it is nice to give those garments a second life.” Shares Ben. “They’re not even in bad condition, it’s just that they’re not sellable. Sometimes the damaged part is what is our inspiration or it’s kind of what forces us to work off of that, which is cool.”
Mille adds “Finding something damaged, or dead stock fabric that’s been sitting in a warehouse for 20 years, is really exciting as a designer because it makes you think outside of the box. Instead of starting with just a sketch and then sourcing a fabric or materials and then doing it that way, we kind of do it backwards.”
This MINDBLOWN collection is sure to fulfill the promise of their namesake with this exclusive collection.
Rounding out our collection are our LADYGUNN logo hoop earrings designed by Seville Michelle. Finished in silver, black and gold, this shiny statement is inspired by the chunky 90s Jewelry Seville grew up admiring on the streets of New York. We cannot imagine a piece that speaks more to LADYGUNN’s visual language.
As we embark on this new chapter, we’re over the moon to be presenting Drop 1 at the home of our friends at DOORS, who have worked alongside us for so many of our editorial projects.
“Our vibe is very similar where we both like to amplify indie designers and new talent, it just felt like the perfect match. This whole collaboration is really about our shared love for community and celebrating unapologetic creativity” – Phil
Join us as we celebrate our community and look toward an eco-conscious fashionable future. All pieces are available for purchase at DOORS during regular business hours and online at doors.nyc while supplies last.
DOORS NYC
425 W Broadway SoHo, New York, NY 10012
