Nearly two weeks ago I received these (Walk the plank shoe piece,
and the Multi chain bracelet) extremely sick Litter SF items from Julia at Moxsie.com (love you!). Moxsie is an online store that provides it's public with a dream team collection of independent designers. They also donate part of their proceeds towards charity, which obviously is always a good thing. Please go check them out here.
and the Multi chain bracelet) extremely sick Litter SF items from Julia at Moxsie.com (love you!). Moxsie is an online store that provides it's public with a dream team collection of independent designers. They also donate part of their proceeds towards charity, which obviously is always a good thing. Please go check them out here.
I went out with the spiked shoe pieces a little while ago, and had so many stop and gawk at them. Obviously because of the intense aura they secrete from all angles, or for the moment of judgment in which a freak accident (me tripping on air) would cause me to jab and burst a vital artery. We shall go with the first one. Could you really blame them, had I been on the other end I would have been far worse. In the least I would've been thinking of all the devious ways I could proceed to mug them… haha. Rachel Mann and Mackenzie Burdick have designed nothing short of aggressively beautiful jewelry that suits every girls well worth adoration.
I cannot resist mentioning the vitality they come with. Sadly, people assume that when a pretty girl dresses a bit risqué they are doing it for men. Screw that, I go out in all black, combat boots, and a bloody backpack still I attract creeps of all types. When I wear heels its: “gasp she’s wearing heels she must want to get in my pants!” Vulgar men can shove it, I am not going to rebuttal your “hey sexy“, or “damn you is fine” with a “take me now!” Mostly, I am far from being very sexual with the way I dress, unless you consider skin from the neck up and hands sexual… Excuse my rant, now what does this have to do with LITTER SF? I say if some douche bag oldude/dudebro bothers you, turn these babies around and give them a swift kick in the balls. I mean, even the designers called them (spikes in front) ball busters. On a last note, I did try to remain tasteful keep that in mind haha.
Both Rachel and Mackenzie were kind enough to answer all my dribble for an interview.
Mackenzie was the original gangster in LITTER, She had the idea to make jewelry out of found objects, but in the beginning it was mostly jewelry made of nuts and bolts. It looked really cool in photos, but it wasn’t really wearable day to day. When I decided to collaborate with her, we switched gears, and started using materials with a softer edge, like costume jewelry and vintage chains. Once we joined forces, I feel like LITTER really started to go somewhere, because between the 2 of us we could bounce creative ideas off one another and help one another with concepts.
How would you describe your lines personal style?
Sometimes people ask us to describe our jewelry line when they haven’t seen it yet, and usually I say that we make jewelry for different places on the body. We don’t make just bracelets, we make bracelets that connect to necklaces, and earrings that connect to stuff in your hair, etc. I’d say LITTER is reworked vintage with a contemporary flare.
If at all what parts or pieces of your jewelry reflect your style?
We love this question! I love the shoe jewelry, and the ear cuffs. I prefer to use gold tones, and Mackenzie prefers silver. Mackenzie is more experimental with connecting one piece of jewelry to another, and I like to try unique things too, but a little more simple. Mackenzie loves the over the shoulder jewelry and the chain rings. The cool part of designing jewelry together is one of us may come up with a design, and the other will love the design and elaborate on it to make it something different that fits our personal style. I think between the two of us, we have different styles covered, so there is something for everyone.
Who would you most like to see wearing your jewelry? Why?
Every time someone buys a piece of our jewelry from us, we are still so taken back by it. Its such a compliment in a way. Its been really cool for us to see people wearing our creations and how they style their outfits with LITTER. I have a special love for the men’s stuff. It hasn’t really been launched in full yet, but its going to be really different. Well dressed men in a great suit with one of our tie bars is a look I love seeing. We wish Karl Lagerfeld would wear LITTER.
What inspires you to create then assemble?
There is no method to the designs really. We literally go into the studio, sit at a table with a big pile of chains, and trinkets on it, and start putting stuff together. Its usually without any pre thought, or concept.
What is the best part(s) of what you do?
We love receiving emails, or talking with people, and having them tell us that they have never seen anything like our jewelry before. I think the best part of what we do has been taking something as common as jewelry and making it uncommon.
What is the worst part(s) of what you do?
The worst part is when you make a piece that you love so much and someone buys it! Most everything we make right now is one of a kind, so when we make something that can’t be reproduced, its sad to see it go. If we didn’t have rent to pay, I bet we would keep so many more pieces to ourselves. I feel like most of our jewelry ends up in good hands though.
Are there any projects that you’re looking forward to?
We have some really good press coming out this summer. Some big magazines, and are a part of some fashion shows too. Those are exciting! We are also looking forward to pushing LITTER as a brand and establishing ourselves in the jewelry and accessories community. We want to get into the right stores and get LITTER into the right hands.
What is your favorite piece in your collection as of now?
My current favorite pieces are the shoe jewelry that can be worn with flats, heels, wedges and sandals. They are definitely the most versatile of all of our pieces. Mackenzie’s favorites are the chain rings and the shoulder jewelry. However, I LOVE the shoulder jewelry too!
What do you like to keep in mind when designing?
Honestly, I doubt either one of us has anything in mind when we design. We design for ourselves really. 9 times out of 10 we go into the studio, make something, and then wear it. If we feel good in it, then we post it on the website for sale.
You’re based in San Francisco, how has that contributed to your line?
We are pretty die hard fans of San Francisco, no offense to everyone else, but SF is the best city in the world. San Francisco has definitely showed us the same amount of love back. We have been asked to be a part of some cool local projects, and we have had many local magazines and papers giving us good press. SF is a city that embraces art and creativity, so its been a great place to grow a business based on design.
Would you say it was a difficult feat to get LITTER where it is today?
No way! Its been an amazing ride, and in a surprisingly short period of time. We started LITTER in January, so it hasn’t taken us very long to get ourselves established. The truth is, we love building LITTER, and we love going into the studio to design. Its what we want to be doing right now.
What should we look for with LITTER SF in the future?
I have a background in Interior Design, and Mackenzie has a background in Fashion Design, so we have plans to use our ability in those areas and bring them into LITTER. I would love to redesign antique furniture and wallpapers, and Mackenzie wants to start designing clothing.
A personal with the designers:
Before LITTER SF what did you both do?
Mackenzie is younger than I, so she only recently finished school. She went to FIT in NYC to study fashion design. Last year, I had purchased a very old home and remodeled it from the ground up. That project took up the last year of my life really. It was very fun and I got to experiment with anything I wanted because it was my home to design.
Describe working with one another.
We fight like cats and dogs all the time! We call each other names, and scream. But, the difference between working with a sibling versus working with just a colleague, is that we can get in fights and nothing ever comes of it. If I told a business partner to Fuck off, the relationship would fall apart. My sister and I are stuck together forever, so fights mean nothing and they don’t last long. We forget what we were fighting about usually!
What is your favorite item of clothing?
I love short mini skirts. The shorter the better. They make my legs look longer, and you can just throw a tshirt on with a mini skirt and you have a great outfit to go out in. Mackenzie loves her combat boots. She wears them with everything, even fancy dresses.
What types of music do you like, Bands?
We like all kinds of music. We are always playing music in the studio. Its different day to day, and the funny thing is the music playing will affect our designs. Sometimes, we listen to classic Rolling Stones or something, and our designs will get super boho rocker, and sometimes when we are listening to electronic music we tend to use more spikes, and drama.
Who are your top three favorite designers?
There are way too many to be a top three! I don’t think we have even found our favorite designers yet. There are so many designers still emerging. Plus, sometimes our favorite designer is determined on their current collection.
What is one thing can you not live without?
LOVE.
I’m sure we’d all like to know how is it being head of LITTER SF / your own boss?
We always remark to each other about how happy we are to have started LITTER and get to work for ourselves. Its been such a cool change in our lives. We are really thankful everyday. Its so fun to get to work and make things that we like. And to have other people like them is an extra bonus. We love going to flea markets, thrift stores, and garage sales. If anyone out there is questioning starting a business on their own, don’t think, just DO IT!!! Its so rewarding.
What would you recommend everyone have at least one of?
Dogs. You will find true happiness with a good dog, or two, or three….
What are you wearing right now?
Our Hot Dog on a Stick Uniforms. Although Mackenzie took off her tall hat.
What will you never wear?
A Hot Dog on a Stick Uniform.
What is an interesting thing about yourself that people would otherwise never know?
If we told you that, we’d have to kill you.
Favorite quote (personal is fine)
“Fashions fade, style is eternal” – Yves Saint Laurent
How do you treat yourselves after a day with litter?
We are both so boring. I wish I could tell you we go out and party it up in fabulous outfits all decked out in LITTER jewels, but that would be a total lie! We love to be home with our animals.
End with a personal note and or treat for my readers and I?
If you are ever in San Francisco, get in touch with us, and we will invite you over to the studio to play dress up…LITTER STYLE!!!!
xoxoxoxoxoxox
