Mary Ping
We met Mary Ping at PS1 a couple summers ago. We followed her around for at least an hour before finally approaching her to ask where she got her cute handbag. Turns out she made it! We’ve since become good friends and have always dreamed of working on a project together.
We love your Giant Zipper Tote so much! It's so rock 'n roll! How does music inspire your work? Thanks! Having good music around really motivates me to create good work. It also just makes getting through the working day all the more enjoyable. Speaking of music, we loved that band that played at your last fashion show. Tell us about them. The Double! Actually they are in transition now as a group. They started off as David Greenhill on guitar and vocals and Jeff McLeod on drums and now have expanded to include Donald Beaman and Jacob Morris. They are really amazing. I had their music on the whole time I was designing my Fall 2002 collection. You can get their music from insound.com. Catch them before they explode! Mary, you're one of the nicest designers we know! We know you went to art school but tell us a little more about your background. Thanks! You guys are some of the nicest I know! I went to Vassar and graduated with a degree in art. Studying art alongside the humanities was a smart move in the end, because it broadened my view and approach to the creative process. I think if I were completely immersed in fashion and its business teachings from the start, it would have been a very narrow street to navigate on. Who are your fashion idols? Balenciaga, old and new, for creating original shapes. Martin Margiela for being so smart. And "old society" tailors and dressmakers for continuing the fine craftsmanship. What music got you through High School? Sunny Day Real Estate and Nirvana. Not for their grunge moods, but for composing and playing new sounds that were just plain good! Hey Mr. DJ! What are you favorite tunes to rock out to when you're designing the hot Mary Ping collections? Right now I've got The Rapture, Clinic, and the musical progressions for my Spring 2003 show on the CD spinner. Benjamin Brake is developing some great digital orchestrations. You'll hear them this September. What's the best thing about being a designer? Running the course of a painful creative process and hopefully coming out of the end with something that will find a place in the world.
08/2002 |
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Jonathan Adler
Call us crazy, but we’ve always been obsessed about Johnny Appleseed. This gentle pioneer who planted trees wherever he went will celebrate his 228th birthday this September 26th. We approached another Johnny that many obsess about, Jonathan Adler, to make this super cute tote that we call the Johnny Apple.
We LOVE this apple tote!!! It's total high school geek love fantasy, perfect for carrying library books and vinyl... What was spinning on your turntable back in those days? I was totally into Asia, Journey and Rush. I was on the tennis team and before each match we used to listen to Eye of the Tiger by Survivor to get psyched.
Which one of your teachers do you think influenced you the most? I had a totally kooky art teacher who was very sweet and encouraging and totally out of it. We used to make bongs in our ceramic class and call them ikebana vases. When I had to apply to college she was the only teacher I could get to write a recommendation for me. What was your favorite after-school activity? As you can probably tell from my earlier answers, I'm pretty old. So, when I was in high school, MTV was just starting so I would watch videos for hours. Now fess up! Did Mom pack your lunch? Mom made breakfast, packed lunch, and made dinner. I still can't figure out what she did for the rest of the day. Shopped? What would we find in your tote bag these days? I wish I had something kooky and improbable in my tote bag but, sadly, I don't. Typical stuff – gym clothes, keys, cell phone, and, always, one of my catalogs. What sort of things have inspired your latest collection? Lately, I've been totally into surrealism and my stuff seems to be going away from a rustic modern aesthetic towards a more fancy vibe. I'm selling Fornasetti stuff in my stores, and I've done some vases with breasts and lips and faces in white porcelain. I'm also doing some fancy pieces with a platinum lustre. I'm totally into needlepoint too, and I just did the cutest pillows in three patterns: one with the seven deadly sins in fancy fonts, one with a digitized camo vibe, and one called Nixon which is kind of preppy and man's den-ish. What's been your favorite thing about having your own company? I love the fact that I don't have to get anybody's permission to make something. If I want to do a pillow inspired by Nixon's ranch house in San Clemente there's no one to tell me that I can't. I think I would go crazy if I was an actor and I had to rely on a casting agent to allow me to work. |
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