So, crazy news: After months of scouting out neighborhoods and possible retail locations with friends and longtime clients, Erica + Sara Kubersky of NYC’s MooShoes, Katie + I are officially announcing that we will be helping them to open their first ever expansion—MooShoes Los Angeles.

The space is in the Silver Lake neighborhood in a historic building with a little bit of a New York feel and a lot of excellent light and high ceilings. We’ll be designing the space and working with our local contractor to bring our ideas to fruition, hiring staff, ordering lines for the store—some of which will overlap with New York City’s merchandise, some of which will be exclusive to LA—and then managing operations once we’re open, later this year.

Before you ask, YES, we will be continuing to run raven + crow studio and expect little difference in terms of our delivering projects for our design clients…we’ll just be sleeping a lot less. But who needs sleep, right?

To learn more, download the full press release—also included in-line below. But, clearly, expect to hear more about everything in this space in the months to come.

_____________________________________________

CONTACT:
Neysha Melissa Vázquez
Brand Manager
MooShoes
212.254.6512
neysha@mooshoes.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

NYC Vegan Shoe Store to Open Second Location in LA

New York City, NY (June 16, 2014): After nearly 13 years in New York City, first-of-its-kind vegan shoe store MooShoes, plans to open a second location in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Originally founded in 2001 by sisters and Queens natives, Erica and Sara Kubersky, MooShoes is a vegan-owned store specializing in cruelty-free footwear, bags, apparel, and accessories. Located at 78 Orchard Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the store currently functions as the company’s sole retail location, complemented by what has grown into a robust online storefront.

The sisters have now partnered with long-time graphic designers, Katie Frichtel and Troy Farmer of Los Angeles-based raven + crow studio to open MooShoes LA at 3116 Sunset Boulevard in the popular Silver Lake neighborhood. Though the sisters have long explored the idea of expanding beyond New York, this is the first opportunity they both considered feasible.

“LA has such a strong vegan community now, it really just makes sense for us to be as present there as we can,” said Erica Kubersky. “We just never felt comfortable having people we didn’t know well representing something we’d created from the ground up—it’s always been a really personal business for Sara and me.”

Though MooShoes claims humble beginnings in a defunct butcher shop near Gramercy Park, the company saw a near 10% increase in sales annually for their first 9 years of business, growing steadily to meet the demand. With a strong online presence and a well-known location on the Lower East Side that’s become a destination for many New York visitors and a hub for vegan-centric events, the sisters feel that the next step in their growth is a Los Angeles location. Putting it in the hands of long-time business partners and friends only seemed natural to the Kuberskys.

“We met Katie and Troy in 2003, not long after we started our store and right around when they were starting their own business. We clicked right away, both in terms of work and personally. They’ve been defining how we present ourselves ever since, creating our brand, ads, Web sites, signage, and designing our stores. When they told us they were moving things from Brooklyn to California last year, we immediately thought of this.”

Husband-and-wife design and marketing team, Frichtel and Farmer, started raven + crow studio officially in 2006 after years of freelancing. The studio specializes in corporate branding, print, and Web design, working primarily with non-profit agencies, small businesses, and relief agencies like the United Nations. Long-time vegans, the two hold in common with the Kubersky sisters their mutual interest in animal welfare.

“Katie and I have always made a concerted effort to work with clients we think are making the world a better place, one way or the other,” said Farmer. “We really love what we do day-to-day, but that’s what keeps us going—knowing that we’re promoting something bigger and better than our work. For all of us, this isn’t about selling shoes, it’s about not killing cows; it’s about providing a great, cruelty-free product that also pushes a message that it’s easy for us all to make a difference for the better.”

MooShoes Los Angeles promises to continue the tradition of bringing together the vegan and animal rights communities, acting as both a store and a community event space.

“It’s so awesome that the vegans of LA no longer have to go barefoot!” said celebrated vegan cookbook author, chef, and restaurateur  Isa Chandra Moskowitz. “Let me state the obvious by saying that MooShoes has great shoes that will satisfy your every desire. But more than that, they’ve also been a pillar of the vegan community for over a decade. From book signings to bake sales the MooShoes girls and their fabulous staff have been there, bringing people together and making sure we look fabulous (and comfortable!)”

“MooShoes has been a pioneer in footwear since they were founded in 2001,” said New York vegan menswear designer and Brave GentleMan founder, Joshua Katcher. “They’re a palpable driving force in future-footwear innovation and provide a rare and crucial space for emerging designers with rigorous ethical standards to develop, test and showcase their work. MooShoes is a destination, a hub and a beacon in an industry that is otherwise known for ruthlessness. Without them, Brave GentleMan would never have succeeded. Their success and expansion to Los Angeles is not surprising, but it is exciting.”

Celebrity vegan chef and Cooking Channel TV Host, Jason Wrobel agrees—”MooShoes is THE bastion of fashion-forward ethical footwear,” said Wrobel. “I’ve been to many vegan boutiques around the world and nobody comes close in terms of stylish, quality-made footwear. My closet is peppered with incredible pairs of boots and sneakers that I’ve purchased from their NYC location since I first set foot there in 2005. And now my vegan shoe fetish is about to reach a new crescendo—MooShoes is FINALLY coming to Los Angeles. Can you hear the whooshing noise as I backflip with delight? Good. Now get me to the opening party, stat.”

“MooShoes is the first place I visit when I go to NYC and now LA—how exciting to have stores on the West and East coast that stock quality vegan shoes for all occasions,” said Sarah Kramer, author of How It All Vegan.

Frichtel and Farmer will be continuing to run their design business as they take on this new role with MooShoes, managing operations for the LA store once open, planning in-store events, acting as west coast points of contact, and overseeing design of the new space, set to open fall 2014.

For more information on the new Los Angeles store and press inquiries, please contact MooShoes Brand Manager, Neysha Melissa Vázquez at neysha@mooshoes.com.

Playing us into the weekend—the driving, oddly addictive track “Sherman (Animals in the Jungle)” from London’s Tom Vek.

Though the self-taught multi-instrumalist—née Thomas Timothy Vernon-Kell—has more than decade long career, he’s new to us…despite evidently guest starring as himself in an episode of The OC, playing a show at The Bait Shop. It was season three, though, and, as we all know, the show went south after the stellar season two.

Oh, The OC. We loved you so.

Back on track!

Give the lead single from Vek’s most recent full-length, Luck, a listen. The driving, deadpan song will likely worm its way into your brain much the way it did ours.

If you like it, check out another, more relaxed and glitched-out track from Luck, “Broke”—also awesome in a totally different way. These two songs have quickly brought Luck to the top of my personal list of full-length’s to buy ASAP.

You can get it physically + digitally via Vek’s Web site.

Photo by Emma Swann.

We realized the other day—we’ve been so caught up in music and the visual arts and insanely irresponsible corporations that we haven’t written about food in ages! And yes, music and the arts are food for your very soul that cannot and should not be held back from the outstretched arms of any human being…but food is actual food…that literally cannot be lived without. So who are we to ignore it?

Especially when it’s as amazing as this: The Vegan Carrot Dog from Fritzi Dog.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “Carrot on a bun? That sounds both ridiculous and terrible.” I would agree with you had I not had Fritzi’s delectable creation.

The Los Angeles hot dog specialist—situated in LA’s historic Farmers Market and co-created by Iron-Chef-winner Neal Fraser—doesn’t just throw some rabbit food on a hot dog bun. No. They take those things very seriously.

First, they marinate them in a blend of 35 spices. They then cook the carrots sous vide overnight to allow them to further absorb the spices and attain a giving-yet-un-mushy texture. Finally, they’re grilled to order and topped as you like, pulling from Fritzi’s generous and creative toppings selection (Sriracha matchup, anyone?).

You can read a more detailed breakdown of the process…and see a much more phallic photo of the dog over at LA Magazine.

So next time you’re in LA and craving an excellent, plant-based, cruelty-free, mystery-meat-free alternative to your standard hot dog, get ye to Fritzi. You will seriously not regret it. A side of fresh tots will push over the brink of fast food culinary ecstasy.

Vegans, as quarrygirl points out, stick to the Parker bun and the Gluten-Free bun; the others contain egg and/or dairy. 7.16 Update: Fritzi’s since changed up their bun options—go for the (awesome) pretzel bun, which is now the vegan option.

Like the sign says—Happy Birthday, Katie!

I bet you didn’t even know you were in need of retro-tinged Spanish language summer jam! Well, you were. Until now.

We give you “Adios!” by Natalia Clavier and featuring The Echocentrics. It is quickly becoming my favorite song to play whilst driving the streets of LA.

Buenos-Aires-born, Brooklyn-based Clavier belts out a catchy, driving melody over 60’s-inspired organ + guitar lines and a rhythm section that’s absolutely killing it. Give it a listen to see what I mean.

The song’s from Natalia’s 2013 full-length, Lumen, which you can buy over at iTunes.

Plus, looks like she’s an outspoken vegan, so let’s show her some love. You go, girl!

Last week, California-based high-end home furnishings company, Restoration Hardware, delivered 17 pounds of glossy, full-color catalogs—largely unsolicited—all around LA. As far as we can tell, nearly all of these catalogs were then promptly delivered to everyone’s respective big blue recycling bins.

Really, Restoration Hardware? Well-done fighting the whole ‘print is dead’ concept tooth + nail, and I’m sure the printer you used is thrilled, along with UPS, who must have seen a massive spike in profits last week thanks to you, but, really? 17 pounds. 13 books. 100 pages just on leather. Just leather. All straight into the recycling bin.

Robbie Vorhaus of HuffPo explains further:
“Over the past couple weeks Restoration Hardware began mailing 13 unsolicited bundled ‘Source Books,’ a collection of ‘4 Lifestyle Books,’ and ‘9 Category Books,’ which they tout as ‘Over 3,300 Pages of Curated & Inspired Design.’ Further, as part of the immense mailing, Restoration Hardware includes a separate printed sheet titled, ‘Our Source Book Sustainability Initiative,’ which informs ‘1. Our Collection of Source Books is Mailed Once a Year. 2. Our Paper is Forest Certified, 3. We Are The Founding Sponsor of The Verso Forest Certification Grant Program,’ and ‘4. Our Shipping Is Carbon Neutral.'”

Oh, well at least you’re offsetting your shipping by purchasing carbon neutral tokens. Yay.

What the fuck, Restoration Hardware? Ever heard of the internet? Look it up in your encyclopedia, why don’t you.

Random lyric from the title track from Melbourne rapper REMI’s just released album—well-worth a listen, which you can do below. Buy it via REMI’s bandcamp page.

Random rhino image from way back when we screen-printed, circa 2003.

A great weekend to you all.

Raw X Infinity by Remi.

If you were in an indie band in the 90s—which many of us were—and at least one band member wasn’t sporting a Built By Wendy guitar strap, you could expect to politely be asked to leave the stage. Politely, because, you know, indie rock, but still, they were nearly ubiquitous with the indie music scene of the time.

Rather than just prove to be a flash in the pan, though, Built By Wendy founder + designer Wendy Mullin took the interest in her hand-sewn guitar straps and turned it into an internationally recognized, yet still independently run fashion house with multiple storefronts and scores of fans among the indie music crowd as well as Hollywood celebs.

Over the past few years, Built By Wendy’s felt the same pressure that many small design houses have felt and Wendy’s evolved with both that and changes in her own life. We took a moment to catch up with Wendy to talk about the shifting landscape for small designers, the evolution of Built By Wendy, and her just-announced resort wear line, Soft Rock.

raven + crow: Alright, so, first off, thanks for taking some time to talk with us. Like many, we’re long-time fans—we used to buy your guitar straps back in the day. You made one for Katie that was cherry red and used a bunch of Wonder Woman comics of her kicking ass. She still has it to this day. How did you get started making those?

Wendy Mullin: I had a lot of friends who played guitar and I thought the straps were sort of boring so I took one and started sewing vinyl and pockets and things on it. I also worked at a couple record stores, so I was able to sell them there and get a quick response.

Makes sense. But then how does one go from making highly sought after guitar straps to running a fashion line with multiple storefronts in multiple cities? I know you used to work with Kim at X-Girl—another line that we loved. Did that sort of introduce you to the fashion world?

Actually, I was making clothes and selling them at a few shops starting in 1991, it was only when I was living in New York and made the guitar straps did people start writing about what I was doing. Kim and Thurston used to shop at the record store I worked at so I was friendly with them. They bought my clothing and guitar straps, then later, when Kim did X-Girl, I ran into her at a show and asked if she needed help, so I worked with them for a bit on a freelance basis while I was doing my own thing. Then Mike D asked me to do some designs for X-Large.

Man. I’m pretty sure someone should turn all of that into some sort excellent memoir of the that era in New York. It’s so seminal for so many of us still. So, relatively recently you moved Built by Wendy to an online + wholesale only model. Sad for us to see the storefronts close, but it seems like a move a lot of people are making of late. Is it something you did out of necessity or was it just out of a desire to simplify things?

A bit of both. New York has gotten so expensive, so it’s really difficult to have a small indie business. I know so many artists and small businesses that just can’t sustain all the costs—workman’s comp, liability insurance, payroll taxes , high rents, compliance with ridiculous outdated policies in the city that are pushing small people out. I could have reopened in a cheaper neighborhood but I was tired of having a shop after having a kid. I needed to simplify.

Yeah, for a while there, you had multiple stores in NYC and a shop in LA. I feel like we saw a number of designers we like feeling this whole sustainable growth thing out—’How big do we grow how quickly where and when without totally collapsing on ourselves.’ It seems like the most stressful part of running a successful product-based business. Has that been trying over the years? I could see just wanting to focus on the…art or design of things, less the business.

I pretty much did everything myself, from designing to production to patterns to overseeing the running of the business. It was too much for anyone, really. I didn’t have any partners or financing so my model of business was just not really viable anymore. You can only go so far doing it all on your own.

Yeah, hard not to burn out on what you love doing that. I feel like the whole economic downturn really hurt specifically independent designers, especially in New York, where things just got even further apart in terms of the haves vs the have-nots. So many of our friends who had their own lines or shops had to shutter in the past five or so years. How do you see things having changed for independent fashion designers in recent times?

For many years I always said that my company really should not exist. I feel like I was the last of my peers to hold on as it just really wasn’t feasible to have stores with expensive rents and stocking a lot of inventory with no investors or partners. When I started, there wasn’t really the market there is now. There were teen clothing and designers but there wasn’t this boutiquey market that is quite saturated now. With technology and easy communication, almost anyone if they have money can do a clothing line and get it produced. There is just so much clothing out there and so many options. And people shop so differently—people who shop at Bergdorf’s will also order stuff from Urban Outfitters online. It used to not be that way. And if you are an indie designer then you have bigger companies buying your stuff and knocking you off thus diluting the coolness of your product.

It’s hard not to get depressed thinking about that.

I’ve seen your early looks described as something along the lines of ‘sexy elementary school teacher.’ Be that accurate or not…or creepy or not, I think it’s safe to say the Built by Wendy look evolved a lot over the years. Is that something you see as deliberate or did the looks change more as your tastes changed?

I’m hoping that any designer who has been designing over 20 years has evolved. I started at 20 and now I’m over 40 so what I like to wear and what inspires me has evolved over the years. But mainly it’s financial. When I was 20, I couldn’t afford to design my own fabrics and prints or afford nicer fabrics, so I just did what I could with what I had available to me. Most fabric houses had very large minimum orders, so even having access to fabric was difficult. As I grew financially, I was able to get my own colors dyed or buy silk or cashmere and could have access to mills because I could buy their minimums.

I love that you can visit your site and scroll down from recent collections all the way back to your 2003 collection, which is when we first moved to New York. It’s like a visual fashion chronology or something. To this day, Katie’s got this awesome black, long-sleeved dress you did back in the early aughts, I think, in this Japanese print with floral borders that’s still totally going strong. No question there…just…awesome dress.

THANKS!

You just did a kids line last year, right? I know you recently had a child yourself—congrats, by the way. I assume this is somehow related? Were you just like, “I need some cool kids’ clothes, man. Baby Gap is NOT cutting it”?

I was actually a childrenswear major at FIT in 1992. I had done some kids pieces throughout my career but, once I had a kid it seemed natural to try to do a collection plus i wanted to focus on something new rather than another women’s collection another season.

And now you’ve got a brand new adult line—Soft Rock, which strikes a noticeably different tone than your former lines, I think. What’s the story behind the Rock?

I’ve done a lot of cotton gauze pieces throughout the years, so I kind of consolidated it into just one relaxed resort line feel. I’m not sure if it’s that much different—several of my collections have been inspired by a resort summer vibe; south of france or greek islands. I think it’s just the way it’s marketing that gives that impression but it’s not that different as far as actual styles go.

And the name—tongue-in-cheek?

Yeah—I’ve always been associated with music, so I thought it was appropriate as this is my middle aged response to fashion. But also i think the words soft rock without the music connotation are dichotomous, which is an idea i’m into exploring.

I assume that’s a deliberate move, not to just use ‘Built by Wendy’ as the moniker again. Do you see this growing into something else entirely or a new phase in your career…or are you just testing the waters right now?

I’m not sure. I felt that BBW has gone a long way and I think it should be left representing the first half of my life. I’m into doing a lot of different things, new things, so I don’t want to have a 20 year history somehow framing how I need to do and think about anything.

Really nice way to think about it. The new line—it’s done via something called BYCO? Is that just a vendor site, or…I read something about designers uploading designs and accessing fabric libraries and the like?

Yes—BYCO is this amazing platform where designers can create collections and they handle everything from sample development to production to distribution. I think it’s a new model for independent designers as all of the above really seems too costly and inefficient in these times. I’m happy to focus on design and someone else can do the rest.

Oh, that sounds really intriguing. And that Dolly Wells in your Soft Rock promo shot isn’t it (pictured below)?

Yes. She’s a friend and I was excited to work with her as I’m a fan and love the way she looks. I’m kind of over seeing teenagers models.

Hah—amen to that! I keep meaning to watch that Doll + Em show but have yet to check it out. She’s awesome though.

YES!

You’ve got a history of tapping actresses for shoots though—Robin Tunney back in the day—and I feel like I’d always hear about certain actresses constantly being seen in your designs. Why do you feel like Built by Wendy resonated so well with that certain ‘indie’ segment of the consumer base? Do you feel like it has to do with your roots in the guitar straps and indie music scene?

I think people want to feel like they are wearing something special; something not everybody has. BBW was mainly sold in my own shops and in very limited quantities, so I think, besides the designs being appealing, it was also exclusive but not prohibitively expensive. How many people feel special wearing the GAP? I would also say that I’m an independent creative, so my customers are responding to products they are connected to in the same way when a socialite designs a clothing line and all her customers are socialites.

Logical. I’ve always loved your company branding—where did the multi-colored arrows come from, with the sun + moon arrowheads?

It was a tweeking of a Japanese symbol. I’ve collected Hudson blankets for 20 years and always loved that color combination.

Aw, totally. And are you still based in New York? We recently moved out to LA after ten+ years in Brooklyn. How do you think the city’s changed…for better or worse?

Yes I’m still here—24 years now. Hmmm….how has city changed? Not sure if I have enough time to write all my thoughts, but it’s become more of a tourist destination, which is natural with our increase in communication/internet etc. Places like New York or anywhere really aren’t that scary when you can go online and research it all.

Huh. That makes a lot of sense. Poor Thailand. Who are some designers you’re liking these days?

I always love Tomas Maier and Dries Van Noten. I also love all the fun graphic designers who upload prints on printallover.me. 

JUST checked that site out. Really cool. We might have to look into some of that. And are you still tapped into the music scene at all? Any new bands you’re liking?

Yeah, a bit as far as hanging out with my friends who are in music and listening to music, but that’s about it.

Well, thanks so much for talking with us, Wendy. And best of luck with the new line!

Thanks and you’re welcome!

You can view Wendy’s new collection, Soft Rock, over at BYCO, and still purchase her distinctive graphic tees over at Built By Wendy.

A Better LA is a non-profit that promotes community safety + provides support services to marginalized populations across Greater Los Angeles. Concerned by the all-too-frequently heard news of violence among the youth on the streets of LA, then-USC football coach, now Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll invited community leaders to address the problem head-on. Rather than go in as outsiders, the group works through the existing local community, training and empowering outreach workers—many of whom are former gang members who have turned their lives around—to work with at-risk youths and families in disadvantaged areas across Los Angeles.

And it seems to be working.

Ten years after that first meeting, A Better LA is credited with helping to bring down crime rates and stave off violence in Angeleno communities. From Chief of Police Charlie Beck:

“We are at 40 year lows in Los Angeles in homicides. And a large part of that success is outreach work through groups like A Better LA. We have tried everything else over my career as a police officer—arresting everyone, hard-nosed suppression. It failed. Outreach work has helped transform the way we police.”

ABLA approached us about creating the concept and design for their yearly fund-raising gala’s event materials, including an event deck, an invite package, a journal, and event signage. You can see a full write on what we did for the materials in our design portfolio.

And good tidings to Pete Carroll and everyone at A Better LA on the eve of their celebration—you all do wonderful work and are well-worth celebrating!

Did you know that LA plays hosts to the world’s longest stretch of the Berlin Wall outside of Germany? It’s true. The ten segments stand right across the street from LACMA at 5900 Wilshire and were installed by the Wende Museum in 2009 to commemorate 20 years of the fall of the wall.

The West-Berlin-facing side—the originally graffitied side—features portraits of Reagan and JF—”I AM A DONUT”—K, an angry green Bimer bear, and a bunch of other nice 80s-era artwork.

The East Berlin, formerly blank side was painted more recently and formally at the beset of the Wende by a mix of artists including Retna, German street art duo Herakut, and British street artist D*Face, who painted Captain America here when asked to do a piece on the topic of surveillance.