A lovely interview with Kelly Reid from reid.damnit
her belts are featured in The Shiny Squirrel Pop Up at Smith & Butler
In three words describe your line?
Slouchy/Moto/Workaday/Beaten Up (yep that's four...)
tell us what inspired your latest collection?
My current collection Future Classic was inspired - as they all are - by my friends. But I basically built on my favourite bags to become your future classic. And then do you know the zine "Put a Egg on It"? Well, I had a parallel accessory moment where I wanted to put zippers and zipper pulls on everything, maybe it should have been named "Put a Zipper on It" .
How has living in Brooklyn affected your work?
Brooklyn is just full of interesting people doing creative things in all fields that it becomes infectious, you can't help but be inspired.
What was the last thing you made and how do you feel about it?
The last thing I made was a bunch of menu covers for a Thai restaurant in the West Village run by some friends of mine (Betel). They needed a simple leather cover to protect their menus and cut down on the amount they print off each day. It was kind of great in two ways 1)to collaborate with a friend on the design and learn some new skills in the making and 2) to see my simple drawing that I photographed with my phone and emailed to the client come to life is extremely satisfying. If we're talking Disney it's like when Pinocchio finally turns in a boy - like all the trials/samples and re-runs are worth it and you get that ta-daaaa! moment.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I see myself owning a store (I've already picked out the name) most likely in Brooklyn - with a work studio attached. I guess loosely based on a store I always hit up on a twice annual girls shopping trip to Philly that a bunch of us do - it's called Vagabond. They have a great collection of vintage/well known labels and up-and-comers and I can always find something I want there.
Any cultural recommendations such as movies, museums, artists, books, etc should we should check out?
Anything Bauhaus, it's simple marriage of fine art/craft/function and form is a constant theoretic inspiration and reminder. The exhibition MOMA had last year was really great, in general I'm a big fan of the MOMA, I love the photography there. It always inspires me to get my camera out and take photos.
Actually when I think about it I'm mainly inspired by photography, Scott Schuman's book The Sartorialist always jumpstarts any fashion slumps I'm in. I love William Eggleston, Bill Cunningham, Hedi Slimane, and Lee Friedlander. Actually while we're talking about Bill, the documentary on him was practically a lesson in living for me, he does something he loves every day not because he's paid to but because he can't help himself.
Anyone in a creative field that has that need to constantly create is inspiring to me. And I'll confess I'm watching quite a bit of the original Charlies Angels right now and I'm totally digging the way the girls were styled.
A Few things that inspire her...
