As a So-Cal suburban teen, I was a die-hard Sonic Youth lover. So when Kim Gordon launched X-Girl clothing in 1994, I became an insta-fan. My favorite T-shirt was electric blue and said X-Girl in neon orange and pink and wearing it immediately helped me separate the kids I’d like to know from the ones I wouldn’t: every jock would say. ‘X-Girl, does that mean you’re a dude now?’, while every music nerd would give a knowing nod of alliance. I still mourn its American, demise so I’m thrilled that Kim Gordon is back in the fashion game with a new line called Mirror/Dash, coming out February 16 at Urban Outfitters. The collection has a feminine, tomboy feel, much like Gordon herself, and features a slouchy pocket t-shirt dress, a casually sexy wrap dress, and the necessary blazer staple, among other items. Whether she’s rocking out with Thurston Moore in Sonic Youth, making art, or jamming with her other band Free Kitten, Kim Gordon continues to epitomize cool. And I have no doubt each piece in her collection will, too

We’re stoked that you’re back in the designing business. Is it exciting to be creating clothes again?
‘It is exciting. There is so much more in downtown fashion since X-Girl that its a bit daunting but we’re not trying to remake the wheel or anything’.

Wearing my X-Girl T-shirt always made me feel like the coolest girl in school. Did you ever have a connection to fashion like that?
‘When I was in High School I basically couldn’t afford to buy new clothes so I shopped in thrift stores. When I was 12 though, I bought a pair of red corduroy hip-hugger bellbottoms from a hip English clothes store where we lived in Hong Kong. I saved up for them for a really long time and I felt very cool wearing them. That was my first store obsession. I used to go there all the time just to look’.

Did you expect X-Girl to have that sort of effect?
‘We didn’t know what to expect with X-Girl. We pretty much didn’t know what we were doing. We were lucky to connect with Mike Mills, his graphics really made the whole thing work I think’.

Your new line debuts exclusively at Urban Outfitters on Feb. 16. How did you hook up with them?
‘A couple summers ago Sonic Youth was asked to play in a store as part of a radio promo effort. They did a great job with the whole thing. When Mel Wansbrough, my partner, and I were looking for backing for Mirror/Dash we ran into a friend of hers who designs at Urban and she suggested we contact them’.

Who did you work with to create the line?
‘Mel and I work with Jeffrey Monteiro, who used to work with Jane Mayle and was head designer at Derek Lam, and Sari Gueron. The challenge for us is doing something that’s not strictly Urban in that we want it to appeal to someone a little older than a teenager or college student, but still have enough youth appeal to belong in the store’.

What was your inspiration for this line?
‘I constantly go back to Francoise Hardy as someone who always looks very cool no matter what her age is. She wasn’t overstylized in the ’60s or too girly. It’s that French thing I guess’.

Can you give me a brief description of the line?
‘It’s somewhat basics oriented, in that the pieces are meant to be more classic, in the way that A.P.C. has basics, but a bit more flattering and sexy, less androgynous’.

I read that your mother was a seamstress. Was that your first influence in terms of design?
‘Yes. My Mom used to make clothes and have an ‘open house’ to sell them. She used beautiful silk and velvet fabrics and made mostly caftans and these simple shapes called Abbas. Her sewing room was a jungle of fabrics. I hated sewing, but sort of learned how. I guess it all sort of comes back around’.

Since this line is aimed at a younger audience, did you bounce any ideas off of your daughter Coco? Is she into fashion?
‘She’s into fashion but on a very cool level, like wearing her old red Converse and my old T-shirts. She likes to shop at Urban but doesn’t want to look like everybody else. Which is kind of a cool thing about UO–it’s easy to blend their items into your own look’.

What else are you working on these days?
‘Sonic Youth is just finishing a new record which will be out in June, on Matador. I’m working on an art book for Rizzoli, and I have a booth at the Armory Art show in March’.

Is there anything else you’d like to mention?
‘I’m anxious to see the clothes’.

So are we!

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The eagerly anticipated collaboration between Spanish footwear label Camper and Bernhard Willhelm debuted on the catwalk for the designer’s Spring 09 collection. Camper Together fuses the references and inspirations from Willhelm latest collection with Campers’ quality production techniques. Most popular is sure to be Willhelms’ take on the gladiator, with sandals constructed of ribbons and piping.

London fashion collective Noi Wear are knocking out some seriously cool garments at the moment, with each range based on a tantalizingly bohemian theme. Check out their online promotion for the Carnival of Fear line, mixing performance arts with straight up fashion. Very tempting to the eyes.
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Goodone is a UK-based sustainable fashion label who design and produce innovative, one-off clothing made from hand-picked, locally-sourced, recycled fabrics.

Aside from creating startlingly original looking hoodies and tees, fashion label Carrot Clothing also has an interesting story to tell. The label was founded in Serbia, where the owner, Alex, ‘in an effort to uplift lagging spirits and voice personal concerns about freedom, began printing t-shirts featuring unmuted anti-war messages for family and friends’. This landed him in jail and at the mercy of unforgiving local authorities for spreading allegedly ‘terrorist’ policies. Since then, he has ‘joined forces with skateboarders, street artists, and other creative minds to establish Carrot Clothing, a brand whose essence is based upon the family-like relationships between global art, skate, and street communities’.

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One Last Ounce is an experimental project exploring surreal imagery on an abstract cut. Says designer Jake Jelicich on his creative rationale: ‘I wanted to make thin, unique, comfortable tees that flowed and moved with the night. And I wanted the art to be dark, but sarcastic, mystical and inspiring, all in the same glance. These shirts are about long nights with good friends, being spontaneous, and letting the street lights guide you home’.

My friend, illustrator Ai Tatebayashi, is known for her lovely color schemes and she forwarded me the link to this beautiful handknit accessory store from Istanbul. With Etsy, we can now purchase talented designer’s work from all over the world. And I couldn’t resist, I bought a necklace-scarf and cannot wait until it comes to my door!

From this artist selection of t-shirts comes this Michael Gillette illustrated t-shirt, limited edition and distributed in a vinyl sleeve, with a biography of the artist on the back of the sleeve. Each tee is numbered and signed by the artist, and comes in organic cotton.

From this artist selection of t-shirts comes this Christina Koustospirou illustration, silkscreened on a limited edition t-shirt, and distributed in a vinyl sleeve, with a biography of the artist on the back of the sleeve. Every t-shirt is numbered and signed by the artist, and comes in organic cotton.

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When I first stumbled upon local label, MUSE by Good Mixer, in Bangkok, I knew I’d found something special. In an industry plagued by copycat designers struggling to find their own identity, you’ve got to admire the ones who have carved an original signature style. By taking unlikely inspiration from American football and mixing it with Eastern influences, the latest collection by designer Chaichon Savantrat plays masculine sportswear against exotic evening wear. Teaming structured shoulder silhouettes with free flowing fabrics, Savantrat uses a palette of black, white and red to showcase intricate embroidery. And with pieces for both men and women, he’s got both teams covered.

From this artist selection of t-shirts comes this Mydeadpony illustrated t-shirt, silkscreened on a limited edition tee, and distributed in a vinyl sleeve, with a biography of the artist on the back of the sleeve. Every t-shirt is numbered and signed by the artist, and comes in organic cotton.

I am one of those typical New Yorkers who only wears black in winter. But this winter is different. With the economic crisis, and all the rest of the bad news, I have to fight the darkness in the world by wearing colors, and lots of them. Spanish designer Sybilla is known for her original designs and unique color schemes, but she is virtually unknown outside of her mother country and Japan, where she is super popular. Her younger brand Jocomomola is perfect for this gloomy winter.

AJ Dimarucot is a Manila-based designer specializing in t-shirt graphics. His work is electric, bursting with colour and momentum, like something you’d see in the Big Bang section at the Museum of Natural History. Or something like that.

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New York-based eco-line Loomstate create the coolest tees made of organic cotton. Each printed t-shirt not only celebrates nature but is stylishly crafted, with contrasting stitching coupled with signature twisted side seams for a sleek fit. My favourite is the Seabra design [pictured below]. And, boys, don’t fret because Loomstate cater for males, too.

I received a Kobe Beefcake t-shirt today and I’m already in meat-lover’s heaven. Who’d have thought all those funky shapes are actually cuts of meat? This new label from Kobe Japan is an insider’s (and meat-lover’s) treasure.

For an industry that spends so much time fratenising with musicians, few designers ever admit to being primarily influenced by the music industry itself. Electronic Poet are an exception.

Made up of fashion industry extraordinaire Asim Khan (Excuse My French and Kounterfeit) and legendary music promoter Steve Banks (Asylum and Technique). Electronic Poet is a label that rips all the culture out of the gritty Leeds late night, electronic ethic and stitches it into your brand new clothes. You won’t have to look far to find a good hoody here, with slim fits, quilted fabrics and hoods which don’t make your head look tiny, or misshapen. All this is based on a palette of monochrome and navy and reflects the British fashion vibe at it’s very best. Following on the trail of the MTWTFSS line, there will be surely be plenty of antiheroes traversing the city backstreets, confusing other generations with their stylishly skinny cut rebellion.