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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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’.

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.

Threads or Dead is a new Australian-based online clothing store, based in Perth, and selling streetwear and contemporary fashion for both guys and girls. Says site founder Justin Greenwood: ‘As well as stocking some of the more well known brands, we also import a lot of labels exclusively from America, and produce a small range of our own clothing. We want to sell clothing that is unique and often has a story behind it. We don’t want to sell clothing that is available in your average High Street store’.

‘We are collaborating with up-and-coming illustrators and designers to produce our own range of clothing. The first designs, are t-shirts. The first by Paris and Tokyo based illustrator J*WLS, and the second by Venezuelan born, New York based designer Yker Moreno. The t-shirts are limited to only 50 units each, and every tee has a unique handwritten number on the rear, just like you would see on an art print’.

NEOSYDNEY+NEOTOKYO is a photographic exhibition of street pop photography and images of the everyday, portraying a narrative of the life and heart of two city hubs. Inspired by Tokyo’s alluring city lights, Japanese pop culture and the influences of the hip Japanese photographer Hiromix, the dark space is embellished with neon lights and light boxes featuring snapshots of Sydney and Tokyo. The exhibition at Sydney’s Japan Foundation Gallery is free and runs until June 25th.

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Once upon a time there was a real connoisseur of jeans, Hidehiko Yamane, as expert and demanding as only certain Japanese ‘otaku’ can be. He passionately searched for the best products to import from anywhere in the world. He soon realized that quality denim, the original, was impossible to find on the market. Then, during one of his trips looking for vintage pieces, he came across a 1950s American loom capable of weaving forty metres of a ‘selvedge’ denim a day. Yamane had an idea: why not make exceptional jeans for connoisseurs like himself? So the Evisu adventure began. In 1988 Yamane — who calls himself a tailor, not a designer of jeans – created a cult product. Today the little Osaka trademark has become famous all over the world, with 400 shops besides more than 50 in Japan. Evisu continues to expand with its newest additions including ‘Evisu Shoos’, ‘Evisu European Edition’ and ‘Kizzu’.

Diva Pittala is the designer of edgy and glamorous fashion label, Pleasure Principle. Silk tied in knots on the back of baggy dresses might be their trademark, but this spring’s collection goes much further. Pittala collaborated with artist Bozidar Brazda to create a one day installation called C.R.E.E.P. This 3-D exhibition showed work that might not necessarily fall into the fashion category, including a sculpture of the Cult leader, which was represented by a hooded garment with a mohawk attached.

Born and raised in New York, the boys of Pegleg have been designing their collection out of their downtown apartment since their freshman year of college. Their designs are innovative and casual, with hats, tees, pants, and sweatshirts.

The t-shirt range of Lollipop Loretta is essentially a bright and bubbly collection of wearable art. There are only two of each shirt in each size and the illustrative monster characters are printed on quality American Apparel shirts. Fun!

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We love the range of prints created by graphic-tee fashion label, the-affair. Each limited edition print is produced on beautifully soft American Apparel t-shirts, which is why we’re stocking a selection of their t-shirts in the Lost At E Minor online store.

Anytime you find Houndstooth and Hoody in the same sentence you know it will be a good day. Well, today has been a great day and New Dandyism, the lovechild of a conglomate of lusty designers — Sons by Obedient Sons, wood wood and Call of the Wild — is the reason. It’s a surprisingly coherent and articulate project for one cooked up in a kitchen filled with chefs. In their own right, all of these designers have an illustrated vision, but together it is a pleasure and a joy to find such a clear and defined voice in making great clothes together. Their design is so clean, so effortless and so modern; when they say ‘Dress Like You Mean It’ they’re not kidding. They’re the sort of clothes that require a heavy hand on the iron, but unlike traditional dandyism this is bricolage and would both make or compliment any style, any form and any situation you put them in to.

Boxfresh is a British streetwear company notable for its emphasis on DIY fashion. Their Boxfresh vs Series, a collection of collaborations ranging from straight fashion into the bicycle arena, has just launched their latest battle — between Boxfresh and Pete Fowler, of Super Furry Animals artwork fame. The collection is a predictable if not workable meeting of the minds. As much as Fowler’s bright, anthropomorphism style compliments the Boxfresh fringe aesthetic, it’s not like anyone is surprised. The hoodies and cardigans are a savvy and signature addition to any wardrobe, but overall this is just another line of predictable strongly coloured, slightly ill fitting street wear.

Monika Tywanek and Ingrid Verner are the Melbourne-based designers behind T-V’s boutique label. Their clothes are laidback and casual, but still excite you enough to encourage you get out of bed on Sunday night and head to the disco with your rollerskates hanging over your left shoulder. They are just so hip. T-V’s cutting edge and playful designs are based around the use of natural materials.

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Producing only 100 limited edition pieces of each style, Melbourne’s Who Am Eye are a burgeoning cult label. The short shorts and oversized tees of their ranges draw inspiration from ‘a life of late nights, loud music, pretty girls, city skylines and hanging out with mates when the bright lights are sleeping’. Sounds like a rather fun way to breeze through life. So enjoyable in fact that it’s no wonder this ‘gutter glam’ blend of fashion and lifestyle is catching on fast.