NYLON Magazine & Chi Flo: Keepin' It Real Relevant.
I remember reading NYLON Magazine as a teenager in high school, feeling very "in-the-know" whilst holding such an exquisite book filled with underground fashion & music knowledge. I mean I really felt that way...because that's what NYLON was. It still has that exclusive feel today, even with its major rise in popularity & mainstream culture. That's keeping it real as well as keeping it relevant. Keepin' it real relevant.
Fast forward to 2014 and picture me in New Jersey jam-packing my Honda Civic Coupe with 3 hand-painted mannequins, squeezing them alongside a 6 foot table,a 60 lb trunk of shirts and jackets, and a couple of clothing racks so that I'd be able to set up and vend at the Brooklyn Night Bazaar (now known as Riis Park Beach Bazaar). So, yeah, I managed...it was easy since I was working off of pure adrenaline; I was selling Chi Flo in Brooklyn for the first time and I was pretty stoked.
It was cool and all, but the best part was when I just happened to Google my brand name about a week later and Chi Flo showed up in a NYLON Blog Post, stating that the BK Bazaar, an event which housed Macaulay Culkin's then band, The Pizza Underground, as well as "the rad brand Chi Flo" was something fun to do in New York during the weekends.
So, you know how people are always saying "I continue to try, I continue to show up to events and such because you never know who you'll meet or run into"? Well, a NYLON blogger choosing to type the words 'Chi Flo' in her post, even though there were hundreds of other awesome (and many more aesthetically pleasing/advanced) brands, artists, and things going on during my time at the Bazzaar, made this one of those 'you never know' cases. And obviously, this story stuck with little ol' me in a big ol' way.
I remember trying to contact NYLON / The NYLON Shop afterward but I hadn't heard back and I now know why, in hindsight. The brand wasn't ready. So, I'll cut to the chase:
February 2016, I receive an email with the subject: "CHI FLO x NYLON Shop" :
Fast forward to 2014 and picture me in New Jersey jam-packing my Honda Civic Coupe with 3 hand-painted mannequins, squeezing them alongside a 6 foot table,a 60 lb trunk of shirts and jackets, and a couple of clothing racks so that I'd be able to set up and vend at the Brooklyn Night Bazaar (now known as Riis Park Beach Bazaar). So, yeah, I managed...it was easy since I was working off of pure adrenaline; I was selling Chi Flo in Brooklyn for the first time and I was pretty stoked.
It was cool and all, but the best part was when I just happened to Google my brand name about a week later and Chi Flo showed up in a NYLON Blog Post, stating that the BK Bazaar, an event which housed Macaulay Culkin's then band, The Pizza Underground, as well as "the rad brand Chi Flo" was something fun to do in New York during the weekends.
So, you know how people are always saying "I continue to try, I continue to show up to events and such because you never know who you'll meet or run into"? Well, a NYLON blogger choosing to type the words 'Chi Flo' in her post, even though there were hundreds of other awesome (and many more aesthetically pleasing/advanced) brands, artists, and things going on during my time at the Bazzaar, made this one of those 'you never know' cases. And obviously, this story stuck with little ol' me in a big ol' way.
I remember trying to contact NYLON / The NYLON Shop afterward but I hadn't heard back and I now know why, in hindsight. The brand wasn't ready. So, I'll cut to the chase:
February 2016, I receive an email with the subject: "CHI FLO x NYLON Shop" :
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^ 1 day after a big client of mine dropped our contract (graphic design). When I read this, I felt my expression. If only you could've seen my face...
About a month's worth of plugging & selling lots of Livin Fast & Not Dead Yet Bombers from NYLON's site, something even cooler happened: editorial.
Chi Flo is now not only being sold at NYLON Shop but the Not Dead Yet bomber (a collaboration with my good friend Georgia Grey of Bang Bang Tattoos) is INSIDE OF NYLON MAGAZINE, worn by Taylor Lashae! The page parallel to the photo has the brand name typed in all of it's glory "jacket, chi flo, $75". Ah. Those words. So delicately stated. I die.
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NYLON Magazine, June/July 2016 Issue; Page 166.
yaaas.
So, there we have it. Chi Flo's first publication in a fashion magazine, and not just any fashion mag - NYLON. As an independent brand, I have my good and bad days. But the adrenaline rush of the occurrences happening via NYLON opens my eyes and heart to bigger dreams. They may not even know this at their headquarters, but what they're doing aside from inspiring girls all over the place, is making dreams come true. And anyone who knows Chi Flo knows the real fuel behind this brand is dreams and how to make them come true via good energy.
Anyway - this was my first long post in almost a year. My great friend & amazing hip hop DJ, DJ Rogue (you'll be seeing a post about her & what she's doing in Brooklyn later on) read an old blog post of mine not too long ago and enjoyed it enough to encourage me to continue writing about all these cool things that go on with Chi Flo. So, thanks bae.
All in all - - whatever it is that creates the energy in Chi Flo is always with me. Chi Flo is my rock and my good friend as well as my happy place. Whenever something in my regular life goes wrong, you can bet Chi Flo is there with good news, in some form, poking at my shoulder saying "hey, don't forget about the things that care about you back".
There is SO much more to do. So much to learn. For now, it's back to the drawing board.
chi flo