This month’s favorite brands come with an edge, a snarl and a decidedly dissident attitude. Their rock ‘n’ roll style and independent spirit feel perfectly now, at a time when we’re all feeling a bit rebellious.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Style- Our 3 Favorite Brands This Month
Pam & Gela
My love for these true, original girl bosses runs deep. Pamela Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash-Taylor are the serial entrepreneurs and fashion innovators that grew Juicy Coture into a mega empire, sold the company, and went on to create yet another bad ass brand, Pam & Gela. Their graphics are spot on (I’m working on a collection of their Frankie t’s), their Instagram is epic and they continue to develop an enviable Cali style that I adore. If you haven’t read their book, The Glitter Plan, check out my recap and then get your hands on a copy, pronto, for a fascinating and honest look inside the making of a massive brand.
Steve Aoki
Truth be told, I would never call myself a big EDM fan. I have a handful of songs, including a few of Steve Aoki’s, on my ancient iPod that I run with. My true admiration for Aoki has as much to do with his music as his overall, artistically advanced brand. Aoki’s life story and creative journey is captured beautifully in the recently released Netflix documentary, I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead. Spend two hours and be in awe of his work ethic, continual innovation and dedication to family (he’s the son of Benihana founder, Rocky Aoki). Oh, and there’s plenty of people that “get caked’ too.
Manic Panic
Tish and Snooky Bellomo single handedly invented punk rock retail with their mid-1970’s St. Mark’s Place NYC hole in the wall boutique, Manic Panic. They’ve blazed trails for decades, but truly made a name for themselves with their Manic Panic semi-permanent hair dyes that come in every color imaginable. In the early 1990’s I had a bathroom full of the little black-capped jars in the indigo, violet and neon red colors I alternated between for years. The sisters managed to created a global beauty brand out of the Manic Panic name and continue to push forward from their Queens headquarters. This great article on Atlas Obscura gives you a behind the scenes look at the perils of running a punk rock brand.
Photo Credits (in order): Pam & Gela, Steve Aoki, Manic Panic
