A little over a week ago I was walking by a garage that I walk by often and the doors were open. Sometimes when I walk past I hear music or people talking, but that day there were lots of things to see. I love a good yard sale, but it didn't seem like that's what it was. It seemed more like a party but they also had clothing hanging on racks, and I didn't know if it was just a group of friends having fun or if it was a store or maybe something that was a little bit of both. When I lived in Soho in Manhattan, there was a place near my apartment that was called The Scrap Yard. A few years ago a Graffiti Artist I know who I'm a great fan of told me that he buys his spray paint there. This place reminded me a little bit of the way I used to feel when I walked by The Scrap Yard, and I wondered if maybe it was something like that.
The day I walked by when the garage doors were open, I was on my way somewhere, and when I was on my way walking by again one of the very cheerful and friendly young men sitting outside called out and asked me if I liked cool stuff. I answered that I did and he invited me to see what they were doing and let him know if I thought it was cool. Of course it was, and I told him so, and then as we talked I started to realize that they were making the clothing. When I realized these talented young men were creating all the clothing themselves I asked if I could take photographs to post on Instagram and told them I planned to write a blog post. The designs I saw that day were a combination of vintage and repurposed pants and jeans and t-shirts and flannels that had the word "DERTY" printed on them with a hot press that was inside the garage, and there were a few pieces that were designed with patches that spelled the same name. I grew up patching my jeans, and one of the pairs hanging near the entry was a pair of vintage button fly Levi's, a style and brand that has always been my favorite. Seeing them brought me back in time and reminded me of all the years when I wore my jeans everywhere and patched them until they couldn't be patched any more.
Although I know many Artists and Designers and have worked with some wonderful ones over the years, I'm still always happily surprised to see that there are people doing new things that I haven't quite seen before. It's always a pleasure to meet and be inspired by someone whose work is new and fresh, and there was something about these young men and this garage that felt both reminiscent of my past and also something entirely new. I was reminded of when I hung out in garages in my high school garage band, the years that I lived in Soho near The Scrap Yard, vintage shops I've loved, Graffiti Artists and other Designers and Artists I admire who have painted and printed on vintage pieces and repurposed clothing, and yet there was something that was new and unique in the pieces and in the way the name DERTY was printed. This collective of Artists is creating something that is new and completely their own, and the feeling around that garage is part of the world they are designing.
There are messages inside the clothing, too, and on their Instagram page, about reusing and recycling to save the planet and that they're DERTY BUT CLEAN. There's also the tag line "Born In The Wrong Era," and though they may think so, I think they were born right on time. The world needs their vision now, more than ever, something that will wake us up to living our lives to the fullest and help us discover how to be comfortable enough to be our own unique and beautiful selves. We need a vision like this that reminds us that the world we live in is a precious place and every person in it has a unique and beautiful part to play in creating a present and a future that starts right here and now.
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