comments, reblogs & likes
comments, reblogs & likes
Inspirationale: Jesse Kamm Meets Her Muse
The first day of spring is just under a month away—time to refresh, reinvent…or, you know, maybe just re-paint the living room and buy some new sandals. Whatever your modus operandi, a little motivation never hurt, so we’re asking some of our awesome designers to share what’s inspiring them right now. First up: artist-cum-designer Jesse Kamm, who is a big fan of not trying too hard, as her line, choc-full of easy, effortless pieces, proves. —keely thomas-menter
“I met Debbie Harry backstage at a show. She is still insanely beautiful. She pumps me up. She is one of those women, who has “IT.” It isn’t contrived. A stylist did not make her that way—she just is. That is the thing that inspires me most about a person—an originality, an effortlessness. There are few true icons that I think I would go gaga over. But give “Rapture” a listen—you will be driven to love!” —jesse kamm
comments, reblogs & likes
Of a Kind
How much does this Jesse Kamm tote kill it on the simple-yet-stunning front? Big win. —erica
comments, reblogs & likes
comments, reblogs & likes
In Tune: Jesse Kamm
In honor of fashion week and all the new-collections brouhaha, we’ve asked Of a Kind designers to share the songs that found their way into their spring 2013 designs. Oh, and: These music picks come with sneak peeks of said collections. Keep up with “In Tune” posts here.
“Listened to HAIM’s ‘Forever’ all summer long—it is the best music being made right now, in my humble opinion! Katrina Dickson and I photographed the girls in this band for my fall collection, and I fell hard. And about my upcoming spring/summer collection: Think vacation all day, everyday.” —jesse kamm
comments, reblogs & likes
Mother Lode: How Jesse Kamm Preps Her Son for Panamanian Rainstorms
Of all of the downright trying things about having a kid, traveling has got to be at the top of the list—strollers through airport security, diaper changes in plane bathrooms, etc., etc. But that hardly stops Jesse Kamm for packing up her little boy and all his gear for regular trips to their home in Punta Carenero, an island in Panama. In honor of Mother’s Day, we asked her to share one thing she never continent-hops without.
“I love Kamik kid’s rain boots. There are made in in Canada, and Julien goes through a pair every four to six months. He is breaking in a new pair, in preparation for his summer in the rainforest. Stomping in puddles—and keeping fire ants off of your feet—are key to happy days.” —jesse
comments, reblogs & likes
Of a Kind
We had a pretty rockin’ 2011, and I have a distinct feeling that 2012 is going to be EVEN BETTER. To celebrate the year to end all years (heh), we put together a sweet little calendar—designed by Anna Akawie using a fantastic Jesse Kamm print that also graces this here sweatshirt. Download it here, hang it in your cube or on your fridge, and think of us fondly. —erica
comments, reblogs & likes
Of a Kind
There is a time when we would have turned up our noses at a crewneck sweatshirt. But I like to think that even during that hoodie-obsessed era we would have been able to appreciate the wonder that is this Jesse Kamm design. The cut is slim, the print is graphic (and navy!), and the cotton is organic. Basically, there’s nothing not to love. —erica
Read more about Jesse:
comments, reblogs & likes
Jesse Kamm Takes Us to Panama
The designer runs a sustainable real estate project with her husband—and plays architect.
When Jesse Kamm and her husband Lucas Brower visited Bocas Del Toro, Panama, several years back, they instantly fell in love with the place. So they rounded up their friends and family and collectively bought a 45-acre plot of land on Punta Carenero, a small island (see above) mere minutes from the mainland. Since then, the couple has launched a full-fledged sustainable real estate site, where Jesse gets to design houses that Lucas develops. The first undertaking—constructing their own home from scratch—is wrapping up any day now. Here, Jesse talks all things Panama—including the 20 second-home-inspired sweatshirts she created for us. —jiayi ying
Scoop up one of the navy-and-white sweatshirts Jesse made just for us. They’re perfect for chilly island nights and freezing city days.
On making the trip
“We go down there a few weeks during Christmastime, and then a couple of months in the summer. It’s a huge part of who we are. It’s a great place to go and get centered—whenever I’m there, I get a lot done with textile designs.”
Jesse (far left) lending a hand to the initial construction in 2008.
On building their house
“I designed the house, and Luke engineered it. He and three guys literally built this thing by reading books and just figuring out how to do it along the way—they hadn’t done anything like it before. It’s kind of like creating clothes. You map out a plan, figure out how well you can make it, and you build it.”
The almost-finished house.
On getting inspired
“When we were down there for six weeks in 2006, I just drew beetles and plants the entire time. When I came home, I incorporated all of the illustrations into the textile design I was working on. As a result, my very early designs from spring 2007 were called the Panama Collection.”
The flower that made it onto a textile.
On what this has to do with our rad sweatshirt
“The rectangle composition print on the sweatshirt for Of a Kind stands for upward and forward motion. And the idea for a sweatshirt in general was inspired by these images of fifties surfer dudes—the same culture that brought us to Panama. They wore simple cotton twill pants, rolled-up, and military-grade sweatshirts, and they just looked really clean, simple, and cool. And I wanted to bring that back.”
