Streetwear Spotlight: Dealer of The Purple Cloth + GIVEAWAY!

Article written by: Asmara Wreksono
Posted on: January 28, 2010

Whenever we come across the name “Dealer of The Purple Cloth” or simply “Purple Cloth”, the strong woman behind the brand, Lydia, comes to mind.  A regular to trade shows, Lydia caught up with SoJones last year at MAGIC in Las Vegas, and she showed off some really cool stuff from their Spring/Summer 2010, only for you, SoJones ladies.  And this Friday, you can actually taste the Purple Cloth swagger by entering the SoJones X Purple Cloth Giveaway Contest!

DEALERS OF THE PURPLE CLOTH GIVEAWAY

We’ve got ONE Dealers of The Purple Cloth’s Thermal Henley with Kangaroo Pockets to give away via a “SoJones Forum Comments Lottery”. Here’s how it works:

Every SoJones comment post on THIS page dated from January 29th to February 5th, 2010 on this page counts as a “lottery entry”.
Drawing for ONE WINNER from here will be held on February 6th.

Comments Lottery Rules

One item per winner
Duplicate comments will not count, like posting “I love this forum” or “hi” 50 times.
Garbage or nonsensical comments will not count, like “awr#$ASFasdfkl”
Comments hating on other people will definitely NOT count.
U.S. residents only

And here’s what you can win, Ladies!

Lovely? You bet!

SoJones.com also had the rare chance to talk to the beautiful Lydia Nam about Dealers of The Purple Cloth.  Check out the interview:

Introduce yourself and describe how your brand was started?
My name is Lydia Nam and I’m the Creative Director and Founder of Dealers of the Purple Cloth. I’ve always been into fashion, both couture and street, and in ’07 I realized that even though the men’s streetwear scene was booming, there weren’t many brands for women that I would wear myself. So even though I didn’t goto school for fashion or have any experience working in the industry, I knew that I had great ideas and big dreams, so I went for it and started the line in the summer of ’07. My concept in the beginning was pretty much the same as it is today, which is to make clothes that bridge the gap between couture fashion and streetwear. Our aesthetic has really evolved since we first launched, we definitely have more of a contemporary feel now as we’re trying to separate ourselves from the hoody and graphic tee movement and focus on cut-and-sew. Our goal is to bring the quality of construction and fabrics that we see in contemporary fashion while maintaining the edge, rawness and substance of streetwear.

Describe this season’s theme for your line. Include any sources of inspiration (examples: 80′s punk, muses like Amber Rose, 70′s disco bands, Kanye, etc)
The inspiration for our Spring/Summer ’10 collection is love. I believe in the laws of attraction, and if you want to attract love into your life, you need to project love to the world. So we titled the collection “Summer of Love” and created designs that make you reminisce about your first love, your high school sweetheart, that once-in-a-lifetime summer love you experienced while vacationing in some exciting place. I think that if we hold onto these positive ideas, rather than focusing on the things that complicate love for us as we move on through life, that we’ll be ready to receive it when it’s in front us. So definitely look out for vibrant fluorescent, 80’s-meets-90’s colorways, super-original detailing like hearts that are made out of bent and open zippers (a must-see in person), and graphics of couples in love. There’s a really flirty, girly-feel to this collection, but it’s still edgy because we incorporate metallic trims and hardware like over-sized zippers. We try to bring together both elements – toughness and femininity – throughout the collection.

What has been a surprise fashion hit over the last year? (a particular piece, a look or even another brand)
I’d have to say the men’s skirt or kilt. H&M released one for their Spring/Summer ’10 collection so even though it’s not something that I’d like my man to wear, it must be catching on with other people. Another surprise hit is body suits. They’re something that you’d probably only imagine would be worn under your clothes, but they’re now being worn as outfits themselves. It’s really a hit-or-miss and very few people can pull it off, but celebrities like Lady Gaga, Beyonce and Amber Rose are definitely popularizing the look.

What current fashion trend would you like to see thrown overboard?
Tattoo-inspired clothing which is purchased by people who have money but no fashion sense. The same goes for those purchase mass-produced dresses made by stores like Marciano. Every girl ends up looking alike. There’s nothing cute about going to a club and then seeing 2 girls in the exact same dress. And celebrities doing the red carpet in Herve Leger dresses and Louboutins… I’d like to see more creativity in their attire, they all end up looking the same.

What is/was one of your most prized fashion pieces, past or present?
Hmm… this is a tough one. I guess I’d have to say my watch collection. I’m a big fan of watches – I currently own a Rolex Daytona, Ladies Date-Just, Cartier Roadster and Santos 100. The next one I’m eyeing is the 42mm Cartier Ballon Bleu. It has a vintage feel to it and is very symbolic of the classic, timelessness of the Cartier brand.

TuPac or Biggie?
This is another tough one. TuPac’s music is very emotional and inspiring, but Biggie’s lyrics are so witty and I’m from the East Coast. We’ve actually tweaked some of Biggie’s lyrics like “way back when I had the red and black lumberjack” and “girls pee pee when they see me” and incorporated them into our designs. So I guess to answer your question, I’d have to say both!