Aram Bedrossian’s afternoon at pal Nicole Trunfio’s Gramercy pad
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FEATURED CONTRIBUTIONS:
SARAH ELLISON LEWIS TODD WILLIAMS
SAMANTHA WEST ARAM BEDROSSIAN
(ISSUED) SEAN LOPANO
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DIRECTOR:
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
SARAH ELLISON LEWIS, CREATIVE DIRECTOR I started BOOTLEGNewsprint as a fun stylist project and extension of my quirky shoe trailer, BOOTLEGAustin. Who cares about shoes in an Airstream trailer, in Austin, Texas? As it turns out, a LOT of people. We had over 100 press hits in six months, and we were profitable almost two years earlier than projected. I am not going to end up an old lady in a shoe trailer, so I have been working on a digital concept that a lot of smart people think will make millions of good people very happy. That will be revealed completely in February of 2013. It’s called BOOTLEGMARKET. com, so eyes peeled. As of now, we are doing a private launch for select tastemakers, you can email me for a code if you think you are one of our foundation girls. In summary, it’s a peer-to-peer buy-sell-rent-tradenews shoe marketplace, the place to go for shoes. It’s beyond my wildest imagination and it’s making me happier than I could ever express. My first issue was about my first shoe buying shows in Paris, and the images I shot there, and the inspiration for the company, BOOTLEG. It’s a word most people associate with liquor during prohibition, and currently, albums. I have always loved words, and this word in particular. I wanted my company to be named after a Texas town, so the brand was built from this little idea of a BOOTLEG school, in the middle of Texas. There’s
an obvious play on words here, but more importantly, I wanted my shoe store to be a completely shocking place to walk into. As if you’d have to go through some dodgy corridors to get to the loot. So, I put it in a 30’ Airstream trailer, barely marked on the outside. And I lined it with custom wood and old photograph prints. And I filled it with shoes from all over the world. And I sat there and waited for people to tell me about the shoes they love and need. I worked hard and kept my toes crossed, that the business would actually stick. I reflected a lot on faith those first six months of waiting and working. The second six months, however, it rained. This issue is about gratitude. I think gratitude naturally follows faith, because when I have conceded to faith, great things have happened. Some days I feel as if I am watching my life from afar. As if I broke a levy, as if I believed all along it would happen, but somehow, it was impossible to trust. Just like in love, when you almost stop believing, and when the right one comes along, you beat it into pieces, thinking maybe it’s a farce or mirage. For some, it takes a lot of proof to see things come alive. And the same is for love. Holding it too high in the air is not really fair…it’s living, breathing. We can attain it, it can become us, in some many forms. We just have to make it part of our thinking, not our fears.
Gratitude…you think you know what it means. From Wiki: Gratitude, thankfulness, gratefulness, or appreciation is a feeling, emotion or attitude in acknowledgment of a benefit that one has received or will receive. So my days are insane now, full of piles of crazy details and gratitude. Instead of going on about this journey anymore, I simply am going to talk about the incredible people who have come into my life and made BOOTLEG a dream come true. In short, I am humbled in gratitude more than a few times a day. And I think with them, we are going to change the landscape of the fashion and e-commerce markets, all the while making you very happy. Meredith Ballentine came into my store, adorned in quite a clever ensemble, and gabbing on about the trauma in her day, as many of my visitors do. I loved her passion, her energy level, and that she had been almost broken by a job she was stuck in. I hired her a month later. She is smart, restless, a slayer, fashionable, hungry, happy, supportive, and adjusts to my every bend and move. When I hear people talk about the reasons they succeed, it usually involves others. Meredith is my rock and very often, the reason the wheels can turn, as she is the spokes. Thank you, Merdy. @m_ballentine Steve Waters is a founding partner of BOOTLEGMARKET. The chief strategic officer of a venture accelerator company in Austin, Pittsburgh and D.C., he’s not only one of the smartest people I have ever known, he is also one of the funniest. More importantly, our values are “aligned” as he would say. He speaks for me to investors, better than I ever could. He speaks about me to collaborators, reflecting my gifts in a way that exceeds creativity and emotion. He speaks to me about every worry. I’m still a bit shocked I am lucky enough to have THINKTIV as my founding team, and am waiting for the other shoe to drop, as my mom would say. From Wiki: A common experience of tenement living and other similar style housing in New York City (and other cities) during the manufacturing boom of the late 19th
Image by Justin Skinner
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and early 20th century. Apartments were built similar in design with one’s bedroom under another’s. Thus, it was normal to hear a neighbor removing shoes and hearing them hit the floor above. As one shoe made a sound hitting the floor, the expectation for the other shoe to make a similar sound was created. @thinktiv My friend Brian Simpson brought me to THINKTIV, as he was hired on as their design dynamo. There are a lot of stories to tell about him. One being that he was the design director for Rupert Murdoch’s tablet baby, TheDaily.com. And while he is from Florida and could work wherever the hell he wanted, he chooses Austin. We share faith and design standards, which is a rare combination. Most importantly to me, outside of trusting someone to apply nerd speak and actions to aesthetics, he has an energy I admire, very steady and kind. @briandidit Fanny Bourdette-Donon is a FrenchRwandan beauty I have been lucky enough to have as my New York and Paris directors. She is as graceful as grace gets, all the while smoking a cigarette and ignoring my gossip so she can proceed to problem solving. My admiration for her exceeds my ability to express it, as I have always wanted to be the gorgeous French girl with tawny skin and an incredible smile, knowing everyone and loving them for their best. She has a passion for lifestyle and manners, and she fills in all these gaps (there are a lot), so that we can bend and move seamlessly in these two beautiful, crazy cities. I won’t list all her work genius here, as she is just one of those people entrenched and accredited. I could continue this diatribe of sap that might send you to a nap (Hey, I rhymed)…but instead I shall say Avoir!, as the images speak much louder than my voice, thankfully. In short, thanks. Sarah Ellison Lewis sel@bootlegmarket.com @bootlegmarket Founder & Chief Creative Officer, BOOTLEGMARKET Founder & Creative Director, BOOTLEGNewsprint Buyer & Owner, BOOTLEGAustin
Todd Williams Photographer www.toddwilliamsusa.com
A Midwesterner, heart and soul, Todd is at his best when he is making art connecting to the earth. He is constantly experimenting on the human form and its interactions with nature. From the pure – Indians in their native forms – to the modern – the way a wheel hits the earth as it moves, to the way an
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Samantha West Photographer www.samanathawest.net
Samantha West is a native New Yorker with an ancient soul. Her presence is commanding yet her aesthetic is layered – she is sensual, tactile, feminine, and exploratory. We adore her portraits, often
engine makes snow fly into sheets, he is capturing these beautiful, unique moments. He is the purveyor of form following function, and how that can and should be expressed to both consumers and critics. While it takes a very special eye and passion to see and capture these moments, it takes incredible technical skills to do it perfectly. This combination is rare in any industry, and most treasured for us, making imagery. We love Todd’s sense of humor and
pg. 46 sense of adventure. What we love even more is, his kind nature, seen often in a candids and heard in his anecdotes. In short, he’s the kind of guy you want to hang out with. His clients include Polaris Industries, Victory Motorcycles, Nike, American Hardcore Choppers, and American Snowmobile.
pg. 62 an experiment in textures and mood. She is inspired by a curious combination of vintage nudes, birds, horses, and…barefoot cooking. Her work has been published around the world, including Vanity Fair Germany, New York magazine, Dossier, Jalouse, The New York Times, with clients Bess N YC and Osklen. For the Newsprint she
expanded upon her worship of the body with masculine juxtapositions of product. We love that she is taken by the femme form, and its beautiful truths. Like most great fine artists of younger generations, she is redefining what classic means, in this case, portraiture, as she creates a new kind of window to the soul.
BEDROSSIAN
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Aram Bedrossian Photographer ww.adambedrossian.com
Sarah: “Tell me why you chose Nicole.” Aram: “Nicole’s like my big sister. She was the first big name to give me a shot. I’ll always love her for that.” S: “ And how were you trained?” A: “I’ve picked up some things along the way by being around it, but I’m effectively self-taught in all areas.”
S: “And where are you from?” A: “San Francisco, California”
S: “Why photography?” A: “I started shooting because I needed to make a living and I was good at it. I never actually wanted to be a photographer. I love it now.” S: “ Favorite subject?” A: “My favourite subject in a dream world would be Linda Evangelista in her prime. For me, she is the ULTIMATE SUPERMODEL.
LOPANO Sean Lopano Design Director www.lopano.com
It’s not often a graphics designer has their own Leica with a macro lens, or a boot collection. But that’s why we love Sean, in addition to his completely unrelenting fight for his vision, and amazing glasses. There’s nothing more fantastic than meeting in the middle, and everyone being the better for it. Thanks to Sean, we all grow. With a focus on design from the University of Texas, masters in branding from the
School of Visual Arts, and countless accolades and awards at not-even 30, he’s evermore inspiring. Also bounding between both coasts (Texas and New York) as needed, he cut his teeth at proper overheadbin usage and the proper boots to quickly pass through security. On Sundays, you can find him sunning, bathing or both.
And she is not really a client, but I absolutely love working with casting director Natalie Joos. She also gave me a shot before I had any work to prove my abilities... we’re close friends now.” S: “Favorite shoes?” A: “My favourite dress shoe is Louis Vuitton’s Runway Discover Derby brogue...rare. When I want to look super fly I wear my Neil Barrett Silver brogues...very rare.”
ALL photography (amazing photography). Pitting 1940’s German and French typefaces against one another always makes me smile.” “I have 31 pairs of boots in my collection, ranging from vintage English oxblood ranger boots, to Gucci equestrian, and many pairs of handmade Wesco engineering and logger boots. It’s been an obsession my entire life.”
“I love designing Bootleg, because I am able to work on the combination of my three favorite things: boots/ footwear, graphic design and
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PHOTOGRAPHERS & DESIGNER:
WILLIAMS
SARAH ELLISON LEWIS:
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MILAN As a girl my mother’s best friend would bring her matching shoes and handbags from the renowned craftsmen of Italy, back to our 3/2 brick home in piney woods, Texas… via their palatial modern home on Memorial Drive in Houston. If we were lucky, we would get to go to Sakowitz, what will remain in my mind as the greatest department store ever. But when those shoes arrived from Italy, I recall thinking I would die if I did not get to at least hold them. The same Milan remains to me today, seeing women on their lunch hour gliding in
five-inch pumps, often the most perfectly groomed women in the world. This was my third trip, and outside of focusing on the young women on the street, I needed a context for the culture. The Milan Cathedral “Duomo di Milano” is the cathedral church there. The gothic cathedral took almost six centuries to complete, breaking ground in 1386 and completed in 1965. All the city streets were built from it as the center point. It is the fourth largest cathedral in the world. We go to Europe and we tinker around these incredible pillars of history and time. And what sticks with us? I
am Catholic and am wholeheartedly humbled by the mysteries of it all. There are “sarcophagi” inside – multiple tombs. I sorta love that word. Most of the tombs are at eyeheight, amongst several hundred paintings the size of small homes just above. Hotel Straf, my home in Milan, was just a half block down, a perfect modern juxtaposition to the history and crowds. I had a remarkable meal at The Bvlgari Hotel resort restaurant just a ten minute walk away. Sarcophagi and shoes…and an amazing sommelier. The little things…
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At the Piazza del Duomo, (iPad snapping.)
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Coolest couple, on t he golden quad Via Montenapoleone, Via Sant ’Andrea, Via Monzani and Via Della Spiga.
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S tephen Jones, watch out. Alan Journo, Via Del Spiga
Shoppers at Piazza Duomo
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Catholic st udent s, Bergamo, Lombardy.
Friends on t he boat, L ake Como
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The dome of the Piazza Duomo
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We found another shoe truck! Bergamo, Lombardy
Chocolate pumps at la Rinascent e
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Cut t le fish at la Rinascent e (t iny canned calamari)
A Paris flea market
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Bergamo, Lombardy door, and local (one of the few cities t hat survived W W II most ly untouched.)
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Breakfast bar at Hotel S t raf. We loved t he canvas-glued walls and paper sacks rolled and full of grains and breads.
Borsalino is a hat company known part icularly for its fedoras. Established in 1857, Borsalino produces felt from Belgian rabbit fur at it s factory in Alessandria, I t aly. Giuseppe Borsalino visited I t aly and France t o learn t he hat trade, and set up the first art isan workshop for the product ion of felt hats. In 1986, the Borsalino factory moved t o its current location in t he suburbs of Alessandria. The University of Alessandria (as well as a museum dedicated to the history of the hat) occupy the former offices of the Borsalino company.
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An ad in Milan
Just in case you needed a reminder‌
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An ad at the Zurich, Switzerland airport. Outside of a Swiss search engine, we are unclear why t his guy is peering at us. Maybe a convict reference. The broken nose is particularly upset t ing, no?
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Celine, arguably our favorit e collect ion in t he world, Via Montenapoleone, Milan 19
Locals, taking a break.
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Lake Como, the t hird largest lake in I t aly, and 200 feet below sea level, is the home of many historical villas. It is shaped like a Y, and fed by the Adda River. Anakin Skywalker was married in one of the villas.
Via Montenapoleone, Milan
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Milanese man.
...and her entourage.
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Prada Rocket pumps, spring 2012 collect ion.
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Magnet s in t he Zurich airport.
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Ferry host, L ake Como.
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Piazza Duomo.
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Via Montenapoleone (crosswalk)
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Piazzo Duomo st atue exterior
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Dancing mannequin
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Kurt Geiger at la Rinascent e
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Testoni on via Montenapoleone
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TODD WILLIAMS:
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MIXED MEDIUMS Photographer Todd Williams www.toddwilliamsusa.com Represented by TR ACTION Artist Management www.tractionmanagement.com Model Zoey Benge Shot on location in Ludlow, Vermont “up on south hill at the Saloon” I have never thought I was worthy of being a photographer, likely because there is no job or art that I admire more. I do what I do, but I much prefer to work around as many photographers as I can, and leave the disappointment in myself to other subjects. I adore their processes, their motivations, their inspiration. I asked Todd about his for this shoot - I sent him to his Vermont cabin with two common pair, and I said, photograph them getting destroyed. I had no idea what to expect. I love that he put them on people, that he shot one subject about 40 different ways. I love
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that he went wild with the elements, fearless with the way the shoes were portrayed. I love that he went above and beyond without a pause. - Sarah Sarah: “Todd, what in general really revs your work engine?” Todd: “I try my best, just be inspired by the moment...what is happening around me at the time, the light, people... the feeling of the day. I for the most part am about the location, I never know what is going to play out with that particular enviroment, early mornings, long days and the evening sun...I truly love a location that I have never been to or scouted, and working with whatever comes of it, lighting, textures, capturing the moment as it unfolds...”
S: “When did you first start shooting?” T: “Started shooting in college, 1992, Bemidji State Univ. Moved to NYC in 1995 to become a C-Stand manager.” S: “Tell me about home, your hometown and the things you love about it.” T: “Home is a small little place in central Minnesota, St. Joseph. Town of about 1200 back in the day, but as things change and grow, we (now) have a Taco Bell! 5,500 people..I loved the fact that back in the day you could rip a dirt bike into town and get a gallon of gas for 80 cents... it was small-town, peaceful and simple, nature, lakes, freedom...”
S: “What has been the shoot that has changed you most as a person and an artist?” T: “My first shoot for Polaris Industries (Victory Motorcycles)... that’s when it was time to leave the trenches as a photo assistant, never looked back...”
S: “What’s the hardest part of working in this industry?” T: “Finding your way and then changing it to adapt to others...”
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S: “Who do you admire most and why?” T: “My grandpa (The Honorable Judge William Nierengarten), a hard-working SOB. Kept his cool always no matter what the situation or case...Treated all people with respect...” S: “What’s your favorite food, drink, vice, fear and entertainment?” T: “Food, don’t eat much...well depends on who is paying...I keep it simple, fresh is always best where ever it may come from... Drink, as of late tequila-soda with a lemon, white tequila...Vice, myself...Fear, my cameras and myself...Entertainment, my cameras and my friends...” S: “And favorite shoes?” T: ”as of late, John Varvatos signature CHUCK TAYLORS.”
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SAMANTHA WEST:
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Samantha West www.samanthawest.net Represented by TR ACTION Artist Management www.tractionmanagement.com Stylist Shibon Kennedy Make-up Claudia Lake at Contact NY Hair by Bridget Brager at The Wall Group Models Nastasia Ohl at Muse and Amanda Dougherty at Wilhelmina
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Sweat er: V by Verlaine Bracelet: Zoe Chicco Shoes: Rodebjer
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N astasia: Tank: st ylist ’s own Skirt : W ith & Wessel Shoe: Rodbjer N ecklace S tylist s’s own
Amanda: Bra: Calvin Klein Skirt : W ith & Wessel Bangles: Suzannah W ainhouse Shoes: L D Tut t le
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Amanda: Dress: Richard Chai Love N ecklace: Toki Rings: Suzannah Wainhouse Shoes: Barbara Briones
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N astasia: Bra: W ith & Wessel Skirt : Richard Chai Love Shoes: Barbara Briones
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Amanda: Bra: Chromat Skirt : Rodebjer Cuff: S t ylist ’s own Rings: Suzannah Wainhouse
N astasia: Top: Mara Hoffman N ecklaces: Wouters & Hendrix Pant : H&M 67
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Sweat er: W ith & Wessel Sweat er Cuff: F lut t er by Jill Golden Bracelet: Suzannah W ainhouse
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Swim: Chromat Skirt : Irina Marinescu N ecklace: Suzannah Wainhouse Bangles/Bracelets: Suzannah Wainhouse Shoes: Love Label
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Top: Richard Chai Love Leggings: Osklen Shoes: Barbara Briones N ecklace: Toki
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Sweat er: Rodebjer Shoes: Barbara Briones Rings: Suzannah W ainhouse
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Cardy: W ith & Wessel Blouse: V by Verlaine Shoes: Love Label Knickers: Hanes N ecklace: S t ylist ’s own Bracelets: Suzannah W ainhouse
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Dress: Irina Marinescu Harness: Vintage Helmut L ang Shoes: N icholas K Rings Suzannah Wainhouse
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Sweat er: Okslen Bodysuit : S t ylist ’s own N ecklace: Suzannah W ainhouse Shoes: Barbara Briones Bangles: S t ylist ’s own
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Sweat er: Rodebjer Bra: Chromat Shoes: N icholas K N ecklace and Rings: Suzannah Wainhouse
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ARAM BEDROSSIAN:
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(We listened…)
All clothing, model’s own
SAR AH: What does Fudgy stand for? NICOLE: “Its my nickname. One of many, Pickle, QuickNick, Nickovelli, and there’s one more my dad [Joe] reminded me of the other day I can’t remember. He’s a fitter mechanic, he builds drag cars. My mom [Kim] is a hairdresser, she’s cool, they’re still together. My mom is with my sister [Louise] a lot, my sister is pregnant, she’s 30. She’s a [pediatric] nurse. (Nicole also has two brothers, John and Ben.) S: “Who does your sister look like?” N: “She looks like Cher. “ S: “And who do you look like?” N: “I look like a retard.” S: “What do you guys have in common?” N: “We love each other. S: “What did y’all like to do as a girl?” N: “Ride dirt bikes and go-carts, skateboards, motor cross, hang out with the family, play music.”
S: “What part of Australia?” N: The Bush, Meridan. S: “I understand being from the middle of nowhere, my dad is a full cowboy. I showed cattle competitively as a girl.” N: “That’s why I want to move to Austin with my boy (musician Gary Clark, Jr.) and wear short shorts.” S: “I’m crazy about my dad too. Your dad sounds cool.” N: “Yes he’s a musician, more youngspirited than me sometimes. He’s just solid. His nickname is “Super Mario”, because we have never seen him without his mustache.” S: “I have never seen my dad without a shirt on. Texas manners, ya know. What do you like to do in the city?” N: “I like playing music, I started a band, released four demos last week, Henry Blek…I sing and write. People say it’s a mixture between the XX, Lana del Ray, Mazzy Star, Florence & The Machine, and fucking…Siouxsie & The Banchees... but I dunno. We play our first show on Sept. 8. That’s what I want to do, it’s in my blood, we had every instrument at my house as a kid.”
S: “What’s your favorite food?” (while noshing on pepperoni pizza on wheat crust)… N: “Spaghetti Bolognese, anything Mexican.” S: “Who’s your woman hero, heroine?” N: “I don’t have one. I much prefer men. I look up to men.” S: “Why?” N: “Because they are so strong. They are kings and warriors, and they have been so influential.” S: “Favorite part of today?” N: Her assistant yells, “The pizza. “ Aram: “The first shot of the day, very 50’s-esque.” S: “Who’s your favorite designer?” N: “Phoebe Philo” S: “Color?” N: “Navy blue.” S: “Other favorite qualities in men?” N: “Character, height, chivalry, humor, a wild spirit.” S: “Book you’ve read lately you love?” N: “Tracey Emin, Strangeland… oh, and Fifty Shades of Gray…just kidding.”
Cover clothing: Blouse by Equipment, Beaded mini-skirt by Leila Shams
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An interview with model Nicole Trunfio, IMG Models
Other credits: Stylist Sarah Ellison Lewis Producer Fanny Bourdette-Donon Make-up by Ellie Harwood Hair by Cassie Harwood for Ruggeri Hat by J. Crew, Cream silk palazzo pants, vintage Men’s army shirt, vintage Jacket from Dagny & Barstow, NYC Green leather pants by Balenciaga Cocktail dress with fringe, by E2, Paris Chain ankle heels by Giuseppe Zanotti Fringe leather dress (at fence) by Fendi All jewelry, model’s own collection: TRUNFIO
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NEWSPRINT Š2012 bootlegnewsprint.com