The Badass Issue, Vol. 19, End of Summer 2013 (Preview)

VOL. 19

End of Summer 2013

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PUBLISHED BY CHAOS Magazine, LLC PRESS press@chaos-mag.com GENERAL QUERIES hello@chaos-mag.com COVER

END OF SUMMER 2013

VOL.19

photography & styling REESE HERRICK make-up + hair TARA ABRAHAMS model ASPEN @ cast

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4 EDITOR'S LETTER

6

Lissa Orgna

20 Instant Crush

68

76

Go It Alone

88 Summer MischiEf

Calvin Ma

THE CHAOS TEAM REESE HERRICK FOUNDER + EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / reese@chaos-mag.com FALLON KERR ASSISTANT TO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / fallon@chaos-mag.com ADRIAAN NOORDZIJ IT + PRODUCTION DIRECTOR / adriaan@chaos-mag.com MAXIMILLIAN ODEN PHOTO EDITOR / photos@chaos-mag.com LAUREN HOSTETTER ART EDITOR / lauren@chaos-mag.com CHARLIE HIMMELSTEIN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER / charlie@chaos-mag.com LAURYN STONE ASSISTANT FASHION EDITOR / lauryn@chaos-mag.com KATIE EDER CHIEF COPY EDITOR

40 Manhattan's 537

52 Between Two Points

104 Jenny Sharaf

118 Smooth Concrete 134 Bang Bang Bitch

148 Cont

ributors

Page

30 Frances O'Leary

COPYRIGHT & DISCLAIMER: Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission by CHAOS is strictly prohibited. All information and credits are accurate at the time of publication, but are subject to change. HTTP://chaos-mag.com © 2008/2013 CHAOS MAGAZINE

ANNA BELOUSOVA DESIGNER

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illustration ANNA BELOUSOVA

words Nadia Beeman photographer Johnny Le

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With a passion for clothing inspired by her time in the woods, Liisa Orgna is making her way through the trials of a fashion designer in Estonia In her hometown of Tallinn, Estonia, fashion designer Liisa Orgna went from building massive three-floor playhouses to designing a sports-inspired clothing collection. Even though she grew up in a place that continuously fell one step behind leading fashion capitals and generated a slim success rate of independent fashion designers, Orgna used her natural and innate creativity as her weapon of choice to break into the industry.

“I did consider studying interior design, product design, or architecture, as I have been drawn towards those fields for a long time,” Orgna says. “And I still am.”

InOrgna’s case, the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree.

Contrary to the United States, the demand for designers, architects, and artists is very low in Tallinn, so “small designers are willing to give away their garments for a ridiculously low price for a sizzle of fame, with more expenses than income,” Orgna explains. As a result, art schools are limited and course sizes are small.. However, the personal class setting worked in Orgna’s favor, as she developed her own aesthetic that effectively brings her visions to life.

“As (my mum has been) a designer her whole life, over the years, she has gathered boxes of swatches,” Orgna explains.

“I remember playing with them, organizing, stroking, and admiring them carefully.”

Orgna’s inventiveness and keen visions came naturally to her at an early age. Her boundless mindset arose from running wild alongside her brother and cousins in the woods, where she learned vital lessons of fashion designing. The essence of teamwork and resourcefulness came from their long days of playing.

“I used to spend my summer holidays in my grandparents’ summer cottage, growing up side by side with my brother and cousins,” Orgna recalls. “We built a massive, three-floor playhouse with 10 small rooms in total. That has taught me a lot about teamwork and working together as a unit.”

As Orgna grew older, she became fixated on making it through the obstacles of her nation and following in her mother’s footsteps. Learning design hands-on from her mother gave her an advantage when it came time to study design in college.

Orgna received her fashion design degree from the Estonian Academy of Arts.

In the beginning, her career path was not very clear, so she often debated whether or not to study other artistry occupations.

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Though she’s still very deeply passionate about fashion, Orgna’s reasoning for leaving many doors open stems from witnessing her mother’s hardships as a designer due to the unbelievable competition in Estonia.

Designing is very strategic for Orgna, because she particularly aims “for minimalism besides perfectionism, with additional details derived from sportswear.”Her first collection out of school was very true to that design style, and it came from Orgna’s true love of sportswear.

“I see no other reason for that other than my long love for ease in sportswear,” Orgna says. “The funny thing is, I have never been that sporty myself. Whenever possible, I skipped exercise classes at school.”

Then where did her vision come from?

Every designer is motivated to design for different reasons. For Orgna, it’s about finding that special piece that makes a strong impression with excellent quality and craftsmanship.” Between sheer white jogging pants and modern-day sweat suits, Orgna creates a brand new kind of comfortable.

Though Orgna’s inspiration stems from various angles, most of the time, an idea

will come to her after a spur-of-the-moment random occurrence. For example, her idea for tied sleeves on a sweater arrived while she was grating carrots for lunch. One thing is for sure: Orgna’s passion and excitement is very much alive, and “the closer I get to the result I’ve been pursuing, the more excited I get,” she says.

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While approaching a collection, Orgna admits that she makes an effort to only create pieces that she would want to wear. To a certain extent, her collection mirrors her personal style.

“I am trying to be more girly now and wear a skirt or a dress sometimes,” Orgna says, though she notes that she hasn’t lost the “comfort-loving child” inside of her.

After the vision comes the construction process, and the goal behind that phase is “to experiment with fabrics, coming up with new methods in construction, and to combine those methods with my personal sporty approach,” Orgna says. Not afraid to mix materials, she experiments and creates a new lane of innovative fashion.

Though her style isn’t futuristic, there’s a new feel to her SPORTLX collection because it opens doors to brand new styles while exploring current cuts and styles.

Photographed by Johnny Le, models Hayley van Ree and Ella-Saurus Mcllvena jumped perfectly into character as the new girls on the block. Orgna styled and created all of the garments, while the heels were crafted by Audrey-Thomas Hayes.

Since the collection feels very fresh and clean, Orgna’s efforts to achieve the most minimal forms were successful. Although they’re simple, the cuts are new to the eye. The colors are also very light and neutral, as sky blue, light lavender, and cream are the staple shades.

While the girls hung out around a skate park and on stoops, they revealed just how comfortable, flexible, and wearable the collection truly is, and the line’s success gave Orgna enough confidence to break into Estonia’s extremely difficult fashion industry. Through the collection, Orgna proved to herself that commitment and hard work really do pays off.

“It was a very enjoyable journey with lots of difficulties adapting and solving problems,” Orgna reflects. “What I loved about it was coming up with and creating new construction methods (and) constantly pursuing perfectionism.”

With her graduate collection completed, the real journey begins. Right now, Orgna is focused on clothing, but she can imagine designing accessories and shoes in the future. Orgna not only believes it would be a fascinating experience, but she also understands the benefit of adding accessible products to a brand.

“Accessories and shoes are the most accessible (and) affordable fashion products for clients, (and) as I have heard and read, these are the highest grossing items for fashion brands,” Orgna explains. As a creative person, Orgna can imagine that the process of crafting shoes and accessories would be even more fulfilling than the profits — and that vision will take her far.

Aside from her mother, Orgna doesn’t prefer to take inspiration from other designers, because there’s something about seeing another designer’s piece and then going to create her own that gives her a bad feeling.

“I am trying not to get inspired by other designers, but sometimes it might happen unconsciously,” she says. “While I was working on my latest collection, it happened to be the main fashion week season.

Luckily, I managed to keep myself away from exploring the new collections by big designers.”

Instead, Orgna turns to a clean canvas to produce her new material, which is a smart way to naturally — and very literally — start from scratch. However, it will be very difficult for Orgna to avoid running into her competition as she continues to branch out. While she doesn’t purposely take inspiration from other work, the styles and techniques of other designers may rub off on her if she works alongside them as an intern. Regardless of the path she takes, Orgna is not one to limit herself or allow others to influence her or her brand. Dedicated to growth, she is a firm believer that hard work is the key.

“As long as there are online boutiques and retail stores for different labels to coexist, I see no reason to grow a label in a specific market,” Orgna says. “If you feel confident, inspired, and hardworking, you can succeed everywhere. You just have to be clear about what you’re after.”

Orgna describes her dream client as someone just as passionate as she is about fashion and materials “who can respect and understand all the hard work involved in the making of a garment, and not merely lust after the garment because of the name and status it gives.” At the end of the day, Orgna wants the public to recognize the dedication she puts into each and every material used to create the garments.

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“I love every stage in the process of making a garment — from draping and pattern making, to sewing and finishing the final product,� Orgna says. Though she keeps the client in mind, she also looks for effective ways to be productive and finds pleasure in solving problems and figuring out easier or faster methods in the construction stages. Even though she puts a lot of emphasis on her consumers, the part of fashion that she dislikes the most is promoting herself to the world as a designer and asking for money for her designs.

“I don’t want to seem vain or needy for attention, though that’s what fashion is all about these days,” Orgna says. “I find it emotionally exhausting to fight for a position in the field.”

But those negative circumstances are minor compared to the positive aspects, including the time. Orgna had a “pinch me” moment after she took a small step towards promoting herself on the Not Just a Label website. The designer uploaded visuals from her latest collection, hoping and wishing that something would come from it. Merely 24 hours later, her wish came true.

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“The next day, I received a letter from their head of designer relations saying that they want me for their cover feature and an editorial, as well,” Orgna recounts. “It was a big deal for me, as I am quite insecure with a high level of self-criticism. Deep down in my heart, I wished this to happen but never took it too seriously to actually believe in it.” Even though it’s only the beginning of Orgna’s career, it’s the most exciting time for her.

Apart from designing and promoting her work, Orgna must also stay current with the fashion industry. Although she makes an effort to separate herself as a designer, she understands the importance of improving her skills and constantly being involved.

Though she’s still young and admittedly naïve to the industry, Orgna is aiming to join a team and put her design skills to work.

“I would like to work and gain more experience and knowledge in someone’s fashion label, especially on production and pattern making, rather than run my own label right away,” she says. “I feel more confident, informed, and competent now. When I started my studies at the Estonian Academy of Arts, I wasn’t sure if I was skilled enough or how quickly I would adapt while learning. In our entrance exams, I felt that I was failing and would just try again the following year. But, as it turned out, I had the highest results. I was astounded.”

Orgna very honestly admits that she doesn’t have enough experience or powers to give aspiring designers fruitful tips, but she does offer words of encouragement similar to a typical Miss Universe speech.

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“For a hundred failures, there’s a success,” Orgna says. “There are a lot of people who will turn you down, but there are also people who will believe in you. As long as you are true to your beliefs, keep your head straight, and fight for what your heart and mind is telling you, there’s always a chance. And in the end, if nothing is working out, maybe it is meant to be that way, (but) you will find a way to make yourself happy.”

Orgna constantly pursues perfectionism in her work, so she will be confident to share her journey and show the world what she has been destined to do in no time. As she learns more about the craft of design and enters the industry’s workforce, her designs will only become more creative and innovative than what we see now. Destined for success, Orgna is a slave to creating and truly a mastermind in the making.

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