Brooklyn Industries - Words From the Watertower

WHAT A SUMMER OF MUSIC IT WAS

judy — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:36:59 +0000

Summer unofficially ends this weekend. And with it, so ends the first annual Brooklyn Industries Summer of Music.

Earlier this year, we here at BKI put our brains together and asked “What do our customers love?” Well, one thing they love is music. And so do we. So we decided to give our people what they love - and so happened the BKI Summer of Music. With the help of our amazing partners (ABSOLUT® BROOKLYN, The Brooklyn Salsa Company, Warner Brothers Music, MuseBox, SESAC, some ad hoc bartenders, “sound guys” on the fly, and talented bands & musicians) we were able to host a series of stellar shows. In June, we packed our Union Square store basement for Indie Music Nights with Savoir Adore and Dead Phones. And we did it again in July with Living Days and The Rassle. We watched ATHLETE do a chill Saturday afternoon set at our SoHo store. We sipped “ABSOLUT Stoop Party” cocktails to the tunes of DJ Spin Diesel at the Smith St. ABSOLUT BROOKLYN Happy Hour. DJs Frank White in Boston and DJ Isaac & DJ Bizz in Philly rocked out our DJ Saturday events. And Zach Williams brought a café vibe to Chelsea during the “Zach Williams Live” event. And despite the heat, The Orion Experience had the crowd jumping at our SoHo store.

We also sent our fans to tons of shows through our giveaways series to see The National, Arcade Fire, MGMT, Lollapalooza and more.

We hope you enjoyed it. Here are a few photos and a video from the Summer of Music that was.

ATHLETE Acoustic Performance

Savoir Adore at Indie Music Night

DJ Saturday in Philly

VISIONS OF SEPTEMBER

judy — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:52:48 +0000

We revealed our September Collection last week. It’s lush with the BKI Outerwear you all know and love, but with some beautiful twists (The Polaris Plaid Coat is a staff favorite). We also have plenty of layerable dresses and sweaters in fall hues. Take a look!

Fall Dresses by BKI

BOMBER OR VEST?

judy — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:20:38 +0000

Introducing the Ether Bomber by Brooklyn Industries - with detachable sleeves! How would you wear it?

MEET OUR STAFF: CLAIRE

judy — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:01:25 +0000

Four Color Lithographs by Claire

Name: Claire

Hometown: Gadsden, Alabama

Current occupation at BKI: Store Manager – Park Slope

Creative muses: My parents, grandparents, and all of my family and friends who embody “Live, Work, Create.” everyday. I’m inspired and motivated by people who are passionate about what they do, and do what they are passionate about. Dream chasers…oh and Tina Fey.

Inspirational website: http://www.mobilepictur.es/ by Art Kaligos & victoriabelanger.wordpress.com aka “the Jello Mistress of Brooklyn.” Check ‘em out!

Best Summer activities in NYC: Outdoor flea markets, walking numerous bridges, and brunch outdoors with friends.

T-shirt Cult pick: Love Vectors

Favorite Word: “eeek”

Favorite BKI item (new or old): My Fjord.

How do you represent LIVE, WORK, CREATE.?

I’ve been making more time for creative outlets over the last few years. I take Printmaking Classes at the School of Visual Arts . I’ve also been painting/drawing greeting cards for friends and family my entire life, and recently started painting watercolor postcards again, some inspired by my friend Vicki’s Jello molds. Fortunately, BKI is a very creative company, and I do feel that I get to be creative within my job. I want to Live, Work and Create art that I enjoy and feel good about, and if someone else can enjoy it as well, then that’s just icing.

Oh Wonder Wheel by Claire

HOW WE STYLED IT: THE COMPASS TOGGLE COAT

judy — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 22:18:41 +0000

LETTERS FROM LEXY: 1776

judy — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 16:35:27 +0000

Does anyone else have an issue with time travel? As an avid reader of history, I am often standing in one time but imagining another. Everyone experiences an element of this, as in when was I last here, or the just a split second déjà vu. But this sense of the uncanny is when traveling back centuries. This specific shot, and this person, has nothing to do with George Washington. In fact, Washington, upon stumbling on this glassy eyed creature with flair, might fall off his horse. But when taking this picture, my mind collided with 1776. On the banks of Brooklyn, Washington made his magnificent retreat. After losing the Battle of Brooklyn, 9,000 men crossed the East River to safety on small boats. They started at 4 a.m. and moved quickly. But when dawn broke much of the army still needed to cross the river. Just then, a deep and unusual fog settled on the river enabling the retreating army to remain unseen. I have rarely seen fog on the shores of New York, so it is reasonable to understand colonialists believing in divine inspiration. For me, that day of the photograph, the divine intervention was finding water and grass and concrete and the stillness of a shot. The sound of muskets was far far away.

HOW WE STYLED IT: THE ROGER DUOFOLD HOODIE

judy — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 20:30:45 +0000

ROOFTOP SAMPLE SALE = GOOD TIMES!

judy — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:01:49 +0000

Serious Brooklyn Industries shoppers and new faces to the brand alike came out en masse last Thursday to attend the “Rooftop Sample Sale” at our headquarters in DUMBO. With prices ranging from $1 to $40 (for down outerwear!), most shoppers left happy as clams with bags of bargains. We turned the shopping event into a party at 6PM, with the Brooklyn Salsa Company serving their signature salsa and chips, ABSOLUT BROOKLYN Stoop Party Cocktails, and Brooklyn Salsa’s DJ Lego Chewbacca played his original beats over acapella pop music. Here are some photos from the night. If you missed it, make sure to come to the next one!

The Crowd hovers over the racks

The Brooklyn Salsa Company

Some people still enjoyed the Rooftop, despite the rain...

LETTERS FROM LEXY: COWBOYS AND WOVEN SHIRTS

judy — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:03:56 +0000

My stepfather’s family owns a dude ranch. I will save you from the stories of horses cantering up steep paths, sore insteps and astonishing vistas to speak about all that really matters — woven shirts. We in the industry in the thick of the muck, speak in department talk, as in “wovens are up-trending this week, and their inventory is outselling their ownership.” At the ranch, the inventory was shallow, but highly diverse. Every wrangler wore a different western shirt daily. I gloried in the woven variations, deep red plaids, western raw edges, snap buttons, light feminine chambrays. All the while thinking, am I missing something? Does everyone in Colorado wear woven shirts for mucking out horse stalls and roping cows, while the rest of us in the U.S. are wearing t-shirts and layering knits? Had we missed a trend that was critical to the heart of America? Then Sunday came, the day when the guests leave, when the wranglers become regular folk and start fixing things, clearing up garbage, and resting. And on this day, the t-shirts rose, yellow ones with text, plain ones, navy blue. The wranglers had transformed from gods of woven shirting into everyday flatlander folk. And then the light-bulb went off in the dimwitted brain of a garment executive—the uniform at the ranch is the western shirt. Too bad, I was enjoying the bliss of a nation of Brokeback Mountain clothes riding Western style down city streets. Yee ha.

Richard Prince Cowboy #1, From Series "Cowboys and Girlfriends," 1992

Grizzly Plaid Shirt, Brooklyn Industries

HOW WE STYLED IT: ATLAS PONTE BLAZER & ANTLER JACKET

judy — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 19:28:52 +0000

Throughout the launch of our Fall Collection, we will be featuring our behind-the-scenes stylist planning pics. Here is how we styled the Atlas Ponte Blazer and the Antler Jacket.