3. interview
interview
1. Personal mantra?
«I still wish I could fit
into those tights with
the ruffles on the butt
that I used to wear
as a toddler»
Always give your best. Never get discouraged. Never be petty.
Mr. Kate
Mitra Khayyam
Founder & Curator, Blood is The New Black
2. Tell me 3 things about you no one knows
(ok so some people might know, but tell me 3 mind-blowing things anyway_)
- I have a tattoo of a flying hot dog.
- I didn’t speak English until I was 4 even though I was born in the United States. I sometimes think I still talk funny although most people
disagree with me.
- I had a huge crush on John Stamos during elementary school and some of middle school as well. His house was for sale when I was 11 and I
made my mom call the realtor and pretend she wanted to buy it. I got to sit on his bed and go in his closet as a result. I wore a crop top and LA
Gears for the occassion
1. Personal mantra?
Risk being YOU, risk being weird! We are all unique and I strive to inspire people to express who they are through style and design.
Ask «why not?» Questioning the world around you and defining it for yourself is the Mr. Kate way!
2. Tell me 3 things about you no one knows
(ok so some people might know, but tell me 3 mind-blowing things anyway_)
3. How did you get started with your project / business?
Blood is the New Black originally started as my senior thesis paper at Parsons School of Design. Who knew all those late nights researching how
fashion could democratize art would turn into a full time business?
- For as much as I DIY and design and style I am a total car slob…it’s a mess always!…oooops
- I still wish I could fit into those tights with the ruffles on the butt that I used to wear as a toddler.
- In my senior year of high school I’d have 3 pieces of bacon and a cigarette for breakfast… I’ve since quite smoking and bacon!
4. What keeps you inspired and motivated?
My roster of over 75 artists - keeping up on their work as well as all the new ones we bring into the fold every season keep blowing my mind! It’s
always a great challenge to find the next Blood is the New Black artist and turn their artwork into tee shirts!
5. What do you want to create and cultivate this year?
I really want to learn how to can fruits and veggies this summer so I can enjoy tomatoes and stone fruits all year long.
3. How did you get started with your project / business?
I started making and designing jewelry as a side business to compliment my acting career and have a creative outlet in between auditions
and parts in tv and movies. The jewelry business grew into the Mr. Kate line (now available on mrkate.com) and I started a blog alongside
my e-commerce site to chronicle my other creative projects in DIY style and interior design. I quit acting to be my own boss when the Mr. Kate
lifestyle brand started taking shape and demanded all of my time. I am still able to exercise my on and off camera muscles in my weekly
YouTube videos on my channel youtube.com/themrkate where we focus on comedic and narrative-driven how-to videos. I work full time for
the Mr. Kate brand together with my boyfriend and business partner Joey Zehr. We have 6 part-time employees that help us with all the areas
of our business: products, sales, blog content, interior design and video production.
4. What keeps you inspired and motivated?
«Always give your best.
Never get discouraged.
Never be petty.»
Mitra Khayyam
An audience of supportive and creative people. I love that everyday I get to connect with people, be it digitally or virtually, and have a
dialogue about creative living and expressing ones individuality. There is a never-ending source of inspiration within you and others and you
just have to open your eyes and ears to tap into it. I have my blah days but a routine of daily blogging helps me connect with a moment of
creativity that reminds me why I love my job and to keep going! Also, I love shoes, that’s pretty motivating!
5. What do you want to create and cultivate this year?
I want to cultivate a tight rear end, like seriously get to bubble butt status. Oh yeah, and also continue to grow my Mr. Kate business. I have
a new collection of jewelry and accessories coming out soon. I’m working on a Mr. Kate book. I just finished hosting a series of styling events
with Macy’s, which was fun! I’m currently a featured interior designer on this season of Home Made Simple on the OWN network (Saturday
9am/8c) so hoping to continue to cultivate a TV presence for Mr. Kate. We’re also teaming up with some fun brands to do a series of how-to
web videos that will come out this year. Overall I want to keep inspiring people to be creative and happy in their lives and take the Mr. Kate
brand to infinity and beyond!
Mr. Kate
Designer & CEO, mrkate.com
7. interview
interview
Adrianna Adarme
Geri Hirsch + Erin Falconer
Founder, A Cozy Kitchen
Founders, LEAFtv
1. Personal mantra?
1. Personal mantra?
That mantra, «follow your bliss» might be cheesy but dude, it is so true.
Geri : ‘Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don’t.’ Bill Nye
Erin : ‘Be so good, they can’t ignore you.’ Steve Martin
2. Tell me 3 things about you no one knows
(ok so some people might know, but tell me 3 mind-blowing things anyway_)
2. Tell me 3 things about you no one knows
(ok so some people might know, but tell me 3 mind-blowing things anyway_)
- I’m a messy cook. Like, really really messy. And I don’t own a dishwasher.
Geri : Erin :
- I’m allergic to alcohol (hello sneeze-fest!) but I drink it anyway.
- My natural hair color is purple
I started my blog like a lot of people: at work, uninspired and looking for something to do. It started off purely a hobby, something that maybe
my mom and dad would read, but as I continued I quickly fell in love with it and began to try harder. It all just started from wanting to do something fun.
- I’ve applied to be a member of Soho house 12 times. Lucky number 13?
- I just ordered a flip phone
3. How did you get started with your project / business?
- If I weren’t doing LEAF I’d be a mechanic
- I’m related to Lucile Ball, 3 times removed
- I taught myself how to gleek in third grade and can still pretty well.
- a 90% iPhone battery is considered dead to me
3. How did you get started with your project / business?
G & E : Started from a place of passion. Continues with tireless, hard work.
4. What keeps you inspired and motivated?
I’m always looking for inspiration. I find that reading cookbooks, magazines and going out to eat to try other people’s food is really important.
One of my favorite things to do is head to Koreatown or San Gabriel Valley and eat a cuisine or dish I’ve never heard of or tried before.
4. What keeps you inspired and motivated?
Geri : The privilege of waking up everyday and getting to do this.
Erin : The chance to actually be a source of inspiration and motivation to young women around the world. The online space itself is so exciting –
it’s like the Wild Wild West. Getting to be a part of something that hopefully might shape it’s future in some small way, is beyond motivating.
5. What do you want to create and cultivate this year?
Oh so much. I’d love to become a better cook, try new-to-me techniques in the kitchen, become a better writer,
take better photos and if the world allows it, I’d love to get a crack at writing another cookbook.
«that mantra
“follow your bliss”
might be cheesy
but dude,
it is so true»
Adrianna Adarme
5. What do you want to create and cultivate this year?
G & E : We hope with the launch of LEAFtv we can create a destination lifestyle site that bridges the gap between the aspirational and the attainable.
9. focus
{ Smoke // Fire }
by Benjamin Løzninger / frenchBK
A bu r ning cit y. Thick sm oke clo ud s fill th e a ir w ith
an int ense sm ell. Hist or y alwa ys re p e a ts itse lf :
as at Ner o’s t im es, a devast atin g fire r un th ro ugh
t he st r eet s, t hr ou gh t he build in gs, th re a te n in g
people’s lif e. Was it an ar son o r just a n a ccid e n t ?
Th e { Smo ke // F ire } se rie s is sp e a kin g a b o ut
se lf-in tro sp e ctio n th ro ugh th e d isco ve r y a n e w
city, e xp e rime n tin g myste r y, fa scin a tio n , re p ulsio n
a n d so me time s fe a r.
w w w.fre n ch b k.co m