by jon bosworth jaxvillain@yahoo.com
“The year is 2064. New York City as we know it is no longer grounded. Dreadful natural disasters forced Manhattan to build skyward 30,000 feet, safe from harm. Of the few survivors on earth, only a handful of these common people live on the earth. The elite live in the heavens... but down below, the plain held on to romance, wining and dining, beauty, truth, love, and most importantly, music.” - High Dylan Revisited
When Alyssa Key sold her house and car and moved overseas, I thought perhaps I had seen the last of her. She is a small woman, but her ambitions and enthusiasm were always larger than life. Her ambitions outgrew Jacksonville, but in this modern age, people rarely disappear forever. Alyssa showed up on MySpace and associated herself with a new fashion company called Love Brigade. Upon further research I learned that her, her sister, and a boy named Rockaway had started this fashion company. Since those beginnings, jewelry designer Allison Press has invested herself in Love Brigade by becoming a co-owner with Alyssa. Together they opened a shop in Brooklyn, New York.
This spring they are presenting their ‘Namehato’ collection and in the fall they will release their ‘Highway Dylan Revisited’ fashion line with a futuristic twist on the folk rock demagogue’s idiom. They have gone from creatively tearing and re-stitching T-shirts to rolling out a complex line of fashions that include jewelry, evening wear, and men’s fashions. They are presenting a sneak peek of their ‘Highway Dylan Revisited’ as well as their spring ‘Namehato’ line at their fashion show on March 30th at Tera Nova, the slick new martini bar and night club at the corner of Baymeadows and Phillips.
Proceeds benefit Children First Florida, a local charity organization that provides underpriveleged children that show promise with scholarships for private schools, so it’s a fun night on the town for a good cause. For more information about this great organization, visit scholarshipfunding.org. I caught up with Alyssa in New York to ask her a couple of questions about their success and the upcoming show.
EU: When I first met you, you were putting together local fashion shows. What was the road like from Five Points fashion shows to opening a shop in New York?
LB: Honestly? It’s been a long road with a lot of heartbreak. In 2001, when I coordinated fashion shows in Jacksonville, my goal was to set a foundation for a local fashion community to build upon. While being a big fish in a small pond definitely had its benefits, not only to myself but also (hopefully) to the community, I sadly realized in 2003, after a life changing experience, that I had to move on to find a bigger pond in which to swim. So… I sold my house, all of it’s contents, car, and decided to move to Europe to be trained by the unforgiving Italian fashion reign, but not before taking a six month vacation whilst living at a nudist resort in South Florida!
EU: What boutiques in Jacksonville are currently carrying your fashions?
LB: Sutra Boutique (formerly “The Cats Meow”) at 320 9th Avenue North Jacksonville Beach
EU: Has your professional success in the competitive world of fashion been rapid or gradual?
LB: A little bit of both. We are very protective of not growing too large too quickly, but rather with good measure, and at a pace that will allow everyone involved in the company to learn along the way. In our industry it is all too common to be an overnight success then be a “has been” the next season. Everything in moderation, chewing in bite size pieces.
EU: How consuming is it to get your fashions into boutiques across the country?
LB: Our current client list is comprised of department stores and boutiques who have sought us out themselves and have met our standards of where we want to be and who we desire to don our name.
EU: What is it about the new line that says Dylan?
LB: Many of the details found in the garments, the names of each individual garments, and each of our designers listened to Dylan’s work while designing the collection.
EU: How are your creations unique from other designers?
LB: More than our products being unique, the livelihood, story, mission, and culture of the brand are what set us apart. Additionally, we have spun off a music merchandising company which offers services to artists such as custom wardrobing, styling, consulting, and concert merch design and fulfillment. Currently, we are not aware of any other design house with these capabilities.
“We’re so honored to take part in helping ensure proper education at its root (it will change the world!),” said Alyssa of the charity fashion show happening at Tera Nova Lounge. Featuring DJ Tinypants, a Jacksonville native also currently living in New York, a live art performance by artist Shaun Thurston, Tera Nova’s own DJ Tuma, and the new line of fashions from Love Brigade, this event is $10 for admission or $20 for VIP seating. Tax-deductible donations to the charity are also accepted. If you can’t make it out to the show, go to Sutra Boutique in Jacksonville Beach to check out Love Brigade’s fashions.
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