BLACKBIRD INTERVIEW on WE ARE THE MARKET
I guess I was interviewed by WeAreTheMarket.com this week.
Name: Nicole Miller
Age: 36
Occupation: Owner and Buyer for Blackbird
Location: Seattle
Tell us, who are you and what do you do? I own and run Blackbird and am the main buyer. I don't work in the store nor manage the store staff.
What sets BLACKBIRD apart from the other menswear stores in Seattle? I don't really think about other stores in Seattle or elsewhere. We're all just doing our own thing and if it works, then it works.
How would you defined the BLACKBIRD male? Oh gee. It's pretty much any guy of any age except for people like my dad. Those Boomers really love that Tommy Bahama and their clothes from Costco. Go figure. We also sell to a lot of women looking for masculine looks.
Men's fashion trends to pay attention to? I try not to be too trendy. Buy classics and mix with second hand items to make your own thing.
Men's fashion trends that you would like to see fade away? I would like to see trends fade away (which is impossible). The great thing about fashion today is that you can wear pretty much anything. We're all so different and I'm inspired by people that can express their personality in what they wear.
Who are some new talent that you think we should be paying attention to? KZO by Joel Knoernschild and Odyn Vovk by Austin Sherbanenko. Both are exceptional designers that are bringing in influences from Europe and Japan, but then adding their own American punk spin.
When/Why did you decide to add the accessories section to your store? Blackbird was always going to be a mercantile. Colette in Paris was a big influence on this choice. It feels so good to go into one of the best stores in the world and buy a 2 Euro lip balm and walk out with that bag.
What inspires you? I'm currently inspired by this book Omnivores Dilemma. I'm not so much a fan of acting green and not knowing if it truly has an impact on anything. I love the idea of eating food that was grown in a natural way by real people, at real farms in my area. I go to the farmers market around the corner from Blackbird every Sunday and buy crazy good food like sea beans and chantrel mushrooms that were locally foraged. It makes me really happy. That and The Clash. I have always been inspired by The Clash.
The architecture of your store is quite something. Give us a little background information on your store location? I opened Blackbird in 2004 one neighborhood over from Ballard in basement location with other shops. It was month-to-month as I was working with the landlords of our permanent location. After 9 months, the location in Ballard was ready and we moved over. My architect neglected to finish the design and basically abandoned the project so we were left with nearly nothing for a store. Since then, everything has been cobbled together from antiques and custom metal work fixtures. The loft was part of the original design, but lacked any purpose. After 3 years, that space is being remodeled to house a new space for us to house our experimental brands. The design is manly, innovative and easy to be in, just like the downstairs, only more polished.
Ballard is an old Scandinavian town that was incorporated into Seattle proper over 100 years ago. People in Ballard still resent this event and live to keep this area distinct and neighborly. What I love most is that the neighborhood has this fantastic mix of blue collar and white collar folks mingling around with one street that divides them. We have sushi restaurants and hipster bars next to the sand and gravel plant and fishing boats. Everyone seems to get along and nobody seems to care for all of the new condos going in. It's pretty cool without being cool.
I am currently crazy over Robert Geller's super soft tees. How did you discover him? He emailed me. As soon as I saw the pictures, I was smitten. The first two seasons we bought were only from looking at photos.
How is the BLACKBIRD experience different from other retail locations? We greet our customers with a "hi" and actually care about who they are. People come back for the service and for friendships.
Where do you see BLACKBIRD in 10 years from now? In a mall near you... That's a joke.
What does the future hold for both Nicole Miller and BLACKBIRD? Seriously, who knows? We could catch on fire tomorrow or get bought by Macy's. Nether would shock me.
