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| Madewell | Summer 2010 |
Mengly Hernandez, a design Jane of all trades, has worked as stylist, designer, poet and print maker.
What caught our attention was her playful totes that reflect her prolific output and, like her other works, call for moments of reflection.
LINE is a one-of-a-kind collection of cotton tote bags and silk scarves, which are hand silk-screened. Check it out on
Etsy. For this New York City native, her design journey has been one full of surprising inspirations and fresh encounters.
And now our Easy Conversation...
Tell us a bit about yourself, who is Mengly?Mengly is very passionate, funny, and stands her ground.
When I was younger I wanted to be an entertainer of some sort..
years later I narrowed it down to acting, but was deterred by the
everlasting cattle calls in the business. I think I’ll be a famous
actress in my next life.. I just love it!
How would you define your style?My style is not trendy and always changing.
How did you first get involved in styling and print designs?I've always had an interest in design and clothing. My
grandmother gave me a great deal of inspiration and first class
training in "styling" ...What a stylish lady she was!!!!! Looking
back I know that my knack for accessories came directly from
her... On a professional level, styling came quite accidentally.
My first taste of "styling" came via my stint at a corporate job.
I worked as a Jane of all trades for a fashion company. One of
my responsibilities was to assist the creative director. He gave
me the opportunity to work as a merchandiser, public relations
liaison, but most importantly, he gave me the chance to express my
opinions on the clothing. I also had the chance to assist in styling
the many mannequins we had at our showroom. After leaving the
company I was in a semi limbo and by chance, met a young lady
who had been working as a stylist for many years. She gave me the
opportunity to assist her and I’ve been working in the industry ever
since.
Who are some of the artists/ designers that have influenced you?
I love Issey Miyake's designs especially since I gravitate towards
precision of lines and form. As far as artists, it is beautiful to
encounter the artists that represent your innate style. I was blessed
to meet my teacher, Megan Foster, who taught me different printing
techniques such as intaglio, silk screening, wood cut, and my
least favorite lithography. One day (again) by chance I visited
the Dia Beacon museum with a friend and discovered a book by
Kiki Smith, another time I discovered Yayoi Kusama, Louise
Bourgeois, Avedon, Mario Giancomelli, Nobuyoshi Araki, Schiele, Edvard Munch, Barron Claiborne, endless amounts of
inspiration came my way, but it always felt like everything I
encountered I already knew or thought of. It was more like a
mutual meeting than a discovery.. A very beautiful feeling. Before
these "discoveries" I’d never owned a photography or art
book. I knew about Picasso, Matisse because they were in the
history books that I learned from in high school.
Tell us a bit about your creative process.
I operate from emotion and feeling! Always. My creative
process is never the same. I seek to know who I am. I follow my
instincts.
What else do you have in store for the future?
More styling projects. Textile design, photography, and more
printing on large-scale paper. I've worked on fabric for a while
now and am trying to challenge myself to work on things that
don’t come to me as naturally.
What’s playing on your ipod these days?
Everything. With an emphasis on Nina Simone, Radiohead, Coldplay, Coltrane
, Bob Marley, Eddie Murphy comedy, Ethiopiques, Astrud Gilberto, Bob Dylan,
Esther Phillips, Fiona Apple, Oumou Sangare, Joy Division, Kanye, Cameron….
Rock a clutch while spreading compassion and aiding the world through Rachel Roy's charitable platform, “Kindness is always fashionable.” We agree!
