Okay, Valentine’s Day is over, but it’s nice to know we’re so LOVED! The love meme is alive and thriving in Portland’s fashion community, rearing its lovely head at label and shop.
Makool Loves You is Anisa Makhoul’s online shop featuring her line Makool (stay with us here and pay attention)
In Love & Memory is the two-year-old label by Art Institute graduate Janeane McSpadden (who in this year’s Merc Fashion Show goes by the name Janeane Marie…pointing to another Portland fashion designer trend concerning the use of first and middle names only…a modification of the mono-name superstar trend…wait, it’s actually more of a Laura Ashley thing now that we think about it).
lovechurchandstate.com is the new-ish website for Portland’s Church & State. As with the others, it’s a from us to you with love “love, church and state”
Maclean Loves You is the label of Santa Cruz transplant Maclean Smyth whose dresses (worn with Paper Treasure jewelry) drew positive remark at the Mercury Fashion Show
plus, Olio United wants you only to buy what you love from items that are made with love (including handcut by preloved…not a Portland label, but still)
Why now? What does it all mean? Outpouring of/invitation to emotional connection, genuine affection and gratitude, subconscious branding gambit, twee ironic sentimentalism, tennis reference, Gigantic Coincidence? Because we are familiar with some of the lovers here, it feels like a good read of both the times and the players here to guess it might be that there’s a real sense of doing it for the love of it, giving it generously with the expectation of doing as much relationship-building (in a commercial sense) as sales. Most small fashion businesses in Portland will tell you that the atmosphere here, overall, is more supportive and collaborative than elsewhere. Still, if three’s a crowd, we’re not sure what five is. Are we missing anybody?
Choose your own ending:
a.) “Love is all you need.”
b.) “i love you guys!”
c.) “Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds nor bends with the remover to remove”
d.) “Love is a many splendored thing.”
e.) all of the above
WHAT TO DO NOW?