NY NOW Podcast

Translating Techniques and Patterns with Soge Décor

September 29, 2021 NY NOW Season 1 Episode 54
NY NOW Podcast
Translating Techniques and Patterns with Soge Décor
Show Notes Transcript

SOGÉ DECOR is a Brooklyn, NY-based lifestyle brand for the bold. Our throw pillows and wall décor bring a touch of flair to any setting. Each piece’s design incorporates a one-of-a-kind print that was handmade with the highest attention to detail. All of our products are proudly made in the USA.   

RESOURCES   
Guest Websites: 
https://www.sogedecor.com/     

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Dondrill Glover:

Welcome to the new york now podcast, a modern wholesale market for retailers and specialty buyers seeking diversity and discovery. Gathering twice a year in America's design capital New York City. It's where buyers and designers on earth have refreshed and dedicated collection of eclectic lifestyle products. Hi, I'm Dondrill Glover podcast hosts and senior producer for New York now and today we wrap up the celebration of textile month in New York with another New York now brand highlight with special guest Stephanie Oge, founder of Soge Decor, Stephanie debuted her gorgeous collection of home decor textiles in wall art at New York now summer market at the helm of her own design studio. Stephanie, a Brooklyn native after working for nearly a decade as a fashion designer for various sportswear brands in New York City. She quickly fell in love with patterned textiles and experienced a life altering trip to Jaipur, India, discovering indigenous techniques and natural dyeing and blonde printing. This was where her passion for textiles was truly ignited and inspired her to pursue Soge Decor. A creative visionary Stephanie finds inspiration in the grip of New York City, ancient tileworks prints found in vintage clothing stores. And as many of her travels around the world, she translates and infuses that inventiveness and diverse signature prints. She has had much success with printed textiles through the eponymous brand associated core cork, featuring a claim textile companies associate studio and chance New York joining me in welcoming Stephanie to our New York now podcast. Hi, Stephanie.

Stephanie Oge:

Hi, Dondrill, how are you?

Dondrill Glover:

How are you? Thank you so much for joining us today. I am so excited to be wrapping up a new york's textile month celebration with a conversation with you. I love your brand. There's so much i'd love our audience to learn and discover about Soget Decor. So I want to dive straight in. Let's talk about your journey to design.

Stephanie Oge:

Oh wow. It's an interesting one because when people find me in the textile industry, they're like how did you get there? I actually started out as a fashion designer I went to fit majored in fashion design, I worked in the industry as a fashion designer for a couple years and in those years I learned that I like textiles, more prints and patterns versus constructing a garment. So I started dabbling into learning how to create a print and axing friends how do I create a pattern and so from various places that I work that I learned so much from different designers on crafting art and I didn't know I could design I'm not classically trained to i i i never went to painting classes or anything in that realm I just I guess I had this a neat like the talent inside of me that I didn't know existed until I started just shifting my mind and my focus and just taking that and running with it and when I did that I just left kind of the fashion industry behind and I started my first company soget Studio like six years ago and I just dabbled in the world of art and pattern and design and learning and going you know with the flow and it just traverse over from doing art for fashion prints to you know now doing art for interiors

Dondrill Glover:

it's amazing i think it's it's such a testament to many people didn't start out you know, in that role. And I think what it says is when you're kind of soul is calling you towards a craft or something that you feel innately connected to I think it shows up and the talent just evolves it's so clear in your collection that you really it's so beautiful I know that you have this life altering trip to India and I'd love to talk about a new a little bit about that I would love to talk about what that experience like and what was that moment that aha moment I know that add it to your journey of history and I Oh yeah, totally.

Unknown:

It was a random trip I went with one of my good friends we decided hey, we want to see the Taj Mahal. No we like to do two week trip. I love it. I guess it India in the sense is the the energy is it was hot. It was everything just all encompassed in one package and just going through you know different towns and it was die poor. Die poor was the city that when I got there, it was a magical bronze. Seeing women dyeing saris the colors of vibrancy to randomly going in a shop and this man saying hey do you want to learn how to block print

Dondrill Glover:

do we get any better than that Stephanie I mean it just I you know we were talking earlier I despairing because in 19 and I was on the other end like Mumbai Kolkata went to the countryside it just as you mentioned it just a cost you the wonderful you know the smells but the colors but the energy is everything it's an amazing experience I know exactly what you need.

Unknown:

So I'm sitting here in this just random shop just block printing and reduce we're taking different blocks we're taking different colors I'm seeing the drying process and I'm seeing all this stuff going in there that I would have had to probably pay for a class here in New York to do but I'm just here on this journey and Jai port and just learning and seeing the you know the natural size and seeing women using you know tumeric to die you know it was just it was wonderful

Dondrill Glover:

man it was it was meant for you It sounded as if this you know kind of the dots were lining up you were

Unknown:

definitely yeah i didn't i didn't know the universe was working in its own way I only know what you're gonna take this trip there. And when you come back to New York, everything's good

Dondrill Glover:

everything's gonna ship while I have to say you could not have learned of block printing and a better place it's experience it's just it is it's life changing and it really is once again the the inspiration and the drive. I can't say it enough it really shows up in the collection. I'd love to talk about you know, I'm going on the in the lane of this life altering trip to India. What was your relationship like prior to textiles and wallpaper and home decor? No, you came from fashion, but were there threads that you felt connected you are not just a totally new discovery.

Unknown:

It was a totally new discovery. It was you know, my mom used to take me to fabric stores as a child and I hated going there I didn't care for you know, different fabrications and watching her sewing curtains and pillowcases you know, I saw my mom do that in the house and it just it didn't faze me but it was something about India and seeing these prints and patterns and it just woke up

Dondrill Glover:

We're so glad you're awake This is so good. I know you're a Brooklyn girl but your family comes from Haiti and and you know the culture is so rich so vibrant and the influence on design I'd love to talk about how that perhaps might have influenced your work along with your design philosophy and ethos in that so let's talk about the influence verse if it did with growing up in a Haitian household.

Unknown:

It definitely did my dad painted he was always painting with oil oil on canvas my mom was you know cooking sewing the house was always had energy we had a yellow kitchen you know we are in the house. And as Caribbean's everything is very colorful and bright and the people of Haiti have this beautiful energy and soul and I think growing up in a house that had this energy and your parents doing something you know my dad playing a guitar my dad painting and you know there was always music playing in my house from patient music French music Spanish music the house My dad always bought this energy in the house with the music and I think that translates into art you know art is all these various you know different components so that definitely I personally feel as if drove me you know with my own design philosophy and creating art and you know Haiti has rich textiles in itself with what we're talking about with the paper Miss Shea and lastly I have a paper Miss Shea ornaments that I got when I went to Haiti and the people there are you know, very crafty from creating pots and you know, just everything is just amazing. You know what you can do with the raw materials that you're you know that you're given it's pretty beautiful the pottery I have mugs and stuff from Haiti

Dondrill Glover:

and I you know, that I've seen Of course, you know, like we were talking about the paperwork but all the iron work and and the ceramics I mean, it's just even the light. The word it really I mean, I think it was in a collection of Yana Karen's several years ago. It urban Zen. We debuted at ABC but there was this gorgeous you Iron rail chandelier that have been done by Haitian artists since it debuted and it was absolutely stunning I mean the work it's so wonderful to celebrate culture through life and design and holding on to heritage and tradition because those are the things that really move the pendulum forward and really kind of exposing all the different talents

Unknown:

even the paintings you know that come from Haiti and the got artists from there you when we would have let's say a family member come back from Haiti they will always come back with art or you know, a painting from Haiti and that always gave color in my household you'll have these various scenes of you know, people walking in a market maybe would be one painting or a river you know, yeah, yeah is that there's Haitian masters as well with painters

Dondrill Glover:

with with all of that rich heritage and exposure you know, to art and so forth. What would you say how does that show up in your collection, you know, those those little components that you were able to experience in family and history and culture,

Unknown:

you can definitely see it with the color from the collection is the vibrancy and you know, the patterns I truly believe that color is key, I live in color. I it colors, everything, you can have a design, but once the colors, it's just emerges into the print. And I believe colors orgasmic when you're putting the pieces together and the pattern and design and when the colors all just come to just, it just orgasmic and I think growing up with all you know, these paintings around and you know, all this stuff, is just color colors in me. That's what we get a lot of compliments for. In the brand people walk by and they're like, oh, like, the colors? Yeah,

Dondrill Glover:

yeah. Well, you know, there's this emotional intelligence and connection. And color translates in textiles materials and translates it, you know, in collections and how people respond. So it's so important. It's a it's a mood lifter, if they're, there's layers and layers of how important the intelligence and the usage of color, and to go in that lane. your perspective on lifestyle decor and the usage of textiles, why is it so important to you, as a brand and as a designer?

Unknown:

To me, I feel, you know, the lifestyle, the core of patterns, textiles, it's important to bring something into the homes it gives you dimension is it's a piece you can talk about when people come and visit. I Oh, where'd you get that pillow come from? Oh, look at the pattern. And people wonder you know about it, and you just look at its art, you know, in its own form. It doesn't have to be a painting on the wall. But it's art and it brings, you know, a conversation. That's why I do it is basically about the conversation into space.

Dondrill Glover:

Yeah, I 100% agree that makes it makes such a difference. You know, and sort of going on to talk about We know, we know that we have a buying consuming community and just communities at large that have come become deeply conscious, and really care about corporate responsibility, you know, brand principle and value and talking about being conscious and ethical and sustainability. What would you like buyers and retailers to know about about your brand,

Unknown:

it's um, I've been in this process of sourcing sourcing sourcing sourcing. To get the best eco friendly materials, you know, you can go the cheaper route and get something that's not eco friendly, but it's finding places that you can work with. So our fabrication comes from Belgium, and the factory that we use that prints all our fabric. They're a certified eco friendly factory in Belgium, they don't have order raised when we print. So our art is sublimated onto the fabric. So the paper that's used for the sublimation then gets recycled after so it's not like they're using this paper to sublimate and then discarding it somewhere. They're actually recycling it and bringing it back into the factory. So I met them through a trade show years ago. So we've been working you know, really well together. So I truly appreciate working with them because of you know, their consciousness and you can see that you know, with the weather patterns, everything changing drastically. We all have to do our part in with our companies, sourcing ethical, you know, materials even when I ship fabric in the United States. I consciously think okay let's see how much meters that we can put into this package so we don't have to continuously ship fuel pay you know the box like oxygen all these like little factors that you really have to be conscious about to say okay let's wait and try to package everything up in one shot and not doing these little you know

Dondrill Glover:

all of those things definitely you know they really really counted even for brands listening figuring out where do I start it's it's all those little things you know cutting corners here cutting it therapy unconscious here deciding that and that it makes it makes a huge difference and I you know once again I can't stress enough the participation in working towards sustainability being conscious and ethical is something that we can all get behind and you're doing it so I think that's wonderful for sure. Absolutely. I'd love to talk about design process so let's start with a process just a little bit about your process you have to give give us all your magic and then of course what inspires of collection you know is you know is it Are you a designer that's more like well I'm it's the season or are you this momentary designer that says oh, I'm in this moment I'm moved by this and this is the direction that the collection is going

Unknown:

I would say I'm a momentary designer for sure. It's what's in my soul It could be my mood it could be it could be the weather. A lot of the times it was from traveling I've traveled so much and I would see maybe an image I'll take a picture from like that can be an amazing pattern you know I could see that shifted broken down done this way so for me there's no like one philosophy on how I start a collection it's a mood it's a vibe, there's times where I can't put you know, paints a paper if I'm not mentally there you know, it's definitely at times if I can't sleep I will paint you know at maybe 1am so like this painting behind me that you see Oh I

Dondrill Glover:

love all the leaves and you've got the pastels it's such an interesting no

Unknown:

that was done at two in the morning no Yeah, I just couldn't sleep and I'm thinking about

Dondrill Glover:

there's so much precision in that Stephanie it really and your usage important for our audience who obviously can't see it of color I loved how you have infuse pastels with with greenery so you've got you know green and yellow which you know represent kind of like the sun and then leaves but then you've you've almost I feel like the pastels have kind of injected a mood into

Unknown:

the piece is the softness and I think at that time because I couldn't sleep and when I picked the color palette you know to put it together and is like it's just there was a synergy in it. Yeah, well with my energy at the moment that it was actually I just needed to be in this tranquil soft kind of state so yeah, that's how a lot of the designs get back

Dondrill Glover:

and forth I have to say you know i i so connect with that because I feel that and of course everyone has their own process and work and it's all relevant because we were so fortunate to have it out in the lifestyle market. But there's something about I think particularly when you are a creator and of course you know you get to decide how you participate in the process and what your vision how it gets translated. But I think being able to capture the moment connect emotionally with that I think that's a powerful place for a designer because you're leading with I think I have found even myself you get your most spontaneous and it just starts pouring through like water you're honoring your spirit in that moment and I think it's great.

Unknown:

So start with that one piece from the spirit right you I let it sit for a day or two and then I will come back to it and just say like okay, a collection can probably get started from this and I and with the artwork my philosophy is when the pattern is being created. When you take the step into the computer I believe in the my all my designs need to dance. If it's about movement you've got a lot of the times you won't see a lot of our prints be completely stagnant. There's always this sense of movement and he has something dance. And so it's like you got to think about for an for design a lot of people it's like yes, no, we're Wow. So we want to wow in that philosophy. So even myself, I will look at something like is this a yes, this is a no. And if it doesn't say wow, I'll just say this. isn't making the call. You know

Dondrill Glover:

I love the metaphor of the of it dancing and now and now that you've said that when I reflect back on seeing the collection of the show that was dancing there was a lot of movement in particularly the way you placed different imprints and designs you know there was a synergy there I yeah, I love

Unknown:

that. Like even a geometric a vectorized geometric. I still believe it should move. You

Dondrill Glover:

know that like yeah, I think because it also speaks you know of your vision and how you present the collection I think that it has the more that it connects with you and if it must dance, it needs to dance. I mean, who doesn't like dancing? I think it's a great hobby. Let's talk a bit about you know, how does the approach for so your approach to designing between the two mediums of textile and you also do plastic wallpaper? How does that approach differ

Unknown:

for you? For me, I would say sometimes when I'm doing the artwork if I know is going on fabric, I would think okay once it goes on fabric is absolutely going to change because of the texture of the fabrication and that excites me because that builds dimension. So I love that dimensional aspect of when we're going from fabric to wall from wall I know what it's going to be if if I just printed on a piece of you know paper or book for the fabric is always that exciting part of painting it and when it comes back and you see it on the fabric, it's like wow, look at the look at the sky. Look at the dimension look at it's just it's I love

Dondrill Glover:

your glowing I see it I love that part of it. That's how a collection I think it make you feel I mean you know you're going from there and you're you have to then present it out in the world and to be able to do it with that much certainty and jovial this and happiness. Once again I think I think energy translates I really do.

Unknown:

So we have I don't know if you remember at the show there was I think he took a picture of it it was this pink paper this I mean pink pillow cover. Yes Yeah that one it was his the process was taking actual florals and with the cyan the cyanotype process of you know pressing it and letting the sun push that in there. So while that's happening and I'm thinking what is it going to look like when we go to print on actual fabric so brain scan it you know you watch actually you have to wash the fabric first then scan it clean it up and create the piece and it's exciting to see how it went from I'll send you the pictures How about being on the roof of my building with the sun in printing the florals so then you know it open it you know coming out as a pillow cover it's beautiful process

Dondrill Glover:

I mean I mean even you know just even just right there you being on the roof and having the sun come in and it you know kind of move into the material I you know that's that's the natural elements in the earth and a lot of beautiful Energy and Natural Earth is going into your process and and once again it's translating in a really great way to stay on New York now I want to tell the audience how I first saw you I was going down the aisle and I see this beautiful woman who is on the ground and you're going through you had your swatches there and you were deep and it was and then you and then I look and I see this beautiful booth you know, you know it's just with the colors and the pills and the pattern so I would love to ask I'd love for you to share about making the debut over at our summer market

Unknown:

yes so a Wanda messaged me here and there and they said you know what, one day I'm gonna do this show and it was you know friends and family you know people would just say stuff all of this needs to be in home people need to see this artwork. And I'm like, Yeah, but I wasn't ready You know, but something about getting her email and I was like I am now ready to go into New York now i think you know it is an unstable market because it was the first show coming back after you know the COVID break and I said I'm gonna take this chance let's see how it goes. And you know that my first debut there in New York now I you know, I'm grateful It was amazing. You know, we have our product place in a couple of stores right now. We you know, we have contacts we you know, I've spoken to people so it was an IT WAS to me, a for my first time there. I had a great experience. Everybody was welcoming, you know, but team it was, you know A very welcoming experience. And I feel like it's a place that our brand can grow. And people can get to know us. And obviously, people want to see you there a couple of times at a show to build that. And you'll see like, you know, we're a company that will be here and we'll be here for a very long time.

Dondrill Glover:

That's fantastic. I will I thank you for listening to a Wanda She's amazing. And and the fact that you felt so comfortable with our New York Mellon team and felt welcomed, we really do our best. You know, our exhibitors are much like our buyers are really, really important to us and our community is exists because of you guys. And so the fact that you took the leap, and you did it with us, and people responded, it's really wonderful to hear that I enjoyed, like talking with you, and taking pictures in your booth and choosing one of your products as one of our market picks. And so it was

Unknown:

a validating experience, I would say, just from the the reception from buyers from, you know, interior designers, just people coming by and seeing like, Oh, we love what we're seeing in this booth. And that was to me that was so validating. And I know that that is, you know, it's always something in me that that's my path to bring prints to the world and bring joy and that you know, that definitely was validating at that time. Yeah, you

Dondrill Glover:

are definitely on your path. And it's happening. So you've, you know, and I'm excited to stay on this train, and continue to watch and support. And on that I'd love to talk about as we were talking about people responding. Let's talk to buyers and retailers about you know, what they can find in the collection.

Unknown:

So for right now we started off with I started off with pillow covers, because I think it was going to my mom's house and I hated a lot of pillow covers. And I saw her like very easy and to change a space. So that's what I started out with first and various designs. It was like offering 13 different designs to start out with and then the wallpaper some of the actual covers are wallpapers as well. So it was taking some of those designs and it was talking about translating from you know, paper to textiles. You can see the difference with the wallpaper too. And I adjust the colors of it. So you know people can they'll see that our products are these velvet pillow covers. And then we have three different types of wallpaper, we have Canvas wallpaper, we have removable peeling stick, you know, for everybody that cannot, you know, totally committal to wallpaper. So we were offering that and as we're growing, I'm gonna start offering different products. So in that, you know, the next show, we're gonna have some more stuff that we know we're going to launch and I'm brewing on right now. So, you know, we may have placemats coming in, you know, there's gonna be various different things or, you know, our pillow covers may have tassels on it, who knows? Yeah,

Dondrill Glover:

because you're going to be walking in those moments. And when they hit

Unknown:

it, yeah. And even fabric by the, you know yardage for, you know, interior designers who want to offer something to their clients, if they need the fabric by the yard to do something custom, we do that as well. And we

Dondrill Glover:

wanted to tap into an asset. That's an important one. I know that you are working with interior designers with installations and customizing so what if you can continue to say how they can build and start that relationship with you?

Unknown:

Yes, I would say I'm a people person. So I love working with people in general. And so people can contact me in Ontario designers, they'll contact and say, Hey, you know, how much is this a meter? Can we do this to create something else, and everything is made in the United States. I don't know if we touched upon. Everything is, you know, our fabrication comes from Europe. But everything is made here in the United States of wallpaper we make down south, and everything is sewn here in New York City in the garment district. And it's because I've had relationships with this, like one company since 2006. You know, it's been Yeah, a long time. So we have this beautiful relationship that I can go to George and say, Hey, I have this interior designer that wants to make this piece of which we did, you know, change some stuff or some clients from New York now. They wanted a pillow different size, we have the ability to do that. So when an interior designer comes to work with me, there's endless possibilities. It's really like let's bring in this vision and make it happen.

Dondrill Glover:

That this is I mean and what you're saying is also your You're just so collaborative and the fact that and I want to give you a qoodles you know for lack of a better word in the moment for manufacturing in New York and it's supporting you know, our manufacturers here in the city it was once really thriving Yeah. So for you to maintain a relationship with a company and work with them It also just makes your brand more accessible to a lot of our designers here and just helping to support and feed our economy and so thank you for doing that it matters

Unknown:

made in the USA is so important and you know being made in New York feels extra special wave but you know, I was born in New York so Yeah, exactly. I'm being in New York, it's you know, I think markable

Dondrill Glover:

The great thing about it, you know, we're so inclusive, that we just art we embrace the world here and working collaboratively in so many different ways and so it all just makes sense.

Unknown:

touch upon the relationships that's always keeping the relationships with people and keeping it open and you know, a built relationship can lead to so many other doors opening so I'm a firm believer of having great relationships with people because is you don't know what can happen and I

Dondrill Glover:

I know that we touched the previous question a bit on some things to look forward to I know that we talked about design but in going forward with your brand just for the future as you said we'll be around you know, where do you see it going in snapshots

Unknown:

and snapshots? Yeah, I personally I would love for the brand you know, obviously to continue to offer stuff for everybody at home you know, that's you know, everybody's working from home but you all have this and we have to be home now you know more than ever before. So I would love you know, we're gonna continue to offer things from home but as the brand grows it'll be I would love to have collaborations with restaurants with hotels and because I believe people need to see this art that comes and I feel like that would be another thing you know, we'll have that that'll grow so that'll be another chapter. We'll have maybe capsule collections going forward you know some specialty collections and that now because the ability to travel again is now you know coming back and a lot of my inspiration guests from my travels so I think that will then tend to happen you'll start to see that in 2022 capsule collections these small tight collections that are inspired from you know my travels so I was in Costa Rica you know it is all about the birds the yes yes, definitely about their wildlife there so we you know, a small capsule collection imagine well

Dondrill Glover:

I to assure that our listeners and buyers and retailers go on that journey with you. Tell us where we can follow you socially.

Unknown:

Alright, so we have our website ww thought associates a CT comm that's s o gdcor.com. Then we have our Instagram handle it's soget decor but simple so GZE co are and then my personal one if you want to see about my life me my dog, you know our daily New York Life and respond to me drawing to Emma. I started posting that so it's my full name Stephanie. Last name. Oh, gee. So you can find me at that handle as well on Instagram.

Dondrill Glover:

Oh, that's fantastic. Stephanie. This conversation mind you on a Sunday morning. You like Monday morning? Easy, like Sunday morning? Yeah, it really it's been a complete joy for me. You know, we met at market we said that we connect and here we already happen. We made it happen. And I thank you for being flexible and you know, sitting down with us today to share your journey, you know to talk about so Jay It's amazing. It's just I can't wait to continue to follow where you're going. I love the collection is done. Totally. Absolutely. So we will be staying tuned. Thank you so much. Definitely.

Unknown:

Thank you. I'm I'm happy to be part of the New York now fam now. We are

Dondrill Glover:

so happy to have you no question about it. We are so excited and I'll again be running over to your booth to take pictures. It sounds great. To learn more about Stephanie and her collection, please visit soget decor.com. And follow us on Instagram at soget decor. Thank you for listening to the New York now podcast. Make sure to tune in weekly for engaging and insightful conversations touching on the most relevant topics facing our community today. Is it New York now.com to learn more about our market, and how you can join in on the conversation