Ella and Ghosty created a fashion brand called Oddflower, which goes beyond society’s gender categories and social norms.
The brand’s name Oddflower was derived from a scene in the movie Harold & Maude, where Maude compares societal norms to a field of flowers. Their designs go behind typical styles by creating pieces that are genderless and expressive for everyone. Ella and Ghosty created Oddflower to challenge these ideals placed by society and encourage people who are treated and looked at differently to dress freely and go beyond these boundaries. Film, art, and fashion play a big part in their designs as they empower and tell a story through various pieces. Oddflower isn’t a linear brand. It explores the many complexities that individuals deal with each day. Ella and Ghostly want to promote a new way of thinking and embrace the narrative of being an outsider. They’re both inspired by aspects that are considered non-traditional and challenge normalized methods.
During New York Fashion Week, they had a guerrilla-style presentation at DOORS Soho. They were inspired by the construction outside of the location and decided to have a fashion show that was open to the public. The show included various elements such as fashion, performance art, and a green carpet presentation, which featured live graffiti, floral installations, and buckets of PBR modeled by friends and people they met on the streets.
The Knockturnal spoke with Ella and Ghosty about their brand and what they hope to express with their designs. During the interview, both designers discuss their own identities, which influences their push to create a space for people who are different because of society’s judgment and labels.
The Knockturnal: Tell me alittle about the concept for the logo OddFlower? What made you choose this name?
Ella & Ghosty: Oddflower is about shifting perspectives. The upside down logo reminds us to question everything, to look at things differently and make our own choices in life instead of living by the status quo. The name ODDFLOWER was inspired by a scene in the classic film Harold & Maude, where Maude uses a field of flowers as a metaphor for social norms… “much of the world’s sorrow comes from people who are this… yet allow themselves to be treated like that.” Oddflower is about blooming beyond those boxes.
The Knockturnal: On your website you have the phrase “labels are for clothes” how do you both feel your designs help break societies gender barriers?
Ella & Ghosty: Everything we make is genderless. When we were designing the concept for the brand we both had always felt like, how could clothing possibly be gendered? It doesn’t even make sense. Ella grew up wearing her brother’s hand-me-downs and Ghosty wearing “girls” jeans and eyeliner… Both identifying as gender fluid we mix masculine & feminine and try to find something in between that breaks beyond the gender binary. We seek out projects that we would both be stoked to wear, like a grungy floral dress or fuzzy moss sneakers.
The Knockturnal: How important was it for you both to create a brand that merges art, film, and fashion while challenging societal norms, gender, and boundaries? What is your goal(s) for OddFlower?
Ella & Ghosty: From the beginning, our goal has always been to blur the lines between fashion, film, and art. We’re inspired by Andy Warhol’s factory, Brain Dead… artists who build an audience and community around storytelling. Being multi-hyphenate artists, it was important for us to design a brand that’s about a lifestyle, not a specific medium – the medium is just a means to amplify our stories and the communities and subcultures we identify with. As two queer individuals, and Ella being mixed latinx, first-generation American we’ve felt like outsiders and we never want anyone else to feel that exclusion or like they don’t belong. Oddflower is for everyone who’s ever felt like they didn’t belong because they were “different,” and for future-forward thinkers who want to be a part of what’s next instead of just buying what everyone else is buying… We want the people who wear our designs to feel empowered, like they belong, and to feel main character energy.
The Knockturnal: What do you feel like your designs say about the both of you?
Ella & Ghosty: Our designs are elevated, playful, and odd. We tap into a feeling of nostalgia but with a future-forward mindset.
The Knockturnal: Your designs incorporate vintage garments and materials that have been repurposed. When you find these materials and fabrics, what’s your creative process like when deciding how to reinvent them?
Ella & Ghosty: Sometimes we’re seeking specific garments or fabrics for a design concept we’ve mocked up. Other times, we get inspired by something unexpected that we find. That’s what happened with the Field Jackets that we made for our NYFW presentation. We like to keep an open mind and a lot of it is feeling.
The Knockturnal: You decided to have a guerrilla-style presentation for New York Fashion Week at DOORS Soho. Which was part fashion show, part performance art, the “green carpet” presentation featured live graffiti, floral installations, buckets of PBR and a new collection modeled by some of your skater punk friends and real people you met on the streets of NYC. What was your thought process like when deciding to have this presentation? Describe the overall experience?
Ella & Ghosty: Before we decided to do a popup during NYFW, we were planning to attend shows already so we were half joking about doing a super guerrilla style runway show on the streets outside of Spring Studios. Then the popup came together. There happened to be a construction site next door. The owners of the shop were kind of annoyed about it, but we were inspired. We tagged the construction site with “THE FUTURE IS ODD,” brought in some friends to model and had them do the presentation walking through the scaffolding, with bouquets of flowers hanging upside down above their heads. You can see more of that footage and photos on our IG @theoddflowerco.
Existing in a world of high fashion where everything is about exclusivity, we take a different approach. We wanted to disrupt NYFW and it felt really empowering to create such an inclusive presentation experience. No VIP’s, no velvet ropes… Oddflower isn’t just another clothing company and we approach everything we do from a perspective that ignores the norms of the industry. There’s no “right way” to do things in life and that’s a lot of the ethos behind Oddflower. Doing things differently and defying expectations.
The Knockturnal: Lately we’ve seen more people within the fashion industry taking their designs and having them represent important issues and causes they feel should be seen and heard both good and bad. How important do you feel like this shift is when allowing fashion to be more expressive? Do you feel like sometimes the backlash can be worth it?
Ella & Ghosty: Artists are meant to hold a mirror to society, and fashion has always been a visually expressive way to challenge societal norms. I think any artist who is making bold choices, has a point of view and uses their work to comment on real issues is bound to piss some people off along the way… That’s just a part of the process. If you’re not upsetting people at least a little bit you’re probably not saying very much, honestly. But there’s a difference between disrupting for the sake of causing chaos and representing important issues to provoke conversation and inspire change.
