Watch CBS News

NYC Style: The Ethereal Avalove

by Kimberly Rae Miller

avalove

Borough/Neighborhood: Bushwick, Brooklyn
Profession: artist, designer, yogi

Avalove sometimes goes to the honey hive to watch the honey glow.  She began writing poetry in 7th grade, and has been published in many literary journals, and won the Amy Award from Poets and Writers magazine for best New York area 'younger woman' poet under 30.  After a long love affair with CosmoGIRL! Magazine as the editor , she felt a need to express a nervous creative tick. Avalove began printing t-shirts and selling them on the streets in Soho. She prints everything she can get her hands on with dream images from ball gown dresses, to men's ties.  She has a small cut and sew line that's supply goes according to demand.

And it's  now 7-years-old and growing! Only existing due to the love of the people in New York City who so graciously support  the avalove line.   She believes the practice of yoga is essential, and is teacher trained in both Kundalini yoga, and the Jivamukti yoga method, and has been studying a healing technique called sat Nam Rasayan for 14 years under her teacher guru Dev Singh.

Spiritual activism is the most revolutionary and inspiring teachings of yoga. Every moment is a moment you can be a revolutionary in your own life, right when you finish this sentence, go do it now!

How would you define your personal style?

Style goes according to mood, so you can see the mood by what I have on.  Super good mood is wearing a ball gown and tiara to go to the bodega in to pick up orange juice.  My dream closet is full of costumes just for turning these every day boring, un-transcendent moments, into something that transcends, and no closet is complete without wings, glitter hair spray (who needs it to be Halloween?), and really great, comfortable, fabulous vegan moonboots.  It's about expressing imagination. I am not one for following the rules.

Do you have a philosophy behind your clothing?

I view my prints as works of art and my body of clothing as the canvas.   Avalove is much more art, and much less about fashion. The goal of anything in life is to elevate, so avalove designs have this goal to elevate the wearer.  There are lucky bluebird tees to bring good luck to the wearer, or peacock prints to give a holy darshan to the wearer, a dreamcatcher to catch your dreams. The intention is always elevation.

When you're working on designing a line what kind of process do you have?

The topic line of avalove is birds and botanics. Poetry inspires the metaphor of the visual images so often the shirts tell stories. Like a drawing in a journal. Or a photograph in a photo album. Marks some kind of place in time in my history mapped out by image.

What fashion trend do you wish would just go away already?

Not being yourself! Anything goes in my book, as long as you feel like a superhero--on the inside-- in it.  On that note: you can do anything as long as you do it with confidence!

Favorite Spots in the Five Boroughs

Jivamukti yoga school: This place is my nest. My every day living room, to hang with my good people and a great place for a super vegan statement tee like: holy being, who doesn't want to be? Do a class with Dechen Thurman 9:10am (wow) and stop in their vegan cafe for compassionate eats.

Chiaki Wada: I add one of her dresses and bags to my collection every year. handmade.

Himalayan Visions: Traditional Tibetan designs are my secret go to when I need to do something fancy.  No one ever, ever, wears the same thing.

Hhanuman by Minhee Cha: How did she figure out how to make fabric out of recycled plastic bottles? Amazing, and a favorite for great accomplishment.

One Lucky Duck: I live at One Lucky Duck! Best salad ever, and mallomars even Harry from When Harry Met Sally would melt for. Who knew it could be this good, and raw!

Avalove will be at the Union Square Holiday Market that opens Friday, November 19! Avalove  is available online at  www.avaloveshop.com, or www.avalove.etsy.com read poems at www.ava-love.com and come check out her new healing project a twww.templeshalaa.com!

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.