GIRLS KICK ASS!

When i was 15 i was depressed. I couldn't get anything going. I wanted to sew, sing, draw, paint, crochet, shop, be cute, wear makeup (the right way) wear cute clothes (that didn't make me look silly) write stories and well....get something going. I spent days upon days locked away in my room staring at the walls wondering if i would ever find my 'thing'. My niche. My 'something'. Anything. Any kind of creative outlet....and oh i was beyond frustrated.

15 was awful.

But i was determined to NOT give up at least trying. I always had the notion that persistance was key and that sooner or later something would break.

But this went on for years. In fact, until the summer before my 19th birthday.

And then something happened. It was around then that one day i woke up to find myself obsessed with hats. consumed was more like it. I decided to take a few milinary classes at the local college. I bought some funky fabric and well, started sewing.

Around town i becamse the 'weird hat girl'

Oversized hats made out of upolstery fabrics with big plastic roses pinned on the front. Floppy hats made out of canary colored faux fur and so on... I sold a bunch to friends, then to their friends, then to some stores.

Then I got tired of hats and moved on to halter tops and wrap dresses and wrap skirts. I would bike to my waitressing job in yellow skirts made out of curtains and hats cut from dads robe. I had so much fun and didn't care how I looked funny because, hey, I was expressing myself! I mean thats what it's all about right? And the people who wore my stuff felt fun too and that made me feel all gushy and rad inside.

Then one day I met this guy who had a local skate company. We decided to join forces and start a girls clothing line! And like, I was 19 and up for anything so....

POOT! was born in 1991. "...a pioneer in the girly sportswear industry." Home of the world famous "girls kick ass!" slogan and girls kick ass! lifestyle movement. Suddenly i found myself with a 'vision' and a strong one at that. A vision, drive, a creative outlet and .... well i was about to find my 'thing'

POOT! was practically a overnight sucess! Never before had girls clothes been sold in skate shops! Never before had girls had their own streetwear line just for them! And designed by a girl just like them who also needed plenty of fun and comfy and cute clothes!

Fans were a plenty and letters poured in and in - so we launched FOXY in 1993, originally a POOT! fan zine. But it didn't take long for FOXY to grow into a cult favorite among the girlie set and the teen girl magazine world.

So, Clea Hantamn aka SUPER CLEA was brought in to run the zine and before I knew it, we launched it on line!

FOXY.com became known as "the first on-line girl teen presence" (um, hello its was only 1994!) WIRED Magazine ran a full page color photo and interview with me and Clea! The printed FOXY went color and was soon was distributed throughout skateboard shops and Urban Outfitters worldwide while FOXY.com was on every 'cool link list' on every girls homepage and in every teen magazine around.

Soon after that CHOES was launched, the POOT! line of shoes and the first ever girls sportwear / skate shoe.

From monthly ads in PAPER magazine, handfuls of trade shows, dozens of interviews, tons of mail order catalogs, thr first of the POOT! sales on-line, two fabulous °VIVA LA FEMME! fashion shows, a fan base of thousands of girls (aka: POOT! GIRLS) worldwide, hundreds of emails a day and well 4 clothing lines a year POOT! and 4 FOXY's later......

Suddenly my frustration from my teen years seemed all worth it when i got fan mail: "hi keva i just want to tell you how much i love my POOT! tee shirt and whenever i wear it i feel like a star!"

Suddenly those years of depression all seemed worth it because they gave me the fuel i needed to do POOT! and to make it all that it was. And i found myself in a position to help other 15 year olds express themselves via POOT! or FOXY involvement. POOT! offered a freedom to girls to 'be real girls' to express themselves, to be a part of something, to belong, to contribute (design a POOT! logo contests to be a POOT! model and so on)and well making a girl happy and proud of who she is and giving her the tools to be who she wants to be, well thats my thing. my niche.

My 'something.'

And well, i just have to say that POOT! was one of the best things i've ever done. Plus i got to meet Clea, who shared with me all her feelings about when she was 15 and they were like almost the same and well, and she felt the same way about FOXY as i did and well, keep reading....

After POOT! I branched out into the world of advertising as ART DIRECTOR with the Lambesis Agency. (home of the L Report)

For almost 3 years I concepted and helped to create/ launch and market such campaigns and brands as Love's Baby Soft, Fetish Cosmetics, Astrologie, Bebe, Levis and Airwalk.

During this time i also did some zines and mag stuff (SWEETIE /JUMP / TEEN), consulted for some big wig teen companies and then following that I once again joined forces with Superclea to write a few books (HarperCollins fall / spring 2000)

Brimming with excitment over the book writing we decided to form MACHACA, our very own teen consulting company.

Following is a pictorial of my favorite POOT! stuff and fun FOXY memoribilla. Plus some other stuff too.

So, ok thanks and gracias for checking out my site and don't forget ...
GIRLS KICK ASS!

PS If you liked this, you’ll dig this interview “Behind the brand: Keva Marie Dine of Poot!” @yeahgirlmedia.