NEW CROP
Behind the Labels – Bohemian Diesel Marketplace
Wow, I really can’t believe it’s already over 3 years ago that I first posted about New Crop on this blog! I discovered them on Instagram, and from the beginning I loved following New Crop huntress Charmie’s and her soulmate Aaron’s journeys, journeys where they chase their own creative independence and gather some amazing vintage and tribal jewelry and textiles for their shop New Crop.
Oh, they stock some truly amazing and beautiful vintage pieces in their shop, AND of course the stunning Woodstock Caftans! The Woodstock Caftans are co-created with a family in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico where mastery of embroidery has been long passed down for generations in their area.
Perfect for the flower child at heart or the Woodstock bride. A dress that feels like its danced through decades. A decade San Francisco has termed the “Summer of Love”. Designs and patterns that reminisce on an era of evolution, a feeling of peace, a movement in music, and a time of knowing that all you need is love. AND it is available on our Marketplace!
So stoked and honored about this!
You can learn more about New Crop from the lovely Charmie in the interview we did for the Behind the labels series now:
Who is behind the magic and where do you call home?
Hi my name is Charmie, and New Crop was born out of a back pack 4 years ago during a 2 year back packing trip abroad with my partner Aaron. From day one, there was lots of magical hands behind the magic. Travel and the inspiration from culture, art, and artisans opened our eyes to what we were most passionate about. Allowing creativity to be a bridge between cultures, space, and time. So we started teaming up with artisans to bring New Crop to life.
Since arriving back to America, we now call San Francisco home. It’s such a fascinating city, it’s as if everyone let their imaginations run wild and and they ran along with it — anything and everything seems possible. I believe that the same pioneer’s and the seeker’s spirit that first moved out west in 1800s- is still here today.
Our favorite part is how multi-cultural it is, our tiny studio is right next to Chinatown and Little Italy. The fact that we don’t usually understand the language when were out in and about in our neighborhood makes us feel as if we haven’t stopped travelling. We’re very grateful to call San Francisco home.
Tell us about New Crop.
New Crop’s pieces has evolved quite a bit since we first started – would be a big “no no” in the retail industry. But it’s what I love most about it. I love how untraditional it is- untraditional in a sense that we sell pieces that sometimes people happily wait 6 months for. We pour so much heart, soul, and time into pieces we usually just have 1 of. So New Crop feels like a counter culture in retail and in fast fashion. We still strongly believe in buy less, buy well.
Why is the company named New Crop?
The truth on this name is pretty funny. I am from the Philippines, and Aaron’s family is from the micronesian islands of Paula. Needless to say, as islanders – we eat a lot of rice =)
Me and Aaron had already started playing with the idea of starting something – a creative outlet- we just couldn’t think of a name or what that outlet might be!
One day we brought home a big sack of rice, and on it was a seal that said “New Crop”. We took the seal off and hung it by our desk- for some reason we loved the name. To us it stood for collectively harvesting our own abundance. It also inspired us to dig deeper into our roots and our culture. Needless to say, a couple months later we quit our jobs and bought a one way ticket out of the country.
What makes you inspired?
I can go on for days about this =) Living in such a fast paced- tech innovating city- and world! I am inspired by the simplicity of art made with your hands. From potters, to woodworkers, textile artists, to candlemakers, to boot makers, and so on. To be able to connect with your art and create an end product is very inspiring to me. It’s that craftsmanship and creativity that is– or once was part of all our cultures.
Who is your style icon?
Easy! Cher and Frida Kahlo. Everytime I stock the shop- I always curate pieces with these two in mind. Would Cher wear this? Would Frida Kahlo buy this?
What are you passionate about?
This personal preference of course, but I prefer blur the lines between life, work and play. I’m passionate about creativity as a life’s work. I used to work a 9-5 job that numbed me for the majority of my waking hours. I used to watch the clock, countdown the days to the weekend, and get that sinking feeling in my stomach on Sundays. After leaving my job- and started freelancing and pursuing New Crop, my work has become more fulfilling, more mind stimulating and exciting. Yes, I will admit, I work a lot harder, longer hours, but it’s work that I want to get out of bed for, stay awake for, and happily do all weekend. I can’t really tell you what day of the week it is- because every day is life, work, and play day.
What do you see in your future? Do you have a dream project?
Yes, my next dream project is to create colorful and culture rich rental spaces. Another project inspired by travel and creativity! During our travels abroad we enjoyed staying in converted rice barns, in mud domes with geodesic glass ceilings, and in wooden and straw yurts. They weren’t built by people with a lot of money- these were buildings built with their native building materials, built by people with a lot of imagination, hard work. I can’t even begin to describe the magical feeling of being in these spaces- it was truly special and has inspired me to daydream about doing something myself!
Thank you so much Charmie! It’s such an honor to have you in the team!
You can shop New Crop’s amazing caftans on the marketplace now!!
