Standing Out While Fitting In: ironwire

Article by Mollie Smith. Images courtesy of Katey Cooney, with styling by Eva Fournel & Ava Eisendrath (pictured above).

Ava Eisendrath is cleaning tables when I walk up. It’s early on a Saturday; 8:30 am, to be exact. She waves me down from across the street, and props open the door with one hand as we walk in.

I first met Ava on a Friday evening in early April, during the ironwire pop up’s inaugural weekend. Operating out of a converted coffee shop, ironwire’s Broome street storefront is small but mighty. It’s easy to see little bits of Eisendrath everywhere; in the orange colored candy (her brand color), in the coloring-book comics she’s made (on the table by the door, set aside with crayons), and in the bucket of Hot Wheels toy cars (her current obsession).

In the far corner of the room, a tall glass water bottle lies beside two orange cups. The label has been covered by an amorphic orange sticker, the ironwire logo. The same logo has been turned into a plush orange carpet, which we sit on.

It’s surprisingly soft, considering all the places Eisendrath has taken it to. A quick scroll on the ironwire socials will show the rug traveling through several Lower East Side streets, and quite recently, the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

ironwire formed as the brainchild of Ava Eisendrath in August of this past year, and launched on March 28th. Unisex and design-forward, ironwire aims to cross the consumer chasm and make young, exciting streetwear with utilitarian fabrics and classic silhouettes. Their Instagram bio reads;

“clothing designed to stand out while fitting in.”

Looking around the space, it feels literal. The more Ava and I speak, the more I realize she’s quickly become ingrained in the Broome street community. People pop in and out of the store; hungover girls come in for coffee (ironwire has taken over the Mud Club bagel and coffee space) but leave with shirts. When we walk across the street for coffee at Don Juan bodega, their whole team knows ironwire well.

“They let me do a photoshoot here,” she explains.

The cashier smiles, handing us our coffees, and shows me proudly that he follows ironwire on Instagram. Back at the store, we sit down.

Ava in the ironwire pop-up.

Transcript:

MS: How did ironwire start? Why?

AE: I first started sewing in 2010, when I was eight. I don’t know why I started sewing, but as soon as I picked it up, I never put it down. When I was 12, I made a bunch of flower jackets for my friends and I, which are still in my parents’ basement. [Laughs] I was part of two fashion shows in high school. In college, I kept trying to put it off; I was like, I want to make money, I’m going to climb the corporate ladder. In spite of all that, I couldn’t get fashion out of my mind. I kept making 2D art, but after my sophomore year of college I picked up sewing again. I went to Brown, and I did two more fashion shows during college. Suddenly, I was like, I’m doing this. And I’m calling it ironwire. 

ironwire in action. photographed by Luis, styled by Elena, and featuring Chiru Weinstein and Eden McCoy.

MS: How did you start selling the clothing you made?

AE: I started selling on the main green at Brown, when I was still in undergrad. When I got to New York, I got an art studio on Broome Street and befriended the people who own this coffee shop and Early Terrible. I started selling on the street outside the restaurant every Sunday. It was a great way to do bottom-up research and learn what people actually wanted to see. I was like, who actually wants my stuff? What do they like? What don’t they like? It’s a super vulnerable thing.

MS: Do you have formal training in sewing and design?

AE: I spent a semester at London College of Fashion, and during that time I built out a lot of my skill set and scaled more. I wanted to launch in New York while I was in London, in November which was…ridiculous. I can’t believe I thought that turnaround was possible. I ended up launching on March 28th. [Laughs] As a kid, I just could play. That play led to some of my most creative, out there work. A lot of it is unwearable and terribly made but looking back at that childlike whimsy I had is always crazy to me. I'm always trying to get that back. I’ve learned a lot from practice; I’ve been sewing for over a decade. But I also learn so much from the people that come into the store, especially those with classical training. I took a RISD class in college, and that helped refine my technical skills, too. I think you have to be willing to sit down and try really hard, honestly. And know that you’re going to fail, but eventually you’ll succeed. Know that in the beginning it's probably going to suck and that that's okay. Keep grinding. Little by little, hard work will get you somewhere -- at least that's what I'm telling myself.

MS: What do you want to achieve with ironwire longterm? How would you define the brand?

AE: ironwire is Unisex ready-to-wear. I like to say it’s minimalism with a twist; we take established silhouettes like a men’s tie, and we warp them. We twist them slightly, so that they are surprising and yet totally wearable. The idea is that it’s clothing where you can stand out while fitting in. I want my community to feel comfortable and confident. But also, it’s about fostering community. I’ve been hosting lots of different events out of the pop-up; wine nights, music events, art collaborations, and even get-out-the-vote parties. Not everyone’s going to wear ironwire, or relate to my obsession with orange, grommets, and Hot Wheels, but that’s okay. I want to show that there are weird moments of whimsy in this world. We can come together and be seen and be weird together.

A man pops his head in. He’s wearing a felted red beret and a matching jacket, embroidered with the words Neighborhood Watch.

“Ladies,” he says through the crack in the door, friendly. “Are you having any problems here?”

“No,” I say.

“Thank you!” Ava offers.

He nods, pensive. “You have my number, right, Ava? You can text me if anyone gives you trouble.”

Ava thanks him again. “I do!”

He lets the door swing shut and starts walking over to Don Juan bodega, across the street. We continue the interview.

MS: Talk about community!

AE: [Laughs, nods] Exactly. God, I love this neighborhood.

MS: Okay, so you’ve got the community part down. Who is your ideal customer?

AE: Really anyone around my age; probably 23-40 (although my mom’s friends are older, and they rock my clothing, too). I usually say they’re from an urban area that’s gritty; not Paris, but maybe Tokyo or downtown New York. I always say they’re people in the straight arts; graphic designers or photographers, creative directors or streetwear fans. Tech people that don’t want to look like a tech bro. Fashion forward, but also utilitarian. The kind of person that gets brunch on Orchard and Broome, or sits outside on a nice day.

Ava, in ironwire clothing.

MS: That’s amazing. What’s your biggest inspiration?

AE: I watch a lot of sports documentaries, even though I don’t really follow sports themselves. I love watching athletes because I think they have to wake up every day and simultaneously believe that they are the best in the world and the worst in the world. I’m not afraid of saying: I want to be great. I want to be successful. It’s scary and a bit crazy, but I’m not afraid of saying it. I wake up every morning and I’m like, Ava, you suck. Every piece you make is terrible. No one is ever going to want to wear this. And then, at the same time, I think, Your stuff is amazing. How has every single person in the world not bought ironwire yet? I think you have to be a little bit insane to succeed. Beyond documentaries, I find a lot of my current inspiration in traditional menswear accessories; suits; ties; and topographic maps. I think my map obsession comes from me being a control freak. I hate feeling lost. 

MS: Okay, follow up: Who is your biggest inspiration?

AE: [Laughs] Me and every other straight-boy creative-director multi-hyphenate on the Lower East Side have this in common, which is a little embarrassing, but Virgil Abloh really did change my life. 

MS: Naturally.

AE: I saw his Off-White runway for the first time when I was in 8th grade. The reason he was so inspiring to me was that he was so interested in crossing the consumer chasm, and in designing ready to wear for people in streetwear. I think, unlike a lot of designers (but like him), I’m very interested in the consumer. I get so much of my playful and whimsy and warping desire in ironwire from him. I’ve also loved Jonathan Anderson’s time at Loewe, and Dior; the way he merges luxury with play and incredible research. I love the marketing at Jacquemus. 

MS: Your marketing has become such a big part of the ironwire brand. Can you speak to that a little?

AE: I take a lot of inspiration from Jacquemus, Balenciaga; they do such a great job at world building. I know I’m not the first to be inspired by them and I won’t be the last, but I do think I want this to be more than just clothes. It’s very logo-heavy on purpose; I want to give you a reason to remember my brand, my name. I’m trying to have fun, and I think that really comes across in my marketing and my brand.

MS: Okay, final question. What’s next?

AE: My pop-up got extended through Memorial Day, but I’m always thinking about what’s next. I want to get back to my roots; hit the streets. I want to have some humility. I might start selling across the street from the Supreme flagship on Thursdays when they drop new items. Selling on the street is so vulnerable, which is why it’s so rewarding. I want to see what the people, and what my community really wants.

Editor’s Note: You can find ironwire on Instagram here, and on their website here. They’ll be at 303 Broome Street Thursday-Sunday through the end of May, and on the streets of New York otherwise.