THE Q&A: 
Emily Bode 
BODE founder Emily Bode, the coolest woman in menswear, continues her quilting and vintage themes for FW19. She talked to us about being inspired by peculiar minutiae – or ephemera, in her words – such as a friend’s taste for ‘80s college rock and their childhood memorabilia.

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MODA: 
Congratulations on your fourth collection! Is it easy for you to think about clothing that way, in collections?  
 
EMILY:    
Yeah it is – each collection is inspired by a personal narrative, so I do like it allocated that way. But basically many of the styles we sell are in every collection, especially our quilt Havana shirts, our long-sleeve shirts and our quilted jackets. Then we add styles based on that personal narrative, and conversations I have with the person who’s inspired the collection.  


MODA: 
And who is that person for FW'19? 
   
EMILY:  
Todd Alden, a gallerist based in lower Manhattan [ed. note: his gallery is Alden Projects; you can also read Alden in ARTFORUM]. We connected through our shared sentiment for ephemeral objects. He’s an ephemera art dealer – meaning things that were not intended to be saved. He specializes in objects that artists owned, in addition to their work. Like maybe fliers for a show. So some of the posters in this show, like the Replacements poster, are part of Todd’s personal collection. And we used the Replacements’ “Swingin' Party” and “Can’t Hardly Wait” in the presentation. 

   
 
MODA: 
What appeals to you about Moda’s concept of selling almost immediately after runway shows or presentations? 
 
EMILY:    
I thought it was a brilliant idea. And to partner with someone who has the ability to do so is really amazing. For us, it gets people excited about the collection. They’re able to buy into something they fall in love with immediately, instead of having to follow up with the brand every minute. We have a lot of fans who ask us to put stuff on hold, and this is an easy way for them – especially since you guys have some of our one-of-a-kind pieces – to buy into it immediately.
 
MODA: And so we’re getting Todd Alden’s story through this collection.
   
EMILY:  Right, the overall story of Todd is following him through camp – you’ll see Camp Nor’wester t-shirts – then through school at Williams College, into when he worked at the curation department at MoMA. We’re following him throughout his career but especially his childhood, collecting memorabilia from his youth. 


MODA: 
I recognized the old-school milk bottle tops from my youth, which you used in a very inventive way. In my day we called those pogs.  
 
EMILY:    
Yeah, I collected pogs as a kid. But it was more a commercialized pog – not the actual milk caps. I remember being at a friend’s house and hearing, like, “You need to clean up all your pogs!” They were all over the carpeted floors of suburbia.    


MODA: 
Last question: What are some of your favorite cities for vintage shopping?
   
EMILY:  
Oh gosh. I do all the fleas in the summertime, all along New England, looking for American textiles and bedding, domestic textiles. In Paris I look for old textiles, old mattress fabrics and laces and linen. And France has great trimmings, in general, like buttons and lace. In Atlanta it’s more boyish. There was one store –it closed – that had all 1940s and ‘50s gym clothing that I bought. I grew up antiquing in Atlanta, so that holds a special place in my heart.  

Interview by Moda men's Editorial Director Andrew Matson 
Photography by Creigh Lyndon
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