Galadriel Mattei Accessories
Galadriel Mattei’s self-named accessories line started with a slouchy beanie that she made for herself using a vintage cashmere sweater as fabric. The “Civil Watch Cap” was inspired by Civil War kepi caps and watchman hats.
“People wanted them off my head,” said Mattei, who has worked as a commercial stylist and designer. Mattei sold her one-of-a-kind designs and vintage clothing at Ylem, her retail store and studio in Hollywood, from 2005 to 2006. In her line of accessories that officially launched in Fall 2008, Mattei finally hit a stride with a product that could reach a broader audience. The accessories have been carried by specialty boutiques such as Barneys New York and EM & Co.
Neely Shearer, buyer for Xin, said that even when business was slow, Mattei’s one-of-a-kind accessories sold.
“[Shoppers] are going for things that are super special,” said Shearer, who shuttered her 10-year-old boutique earlier this year. She is now a wholesale sales rep for Galadriel Mattei and other brands.
The Galadriel Mattei accessories line includes hats, arm sleeves, scarves and gloves that are made from nearly all recycled materials. In Mattei’s Los Angeles studio, bins marked by colorways such as “gray tones,” “dark-red tones” and “medium-red tones” contain the holey cashmere sweaters and faded T-shirts that Mattei has scavenged at thrift stores and garage sales. She uses deadstock watch bands and remaindered leather for trims.
There is a story behind each of Galadriel Mattei’s creations. Mattei describes that she was “thinking of brains and decay” when hand-sewing squiggly puckering on the sides of a recycled-cashmere beanie. The accessories are like a short-story version of the dresses she used to create that told a story about “folklore, elitelore, monsters and politics.” Some of the elaborately beaded and embroidered pieces required more than a full work week to construct and were deliberately “hideous.”
“It was just a completely different approach from what I’d done before,” Mattei said of the accessories. “The concept remained the same, but I limited the detail telling so it was a more-simple story.”
Wholesale price points range from $65 for a recycled cashmere “Civil Watch” cap to $90 for a “Sashed” scarf made from recycled silk, $50 for “Throat Coats” scarves made from vintage cotton tees and $30 for recycled cashmere arm warmers. For more information, call (323) 333-8781.—Rhea Cortado
