Cavata Clothing Co. » News

Its in the details…

admin — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:01:08 +0000

When developing the CAVATA brand, I thought about everything I would want to see as a customer; comfortable cuts, quality screenprinting, attention to details, etc. That’s why I take such pride in putting out the best product I can. From the custom-color hem tags and the screened neck tag prints (who likes scratchy tags!?) to our packaging and free pins and stickers we include in every purchase, every piece is part of a bigger experience for fans of the CAVATA brand.

I will say, though, the more pieces there are to a puzzle…the harder it is to put together. I can’t tell you how many problems I’ve run into since we’ve started- between problems with the screenprinter, the server for the online store and even having a web designer steal hundreds of dollars from us (yep, that happened) it seemed nothing was going right. However, if you want somethign bad enough, you’ll fight for it even if the odds are stacked against you. From these mistakes we learned how to do business properly in order to avoid problems, who in the industry not to work with, what to expect with certain projects and (most importantly) how to bounce back when problems do arise. At the time I was never happy when something went wrong but now I am actually thankful these things happened because it makes our success that much sweeter.

So, as many of you know we ran into a few snags with the summer line (and I’ve tried to answer all of your email/facebook/myspace/twitter questions so if I missed yours here’s the answer!) The new tees are dropping THIS MONTH. I’m on my way out the door to bring the latest shipment to our seamstress who sews on every single custom hem tag by hand. After that, its photoshoot time! Sorry for the delay. CAVATA works HAHDUH (aka harder…if you’re a Bostonian you’ll get it). Maybe I’ll even put up a discount code to make up for the delay…keep checking back and thank you for all of your support everyone.

-Lori

CAVATA X RSC drops this Monday

admin — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 20:00:10 +0000

The wait is over. On Monday, June 28, we will be releasing our collaboration tee shirt we developed with fellow Boston-based brand, Regan Smith Clarke. More details to come over the weekend but this exclusive, limited-edition tee will come with a special gift, free shipping and absolutely WILL NOT be reprinted once it sells out.

-Lori

Express yourself

admin — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 04:43:46 +0000

A few weeks ago my friend, Teryn, asked me to come and sing a few songs to open up a poetry reading. This wasn’t an ordinary poetry slam, though; Teryn is the director of a program in Lynn, Massachusetts that supports homeless teen mothers and their children. I had heard so much about the program and the girls so I was more than happy to be a part of it. Some of these girls had their babies when they were as young as 14 or 15 so to hear them recite poems about their families, children and hardships was an extremely deep experience. Even if they couldn’t articulate exactly what they wanted to say with the right words you could feel the emotion break though any grammatical or linguistic barriers that were present. There were even a few girls who could barely speak English so they had their Spanish-written poems translated by other girls. Still, even through broken English, these girls came out of their metaphorical shells and spoke from the heart. Its amazing what people will express when they write a song, a poem, create a painting or a dance; its like everything they were too afraid to say in a conversation suddenly pours from them when its interpretted through art!

I had been going through a bit of a “blaaaah” period up until that day; you know, a few ups and downs, not exactly sure where the road was leading. It wasn’t until I stopped focusing on my own problems and opened myself up to this new experience that I felt more happiness by helping others through art. We all feel a little ”blaaah” sometimes but I highly recommend the next time you feel like you’re not quite sure what to do with your life or you have a problem you don’t know how to deal with, take a step back and practice some compassion. For me, music has always been my way of communicating exactly how I felt and singing for those girls and listening to their words created a uniquely touching experience we all felt good about. But this doesn’t mean you HAVE to use music or art. If you like sports, cars, politics, have religion, etc., use that! Sometimes when we step back and broaden our perspective it helps us see an even bigger picture in the long run. Thank you, Teryn! I had an amazing time and I’ll definitely be coming back for another visit!

-Lori

Happy Birthday, Mr. Lopez

admin — Tue, 25 May 2010 05:19:16 +0000

When you run an indie brand and are trying to support artists from the ground up by going to shows, events, exhibits, etc., you find yourself on the road…a lot. Sometimes this cuts into your hanging time with friends but, hey, it takes sacrifices to get what you want sometimes. A few days ago a good friend of mine, Dan Lopez, celebrated his birthday but Pete and I were already locked in for the Nasty Nat debut at Harper’s Ferry in Allston. I was beyond bummed that couldn’t clone myself for a day considering I was looking forward to finally having some quality chill time with people I hadn’t seen in a long time. Well, since I couldn’t make it I thought the least I could do was hijack the CAVATA blog for a day to say Happy Birthday, Dan! Dan is a music fanatic like myself and one of the very first CAVATA supporters. Basically Dan is the Man.

The birthday boy MAN

Looking fly in his “Smash Hit” tee

And he parties with Hayley Williams. Jealous.

So Happy Birfday, Mr. Lopez! I hope you had an amazing celebration and I’ll see you on the flip side.

-Lori

CAVATA X RSC Collaboration Preview

admin — Tue, 18 May 2010 04:31:25 +0000

I’ve been keeping our upcoming collaboration with the Regan Smith Clarke brand under wraps but decided to preview a little sample of the release today. I’m extremely excited and proud of the end product but the best part has been working with Regan who has become one of my closest friends. He’s been there since the beginning days of CAVATA and its been amazing to see his brand evolve and grow from an idea to a fully launched line. Keep an eye out on Twitter @CavataClothing and on Facebook for more updates on this exclusive, limited-edition collaboration! You just might catch a few of these puppies at Renegade Brooklyn June 5th -6th.

www.cavataclothing.com
www.regansmithclarke.com

-Lori

Lena Horne

admin — Mon, 10 May 2010 06:51:17 +0000

(From the L.A. Times) Lena Horne, the enchanting jazz singer and actress who reviled the bigotry that allowed her to entertain white audiences but not socialize with them, slowing her rise to Broadway superstardom, died Sunday. She was 92.

In the 1940s, she was one of the first black performers hired to sing with a major white band, the first to play the Copacabana nightclub and among a handful with a Hollywood contract. In 1943, MGM Studios loaned her to 20th Century-Fox to play the role of Selina Rogers in the all-black movie musical “Stormy Weather.” Her rendition of the title song became a major hit and her signature piece. On screen, on records and in nightclubs and concert halls, Horne was at home vocally with a wide musical range, from blues and jazz to the sophistication of Rodgers and Hart in songs like “The Lady Is a Tramp” and “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered.” In her first big Broadway success, as the star of “Jamaica” in 1957, reviewer Richard Watts Jr. called her “one of the incomparable performers of our time.” Songwriter Buddy de Sylva dubbed her “the best female singer of songs.”

But Horne was perpetually frustrated with the public humiliation of racism. “I was always battling the system to try to get to be with my people. Finally, I wouldn’t work for places that kept us out…it was a damn fight everywhere I was, every place I worked, in New York, in Hollywood, all over the world,” she said in Brian Lanker’s book “I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America.”

So here’s to Lena Horne and her 92 years of music, beauty, talent and progress. To simply say she has made an impact would be an understatement.

Lena Horne
1917-2010

-Lori

Em Magazine feature

admin — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 05:13:52 +0000

Check out the latest issue of Em Magazine, hot off the press. There’s a great article about myself and the CAVATA brand on pg. 58. I’m an Emerson alum and part of the write-up explains my thoughts on how the IMC grad program helped influence and shape my brand and what CAVATA means to me and my customers!

Special thanks to Michelle Golden!

-Lori

Cavata and Toussaint Team Up

admin — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:00:02 +0000

Its almost here people! Big show tomorrow night featuring ‘Toussaint The Liberator’ and special guest “Meta and the Cornerstones’ at Church of Boston. This show is exclusively sponsored by Cavata Clothing Co. so please come and show your support. Lets gooo!!!

Get YOUR TICKETS HERE!! $10 advance 15@ the door!

This really is going to be an awesome time and I’m extremely amped up to see our good friend, Toussaint The Liberator rock the stage. Me and Lori were vibing out to some Toussaint last night on our way to the Mothers of Rock event at Umass Lowell. She didnt even realize that Toussaint was the same man who previously performed with the popular group, ‘Soulive’. Heres an absolute classic song by Soulive feat. Toussaint on the vocals of course!

and heres another awesome video of Toussaint with his little daughter supplying the backup vocals…

www.toussaintandburu.com

-SweetPete

Holiday gift dilemma?

admin — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:05:40 +0000

Do you have a friend, relative or girlfriend/boyfriend who is extremely hard to buy for? Does this person seem to have everything he or she could need OR did you get the annoying response “Oh, I don’t know what I want…suprise me!” Are you a Secret Santa or plan on going to a $20 and under grab and can’t figure out what to get?

Well, I have the answer – CAVATA tees! Everybody loves music and everybody loves tees especially if they support a good cause. Give your friend, brother, sister or special someone something from Cavata Clothing Co. and 10% of your purchase will help support music and art programs in Boston public schools.

Its like the gift that keeps on giving! At only $19.99 a CAVATA tee is the perfect stocking stuffer, holiday grab gift or for those of you who want a quality gift but don’t have a lot of extra cash to spend (sidenote: NOBODY likes those pre-packaged soap baskets!)

Order soon to ensure delivery before Christmas. And don’t worry about ordering the wrong size for someone because you can always exchange it – hassle free!

Starting a Business?

admin — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:12:57 +0000

Thinking of starting your own brand? Whether its an apparel line or any other product or service, check out these articles I wrote for the blossoming entrepreneur.

Brands & Their Power: Clearing Up Common Misconceptions

The Importance of Good Positioning

Getting Attention on a Budget

I was very lucky to have found great resources like www.IAMTHETREND.com, www.theartofapparel.com & www.emptees.com when I was first starting out. Even though I knew about marketing and business, I really had no grasp on the complexities of screen printing, wholesaling, different brands of tees, etc. so I truly owe a lot to the people who gave me advice along the way! Although there were many articles about these topics I felt all of these sites were lacking marketing contributions. I don’t claim to know everything and a lot of the business is “learn as you go” but these articles I’ve written (I hope) will help people just starting out understand the importance of planning, branding, PR, positioning, etc.

-Lori