Features

Can you give me a bit of background on who you are lady?

Leah McSweeney. Female CEO. Most Official Bitches Crew. August 27th 1982. Repping NYC always.

How did you get your start in fashion?

My whole life I was always obsessed with fashion. From Barbie shirts when I was in kindergarten to my Chanel shoe collection now. I never thought I would own a clothing line though. And when I started MOB I had no idea that it would get to this level.

Why did you decide to start a label? Was it out of frustration at what was available, or perhaps a natural extension of what you’d been doing?

It was just meant to be. I was kind of bored and I thought it would be fun. I didn’t come up with a concept or have this big marketing idea. I just knew if I was going to start a tee line it would have to rep me and my girls and the way we do us. And that’s how MOB was created.
 
So when exactly did your label start up and release the first collection and how many lines have you now released?

We dropped our first “collection” which consisted of four tee shirts in the summer of 2004. Now five years later we have full collections ranging from denim to jackets to bags to hats. I have also been lucky enough to have worked with numerous companies on co branded products like Nike, Reebok, Kangol, MCM, Krink etc. Lot’s more to come.
 
Where did the labels name come from and how is it representational of you?
 
There are lots of meanings. Married to the Mob we came up with because at the time I started the company I would joke and say I had the Mob wife lifestyle because I was unemployed and would just chill all day, go to brunch, shop etc. It was also a play on the Retail Mafia. And on top of that MOB stands for Most Official Bitches which is my crew of dope amazing bitches that I love. So there are multiple meanings behind the name.

Where does your inspiration come from when designing? Do you scour the streets, or markets, or magazines or just dream? And what do you think it is that makes your label stand out from the crowd?

When me and my designer get together to run through ideas we always make sure it is something we would wear or want in our closet. That is the main thing! I would say what makes MOB stand out from the crowd is that there is actual substance. We live the life we are selling. We aren’t talking shit. There is an authenticity that people feel and love about MOB. Plus the people that work with and rep MOB like Fafi, Uffie, Kid Sister, Cobrasnake, Kaws, Nike, MCM, Colette the list goes on of all the dope people who have endorsed MOB all out of love.  Everything from our campaign concepts to the photography, our special products that we drop, it’ s crack. Wait till our Fall collection drops. It is a major ten steps up for MOB. It’s the icing on the cake. There is no other female brand that can fuck with us. I sound like a bitch but you know what? I love my brand and believe in it. And I know that there is no other like it.
 
What’s in store for your next collection? Is there a theme or any direct inspirations for what’s coming up?

Like I mentioned about our Fall collection and on ward is really so much more advanced product then what we have been doing. I am so proud of my team. What we have in store is classic, sexy shit that is still street and fun. I feel totally confident saying that there is noone else offering clothing like this and it’s crack. Bitches are gonna love it, dudes are gonna sweat it. Im really excited about releasing the collection in August.
 
What has been your fave piece you’ve ever made?

I still love the first Kaws Hand bikini. Such a classic piece. But in terms of MOB alone my fave pieces are yet to come...
 
Do you see your label still producing rags in 5 years? Or do you think your success is a product of the current wave and popularity of womens street wear?
 
In 5 years Married to the Mob will be a main stream brand. Don’t be scared of the word “main stream” I mean I need to spread the MOB movement all over the world. I will never change the brand, I just want to expand it in a major way. This is what I envision for my company. I think womens “streetwear” will take the place of certain genres that are just dead, as long as girl brands step up to the plate. And become popular all over the globe, not just in major cities where kids know what’s up.
 
What are you picking as the key streetwear trend for 09?
 
I really don’t follow or think about trends. I just make what I like. I have no idea.
 
How do you handle the demanding timetable being an international fashion designer? Is it all that you expected it to be?
 
It’s all that and a lot more. Plus I’m a mom! The schedule is grueling. I can’t front, I’m exhausted and borderline on the verge of a breakdown a lot of the times. I’m an extremist in every sense of the word so I go hard with whatever I’m doing. Not always good but it’s who I am. But then it gets a little easier. It’s all worth it. I love what I do and I love being a mother even more.

What’s your favourite part about designing and your most hated?
 
I love coming up with the concepts and I love seeing good finished product…but getting to the good finished product is hard sometimes! Samples coming back all fucked up, very frustrating. That’s probably my least favorite part.
 
What do you see as street fashions most pressing issue moving forward?
 
The ECONOMY!!!
 
Do you think that the competition is thick out there? Do you look at what others are doing?
 
Of course I look at what others are doing but I don’t let it affect what I’m doing with MOB. I pretty much have ideas in my head and I execute them regardless of what other people are doing or what else is going on. Sometimes I have a dream of a design and that’s how I come up with it. The only other brand I look to and get inspiration form are high end labels. Chanel, Dries Van Noten, Rick Owens. Shit like that.
 
How do you measure your own success?
 
Size of the knots in my Birkin bag!!
 
Historically, what brands were you into before this nu wave of female street wear hit the racks?
 
Same brands I’m into now and always have been, Ralph Lauren, Levis, Marc Jacobs, Chanel, Balenciaga, Rick Owens, H&M, the list goes on.
 
Are there any particular labels that you think are creating particularly dope threads right now?
 
I’ve been really into Dries Van Noten. I wore one of their dresses to my Nike party.
 
What’s your personal definition of style? What makes you turn your head on the street?
 
Style isn’t really about what you wear but about how you wear it.
 
What sort of clothes did you wear as a kid?
 
I dressed crazy. I had pieces of clothing I was so attached to and I would wear day in, day out. As a pre teen and teen I went through phases. But I did it all. I’d rock fake Chanel sunglasses with Mom and Me jeans (ravers know that brand) and Jordans. I mixed it up. I got class trendsetter for my senior superlative. I used to take more risks then I do now. I guess I’m getting boring in my old age.

For more information on Leah and MOB family's quest for world domination peep the MOB website. Their blog is also well worth visiting on the reg and is over at MOB living. The future is official bitches.

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