Being Geek Chic is a blog about one woman navigating the male-dominated industries of production and tech. It's written by Elizabeth Giorgi, Founder, CEO and Director of Mighteor - one of the world's first internet video production companies. Learn more about Mighteor here.
Picture this: you’re a young fashion designer with a background in engineering and a physicist for a best friend. Together, you create a time machine, allowing you to venture seasons ahead in time, seeing trends and looks well before they hit the runway. As a result, you find yourself on an adventure that may jeopardize New York’s most elite and change the future of fashion forever.
Sounds pretty amazing? Thank sisters Shawnelle and Shawnee Gibbs, the writers and creators of Fashion Forward. It’s a new webcomic that just debuted last month. You can download the first issue on Comixology, an online digital comics platform, here.
The Gibbs sisters are the definition of a dynamic duo. The award-winning writing team from the San Francisco Bay Area started their careers in indie animation when they began creating their own webtoons and animated shorts while in college. The Gibbs gals have a mission that we can totally get behind: telling contemporary and timeless tales with female protagonists.
Read on for their interview with BGC!
Q: How did you arrive at the premise for Fashion Forward?
Shawnelle: It was at least 5 years ago now that the idea came on a road trip on the California I-5 from our hometown in Oakland back to Los Angeles. Since the view of cows and dry grass gets pretty redundant after a while, there’s nothing much to do but talk or listen to music and we were in the talking phase of the 5.5 hour trip. I was telling Shawnee´ about a book I wanted to write about a Fashionista who time traveled for ideas. It started a discussion that started snowballing and became the webcomic that became the book. I still get excited thinking about it.
Shawnee: Shawnelle had me with the magic words “time travel” and “stilettos.” We’d been working on all sorts of out-there ideas about ghosts, an early 1900s circus performer and stuff about aliens, so a time traveling adventure was right up our alley. Shawnelle has a bit of a background in fashion–she’d produced on the show Project Runway and had briefly gone to school for fashion back in college, so it manages to spill out here and there. To start an idea, we first have to pitch it to each other (and we can be the toughest critics of a pitch). Sometimes we have to work extra hard to convince the other person of an idea before we write it, but I was immediately onboard with this one and I’ve gotta thank the long and monotonous California I-5 highway for it!
Q: How do you hope Fashion Forward will inspire readers?
Shawnee: At the core of the story is a tale of a young woman in a workplace environment that doesn’t value her very much. When you’re starting a job, particularly creative ones, (which we have a bit of experience with), wages are low and expectations are insane. Sometimes you’re treated terribly and you don’t know what to do. For those that don’t quit entirely, a lot of people grind it out and find themselves in a position where they can either be a part of the problem (the old horrible boss phenomenon) or rise above it all and create a new model.
We’re hoping our readers recognize the importance of staying true to yourself no matter how crazy the fill in the blank world is that you find yourself in–in our protagonist Sam’s case, it’s the incredibly unique and competitive world of haute couture. We hope our readers take away the idea of going against the grain and realizing you can take a stand no matter how much muslin you find yourself tied up in.
Shawnelle: My hope for Fashion Forward is that it encourages women to dream big in the STEAM world while making decisions along the way that they can live with.
Q: Talk about taking the story from script to comic book art.
Shawnee: Shawnelle and I come together to write the script where we plan the story, dialogue and early layout for the panels of a page but it’s our artists who really bring it to life. And we’re so, so lucky to have found two very talented young ladies: Linda Chung, our interior page artist and J.M. Tolman who’s our cover artist for the first half of the series and takes over sequential art for our later books, when Linda moved up North to do amazing things in the gaming world.
Our jaws dropped at these young women’s portfolios and they’re skill and work ethic is just phenomenal. These girls both have talent oozing out of their fingertips and we’ve been lucky enough to have them both on the team!
Q: When did you discover you were “geeky”?
Shawnee: I got the sneaking suspicion that I might have been a geek when Shawnelle and I were kids writing our own comic strips in grade school. But I think the big sign post geeky moments were being in high school opting to hang out late in our English Teacher Ms. Pyeatt’s room editing and drawing comics for the school newspaper while other kids were hanging out at football games and parties. I knew for certain that I was a geek at that point, and I was cool with it.
Q: If you could take any fictional character out for a drink, whom would you choose and what would you drink?
Shawnee: It would have to be Doro the Immortal from the Octavia Butler Patternmaster series. We’d probably drink Scotch—neat…as I try to pry the mysteries of the world out of his cold heart.
Q: What would you tell your 13-year-old self?
Shawnelle: Someone is going to offer you fried oysters in a few years, avoid them. And just go ahead and keep being your special brand of weird, you’ll end up totally fine.
Emma Bauer is a Being Geek Chic Contributor. Clearly, she’s got great taste. She is a PR enthusiast, dog lover, tea drinker, art appreciator, and of course, aspires to Be Geek Chic. Follow her on Twitter: @emmalynnbauer
Meet Joey Roberts, the Pretty, Nerdy Girl. She’s a writer, graphic designer, Harry Potter nerd, and consignment store business owner.
Living in sunny California, Roberts has been blogging since the 7th grade. She describes her blog, Pretty, Nerdy Girl as the place “where nerdism meets life, dresses up pretty, and stuffs it’s face with delicious foods.” In other words, her blog is pretty amazing.
Our favorite posts? Geek Chic: Hair Bow Love—our vote goes to the adorable Eeyore bow. Although, unlike the gloomy donkey, your bow will always stay in place. Nerd Cave: Harry Potter Inspired Living Room—check out that exploding skull and the octopus chandelier. Nerd Cave: Loot this Storybook Home—Roberts details how to have a “once upon a time” themed home to live happily ever after.
Keep reading for our interview with this Pretty, Nerdy Girl, and be sure to follow her on Twitter, @thejoeyroberts.
Q: How did you discover your passion?
A: My passion for gaming started with the NES when I was a little girl. My elementary school (which was brand new) started us out with Mac basics and Animation Studio 1. Soon after we got our first computer, friends I made in AOL chat rooms introduced me to personal websites, the blog before the blog. It was my gateway drug to GeoCities, then Livejournal, then Blogger. Now I run my own website, blog, and fledgling YouTube gaming channel which allows me creative freedom to share my interests with others. If it hadn’t been for AOL and the NES, I don’t know where I’d be today.
Q: When did you discover you were “geeky”?
A: I really had no idea I was “geeky” during elementary school. If anyone else thought so, they didn’t tell me until my circle of friends in high school discovered that I was super into anime, Power Rangers, superheroes and gaming. This was the first time I realized that my interests weren’t “mainstream”. Though I was bullied a bit for it, I never let any negative comments sway me from my passions.
Q: Where do you find inspiration in life?
A: Life inspires me. It may sound lame and overused, but it’s the truth. Sometimes just living, walking around, listening, seeing, and experiencing can inspire the craziest ideas. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. I feel that if you let your imagination run wild and crazy, you’ll see things in a different perspective and find yourself drawing inspiration from it.
Q: If you could take any fictional character out for a drink, whom would you choose and what would you drink?
A: Fred and George Weasley. I know that’s cheating because they’re twins, but I can’t help it. I can just picture us now in the Leaky Cauldron throwing back a few Firewhiskeys. We’d eventually get thrown out for something the boys would’ve done and continued the party back at the WWW.
Q: What would you tell your 13-year-old self?
A: “Look at me. Since you believe in magic and time travel, you’ll trust that I’m you and you’re me, and you’re going to listen. The next 15 years are going to be a roller coaster of happy memories and extreme heartache. Don’t forget the root of your happiness, because when you do, that’s when it all hits the fan. When you remember, you’ll be the happiest girl there ever was. Also, anime gets really huge when you’re an adult so stick with it. And lose the butterfly clips. Oh! And finish your fan fiction stories already!”
Emma Bauer is a Being Geek Chic Contributor. Clearly, she’s got great taste. She is a PR enthusiast, dog lover, tea drinker, art appreciator, and of course, aspires to Be Geek Chic. Follow her on Twitter: @emmalynnbauer
Meet Amy Roiland, A Fashion Nerd. She’s a fashion blogger, designer, tech lover, and CEO currently thriving in L.A.
We adore Roiland for her quirky yet sophisticated maximalist style. She oozes with West Coast coolness. Take a look at Roiland’s blog—her stylish shots in the sunshine will make you smile, guaranteed.
And yes, you read correctly: Roiland is also a CEO. She’s the founder of FashionTap, a fashion social network app that connects professionals in the fashion world with their audiences, and each other. The app makes the fashion you see on your favorite blogs instantly clickable and purchasable. Download the app and check out how Roiland’s tapping into the fashion world here.
Read on for Roiland’s interview with Being Geek Chic, and be sure to follow her at @afashionnerd on Instagram and Twitter.
Q: How did you discover your passion for fashion?
A: At the age of 14 I became obsessed with fashion, before then I was more of a tom boy farm girl skater chick, weird I know. I became obsessed with fashion because I turned into a Jennifer Love Hewitt fan and loved her style.
Q: Where do you find inspiration in life?
A: My inspiration mainly comes from reading and watching Wes Anderson movies. I also feel very inspired when I go to San Francisco, I am obsessed with that city and the colorful houses. I can always shoot the best blogs when I am there. I am originally from there but more in the country area.
Q: If you could take anyone out for a drink, whom would you choose and what would you drink?
A: Jack Dorsey 100% , he is the creator of Twitter and Square and he is my hero in tech. I would love to sit down with him and show him my app and see his thoughts on it and where I should go with it.
Q: What would you tell your 13-year-old self?
A: Don’t date boys anymore. Focus on yourself and your creativity, don’t get into acting and focus 100% on fashion and open your EYES up because the universe will show you all the signs you need to see to get ahead.
I did acting stuff for over 10 years and the entire time it wasn’t for me, it wasn’t my passion. Fashion kept coming up and I kept pushing it away. The minute I focused 100% on fashion I became a bigger blogger with a TON of amazing opportunities. I got the opportunity to create this incredible app FashionTap with the help of a friend and hyperion360.com.
Q: What’s the title of your memoir?
A: Persistence is the key to success
Emma Bauer is a Being Geek Chic Contributor. Clearly, she’s got great taste. She is a PR enthusiast, dog lover, tea drinker, art appreciator, and of course, aspires to Be Geek Chic. Follow her on Twitter: @emmalynnbauer
Not much time has been spent talking about hair around here… Today, that changes!
How do I do my hair for work, you ask?
I am really low maintenance when it comes to my hair. I recently began a quest to go all natural - meaning I wash my hair only twice a week with a baking soda shampoo mix and the rest of the week I merely get it wet so it behaves. (No, it’s not stinky or greasy.) Turns out, shampoo was invented to get you addicted to hair washing and the actual act of using shampoo turns your hair into a drug addict that needs its fix.
Don’t believe me? Science.
So I wash my hair less, which means I don’t use as much product, which means I have pretty healthy hair. And styling it all comes down to a schedule. If I want really voluminous hair, I’ll braid it one day and then let it go crazy the next day with some teasing. Then I’ll do a bun for a more polished look that doesn’t require the pony to be perfect the day after that. Wash and repeat!
I tried to think up the famous women who sported each of these looks and when I think of being in their company, I kind of love it. Now of course, Princess Leia is a double bun girl and I don’t have nearly enough hair for that, but you get it.
For those looking to get a perfect, big bun, I can’t recommend this video enough. In fact, if you want to waste an hour just watching videos about how to do your hair in new and interesting ways, just go subscribe to the Luxy Girls’ channel.
What’s your go-to hairdo?
tinycartridge:
Valentina Ramos-designed Birds in Paradise skin for a Nintendo 3DS, photo by Egomania. I’ve mentioned before that I find most system skins tacky, but I love finding exceptions like this one! You can buy this design and many other 3DS skins from DecalGirl.
Find: Nintendo DS/3DS release dates, discounts, & more
See also: More accessories
[Via Meow]
(Source: tinycartridge)
