MINIPNG’s Eiress Hammond is the Vivienne Westwood of New Haven
THE NHV STOREFRONT CELEBRATES ONE YEAR OF BLOSSOMING THE LOCAL FASHION SCENE
Graphic: Zoe Jensen, Photo via Eiress Hammond
Any comparison to Vivienne Westwood may seem fashion blasphemy on the level of Jesus, but it’s hard to ignore the similarities between her and Connecticut fashion designer Eiress Hammond. Like Westwood’s SEX boutique of the 1970s, Hammond’s New Haven storefront MINIPNG is a boutique and community space run by a young creative who has incubated other fantastic eccentricities in the city, shepherding this generation’s version of punk.
“You don’t even have to be an activist to be punk anymore, but somebody has to stick around and keep it going,” says Eiress. “When people say punk, they think of just how you dress, but that’s not necessarily the case.” Hammond’s punk is more comfortable, inclusive, and healing than Westwood’s bloody, violent, often white version. The couch in MINIPNG’s store holds regulars who want to hang around the space. As a neighbor of the Educational Center for the Arts' magnet school and Neighborhood Music School, she models defiant self-expression to the next generation of creatives, particularly after facing bullying for her style as a kid. Hammond has worked with the Forgotten Flea crew to entirely shut down Audubon Street for vintage markets. MINIPNG is spoke in the system for good.
And Hammond's punk is growing. On her store's one-year anniversary, she released her first mass-produced item, a coquette-ish skirt strewn with ruches and buckles with a bottom ruffle. The skirt matches her one-of-one handmade clothes that are often multicolored, multi-layered, with multiple attachments. "I create clothes that don't match the norm," said Hammond. "It's going against society's way of looking. I create clothes that are fun to look at and bring out your inner child."
Her fashion following and support were apparent at the store's anniversary party. An influx of people paraded in at the top of the event. Friend-of-the-store Anna Likes to Bake brought in a stylishly delicious black and red birthday cake. Multiple attendees asked Eiress for advice on how to open their own shop as a fellow young person. MINIPNG employee Bri Wilson, the only one besides Eiress at the store, read tarot for attendees. Bri has seen first-hand how MINIPNG has changed and challenged the community to bring out their creativity, and predicts there is much more to come.
But Eiress has yet to reflect fully on this huge accomplishment as a 23-year old designer. "I'm just always on the go. It's why I'm scared to turn 30. I haven't stopped to smell the roses. I feel like when you hit 30, that's a new age milestone, and I want to do everything that I want to in my twenties before I get to the next step." It makes sense she feels this way. Eiress is online constantly following the ever-changing fashion world, and with that sees other young fashion designers sharing huge feats on social media without the challenges and pitfalls that come with running their own brand.
However, Eiress has less to fear than look forward to, considering Vivienne Westwood opened her first shop at 30 years old, almost 10 years later in life than Hammond. It’s clear that she will continue to push the bounds of her brand before and after hitting three decades, just as Westwood did. MINIPNG’s community is excited to celebrate, support, and join in on all the anniversaries to come.
Find MINIPNG at 77 Audubon St in New Haven or on Instagram @minipng
