Designer Stories: E. C. Star

Photo by Jack GouldE.C. Star
Name: Angel Lawrence
Age: 30

Background: Worked with clothing company Hi-Fi. Was a part owner of Spanish Fly. Started E.C. Star about four years ago.

What was the very first thing you designed?

It was a punk rock version of a prom dress with red and black stripes.

Did you go to your own prom?

No, I went to my boyfriend's prom.

What did you wear?

Some horrible concoction that my sister and I came up with. One of those awful things from the 1980s.

Why Orange County?

I was born and raised here, and I love being near the beach, and my family is here. Everybody's not so cool down here; you can still be a geek.

Is it hard to be a fashion designer in Orange County?

Oh, yeah, it's much harder down here. I don't travel to LA to have any of my sewing done, and there are very few contractors down here. The only thing I go to LA for is the fabric show.

Finish this sentence: Most fashion designers are . . .

Replicas of other fashion designers.

Finish this sentence: Clothes are important because . . .

They cover me. Because I'm cold. I don't sit back and think fashion is art. I didn't make this shit up. I'm just adding my little two cents.

Describe your typical day.

I'm a mommy. I wake up and give my son food, take him to school, and I come to work and sit in my pink office and work my ass off; I have a tiny warehouse, and I have it all painted light pink. I come in here, and I mostly take care of really menial stuff. I only really sit and design once every three months. Right now, I'm doing art for a rock star.

Who?

Dexter Holland. We're making him skull T-shirts. He has all these suits, and he wants to not wear something boring underneath them.

What do you listen to when you design?

I like to listen to really fast hardcore music. Or Edith Piaf.

Who's someone who has a great sense of style?

My kid. He can wake up in the morning and put a T-shirt on and be totally happy. Anybody who can wake up and not care and be comfortable, more power to them. I can change my T-shirt 15 times and still be pissed-off.

Are there any other designers you really like?

Erika Devine makes these really bitchin' bags—they're called Claret. Beautiful, high-end bags. Little totes that are probably eight inches by eight inches, crackled leather with a screen of Mick Jagger on them—and also these really nice ones, like red leather with “O” rings. When I ran my store, I bought all of her clothes.