DORÉ

Casey Blond is the brains behind Mr. Larkin, an “international webstore” with outposts in Houston and Copenhagen. Casey is originally from Texas, then spent time spent in San Francisco, before relocating to Copenhagen, bringing an international influence to Mr. Larkin. We were thrilled to chat to her recently about all things… yep, style :)

How would you describe your style?

Colorful, eclectic, comfortable

Who do you look at for style inspiration?

Honestly, I’m all over the place when it comes to style inspiration. I love a little bit of everything, but not too much of anything-making my style quite eclectic. I think that stems from my nomadic lifestyle in my 20s and 30s. I lived in several different places and experienced many cultures, all of which deeply influenced me. These experiences definitely influence both my personal style and Mr. Larkin’s as well. The name Mr. Larkin is actually a fictional character or collective muse of the places and people that have inspired me in my life. I think that’s why many find our Mr. Larkin styling so unique and a bit off-kilter because we have such an eclectic mix of style and offerings.

I am of course guilty of endless scrolling through Instagram, but for the most part my styling inspiration comes from my travels and seeing real peoples’ everyday personal style. I am always collecting photos of people on the street, textiles on clothing lines or colors and textures from art or buildings.

Can you tell us a bit about the brand and the store Mr. Larkin and its two outposts in Houston and Copenhagen?

Mr. Larkin started about 13 years ago as a slow fashion brand based in San Francisco with a deep focus on sustainability and regenerative design. We only had 4 or 5 collections when I left California and moved to Copenhagen for love. Once I was permanently in Copenhagen, I put my clothing brand on hold for a few years, had my daughter, and rooted into my new Scandinavian surroundings. At that time the fashion world was much smaller so brands were not as international as they are now. For years the shops in Denmark only carried the same brands, and I quickly found out how much I missed my favorite brands from the US. At the same time when I was home in the States, I was surprised by how many incredible Danish brands were nearly unknown in the US at that time. I had an idea to relaunch Mr. Larkin as an e-commerce site that offered a mix of brands from both places. My mom was a buyer and designer for many years, so I partnered with her and we relaunched Mr. Larkin in 2013 as an online universe combining my two worlds. We offered a mix of Danish, American and international brands along with our own namesake label that I produced locally in Denmark. It has of course greatly evolved since then, we hardly carry any Danish brands now, but our set-up is still the same: Mr. Larkin’s US & international e-commerce warehouse & distribution are based in my hometown Houston, TX and our creative studio, flagship brick and mortar and EU distribution is in Copenhagen.

How has living in Scandinavia influenced your style?

Greatly. I moved here from San Francisco and my style was very care-free, California boho, but after a year here I found myself approaching everything differently. There was a refinement to my wardrobe that I did not have before. It changed my entire outlook on design, style and thinking as a whole. The Danish culture is not the most embracing in the beginning, so my first years living here toughened me-made me think more practically, and that in turn influenced my style to become a bit more minimalistic and functional. That said, you can take a girl out of Texas but you will never take Texas out of the girl. I will always have a little Southern charm to everything I make and wear, I love a good ruffle and I still wear red lipstick just about every day.

How has motherhood influenced your style?

I’m not sure if motherhood has really changed my style- I’ve always loved clothing and being a mom hasn’t made me love it any less. I wish I could say I dress more practical, but I don’t -I will still wear a full white outfit and carry around my son while he eats a red popsicle. I do however depend on pockets more than I did when I didn’t have kids, and I always carry a big tote bag full of kid junk. When I had my first child, Penny, I remember going through a stage where I was very insecure with myself, so I dressed in darker colors and more oversized silhouettes, but as soon as I found my groove in motherhood I was back to my high waisted pants and colorful dresses. Clothing makes me happy and so does motherhood.