The tale of a stylishly alternative doppelgänger: Harriet’s Alter Ego

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As the subtitle suggests, this blog is a sort of diary of everything that goes on in the world of art, design, fashion and style. So a post on super alternative Brooklyn-based boutique Harriet’s Alter Ego, a little haven for fashionably arty people, is definitely due.

Owners Hekima Hapa and Ngozi Odita started Harriet’s Alter Ego as a shop that sold deconstructed clothing, but, as the years passed and fashion evolved, they started catering for a higher number of clients, all with an obsession: buying clothes that could resist the test of times and could still be fashionably relevant after a few years.

So, while staying true to its love of all things unconventionally classic, the boutique developed, including in its collections outfits with interesting patterns and prints, in fresh fabrics and bright colours. The slogan of Harriet’s Alter Ego is very simple and very apt, “Based in Brooklyn, roots in Africa, at home everywhere”.

There’s always something special, ironic and iconic in the collections available at Harriet’s. African print fabrics are for example used for patchwork dresses and skirts with a modern cut, as belts, or as subtle details in shirt dresses. The clothes are used as pieces of art in this shop and displayed against a brick wall backdrop. The boutique has become a cultural meeting place for fashion and art enthusiasts as it often features the works of up-and-coming visual artists and photographers such as Akintola Hanif, aka Hyze.

I like that element of fun that the owners of this boutique seem to inject in everything they do and their anarchist kind of events such as the "Harriet’s Renegade Fashion Show" when, two years ago, twenty girls in Harriet’s outfits walked the streets of Downtown Brooklyn. It was a bit of a Critical Mass event, with the only difference that it featuring beautiful women in colourful clothes strolling around the streets.

The boutique also organises on a regular basis showcases that combine art, music and fashion, one of the latest events was entitled “Backyard Couture” and it took place in August. Harriet's fans can keep up to date with the different events launched by the boutique owners through the shop's MySpace site or through its blog.

Harriet’s Alter Ego will be taking part in the Fashion Indie Week Brooklyn, an alternative event to New York Fashion Week, which is kicking off on Friday 5th September. Quite a few interesting designers and labels presented their collections at the Fashion Indie Week event in the past and the list for the 2008 edition - running from tonight until 10th September – promises to be as rich as ever with cutting edge and affordable clothes and accessories on offer. So, if you ever happen to be around, don’t forget to go and see what's going on at Harriet’s.