Dina Epstein
Dina Epstein
Founder of Clark & Madison
Santa Monica, CA
www.clarkandmadison.com
Instagram @ClarkandMadison
Facebook ClarkandMadison
What do you do?
“I am the founder of Clark & Madison, an American heritage inspired travel brand based out of Los Angeles. I started the brand with my fiance in 2013 with a focus on high quality travel accessories made in the US.”
We launched a small pop up shop through the Hammer Museum which eventually led to several other long term shop we curated with various LA based brands and other great vintage, one of a kind, and handmade goods found on our travels around the world.
Give us a specific example of how you do your job like a BOSS.
I wake up and have my cup of coffee in bed with my laptop, by the time I brush my teeth I’ve already sent seven emails and checked the latest news. You’ll find me in the same place before I go to sleep but with a cup of tea (or sometimes a nightcap). That’s how you get things done.
What tools (digital or physical) do you use on a daily basis?
Paper, pencil, instagram. To be honest most of my work is done with an iPhone, gmail, and my Subaru. I leave most of the photoshop and illustrator stuff to my partner and focus on being as out there and hands on as possible.
What are you working on right now? Any big plans?
I just designed my first set of chairs, which a beautiful single piece of hand sewn leather sling backs with the frames all custom welded and bent here in Stallion Springs. We closed our pop-up in March and are looking for a new spot (If anyone has any suggestions let us know!) We’re also planning a trip to Greece and Paris and then 1000 weddings everywhere. We love to find local places to eat, hidden dives and great drinks, and of course we’ve always got our eyes open for unique textiles and vintage pieces as well as new brands to work with. We’re looking to grow our e-commerce platform to include a more marketplace concept like our pop ups do so we’re definitely looking for more collaborations and exciting new projects!
What do you wish you could spend more of your time on?
I would love to spend more time designing new products for Clark & Madison. I spend most of my time running the business, working with new vendors, and curating retail spaces.
What's frustrating you right now? What is making your business hard to move forward?
Man-power! I need more people to work for us. We need people to work at our pop ups, sales reps, social media experts, photographers, web developers, and probably a lot more and we need them to be affordable. Bartering is still alive in our book. . .
If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
Manage all our books. I hate math.
What kind of opportunities / projects are you looking for right now?
Collaborations with exciting new brands.
Describe your ideal collaboration. (Even if it doesn't actually exist!)
Everything’s free and everybody makes money!
What is your preferred style of working?
I love to be on the go and seeing new things, but at the end of the day I love sitting in bed and sipping my coffee while I work.
Describe a client / partner you would rather not work with in 3 words.
Lazy, negative, leech
How should someone approach you about collaborating?
I like emails so I have time to research a person/project/idea and then I have to be able to sit down and have dinner. If you can’t share a meal with someone, how can you work with them?
This member profile was originally published on May 2015.