John Tripp, Owner of Jesse's Threads
If there's a poster child for cool dads, it's Jesse's Threads owner JOHN TRIPP. He spent the 90s spinning records at the places with the longest lines in both NYC and LA (he was the very first DJ at The Bowery Bar and still plays at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery summer movie series) before merging it with his other two passions—vintage clothing and kids. With a keen eye for collecting toddler-sized sweatshirts and denim from the 70s, we tapped him for his list of things that keep him inspired between carpool and diaper duties.
Here, the 10 design-centric things John Tripp swears by.
- 1
The Make-A-Plate by Makit
My dad got me these for my sons to design their own dinner plates.
- 2
Flensted Mobiles
These Danish mobiles are really sweet. Flensted has been producing them since 1954 and has over 130 different designs.
- 3
Light on the South Side
In 2011 The Chicago archival label Numero Group was nominated for a Grammy for this release, which is a compilation of '70's Chicago blues and soul music, along with a 132-page book of photos of Chicago from the time. Both the fashion and the music is incredible.
- 4
Evelyn & Jerry Ackerman
These contemporaries of Charles and Ray Eames had a studio in Los Angeles starting in the mid-1950's where they produced ceramics, mosaics, tapestries and more. I met them through a friend about 10 years ago. They were included in every year (1954-1976) of the California Design Series at the old Pasadena Art Museum, and you can see their work in the current California Design Show at LACMA. Evelyn's tapestries are beautiful but can be expensive. There's one here or you can order the catalog from LACMA's show.
- 5
Ready4TheHouse Blog
Curated by a guy who lives in Silverlake, this is a blog about design and art and music and flea markets.
- 6
AIAIAI TMA-1 HeadPhones
I dig the simple, almost brandless design of these Swedish headphones.
- 7
Beet, Cucumber & Mint juice
Moon Juice, which just opened on Rose Avenue in Venice, makes the very best.
- 8
1970's Lee Rider Jean Jackets For Kids
I recently bought a cache of 30- and 40-year-old Lee and Levi's jeans and jean jackets for kids from a clothing dealer. I love the detailing; some have a leather patch on one hip.
- 9
Ilka Hartmann
Originally from Germany, she settled in Northern California in the early 1960's. In her twenties, she photographed the Black Panther Party, the Indian Occupation of Alcatraz Island, the United Farm Workers, the Anti-Nuclear Movement, and Gay, Lesbian and Transgender marches in the Bay Area. I discovered her through my research of Black Panther Party images and came to be friends with her. In my younger son's room I have an image of a girl's birthday party from 1973. Prints from her archives are available for purchase here.
- 10
Gloria Ann Taylor "Deep Inside You / Love Is a Hurting Thing / What's Your Word" 3-Track EP
Some say it's the greatest disco 12" ever released. There are rumored to be only 200 copies of this floating around. It was produced by Gloria's husband, Walter "Whiz" Whisenhunt, whose Los Angeles-based label Selector Sounds put out only seven 45" singles and this one 12" before the couple broke up and the label was shuttered. You can hear one of the tracks here.
