Le and Thomas Popov

Le and Thomas Popov Ambassadors of Austin's Style Scene.
Le and Thomas, the owners of the Factory People, continue to build their three-year formula for success from their very basic appreciation for pop culture sensibility. The SOCO boutique servicing "Birdies and Blokes" clearly stands out from the rest earning both national and global street cred.


"Austin has an international reputation - people from all over the world light up when you say the name. At FactoryPeople, we're trying to do things day to day that justify that reputation." ~ Le Popov.

This lifestyle store in the heart of SOCO is where music intersects fashion. The in-store DJ turntable sits directly under the ever-changing sprawling mural from well-known graffiti artists. All creates a strong vibe that resonates among its three "subcultures" of shoppers: the Austinite, traveler, and the bi-coastal on-looker.

This duo works in tandem traveling to London, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia to find those emerging designers who are on-the-pulse. Acutely aware of what they want, they only "write" those lines representing talent, design and fabrics that have depth. Le mentioned the effort doesn't go unnoticed. "In fact, shoppers enjoy the designer bios we place on each item." It is obvious the extra effort to educate continues to fuel the evolution of Austin Style.

The shopping, the clothing and vibe are all contiguous, establishing a tried and true "social community" unmatched among the other brick-n-mortar within Austin and beyond...

Here is a long but informative Q & A taken from a sit down with both Le and Thomas:

Q: What do you look for when choosing designers?
We look first and foremost for innovative design. Really good cutting-edge fashion that falls in the category of "clothes to listen to music in." Surface To Air, United Bamboo and Helmut Lang come to mind. We also look for quality and ethical production - about 85% of what we sell is produced under sweatshop-free conditions (like Rag and Bone and Maharishi mhi).

Lastly, we look for a good story behind the label - what the designers did before, why they started designing, what their inspirations are, who is wearing them, etc. Crate Denim, Yoko Devereaux, Valentine,and Three As Four come to mind. And there are designers who had collections we really liked but when we met them, we didn't like them personally. So we didn't pick them up because we would much rather support nice people than obnoxious ones.

Q: Where do you draw your inspiration from when creating ideas for your events?
Usually the music defines the event. We are as focused on what we like musically as what clothes we stock. We bring the best DJs who host the best club nights around the globe - Optimo in Glasgow, DFA and FIXED in New York, Rory Phillips of Trash and ...And did we mention our disco in London? And Franki Chan of i heart comix in Los Angeles? That said, we love sponsoring DJ Mel's Rock The Casbah because it is one of the best nights in Austin.

The biggest parties we throw are during SXSW and ACL Fest. For instance, during SXSW 07, we will be hosting daily fashion events in the shop with our now legendary DJ Sets By Rock Stars providing the sound. We get the best bands of SXSW to DJ in the shop all day. We've had everyone from Peaches and Annie to Wilco to The Juan Maclean behind our decks. The cool thing is that these are some of the top DJs and bands in the world and they are all a little out of their element here because they are shopping and DJing and just having a good time. So, as a fan you can get something signed or get your picture taken with them. Something you don't always have
the opportunity to do.

The rest of the year we are a bit more spontaneous with our events. They are always open to the public. I wish the shop was bigger so we didn't have to do the invite-only thing during SXSW and ACL Fest, but rules are rules and we do our best to keep the fire chief happy! We always have top Austin DJs in for 1st Thursdays where we give out Dos Equis on the roof. We also host a big birthday party each October with amazing DJs, lots of giveaways and food and signature cocktails.

And one of our favorite events is our Beauty Bar Blowouts, which we host along with Birds Barbershop. We have Birds' stylists in our front window doing hair and MAC make-up artists doing make-overs. We give out drink tokens for the Beauty Bar and have DJs spinning records. It happens on a Friday night every couple of months and the shop is always packed.

Q: How would you describe Austin's style - What does Factory People have to contribute to Austin's Style Equation?
Austin has never had the reputation of "fashion" city but it is recognized as a style innovator. This comes from the long tradition of vintage shops on S. Congress and the others sprinkled around town on S. Lamar and the Drag. The hot climate contributes to the casualness you find here along with the western history. Because Austin is a college town, you will always find Havianas paired with cocktail dresses and trainers with suits.

But, we've seen a lot of change in just the 3 years we've been open. People are spending more money on clothes and dressing up a bit and experimenting more. When we opened we were the first to bring a lot of the top young, emerging designers to Texas - and still are. The designers we carry really are the true innovators - Elisa Jimenez had Tara Subkoff and Mara Hoffmann as interns. Three as Four has been knocked off by John Galliano. Nice Collective was knocked off by Juicy Couture.

So, I feel like we opened up the shopping experience to be more than just a static store that will look the same every time you shop there. You will always see something new and find more than just something to wear here...hopefully you'll be inspired by the shop design or by a book we stock. Or maybe get an idea from one of our shopkids.

We've always been about high/low dressing. Mixing those vintage boots with the cute sweater from Target with the great skirt from Factory People. I think that is really what sets Austin apart. Austin is about mixing it up.

Q: How would you describe your personal styles? Everyday "knickers"?
Thomas grabs 2 pairs of jeans a year and wears them for 6 months solid.
Never washes them and rarely wears anything else. He is a partial to Surface To Air tees, Maharishi pants and hoodies, Fred Perry tipped shirts, Nice Collective jackets and trainers from Asics Onisuka Tiger. He will rock a skinny suit at night occasionally most likely by Hysteric Glamour or United Bamboo. He's as much an Anglophile in his choice of dress as he is in his choice of beer or music.

I for the most part am a dress and Havianas girl during the summer. During the colder months it is leggings with dresses and boots or flats. I adore See By Chloe dresses and tops, Eventide dresses and sweaters, Elisa Jimenez tops and dresses, jewelry by Dirty Librarian Chains and Thea Grant, Hysteric Glamour tees and pretty much anything by Development. I know you shouldn't rock it if you saw it the first time around. But at the end of the day, I'm an '80's girl at heart and some things will never change...I love leggings, platforms, and anything in black.


Q: What's next?
FactoryPeople will open a second location within the historic Sakowitz Building in downtown Houston. Look for our doors to open in Spring 2007.

FactoryPeople - SOCO 1325 S Congress Ave. Austin, TX 78704 USA, 1-888-322-8002

designer insider
posted - beth / 9:05 PM / 12.05.06