Anything’s Possible at Customland!

If the carefree, Magic World-via-Magic Marker characters of Theresa Duncan’s 1995 computer game Chop Suey grew up and moved to Los Angeles, it might look something like Halsey and Geeg’s Customland. Right in the middle of Hollywood, a few stops away from Astro Burger and the Paramount Pictures studio lot, is a new shop and studio to make your (wearable) dreams come true.

When Very Famous first came across the sneak peaks of Customland, it felt like discovering a new magazine pre-social media — a tactile universe of wild, fantastical style and art. Customland offers airbrushing, embroidery, *some* tailoring services, and “also [we] listen to your wildest ideas,” Halsey tells us. Geeg is an embroidery artist who makes custom pieces like this Genesis jacket and these butterfly and dollar bill patches under the name Not For Reproduction. Halsey runs GREENS, a “paints ur personality on your pants” sorta business where late-night driving stories are told on jackets. Together, they are Customland! In this world, doors are notebook paper, Jersey Shore is playing in the background, and your friends are here.

Below, Halsey wrote to Very Famous about being a glamorous business owner!!

Hello Halsey and Geeg! How did you meet, and what inspired y’all to start Customland? 

We met on instagram!! Haha I think Geeg found me (halsey) through a collaboration I did with @zigzag.goods (Geeg was also collaborating with Zig Zag)

Geeg reached out like, hey.. WE SHOULD collaborate too!

We started with a collection of T-shirts that I would draw on and Geeg would embroider the designs over.  Geeg also commissioned me to make a rug for their (now previous) studio. What started as a collab turned into a fast friendship after realizing we are both HUGE fans of the TV show Survivor.

They were looking to move studios and I had been trying to manifest getting my first ever studio, after becoming pals and realizing how well we brainstorm together we were like, wow it would be so cool to share a studio and collaborate way more!?!? As we searched for a good spot, we came across a space that also had a small retail/ storefront area! Our minds exploded with the possibilities.. We kinda just took a big leap and are just going for it!!!

How would you describe the world of Customland and what it offers?

Customland is the land of all things custom. If you can dream it, we will try 2 do it. (No Giraffes) It’s like Candyland, old Hollywood(land.) We offer lots from Airbrushing, Embroidery, *some* tailor services, and also listen to your wildest ideas and make DREAMS come to life! Not only that but we are a marketplace for many other D.I.Y. Fine Designers and celebrate anything upcycled, decorated, extra, and of course CUSTOM.

We celebrate and obsess over individual style and fashion/ art/ making as an expression. Along with all this fun shop stuff we also want to be a place for people to learn and share skills. We plan to offer workshops, classes, and community events, and highlight so many artists and friends!

What was the process of deciding le ambience of the shop? What were you craving for a storefront and studio space that you wanted to inject into the CL universe?

The ambience process is an ongoing one. We are kind of deciding as we go and just being led to whatever the next thing may be! We are looking forward to a grand opening in early April so trying to get a lot done aesthetically by then but know we will probably always be adding to it/ changing the design. We definitely are trying to create a fun, expressive, queer, comfy, uplifting, space for people to come celebrate art, upcycling, or otherwise decorating and customizing!

What have been some unexpected delights and/or challenges that have come up while opening the shop? What has it been like to be glamorous business owners so far?

Haha 🙂 it definitely has felt fabulous/ glamorous at times working on something that’s been a dream for so long. We had our first live event recently and seeing people in real life already know about Customland and recognize us as the owners definitely feels cute and is an ego boost for sure. We realize just like this has been a major goal/ aspiration/ DREAM of ours for forever it is that for so many others/ friends as well. That’s why including others to sell/ teach/ learn with us is such a primary focus of ours.

Also, obviously, It can be really hard navigating the business/ logistical/ legal information. It seems like it’s designed to be as difficult as possible to learn if you’re just starting. My advice is google a LOT and ask as many people for help as you can!!! Also I’ve had to work at getting over my fear of talking on the phone, so there’s that… hahah but we got a really cute store phone that is a budweiser speed boat so that helps..

What people/feelings/objects/colors are important to you in creating your world? What songs are playing?

Oh we are always just getting so nostalgic, you know!!! Watching a lot of Jersey Shore, Scream singing P!nk and Kelly Clarkson, hanging cheap-o party decorations around the studio, feeding the child that is creativity! Gel pens, stickers, the color PINK!!!! chalk boards galore. We listen to a lot of different kinds of music, cool and uncool. We also go full focus headphones mode often and listen to a bunch of podcasts too! Anything that keeps it fun, light, inspired, and motivated.

So y’all are making these brilliant handmade pieces that are also accessibly priced. Why does it feel important to keep things custom, and what inspired that business approach?

Aw, thank you!!  I think it’s important that you specified that the items we are making are mostly handmade. Compared to larger companies who overproduce and can charge the lowest prices, we make pieces that are as individual as you are, and often from your brain FOR you specifically. It’s important to keep making custom things because people really feel seen when you make a piece for them special. They are a great conversation starter, statement maker, gift, and just another way to have some fun in this life that is very difficult! Also often with making custom things we are creating from things that already exist in the world.

Whether we are patching up your life-long favorite jacket or sewing a custom banner together with all our old white scraps, we are always looking for ways to give new life to old, forgotten, unutilized things. I won’t be the first person to tell you how wasteful the fashion industry is, we try what we can to contribute to that the least we can.

What are some exciting things on the horizon for Customland?

In the immediate future, Grand Opening Market Party! To follow, workshops, collabs and events! In the next several years… look out!!! Customland is looking to stick around 4 the long haul and embellish EVERYTHING in our path! Maybe something along the lines of a major festival or even a Customland Cafe one day 😉 u never know!!!

All photos courtesy of Customland! And if you’re in Los Angeles, you’ll really wanna go to their grand opening party Saturday, April 9, from 12pm-15pm where everything will be ⭐  CUSTOM ⭐  even the secret vegan pizza food truck. Vendors partying with them include: @lifershop, @zigzag.goods, @shopsweetbead, @masa.toro, @malang_malang, @laserkitten, and @sterprojects. For those outside of the City of Angels, Customland will go live on the World Wide Web on April 15.