MASALATEXT BY CU FLESHMAN
Happy Accidents
How do you make your mark in the age of disposable
design? The free spirits behind L.A.-based Poketo say,
just follow your art.
Walk into one of Poketo’s Los Angeles locations, and you’ll be greeted
by a bright, minimalist layout complete with blocky, geometric print
T-shirts, sleek Thousand bicycle helmets and reusable bamboo picnic
plates. It feels as if every product you’ve ever dreamed of decorating
your apartment or life with is here, available in a splash of primary col-
ors. Owners and founders Ted Vadakan and Angie Myung say that, as with
most businesses, the entire lifestyle brand sprouted from a few wallets—
just not the way you might think.
“Angie and I started Poketo as a side project, or like an accidental
business,” says Vadakan. He’s calling early in the day from the couple’s
sunny L.A. home, which is arranged like the world’s most aesthetically
pleasing Poketo showroom. “We wanted to get our artist friends together
and have a big art show. But we found that many people weren’t buying
original art, so we created a wallet for the show. The covers were designed
by a lot of these artists that we invited, and it sold out. That was what
kickstarted Poketo.”
When Vadakan invites Myung to comment, she replies in the muffled
voice of someone who just woke up. “Don’t get me involved,” she says,
with a laugh. But she does chime in, and together they tell the story of how
Poketo came to be the charming, cute-cool brand it is today. After their
first successful show, Myung and Vadakan (who had been dating for only
a few months at the time) continued to hold exhibitions with their circle
of friends and to design “accessible art,” with the goal of upgrading every-
day objects like stationery and reusable grocery bags.
Now, over a decade later, Myung and Vadakan are married and “work-
ing together 24/7” on Poketo, which has four brick-and-mortar locations
in L.A. and an outpost in Denver, Colorado. They also retail across the
globe through more than 500 distributors. At their L.A. spots, Poketo
also hosts weekly workshops, highlighting other artists and creatives.
“We straddle this line of being mainstream and niche,” Vadakan says.
“We have a very unique, creative audience, but we’ve also done collabora-
tions with Target and Nordstrom. Our designs are about being relatable
and approachable, without being dumbed down.”
That mission is evident in Poketo’s array of products, the result of
Myung and Vadakan’s single creative priority: to do the things they want
to do. That one goal has led the couple to design confetti-covered socks,
hold cooking workshops and, recently, create a book. Set to be released
in August, Creative Spaces takes a look at the studios, kitchens and homes
of makers around the world, many of whom the couple know personally.
But according to Myung, it’s much more about the creatives than their
spaces. “It’s not necessarily an interiors or design book,” Myung says, as
Vadakan soothes their Shih Tzu, Scooter, in the background. “It’s really
about the artist’s journey, their stories and how all creatives share some-
thing. And what we share is the same point of view: everything is a work in
progress, and you’re going to continue to grow.”
Besides Creative Spaces and an ongoing exhibit at the ROW D.T.L.A.
location celebrating the book’s featured artists, Myung and Vadakan
say there’s no set plan for what comes next, but the couple rattles off a
laundry list of upcoming projects anyway, including a 10-city book tour
and a forthcoming design line celebrating the 100th anniversary of the
Bauhaus movement. They’re also releasing a selection of shoes in the fall,
marking the couple’s first foray into footwear. “That’s what’s really great
about having a hundred percent independent business,” Myung says.
“You’re not really doing anything for someone else. You’re doing it for
your own joy, and so you can grow.”CM