Nerd is the Word!
The Bushwick creator of a clothing line and magazine for geeky girls will launch a new monthly meet-up for ladies of a nerdy persuasion on May 26. “The Sartorial Geek Happy Hour,” happening at Word bookstore, is exactly the kind of in-person get-together that Jordan Ellis was looking for when she launched her brand, Jordandené, in 2011.
“Through having the clothing company, we’ve gotten to meet so many cool and interesting people in the community, but it was kind of frustrating that we didn’t have a way to share any of the stories of the cool people we had met,” said Ellis. “We wanted to do something that expanded the community aspect of the business that we loved so much.”
Ellis’s quarterly magazine, also called “The Sartorial Geek,” is another way to reach out to the under-served nerdy girl community. The first issue, which launched in March — $5 in print, $1.99 online, free for Jordandené’s email subscribers — features a profile on Brooklyn designer Allison Cimino, who created a line of “Black Panther”–themed jewelry, and a review of Charlotte Brontë’s “Jane Eyre.” Ellis said the contributors are focused on telling stories that may be otherwise ignored.
“We really are interested in covering stories that may not have a platform to be covered otherwise,” she said. “Our fall issue is going to be about science and sci-fi — I want to talk to people behind the scenes who work at different space programs or even science teachers who don’t necessarily have articles written about them.”
Each of the monthly events at Word will complement the magazine’s coverage of nerd culture, starting with first party on May 26, which will double as a memorial for the fallen superheroes of “Avengers: Infinity War” — the latest nerdy pop culture sensation. The night will feature gift bags and alcoholic shots named after “Avengers” antagonist Thanos’s tears, Ellis said.
“We’re having sort of a recap and a celebration — we lost some characters in the movie, so it’s sort of to honor them,” she said. “I think [future events] will be tied to something in the geeky community — it might not necessarily be a movie, but it’ll be something relevant and nerdy.”
The Sartorial Geek Happy Hour at Word Bookstore (126 Franklin St. at Milton Street in Greenpoint, www.wordb
