ABOUT
The FORGE is not a "what", but rather a "who". It's not a company, but rather we are a community...a family. We are brought together by our common goal to represent companies whose mission is to be a part of restoration and change. This restoration and change can happen by putting a pair of new shoes on a child's foot for every pair sold, by being a whistle blower for peace in Congo or by feeding children in Africa. Ultimately our goal is to help others in need and to use the fashion industry as our medium by which to do so. Started in 2006 by Brad & Noelle Otts, The FORGE is proud to call Austin, TX home.
MEET THE FAMILY
BRAD OTTS (Owner)
B-day: 12/16/1979
Hometown: Austin, TX, via NYC, via College Station, TX, via Arlington, TX
Spouse: Noelle Otts
Music loves: Tom Waits, any pre-1940 blues, any pre-1955 country music, Punch Brothers, The Low Anthem, Balmorhea, the list goes on...
Book Loves: The Chronicles of Narnia series, most all Sci-Fi, all things David Sedaris, Dave Ramsey (current reading),
all things Anne Lammot
Food loves: The glory that is the pig, farm to table cooking, nose to tail eating, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Thomas Keller, all things Italian.
Interests: my wife, my kids, social entrepreneurship, cooking, wine, gardening, song writing, sharing meals with others, things that last.
Amusing fact: I'm a crier. Can't help it: Biggest Loser (it's embarrassing), Tom Waits' songs (definitely), serving the Eucharist (every time), playing with my kids (that's a given). I'm like a 14 year old going through puberty.
NOELLE OTTS (Owner)
B-day: 9/6/1979
Hometown: Austin TX- via NYC - via CA - via The UK...but it all started in NJ.
Spouse: Brad Otts
Music Loves: Sunny Day Real Estate, Jawbreaker, Ryan Adams, Bon Iver, 90's Hip Hop, Balmorhea, The Fleet Foxes, Rosie Thomas, Nat King Cole
Book Loves: Do iPhone games count?
Food Loves: Anything that was most recently planted in the ground. Farm-to-Table type food. Simple. oh, and sushi and breakfast tacos.
Interests: My 'littles', cooking with Brad, sewing, bad reality TV
Interesting Fact: At one random time in my life...I was in the Air Force.
AUTUM DERSHIMER (Account Executive)
B-day: 10/15/1981
Hometown: Santa Cruz, California
Music Loves: Bob Dylan- Another Side of Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen- Nebraska, The Clash - London Calling, Van Morrison- Moondance, Fugazi - 13 songs
Book Loves: The Bible, The End of the Affair by Graham Greene, all things David Sedaris.
Food Loves: epesto pizza, mashed potatoes, and anything with goat cheese
Interests: social justice, fair trade, Bobby Kennedy, sewing and metaphysics (aka: time travel)
Amusing Fact: Every car that I have ever owned has been named after a character from The Wonder Years
COURTNEY MILLER (Account Executive)
B-day: 10/7/1982
Hometown: Born in Ohio, grew up in Alabama, moved to Clearwater, then San Diego, now Austin
Spouse: Steve Miller Band
Music loves: Phoenix, Ryan Adams, Jay-Z, Ray LaMontagne, DC Talk, Sleeping at Last
Book Loves: Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger, Everybody Wants to go to Heaven But Nobody Wants to Die by David Crowder, Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall & Denver Moore, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, anything Donald Miller or Anne Lamott
Food loves: pizza, margaritas, and anything the Otts family creates
Interests: running, traveling, decorating, learning to cook, learning to be a wife, drinking coffee, live music, front porches, nail polish, sustainable social justice.
Amusing fact: I moved to Austin with $300, an air mattress, no job, no plans & just a love for this city. Best thing I ever did.
KATE PARKER (Current Intern)
B-day: 10/14/1986
Hometown: Waxahachie, TX
Music loves: Jack's Mannequin, Halloween Alaska, Keane, The Who, Vampire Weekend
Book Loves: The Sartorialist by Scott Schuman, 9 Heads by Nancy Riegelman, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Food loves: sour patch kids, dark chocolate, peanut butter, anything ridiculously spicy
Book Loves: Nylon Magazine, back issues of Rolling Stone
Interests: installation art, movies, pop culture trivia
Amusing fact: I'm a master of all board games, and I will crush any opponent in a game of Boggle.