Tell me a little about Café Forgot—how did it happen? How did you guys join forces?
Lucy Weisner: Actually, we attended high school and college together, and we would always talk about doing some sort of collaborative fashion project. I feel like it morphed into what it is now because we had a lot of friends who were making clothes and other things when we moved back to New York. I felt like there wasn’t really a place for their work in NY in this way, and we just wanted to support our friends who were creating clothes.
Vita Haas: Since I was really young, I’ve loved the idea of working in a shop and having my own shop in this very traditional way. You remember when you were little and you used to allocate different tasks to all of your friends when you were playing? My friend Marland makes furniture, so I thought she could make furniture for our space, and Sosa makes dresses, so she can make some dresses for us, and so on. Then it all just became a reality, which was really cool because it was something we had been thinking about for such a long time.
What was the concept behind the title?
Vita Haas: It’s a nail polish color, the name of an Essie shade. Nail polishes have really fun names—'Hot Date,' 'Bahama Mama...'
Those sound like girl's night drinks.
Vita Haas: Yeah, exactly! Just crazy, funky, weird names, and we wanted our name to be just as playful. So, we started looking through them. It took a really long time to find a name—at one point we were deciding between five different options. Then we just said, 'Oh fuck it, Café Forgot is a horrible name but we’ll do it.' Now, we love it.
Lucy Weisner: I feel like we made an intuitive decision. At the time, we thought, 'Whatever, it is what it is,' but now, looking back, it makes a lot of sense because it lends the project this ambiguity. Café Forgot is a shop, but we also want it to be a place where people can hang out—the space morphs into so many different things. So, I think it flows perfectly with the vagueness of the title.
Vita Haas: Yeah, [the word] café designates a communal-type space, but also something fleeting and ephemeral. When we first started out I was like, 'Ugh, everyone’s gonna be like 'Where’s the coffee?'' But surprisingly, we don’t get that too much, and I’m so grateful for that. God that would be such a bitch!
Lucy Weisner: Plus, it’s pretty funny to tell the people who ask that we ran out.
Vita Haas: We’ve had performances, we’ve had a wine bar, and we want to have a punk show. We want to do so many other things but because of the name, we will never have coffee.
Liken your partnership to an iconic TV or movie duo.
Lucy Weisner & Vita Haas: Oooh! Romy and Michele, from Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion.
Vita Haas: It’s pretty much a biopic about our lives.
Lucy Weisner We were them for Halloween. The premise is also campy in this way that I can really aesthetically appreciate.
Vita Haas: I’m trying to think of another duo...there’s that Mary-Kate and Ashley quote that you literally say everyday—it’s a quote about their process of working together, and Lucy and I relate to it so much. I can’t remember it word for word, but it has to do with trusting your intuition and how things naturally come together when you do.
I love how in sync you two are. What animal captures the spirit of Café Forgot?
Lucy Weisner: I’m thinking a unicorn.
Vita Haas: Yeah, maybe a butterfly because it’s this delicate, fleeting creature. We had a Spring shop last April and it reminded me of the butterfly room at the Natural History Museum. I don’t think they have it anymore, but that’s probably better for the butterflies.
Lucy Weisner: I think that makes a lot of sense. I guess I was just thinking of a unicorn because it’s not a real animal—it’s a fantasy, a mythical creature. I think of My Little Pony and weird little things like that aligning a lot with the energy and aesthetic of Café Forgot.
Vita Haas: Yeah—colorful, childish and funky.