On a long road trip across the US from New York to Arizona, home of the
Renegade Rollergirls of Phoeniz, AZ, rollergirls Lusty Crush and Aurora Gory Alice decided to start their own business.
Lust and Gore Hardwear was born and is fired up to supply you with hardcore variations on some customized cowboy hats that range from slightly rocked-out to full blown heavy metal.
Lusty contacted me because they now have a specific rollergirl accessory available. Maybe you'll call it heavy metal, maybe you'll call it bling, but either way it's a new take on a rollergirl favorite; the a necklace called the
Renegade Twisted Link Bearing Necklace which sells for only $15.00 (US) from Lust and Gore Hardwear. They have matching
earrings too, just so you know, and I have those on my stocking stuffer Christmas wish list!
I received the necklace and the first thing I noticed was the heavy chain. Some of the more girlie rollergirls out there may think they prefer a thinner chain (in which case
this variation , also from Lust and Gore Hardwear, is for you - the Single Jack Bearing Necklace).
Then, I noticed the bearing and how it is hung. There is a small Single-Jack style chain that runs into one side, and the other, that attaches the bearing to the heavier Twisted Link Chain. What does this do? It allows the bearing to lie flat against your neck, so that it can easily be seen as a bearing, rather than hung with a leather thong or simple metal ball chain through the center. Good update to the idea, and very nice.
When I put it on, it was like, WOW! (it was cold!) but then with the choker-length chain landing the bearing at the bottom of my throat, I thought, Hey! That's pretty freakin awesome. The ball bearings in the center of the bearing are gold, hence my reference as bling (I am a silver-lover myself), which creates a nice contrast. All in all, a good-looking hardcore derby-luv worthy piece of jewelry. But would it pass the test of roller derby?
I wore it at the GMDD skills clinic in VT a couple weeks ago, and to NC for Thanksgiving weekend. After multiple hours of skate drills, a few falls, hockey stops, and blocking drills; Black Friday shopping hell, a bomb scare at my local Wal-Mart, and a George Bush and Sarah Palin spotting at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport on Election Day: I can say yes. It never got twisted, the latch did not come loose, it didn't dangle or tangle, and it rode nice. I passed through airport security without an issue with it in my coat pocket, and wearing it as well. It also survived hotel madness and a road trip.
Rollergirls from Montreal, London, Tri-City (Kitchener-Waterloo), Toronto, Vermont, New York, and various leagues around the region either noticed it while we were lined up to drill, or were pointed to it by word of mouth, so it is a very noticable, prominent necklace that will grab attention and proudly display your derby (or non-derby, but hardcore skate) luv.
They say in the world of products, that you can have Price, Quality and Speed, but you can only pick two. In the case of the Renegade Twisted Link Bearing Necklace, you get good price, great quality and I had no issues with the speed of delivery.
Now on to more fun stuff. Lusty tells me that there's some other stuff we should know. I found that for the cowboy hats, which are awesomely available customized with everthing from nails to a lonestar skull, and fully designed for you, with your choice of hat, brim and decor. (I want one, but will have to get new knee pads first.) They also have
military style cloth caps for those rollergirls and their fans that are not into the cowboy hat.
Don't be frightened by the "no shipping internationally" my Canadian sisters. Lusty says that they are working on adding shipping to Canada in the future. Thank goodness I have a US address with my mom, I can still have those earrings delivered! For others overseas, you may have to work out something with a US friend or sister league, sorry. For roller derby league designs, rollergirl designs and other sponsorship deals, check this out....
When I asked Lusty if Lust and Gore Hardwear would design articles for a specific league, or if they would cross-promotion or allow affiliate sales as a fundraising opportunity for roller derby, she said,
"We're already doing it for our Renegade league--and we'd love to offer the opportunity to other leagues. It's a great/easy fundraiser for your team/league--and also a good way to get the Lust & Gore name out to the public."
And if you like the marketing campaign, with the Renegade Rollergirls featured as models of Lust and Gore Hardwear and you want to get in on that action? Lusty says that Lust and Gore are:
"...Totally open to the idea and would love to do it. We don't have any concrete plans in the immediate future, but hopefully we'll get there. We are currently sponsoring our league, as well as 2 other leagues back east, the Albany All Stars and the Hellions of Troy. We will definitely sponsor more leagues in the future--as soon as we sell more hats! =) We love to support roller derby!"
I am now officially a Lust and Gore Hardwear fan, and I think all of us can find something we like from Lusty and Aurora. Good job, ladies! You, and your gear, are both hot and rock! Derby Luv to ya and good luck!
Labels: Lust and Gore Hardwear, roller derby clothing and accessories
