The Confessional: Leah McSweeney

She’s all over our blog right now… but for good reason! This week we’re getting personal with New York tough chick, Leah McSweeney, designer and founder of Married to the Mob. Some of you are curious to find out what she’s all about so we drilled her with the questions you were dying to ask.

Her line which is just over a couple years old has been growing at a phenomenal speed. She’s representing for all us MOB-minded ladies around the globe, paving the way for female streetwear clothing lines. This mother-to-be Bitch is Most Official…

Name and Age, please:
Leah McSweeney 24

Marital status:
Not yet…not legally anyways.

Where are you originally from?
Manhattan

How long have you lived in New York?
Pretty much my whole life besides a 4 yr hiatus when my fam moved to the burbs when I was 14, I spent most of that time running away back to ny tho. Sorry mom and dad!

What neighborhood in NY do you live in?
Nolita…but I will always be a Chelsea girl.

What are your favorite memories of New York since living here?
Ahhhh there are sooo many. When me and my dad would hang out and we took the train he would always let us ride in the first car so I could look out the window and pretend I was the conductor. I got such a kick out of that. My mom bringing me and Vanessa to the Carmine St. public pool to cool down on hot ass days in the summer. Having playground wars with all the boys in my hood they didn’t know how to deal with me cus I was pretty outspoken as a young’n, I would always beat them when we would have races around the playground. They hated that!! Smoking joints of shwag and drinking 40’s of OE after school in Central Park. I loved the summers in the city too…hanging out on stoops, walking down St. Marks, hanging out at Washington Square Park, Coney Island. This really is the greatest city in the world.

Give us a brief rundown of your work resume.
2004- Present:Creator and CEO of Married to the MOB inc.
2003-2004 styling and assisting but that was the wakest shit ever, I was more interested in the art direction of the photo shoots then anything else. I worked for Animal magazine doing some fashion stuff, and I interned with the fashion editor at Mass Appeal also. But that only lasted for about two weeks so I’m not sure if that counts.
Besides that…teenage delinquent. I probably did most of my learning during that time. Best life experiences are sometimes the worse ones.

Did you attend design school?
I applied for a credit card in 2002 and decided to buy two classes at FIT with it (and a Christian Dior shirt). Photography and advertising. I went to 3 classes and it was a wrap. It just wasn’t for me. I can’t learn in that kind of controlled enviornment. I hated being told what to photograph and shit.

What were you doing before Married to the MOB?
Hanging around…I wasn’t doing much. I had come to the point where I stopped doing styling work cus I had soo many bad experiences with stylists I was working with etc. I was trying to figure out what to do with myself pretty much.

We know you and Sharon Coyne are the two ladies credited for starting Married to the MOB. How did it go down and what was your inspiration?
We were drunk on my stoop on a summer day…some things are just meant to be.

We haven’t heard her name lately, is Sharon still involved with the clothing line?
She hasn’t been involved with the company since around summer of 2005. Like I said some things are just meant to be. And some things are just not meant to be.

How many people are involved in the design and production of the line?
Recently I’ve been building a team. I realized I can’t do it all myself and I need to get over all my control issues, which I’m working on. I have one designer I work with who is an illustrator genius, something I definitely am not! I also have my girl Erin Magee who works closely with me on all that good shit. And that’s pretty much it.

Any other employees that deserve credit?
YES!! Lourdes, she is my right hand woman. She takes care of a lil bit of everything. I can’t really explain how much a part of MOB she is. She is the most gangsta girl too. She’s lived in every ghetto of the US from Monroe Ward, New Orleans to fuckin Buschwick, Brooklyn. And she puts hot sauce on everything and now has me hooked! Also Tabatha holds the blog down which is a huge part of the MOB identity. And it is somewhere a lot of people look to to see what MOB is up to, what we like, what we don’t like etc. My sister Sweet Sixteen is the poster girl for MOB. She will come meet me after she’s been shooting for Levi’s all day and spend another 3 hours in front of the camera for MOB. Those are the people who are pretty much in my everyday MOB life helping build it with me.

Is MTTM your fulltime gig and is it a lucrative business yet or do you have to hustle in other areas still to make ends meet?
MOB is totally my fulltime gig which is such an incredible thing because I enjoy it so much. Yeah it’s lucrative, I mean I can’t complain, but I have a long way to go. A very long way, cus I’m trying to live nice and make sure my folks live nice too of course.

Where does the name come from and what does it mean?
The name just kind of fell in place..I mean I had the name picked out before I even knew I would use it for a clothing line. I always say the name picked me.

We heard a rumor about you getting into a major scuffle (or lawsuit?) a while back with the city of New York. Care to set the record straight?
Sure. OK..July 4th 2002- 5am outside of Hammerstein Ballroom. There was a party that had just let out..so I was standing on the corner about to head home when I see 5 police officers beating the shit outta my friend! Out of nowhere. He was standing next to me…and then all of a sudden he was getting beat down. I could never watch that happen to a friend, I don’t give a fuck if they are cops and have fuckin clubs and guns. Whatever. That’s not my style to watch some shit like that go down and not try to do something. So I threw a bottle at one of the cops and it hit him in the back of the head. He turned around…and lunged at me..punched me..i got knocked down to the ground then he got on my back put my hands behind my back and arrested me. He kept me on the ground tho..and while my hands were cuffed..slammed my face into the subway grates three times and knocked my tooth out. Shit was crazy. Police brutality is no joke. I’m lucky..a lot of people end up a lot worse. Dead! Look at fuckin Sean Bell, my heart goes out to his fiance/ mother of his kid. So fuckin terrible. I sued the shit out of the city. And won a decent settlement. It has helped me build MOB so I guess it’s all good. But being treated like that and having so little control and not being able to defend myself was pretty scary. Especially when police are supposed to be protecting you etc. And instead they are starting shit and beating up girls. He was a sergeant too! His name is Franco Bascendella and he probably beats his fucking wife. He probably can’t get his fuckin dick hard and is all fucked in the head cus he could never pleasure a woman. That’s where all that shit stems from, with any dude. It’s all about sexual issues. I’m not a phyciatrist but I know I am right about this shit. When I meet a dude who has an obvious lack of respect for women or speaks about them in a derogatory way…I know straight off the bat he has a small dick, or he is an undercover homo scared to come out. Keep that in mind ladies!

We wanna know who else is part of the MOB. Shout ‘em out real quick.
Oh damn, that’s a lot of people. You know what it’s not only about my clique of MOB girls…it’s about all girls with a MOB mentality. So shout out to all the MOB girls around the world, whoever you are!

So, seen and heard about you and your crew wil’in and getting into heated confrontations with other male and female partygoers, etc. What is this usually about and what goes down?
I’m laughing right now, because if you only knew the trouble we used to get into when we were teenagers. We were fuckin nuts. We have calmed down a lot! I don’t know how to answer this but I will say that one of the things my friends and me have in common is that when something goes down that we don’t like or that just isn’t right, we speak up. We say what’s on our minds. We would never ever start some shit out of nowhere; it’s not like that. I think anybody that grows up the way we have and in the city we have knows exactly what I am talking about. If someone shits on you…some drunk fool grabs your ass at a club or some drunk bitch shoves you…something is bound to pop off.

Do these confrontations affect the image or productivity of the brand?
They haven’t yet. As long as none of my friends punch the owners of any of the shops I sell at! Plus the past year has held a lot of changes for all of us in different ways..careers, relationships and what not. So there isn’t as much craziness as their once was.

Now that your brand is growing internationally has it made you think twice about how you or your crew conduct yourselves in public as to not give your brand a bad image?
No. I don’t give a fuck what people think. If people want to make judgments I see that as their problem not mine. Plus if you can’t identify with us or if you find our actions offensive then I don’t even want your business. My friends are free to do and say what they want, I’m not a dictator.

Do you and your crew get hated on? By who?
Mmmm I don’t really know. I keep myself surrounded by people who like me, I hope they like me at least. I mean there are gonna be people that talk shit, “hate”, or whatever. That is part of the game. I don’t care what strangers have to say. As long as my friends aren’t hating, I’m all good. Plus don’t the “cool” girls always get hated on?? That’s just how it goes. No one is gonna hate on the dorky girl with glasses ya know? Getting hated on comes with the territory.

And who do y’all hate on?
Really fuckin rich bitches! Cus I’m jealous as hell!

We gotta holler at Tabatha real quick- Futura’s daughter who writes and manages your blog. She’s sixteen years old and from what she writes sounds mad jaded… What kind of reaction does she get from your blog readers and does anyone got beef with what some might gather as her voice of entitlement?
Oh my god that’s so funny because I don’t see her as sounding entitled at all! But jaded maybe a little. But who can blame her. She has grown up in a crazy environment. Her dad is fucking Futura 2000, her mom is CC McGurr, a beautiful French eccentric journalist/fashionista, she was born and raised in NYC and had Nigo making her customized jackets when she was 3 years old. She is mature and wise way beyond her years. Being around her inspires me because being 15/16 years old…your emotions are running wild. Nothing is dulled down everything is super fresh and you are either on a high or a low. It’s takes me back to that time when I listen to her speak about her newest crush..or how much she hates newbie NY’ers. She has a serious cult following on the blog. It might not be a huge amount of people, but they love her and what she has to say. She has really helped out enormously with creating MOB’s identity and getting it out there through Mobliving.com

Do you feel that it’s important to have other female allies outside your own crew? Why or why not?
It’s not about having allies, but about relationships. Of course my crew…those are girls I have known since I was 3 yrs old, 10 yrs old! We are talking a long time! They are the aunties to my baby and will be the bridesmaids at my wedding. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have other friends or would limit myself. I might not trust them like I trust my crew! But I still have a lot of fulfilling relationships outside my tight knit group of friends. And I think it’s important to make friends throughout your life, it would be so boring to only have one group of friends.

Congratulations on your MCM collaboration and the full front window display at Colette! How did the MCM collab come about and how long was it in the making?
Sarah from Colette hooked it up. She is a mentor to me and has been so supportive and encouraging. She loves MOB and MOB loves her! She was just kinda like “MOB meet MCM, MCM meet MOB” and it just took off from there. It all happened very fast. Which is good because I am kind of impatient, especially when I have something dope I want to release.

As a designer myself, I’ve been to Colette several times to do some market research and see who they claim are the new, hot brands. Having the full window display really is an honor (and great publicity!) for any brand or designer, how did it feel to see your product on display?
It was fuckin dope. I was in Paris for the launch but I didn’t know they were doing a window display. And I was walking by Colette and looked in the window and freaked out. It was a landmark in my career for sure. And the whole trip to Paris and project with MCM and window display at Colette was all incredible and such a good way to kick off 07! It set the tone for the year to come.

In what ways do you feel your line has grown since the first season?
Well in two and a half years I think I’ve managed to not only create a recognizable brand that women can relate to, but one that is here to stay. I have been very selective with the projects I work on and the people I work with because that really reflects on the company. I am not trying to do the kind of collabs everyone else is doing, or work with the brands that everyone else is working with. I feel like MOB stands out amongst all the rest. I feel like it’s grown in everyway imaginable but still has the same authenticity that people love and respect about MOB.

Another congrats on a baby on the way! You’ve pretty much went from being a drinker to stopping cold turkey to take care of yourself and the baby- Respect. How has the experience so far changed the way you think?
Basically, the last six months of my life has been the most incredible, enriching and loving time. I feel so empowered as a female to know that I am growing a life inside me and that this life was made through a really special kind of love. I feel like my life is now beginning. I think Barbra Streisand said that when she was pregnant it was when she felt the most artistic and creative. I feel the same way. I feel kind of unstoppable, and I’m sure people view pregnancy and motherhood just the opposite, like it would hold you back in ways. But it’s what you make of it. Of course sometimes I get scared and feel vulnerable, Im about to embark on something completely new. But I’ve taken this and made it into a spiritual and powerful experience and it’s been pretty amazing. I’m not trying to sound all almighty or anything, I’m still the same self centered Leah who has a crazy Irish temper but at the same time this experience has been very positive and puts everything in perspective. I had this awakening during my pregnancy. I realized that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. Even with all the bad decisions I’ve made in my life and all the fuck ups and all the times I thought, “Leah what the fuck are you doing!?” I now realize that all of that brought me to where I am…which right now is embarking on motherhood and bringing Kier into the world. So all those mistakes, weren’t mistakes after all. It’s dope.

We know your man Rob, one of the partners of Alife, has been a big influence in your life. Has he also been an influence on your business?
Yes, he has been a major influence on every aspect of my life. I was a crazy young’n who wasn’t even legal to drink when we met. He is really supportive in anything I do, as long as it’s positive. And he is a mentor to me when it comes to MOB. I really try to leave business at the office…I mean when we get home we will talk about how our days went and whats up with work but we don’t make it only about that. Our life and relationship is not about alife and MOB. I think I’d be miserable if it was that way.

How much do you ask his opinions and input when it comes to your designing and creativity?
I’ll ask him his opinions, but when he doesn’t like something or I don’t hear the answer I want…I get mad! But most of the time he is on point! He is the ultimate trendsetter…he fuckin does shit and then EVERYBODY else jumps on it so hell yeah I definitely ask his opinions. He will give imput but like I said I am kinda stubborn so sometimes I just do things my way, and sometimes its for the best and sometimes I wished I had listened! As for creativity…I am not creative! LOL. I do not see my self as creative at all. I just put out there what I like and what I know. Rob is very creative, but if I used his creativity in MOB it wouldn’t be MOB. So I refrain from asking for his creative imput too much but just being around someone with such progressive and innovative ideas definitely gets my mind working right. It’s pretty dope.

Does having a boyfriend who is already successful in a market you are still establishing yourself in have an effect on you or your work? Does it ever get intimidating?
It’s not intimidating at all. Honestly..some people might think I have an advantage because of who he is. But I really don’t. Most people I deal with have no idea who I am dating/having babies with etc. It is only people really within the industry. Sometimes I feel like I’m working ten times harder to prove myself to people because they have preconceived notions that MOB’s success has something to do with him. That’s just ignorant to think. But people will think what they think reguardless. So yeah, sometimes having him be who he is, is actually a pain in the ass for me believe it or not.

What do you think of the other women’s streetwear brands out there? Do you like any of their product?
Hellz Bellz. That is the only brand out there, besides MOB, with substance. I’ve never even met the people who do it. But I feel other girl brands that have come out are cheap bad versions of MOB with no realness. Is that harsh? Oh well, it’s how I feel. But Hellz Bellz has their own identity and theme going on. And I respect that.

What other projects are you working on or have lined up?
I never say! Just let it drop and bang everybody in the heads.

Got a long term plan?
Of course I do…but I could never tell anyone it! It’s between me and Jesus and that’s about it. Praise the Lord!

Do you have much free time? And what do you do when you’re not working?
NO! I have no free time! It’s kinda retarded. I guess the weekend I do. Me and Rob usually get out of the city. We like to go to Amagansett and just chill. We will take hikes and cook or eat lobster at this Irish restaurant/pub that we love in Montauk. It’s so beautiful and peaceful out there, it’s kinda like heaven. Or at least how I hope heaven to be. I usually am constantly doing something, and am always filling my time up. Right now I’m searching for a new apartment so I’ve been going to look at places during the day in between meetings. I try to do prenatal yoga as much as possible in between shopping for the nursery etc. And on top of that I LOVE to travel, I try to get out of the country and go somewhere new at least once or twice a year. This year it was Venezuela and I went to Paris as well but it was not my first time there. But I could go to Paris 5 times a year I love it so much.

How would you describe your personal style?
Well, my style is always changing and developing. I’m at a weird age, I’m 24 goin on 25 this summer and about to be a mom. So part of me is like..I need to mature a lil ya know? Right now I’m all about these winter boots I bought. They are called Aquatalia, some fancy Italian company that makes all weather proof but at the same time sexy boots. And of course..I have been rocking black leggings since only two pairs of my jeans still fit me. I’m so glamorous right? No I still rock fly shit pregnant but I only buy things I absolutely LOVE and I will drop a lot of money on special items I feel are key and will last forever. I’m getting kind of off subject, but I cant really describe my style because it is always evolving. I will say though that I always make sure I look well groomed. It makes you look a whole lot better when you are having a day you just wanna throw on leggings and a sweater.

Who are your favorite clothing brands and designers?
Nicolas Ghesquiere is a fuckin genius even tho I cant fuck with all his stuff, Ralph always, Karl never disappoints and my new fave is Giles Deacon!

What’s your favorite piece of clothing you own?
It is this parakeet print dress type thing by Jennifer NicholsonWhat’s your favorite accessory you own?
Oh my god…I just bought the knee high gladiator sandals form Chanel’s resort collection. Fucking tight!

Where do you like to shop?
Everywhere!! For clothes I normally like to walk around SoHo and I can shop at Ralph Lauren, Chanel, Uniqlo. Then I’ll walk to the meatpacking and stop in the West Vill along the way..stopping at Marc Jacobs, Intermix. I have a little route I like to go ☺ For beauty you really cant beat Sephora..they have everything. I also get facial products at Christine Chin because they are the bomb! Housewears..me and my man love to go to Evolution and get something to add to the collection. Yeah we are kinda into taxidermy, I know it’s strange but its so fuckin dope at the same time.

Do you go out much? Got any favorite bars, lounges, clubs?
I haven’t been lately obviously! But I was doing my fair share of going out. It depends what night it would be…but every night ended with me getting kicked out of Bungalow for dancing on the tables or being too intoxicated. Fuck that tight ass place anyways. Even though I kinda miss it in a strange way.

Name your top 3 fave restaurants in NY and what your favorite dish(es) is there.
Casa- Seafood Soup
Little Charlies- Eggplant Parmigana
Sushi Seki- ALL OF IT!!!

What music have you been listening to lately?
My girl Nire’s beats always get me in the zone…

Whats your most recent discovery/exploration in New York?
Damn…I don’t think I could discover something I didn’t know already. Let me think….I can’t think of anything! Sorry!

Do you plan on living in NY forever?
Yeah I would say so. I’m a 4th generation NY’er so I think I’ll continue the tradition and raise my family here, and watch them raise their family here.

If you smoke, tell us your favorite rolling paper. If you drink, tell us your cocktail/drink of choice.
I hate weed, I get paranoid and crazy when I smoke it. And it makes me wanna pig out! So no rolling paper for me! I love a nice cold glass (or two) of Chardonnay, yum!

Name one New York woman that you would nominate to our Hail Mary! list.
Damn I can only name one???!!! I would have to say my sister Sarah. She’s pretty much killing it with her modeling career and banking more then our parents! But she is able to keep her head out of the clouds and stay in reality even though she is in this totally fucked business. And on top of that she was able to identify she was partying a little too hard and (with the help of me and rob tieing her up and sticking her in our car and driving her to rehab) she was able to overcome her issues. Most people out here that I see going out to bars every night are like 3o something and getting fucked up, doing nothing and can’t even look at themselves or their lives honestly . She was able to do all that, go into treatment and stay sober and healthy. She is fuckin 18 and sometimes I feel like she’s my big sister! She’s amazing. She’s my best friend.

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