When I came to SecondLife I was looking for a new "game" to spend my free time in. I soon discovered this was no game... it was a whole world of its own. And like most "noobs"... I had crappy Linden clothing to wear, a 400L a week stipend (which I was paying $9.00 a month for) and could barely afford anything. And back then... I cant say there was anything I wanted to spend money on to wear here. 90% of it just sucked.
So... I decided to make my own clothing. Wear what I wanted to wear. Look how I wanted to look. So that is just what I did. And it wasnt long before people starting asking where I got my clothing. So I told them... "I made it." Well... after some coaxing by friends, I reluctantly opened my first store in a place called Akasha Village.
All I could say as soon as I opened was WOW! It immediately took off!!! And here is what the driving force behind it was... The Original Sho-Lo Jeans:
Ok... yeah... jeans this low and even lower are pretty common around SL now. But 5 years ago... nobody... I mean NOBODY made them this low. Yeah... I did it first. Don't let anyone tell you different. I am the original slutty jeans creator in Second Life. So anyway...
It wasnt long before I outgrew my little shop at Akasha Village. So... I bought a mainland plot... and opened my first main store in a sim known as Euclidia. Its still around... and I must say... one of the nicest mainland regions there is. Still have good friends there too. Hehee... again I ramble.
So what started as just a store... slowly grew to a mall that covered 1/2 of the region. I "rented" out stores... by invitation only... and charged no rent. Again... 5 years ago... NO ONE was doing this. But to me, it wasnt about money. It wasnt why I was here. I was here to have fun, and to help people along the way. Some of the biggest names in SL now started with me in Euclidia. Vista Animations, Twisted and Spoiled, Danika, Shameless, Fyre's Desires, and many more all got a start with me. The famous Full Moon Saloon also started here... but that is another story :)
So after about a year... and after having bought up about as much of Euclidia as I could... I decided it was time for the big move. My own region. So I sold out to my neighbors, and bought a sim named Blue Bay. I followed the same plan I had at Euclidia... no rent, invite only. But this time there was a whole SIM of shops, sex areas, a bar, a park...
What I didnt realize... was when you move a main store... you lose business. Seems that people are lazy, and when they TP in someplace and what was there, is no longer there... some of them just say "fuck it" and go someplace else. So sales fell. I was still cranking out new designs every 2 weeks... but I was also running a bar, and a whole sim. It wasnt long before it began to take it's toll... I was burning out.
And so the day came when I decided it was over. Actually... that day came a couple of times. The first time there was so much support that I stuck it out a while longer... but my heart just wasnt in it. It was just too much, and I shut it all down... and took a little break. But of course... I couldnt just quit :)
About a month went by and my good friend Dani offered me 1/4 sim at Danika. I took it... and off I went again.
With the new store, came a new name... DDC... which didnt stay long I must say LOL. I was soon joined by Jodi Hanly... who soon became my first real business partner... and best friend. Many of the designs you see in the store now, were inspired by Jodi, or were her ideas... and I brought them to life. Again the name changed... but to something simple... yet me...
And here we are today...
So yeah... 5 years. And what a ride it has been. I have to say I have seen it all in SL. Drama, lies, betrayal... friendship, loyalty, trust, and everything in between.
What is the plan now? Fuck... who knows. I havent had a plan for 5 years and I think I am doing ok dont you? Hehee... seriously though. Its the same as I always has been. I will continue to make what I enjoy making. I dont make clothing because I have to. I make it because I want to. I make what I would wear... not anyone else. If you like it... buy it. If you dont... there are plenty of other places to shop. You wont hurt my feelings if you go somewhere else. But I will say this... I dont believe that anyone should have to spend a fortune here to look sexy. Other designers always tell me that I dont charge enough for what I make. Well... If I could give it away for free and still afford to be here I would. I think my prices are just right thank you :)
So there you have it. A little history about Decadent. Who woulda thought huh? So to what am I doing to celebrate 5 years of Decadence? Well... first off I am going to have some new releases this month. I am also going to have some sales running. All of this is kicking off this Sunday.. December 4th.
Now here is the cool part... I am going to re-release the entire ORIGINAL Sho-Lo Jeans line for just this month. 25 pair of jeans that havent been seen for sale in over 2 years. And guess what else... you can buy the whole pack for 25L!!!!! Yup... 25 pair of vintage... groundbreaking... original... what started it all jeans... for 25L!!! They hit the store THIS SUNDAY!
Are they as good as the jeans I make now? Nope. But they are a little bit of Decadent history... and maybe, just maybe a few of you will want them. And that... is what it is all about.
All my love... Andrea Sage
