Age: 23, San Francisco
The Artist
Christelle has been an Outlaw Trendsetter for six years. A talented photographer, she is incredibly well-connected in the artistic circles of San Francisco’s Mission District. She seems to know every young artist in the city. She is effortlessly forward in almost every category, so she can be relied upon for a variety of studies. Here are selections from a 2008 interview with Christelle:
 
Job “I’m a server at St. Francis, a soda-fountain style restaurant in the Mission, but I’m a photographer first of all. I do a lot of band photography, editorials, and portraits. I’m working on my first photography book.”
Favorite Brands “Espirit! I have to get it from thrift stores. It’s so nostalgic to me. I hated it when my mom made me wear it, but now I love it!”
On clothing trends “Neon is huge, in clothing and in art. Bright colors and abstract geometrical shapes. It came from the Nu-Rave scene in London, and then it hit here. New York is always one step behind London and SF is always one step behind New York. Also, anything 90’s is back. At work a couple days ago, I served a table where all four people were wearing plaid flannels – and so was I! It was like, wow, here’s the Mission in a nutshell right now.”
Her art world “I have a brand-new studio in the Mission with three other artists. We have a big open gallery space in the front, and I’m in charge of curating art shows there. They’re all free events and profit from sales goes straight to the artist. I did my first show there last month, and it was a crazy event. I got to show work by friends who had never shown before. Basically I’m just sick of really bad art shows, so now I’m taking control!”
On her neighborhood “It’s such a tight-knit community in the Mission. Everybody’s a resource for everybody else. I have friends who own stores, so they put people’s art up on the walls – or people collaborate, or do a favor where they can – it’s just about working together to make things happen.”