You might remember her from when she had lots to say about the temporary Levi’s popup on Valencia about three years back. Later, we suspected that she might have been part of a very elaborate and insidious Levi’s marketing ploy. (So maybe Betabrand hired the same marketing team? jk)
This morning she made an announcement on Twitter (and her Twitter remains tremendously engaging):
She’s right about the new Boards of Canada though, am I right?
Anyway, the thing is, she used some kind of gnarly etching cream that’s so dangerous she elected to also put up a homemade — and bilingual — warning sign:
How thoughtful!
This afternoon, Jefferson from Mission Bicycles, Betabrand’s neighbor, sent in all of these pics and filled us in on what Betabrand is exactly:
Who is Betabrand? (Hint: they are not owned by Liz Claiborne). The owner, Chris Lindland has lived here in San Francisco for 17 years. He started his company in the basement. In my opinion, here’s that makes them remarkable: They have not outsourced production to China, Bangladesh, or Potugal. They are not made in the USA. It’s made in San Francisco. They are local makers. The money stays here. They employe about 100 blue and white collar San Franciscans.
They are relocating their operation from Cesar Chaves to Valencia. Adding a retail space so their customers can come in and try stuff on and have a human interaction.
Sounds fine to me.
Here’s the finished piece:
Messed up: Betabrand, a SF clothing company, is supposed to open a store on Valencia St. tomorrow. Then, this: twitter.com/mgrooves/statu…
— Matt Graves (@mgrooves) May 10, 2013
And here’s a crew cleaning up the mess today:
 This morning she made an announcement […]</p>
%5Bvia+%3Ca+href%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.missionmission.org%2F2013%2F05%2F10%2Fanti-levis-performance-vandal-elle-ko-returns-to-valencia-street-uses-dangerous-etching-cream-to-attack-new-betabrand-storefront%2F%22%3EMission+Mission%3C%2Fa%3E%5D&clickthru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.missionmission.org%2F2013%2F05%2F10%2Fanti-levis-performance-vandal-elle-ko-returns-to-valencia-street-uses-dangerous-etching-cream-to-attack-new-betabrand-storefront%2F){kind=link}
The cops were there taking pictures, as though there might be an investigation. I wonder if they’ll do anything with this unambiguous admission of guilt. Guessing no.
Looks like they did last time: http://www.flickr.com/photos/elleko/8461421620/in/photostream/
(Credit to PD Bird for finding that.)
Looks like she’s still on probation. So, if they DO elect to prosecute, does that mean the one year suspended sentence will be tacked on?
Shit, this is the behavior of a 49 year-old? Somebody break out the DSM.
Just noted that she doesn’t even live in the neighborhood, but in that rough-and-tumble ghetto known as “Russian Hill.” Of course, maybe she just lists her parents’ address on her driver’s license.
Like so many 49 year olds.
Elle is not 49; the DOB on that form is either an error or her having a joke on the court.
(I believe her parents live in Taipei; the address is almost certainly some friend’s or a complete fabrication.)
if that’s really her flickr, she also applied to YCombinator:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/elleko/8688621980/in/photostream
seems very san francisco to h8 and do graffiti but also apply to YC.
OTOH, mental illness.
I love Betabrand!
Vandalism is atrocious. I am disappointed it isn’t taken more seriously (which is apparent considering the amount of graffiti around.)
I think jail-time and restitution should be mandatory…or put them to work cleaning graffiti.
Graffiti is awesome. SF wouldn’t be a proper city without it. Giant crappy advertisements on the front of buildings on the other hand. . .
No the only thing that sucks more than graffiti are the pretentious self-centered “artists” that create it.
I’ve always noticed that people who find graffiti criminal/atrocious/displeasing or bad mannered. Have no problem wearing clothing made in sweatshops.
Plus one million
Only someone with absolutely nothing to contribute themselves could possibly protest this. And she sounds like a fucking moron.
she won’t be tweeting from much jail. sucker.
this is why I don’t comment often. excuse the typo.
I kinda like the ring of “much jail.”
You play right into this moron’s hands by giving her attention.
What an utterly misguided, mentally imbalanced useless tool of a human being.
For your next performance, Elle, please drink a gallon of your etching solution.
That billboard sort of thing in front of the store is in violation of local law.
Way to go Elle. You show that San Francisco-based locally designed and constructed clothing company who’s boss.
yes, just a humble local artisinal company with millions of dollars in venture start-up capital.
start-up capital or not, their still producing everything in San Francisco last I heard. No longer the case?
*they’re
yes, we wish them and all their out-of-state investors success and boats.
so… bringing millions from out of state to be spent on workers here in SF is a BAD thing?
I’m not sure whether having this post almost right below the one about the tagger applying to YC is irony or a just a coincidence, but either way it’s fucking hilarious.
Anyhow, if you’re going to hate, don’t hate the player, hate the game. But I’d recommend just not hating in the first place.
dawg, i walked by there the other day and talked with some people installing that collage and they said it was a tribute to all their customers. all the photos were sent in by fans. what law is that a violation of?
That “collage” is full of company logos and it’s a violation of the city’s billboard ban.
You’d make an awesome cop!
Here, check it out: http://sf-police.org/index.aspx?page=1645
Yeah, but I hate the SFPD almost as much as I hate ugly, illegal billboards in my neighborhoods. By the way, it wasn’t the cops who made the billboard illegal it was the voters of, you know, San Francisco. Do you hate democracy?
Oh and this should be obvious and I shouldn’t have to spell it out for you, but this Mission Mission post was about a graffiti vandal and plenty of people were chiming in about how awful the graffiti vandal was for breaking laws n’ stuff and I thought this was a tad ironic considering that Betabrand broke the law first, and all, with their crappy illegal billboard. Get it now?
Not trying to troll, but what are the specifics of this law in this case? This isn’t a billboard on the side of a house, it’s the site of where the store is opening. If it’s illegal to show a logo of your store ON your store, I guess every business in SF is violating that.
Oh…. the company selling ridiculously expensive bikes, is on the side of the VC backed douchebag apparel company? Wow. I wonder what the maker of 300 dollars jeans thinks? Then go across the street, and ask that authy mexi taco place what they think. You know, the community.
Fuck you.
So you disagree with what he says, neighbor? Some lie is being told? Let’s point by point it!
Bike Guy: “The owner, Chris Lindland has lived here in San Francisco for 17 years.”
Do you dispute this? I have no idea if it’s true, but it seems plausible. Is this an insufficient time-investment to warrant your sympathy? Are 17-year residents carpetbaggers who lack your unique claim to neighborhood authenticity?
“He started his company in the basement.”
Is this something you dislike? There are spiders in my basement, so if so, I hear you.
“In my opinion, here’s that makes them remarkable: They have not outsourced production to China, Bangladesh, or Potugal. They are not made in the USA. It’s made in San Francisco. They are local makers. The money stays here.”
Is this what upsets you? Are you an outsourcing fan? Does in-city economic development anger you? Shit, you’re invested in Bangladeshi factories, aren’t you?
“They employe about 100 blue and white collar San Franciscans.”
It’s the spelling that upsets you here, right? I totally get that, but think it was a typo.
“They are relocating their operation from Cesar Chaves to Valencia. Adding a retail space so their customers can come in and try stuff on and have a human interaction.”
This must be it. Trying stuff on is *so* bourgeois.
So, what *is* your problem? Did you prefer 780 Cafe? Do you want that space to be a donated meeting place to Earnest Do-nothings Local 14? Are you jealous of people who can pull off a smoking jacket? Or are you yet another person who just hates that the neighborhood isn’t just like it was when they got here? This is my 20th anniversary in the Mission. I miss some things about it, but feel no need to pretend I own it because I was here first. What claim do you lay?
I’d like the shrimp
Well said, thank you.
Allan, can you please hire whoever this is as a comment moderator? I want more of this on every comment thread.
who gives a fuck about some sort of invented legitimacy. douchey is douchey, the rest doesn’t matter.
“authy mexi taco place”
Oh, those Mexicans, they’re just so authentic! *retch*
Free clue: the owners of the “authy” (kill yourself, seriously) tacqueria would also dislike having their windows spraypainted. Comes with the territory of running a storefront business.
But can we talk about the use of the word “retarded”?
What about it? It’s a perfectly normal word. I have zero tolerance for people trying to turn it into some sort obscenity. That whole idea is wicked fucking retarded.
Don’t be such a spazz.
more like Bores of Canada
Sure, though Bores of Canada is redundant.
who’d “retarded” now bitch!? she should be sentenced to work for free with people with developmental disabilities for using that word so much…
Don’t be so retarded.
good news, l just spent 410 days in jail for this and this only.
l’ve learned my lesson, really. l’ll keep my head down and do as l’m told, suh. l know how to read a word here or there from my first master but no more than that, and l won’t harbor any more false aspirations. l’ll get back to my pickin’ now, suh.
Leave it to you to trivialize slavery with your sorry whining.
I don’t know a damn thing about this case, but the penalties for vandalism are completely out of sync with the severity of the crime. In America, property comes first. Violent sex offenders get off way easier.
So, I guess you’re still crazy, then?
Elle, we urgently need to ask if you want to keep your website http://www.elleko.net, which we’ve been hosting since 2013. There is currently £20 to pay but we are unable to contact you. Obviously we don’t want to take it down without hearing from you, I can see a lot of work went into it.
I have been emailing elle@elleko.net and bullitt@elleko.net, with no reply. Is there an email address we can use please?
Thanks very much
Jonathan
Webarchitects