Janis Joplin’s niece is paying tribute to her style with Made for Pearl, a sportswear collection inspired and named for the late rocker. Before Beyoncé had her Sasha Fierce alter ego, Joplin took on the persona of Pearl, (her posthumous album was also titled that) so Malyn thought it fitting for a company name. While the designer never met her aunt, who died of an overdose in 1970, she said she hears her referenced many times a day by relatives and strangers alike, as well as through her ties to the Janis Joplin Estate.
“People think of her as this crazy, ballsy Hells Angels smokin’ and drinkin’ chick, but she also was very quiet, reserved, really shy and really smart. She was always reading. I wouldn’t say she was calculating but with a lot of her actions and moves, she really thought about things and how she wanted to be in the world,” Malyn Joplin said. “Janis started singing to pay for her paints. She was an artist first.” Artistry is a family trait Janis Joplin’s sister Laura is a literary artist and poet and her brother Michael, Malyn’s father, is a glassblower. They also manage their aunt’s estate, a responsibility that Malyn will have a greater role in in the years ahead. Knowing that, the younger Joplin wanted to honor the late singer with a sportswear collection that made its debut in five stores this spring. “I have seen all these young celebrities being celebrated for their boho chic look. The fashion magazines also have all these great images going back to the Sixties and Janis’ influence,” she said. “I really wanted to recognize her influence not only in music, but on fashion where everyone is acting like wear-what-you-want and pile-it-on.”
The 31-year-old, who lives in Venice, Calif., has three sons ranging in age from two weeks to five years old. Having toyed with the idea of launching a line since her first son was born, Malyn Joplin said her aim is to reintroduce her aunt’s style to a new generation. “They’re thinking Nicole Richie gave them this [boho chic] style inspiration, but that’s wrong. It was Janis who gave it to them.” The hard-driving musician’s sister Laura and brother Michael will join the budding designer and other relatives next weekend when the U.S. Postal Service unveils its new Janis Joplin postage stamp at Outside Lands, a three-day concert in San Francisco.
This fall, Malyn Joplin plans to host trunk shows in some of the 15 stores that will carry Made for Pearl’s bell-bottoms, kimonos, rompers and other styles that wholesale from $60 to $290. She will talk up her brand’s American-made status as well as her famous aunt.