VALA
A candid conversation with Vala Durvett
by: FULL MOON
Full Moon creators Austin Green and Joel Collier sat down with long time DJ and nightlife promoter Vala Durvett to discuss her clubland roots and what’s next for the ambitious gamine.
FULL MOON: You’ve had a long history in the nightlife scene. Can you tell our readers how it all began for you?
Vala Durvett: I started going out in New York when I was 17. I lived in _______ and used to come into the city with all my girlfriends. At the time, The “parties” I knew at home were just douchy girls drinking Frappuccinos hanging out at their friends mansions. I never had those kinds of girlfriends. My friends and I would go to pool halls and Asian clubs and try to get guys to buy us beers.
At the time, I was dating a Greek guy. He was older than me and he had a car. My girlfriends and I would end up going to Astoria with our boyfriends to the huge Greek clubs. We were mostly 17-18, but we would dress cute and I always got in. The doorman would let a few of my friends slip past the door.
While most of the girls worried about the free beers I was always fixated on knowing the people in that room. I wanted to know the doorman owner, the bouncer, the bartender.
FM: What was it like to be that young surrounded by all the attention?
VD: It was about more then just the attention but trust me, I was winning! As a 5’10 redhead in the Greek club there was a lot of attention! I remember being surprised when the Greek men would speak English for me. The attention made me start to see things differently. I saw these clubs as a business. I would go to the club and decide ‘tonight I want to meet the owner.’ I wanted to get to know everyone and for them to love me!
FM: You were a Fordham student. Tell us about your first taste of the city.
VD: College was totally different from my Bayside scene. As a Freshmen girl the idea of going out was like, lets put on the shortest mini skirt we can and go to the club in the Bronx. These girls were a step backwards from what I had experienced even at 17. Short skirts and pitchers of beer in the Bronx was not fun for me. I was like; ‘This is college? I’m in New York City!’ Still, being at Fordham was a big deal because I thought, now I’m in the city just get me downtown!
My sophomore year I hooked up and became friends with this bunch of gay guys. They were just not like the Freshmen girls I’d seen. We would take gypsy cabs and I would go with them to all the Chelsea nightclubs. That was how I got my first job.
FM: CROBAR?
VD: Yep. I started as the email girl at CROBAR. I used to collect emails for them a couple nights a week. Then Marquee opened. When Marquee opened it was an exciting time. All the sudden there was this ‘oh my god’ club just around the corner in Chelsea. It got people excited again. Chelsea was finally building and things were starting to pop.
One of the bottle hosts needed a shift covered Saturday nights so she could promote at Marquee. I jumped at it. I still collected emails on Thursdays and Fridays but Saturday I worked as a maitre d. I started getting the attention of the promoters there and it led me to gigs at the hot venues on some of the most major nights in the city.
FM: You worked your way though many different facets of the industry. How did you build on the opportunity?
VD: Suddenly, after CROBAR was surrounded by the all the ‘it girls’ from HOME, APT and SHOW and I was moving up among them. I started cocktailing, then bartending, then hosting parties. Once I started hosting I decided I wanted to learn to DJ. I still had all these connections with the bar owners and I wanted experiment.
FM: Tell us about your new projects. What is next for you?
VD: I’m working on a new fitted hat and t-shirt line, launching in the Fall. I’m a fan of the urban skate scene. Well, the skate guys-those guys are just cool- gnarly looking. They have great style. The line is focused on urban street-wear. I also want to incorporate some Spanish roots. I like the urban cholo/latin culture. I studied Spanish for years. I am creating something that’s rugged, but fun. What’s cool is that In the skate scene, gay isn’t really an issue. They’re not really in it for the gay, or not gay. There is also a different side to this sport, the guys are really chill. I want to sell my clothing to real people, like them.
FM: You’ve been in the nightlife industry now for seven years. What do you think of the new crop of promoters and parties right now?
VD: Listen, there’s always gonna be a new kid. Like who’s this Lolli- girl? Lulli-lolli pop- lolly land? Oh, Lolli-Luxe! Yeah, she’s doing a bunch of parties and djing at Webster Hall. I had no idea who she was, cool girl though.
Photo: Austin Green
Styling: Vala Durvett, Justin James
Jacket/pants by: VON
Joy division tee: models own
Location: Fortune Cookie, Lucky Cheng’s LES