Sophia Amoruso, Nasty Gal’s empowering badass founder and former CEO, probably schooled you (and millions of others) on how to kill it as a businesswomen with her bestselling, no-BS how-to, #GIRLBOSS, which is soon getting the Netflix original series treatment. Her second title, Nasty Galaxy, which is also the name of Nasty Gal's blog, hits bookshelves in October, though you can pre-order a copy now. And it’s a marked departure from the business genre that Amoruso's first title fit into (and also challenged).
It’s a very visual glimpse into Amoruso’s “galaxy” of people who influence and inspire her, such as Pam Grier, Siouxsie Sioux, Cherie Currie, and Grace Jones, plus a hodgepodge of places and ideas intended to pull readers into Amoruso’s life (to wit: There's a tour of her new home — closet included).
Despite its heft and photo-filled format, the book, Amoruso assures us, isn't your run-of-the-mill Pinterest-y coffee-table title that fashion people usually cobble together. Amoruso exclusively spoke with Refinery29 about her sophomore book effort, which promises to be as unfiltered as her first.
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How did Nasty Galaxy come about?
“When I first sat down and considered writing a book, #GIRLBOSS, I really wanted to do a business book, and that was such a different process. For this book, I wanted to do a lifestyle book, and something really visual. I wanted to get my hands dirty creatively and tell a story in a different way. It’s a completely different book, and hopefully it’ll be equally as inspiring as #GIRLBOSS. It can sit on your coffee table and when you open it up, you’ll see something funny, be inspired, see someone you might know, or learn about a cool woman from history that you may not have known about.”
What sets Nasty Galaxy apart from the plethora of coffee table books out there?
“A lot [of coffee table books] feel phoned-in. Many are just filled with photos, or they’re like, ‘here’s my life,’ or there’s a how-to on decorating a cupcake — and, oh, look, there’s another picture of Jane Birkin! Many women have put out style books that have kind of already been done. This is a lifestyle book for a girl who’s not as obvious in her interests; she probably already knows how to wear a blouse.”
“When I first sat down and considered writing a book, #GIRLBOSS, I really wanted to do a business book, and that was such a different process. For this book, I wanted to do a lifestyle book, and something really visual. I wanted to get my hands dirty creatively and tell a story in a different way. It’s a completely different book, and hopefully it’ll be equally as inspiring as #GIRLBOSS. It can sit on your coffee table and when you open it up, you’ll see something funny, be inspired, see someone you might know, or learn about a cool woman from history that you may not have known about.”
What sets Nasty Galaxy apart from the plethora of coffee table books out there?
“A lot [of coffee table books] feel phoned-in. Many are just filled with photos, or they’re like, ‘here’s my life,’ or there’s a how-to on decorating a cupcake — and, oh, look, there’s another picture of Jane Birkin! Many women have put out style books that have kind of already been done. This is a lifestyle book for a girl who’s not as obvious in her interests; she probably already knows how to wear a blouse.”
Is there anything that didn’t make it into #GIRLBOSS that we’ll find in Nasty Galaxy?
“Beautiful color photographs, obviously, but also [content like] how to shuck an oyster. It’s really eclectic — there are tips for negotiating, along with a story about the time I pooped my pants. "It’s a funny book with practical advice, some of my philosophies, awesome women to learn about and learn from. It’s really all over the place; I had permission to throw in things that you wouldn’t expect when you turn the page, and be looser and very stream-of-consciousness in this book. #GIRLBOSS was more structured; each chapter had a theme.” What might surprise a diehard Nasty Gal fan about Nasty Galaxy?
“There’s no style advice whatsoever in this book.” Why not?
“I feel like that book has been done a thousand times. Everyone has advice about how to mix prints. But Nasty Gal is more about being yourself than it is about telling people how to get dressed.” What did you enjoy about the process of creating an ultra-visual book, and how did it compare to penning a business manifesto?
“I got to dig through Nasty Gal archives and look at all of the incredible shoots we’ve done over the last five or six years, and I also sourced images of incredible women; to see them all live together harmoniously in one place was really fun.” Do you expect Nasty Galaxy audience to differ much from #GIRLBOSS’ readership?
"#GIRLBOSS became a gift book because it inspired people so much, but usually a book that fits into #GIRLBOSS’ category doesn’t have the legs that #GIRLBOSS did. From the beginning, with Nasty Gal and in anything I do, I think about what someone wants to point their phone at and take a picture of; that they can’t put down, and have to talk about, because it’s that good, or shocking, or funny, or interesting, or unexpected. “I do think it’s for the same girl, but Nasty Galaxy is such a beautiful thing in and of itself, for people that may not necessarily want as much advice as #GIRLBOSS had, so maybe it’s broader."
Do you have any thoughts on what your next book might be about?
“I don’t even want to think about another book for a minute! [Laughs] I would love to do a third book, but there’s nothing to announce yet.”
“Beautiful color photographs, obviously, but also [content like] how to shuck an oyster. It’s really eclectic — there are tips for negotiating, along with a story about the time I pooped my pants. "It’s a funny book with practical advice, some of my philosophies, awesome women to learn about and learn from. It’s really all over the place; I had permission to throw in things that you wouldn’t expect when you turn the page, and be looser and very stream-of-consciousness in this book. #GIRLBOSS was more structured; each chapter had a theme.” What might surprise a diehard Nasty Gal fan about Nasty Galaxy?
“There’s no style advice whatsoever in this book.” Why not?
“I feel like that book has been done a thousand times. Everyone has advice about how to mix prints. But Nasty Gal is more about being yourself than it is about telling people how to get dressed.” What did you enjoy about the process of creating an ultra-visual book, and how did it compare to penning a business manifesto?
“I got to dig through Nasty Gal archives and look at all of the incredible shoots we’ve done over the last five or six years, and I also sourced images of incredible women; to see them all live together harmoniously in one place was really fun.” Do you expect Nasty Galaxy audience to differ much from #GIRLBOSS’ readership?
"#GIRLBOSS became a gift book because it inspired people so much, but usually a book that fits into #GIRLBOSS’ category doesn’t have the legs that #GIRLBOSS did. From the beginning, with Nasty Gal and in anything I do, I think about what someone wants to point their phone at and take a picture of; that they can’t put down, and have to talk about, because it’s that good, or shocking, or funny, or interesting, or unexpected. “I do think it’s for the same girl, but Nasty Galaxy is such a beautiful thing in and of itself, for people that may not necessarily want as much advice as #GIRLBOSS had, so maybe it’s broader."
Do you have any thoughts on what your next book might be about?
“I don’t even want to think about another book for a minute! [Laughs] I would love to do a third book, but there’s nothing to announce yet.”