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In nearly every Cash Only interview, I ask subjects to recommend their favorite piece of weed ephemera, whether a particular pipe, grinder, or rolling paper brand. Time and time again, the artists and pot entrepreneurs featured here give a big ‘ol shout to New York’s own Sackville & Co. — and for good reason: Sackville is one of the coolest design-dedicated cannabis lifestyle brands doing it on the East Coast.
Founded by Hayley Dineen and Lana Van Brunt in 2018, Sackville & Co. aims to create art objects, not mere smoking accessories, yet their products are still affordable without sacrificing on quality or elegance. Choice items they make include the Big Apple Grinder, a Crystal Ball Pipe, and their infamous Gilded Grinder, which is hands-down one of the finest pot pulverizers I’ve had the pleasure of using.
And with Sackville Studios, their product design and production studio, the duo has developed a true multidisciplinary marijuana brand and collaborated on projects with the likes of Playboy, Miss Grass, Curaleaf, GZA, Killer Mike, and other lit luminaries.
Since Sackville regularly gets the head nod in our interviews, and I’m a personal fan, it felt like time to feature Hayley and Lana in our 420 Recs series. Unsurprisingly, the stylish and thoughtful founders came correct with some killer musings on terpene-rich flower (particularly strains with lots of limonene), details about the aesthetic inspirations for their very visually-unique branding, and the memorable idea that weed “doesn’t need to be cool or not; it finally just is.”
Thanks Hayley and Lana, you’re both shepherding NYC cannabis culture in the right direction at a time when we need real heads to carve the path ahead!
What was your first time smoking weed like? How old were you and what was the context?
Lana Van Brunt: I grew up in a super small town so my first time smoking weed was legit at a playground behind my junior high. I don’t fully remember the context, but I do remember hacking my lungs out after one puff and not wanting to smoke again for a long time after that.
Hayley Dineen: My first time smoking weed was in my friend’s basement in high school. We raided her parents’ cantina and watched movies — hell of a time.
When it comes to consumption, what’s your day-to-day relationship with the plant like these days?
Lana: I smoke every day. It’s become such an important part of my self-care routine, ending my nights with a joint grounds me and allows me to shake off the stress of the day. I also use cannabis medicinally, primarily for headaches and body aches (topically) if they arise. And lastly, cannabis is my preferred social tonic over alcohol any day.
Hayley: I also consume daily. For me, as a parent, cannabis has become a great tool in my arsenal to de-stress and be more present. I find I search out more low-THC goods (beverages, gummies, and flower) as it makes me feel great without feeling out of control.
Do you have any favorite weed strains or farms? How do you like to consume ‘em?
Lana: I’m a sativa girl all the way and really curate my weed to have terpene-rich blends that are fun, uplifting, and energetic for nights out — like limonene. I’m in a smoking phase, so I love to roll a joint or stuff a cone for my evening night cap!
Hayley: I agree with Lana, love a good sativa! Mango Haze has always been a fav strain of mine, and generally I love terpene-rich cannabis that leans towards limonene and pinene!
Do you have any favorite weed products — any particular papers, grinders, or whatever? Maybe shoutout one Sackville product and one from another brand!
Lana: Hayley and I are loving Miss Grass’ Fast Times pre-rolled joints; they’re honestly the perfect vibe for a night out. When I’m rolling a joint at home, I cannot live without our Gilded Grinder and pre-rolled cones. I promise you: Once you start grinding with the Gilded Grinder, you won’t be able to use anything else. The flower comes out so fluffy, and because the Gilded is on the larger side, the grinder feels great in your hands when you are grinding. Lastly, I use our cones with the Gilded Grinder because you can scoop right out of the base of the grinder to stuff a cone, so it’s an all-in-one piece!
Hayley: Yes we do LOVE the Miss Grass Fast Times joints! They are great. Honestly, once we started making our own cannabis accessories, there was no way I could use any others because we really did spend so much time perfecting them to have the perfect hand feel, the perfect grinder/smoke, and be appealing to the eye! I use my Gilded Grinder and Crystal Ball pipe daily!
One thing I appreciate about Sackville is how it doesn’t feel green-washed or like it’s pandering to the mainstream by sanitizing the content and aesthetics. This even includes the casual nudity in the product photos on your website. Can you tell me about how you approached the visual aesthetic of the brand — what your goals were, what other brands were inspirations, etc.?
Lana & Hayley: Oooo this is a big question, we’ll try to keep it concise because we could talk about this forever! First of all, thank you for noticing that — we have always felt like our aesthetic was left out of the cannabis industry. It felt like when you saw sexual imagery, it was always through a male gaze that didn’t feel like the women/people pictured had much agency or the power dynamics were just off.
We wanted to create a brand with Sackville that really spoke to feeling empowered in your choices — free to make the choice to consume cannabis, as well as our choice to show up as you truly are, on your own terms. With our photography, we wanted to play with sexuality through our own lens, and showcase what empowered branding can look like in cannabis. It’s important to us that we create a space where women, men, and non-binary people feel un-judged and safe to explore cannabis.
Sackville Studios has already collaborated with some iconic brands, including Playboy. Do you have any white whales or dream collaborators — particular people or companies you’d love to work with on a custom product?
Lana & Hayley: We have a never ending dream list for Sackville Studios and Sackville & Co.! We would obviously LOVE to collaborate with Rihanna — she is such a pinnacle of style, art, and creativity. It would be incredible to do something with her.
We really love working with brands that want to take a stand in the space and show up in a new way. I think as cannabis consumption becomes more and more commonplace, there will be more exciting opportunities for us to work with brands that haven’t felt comfortable yet in cannabis.
Do you like to do any particular activities after you’ve gotten stoned?
Lana: This really depends on the day for me. When times are really busy and I can’t quite get all the work I need to do in the day, I like to leave all my really tedious tasks to the evening, spark up a joint, and get down with Excel haha. On less boring days, I love smoking a joint while on a walk with my dog. It makes the neighborhood so much more peaceful and interesting. 10/10 for vibes.
Hayley: Getting high can make a lot of activities more fun — like cleaning lol. But ideally, I love doing creative things while stoned like making food, sewing, or listening to music, etc.
Can you recommend something to watch after consuming?
Lana: I smoke every night, so I’m stoned while watching everything haha. Everything’s better when stoned EXCEPT I can’t get down with scary movies or psychological thriller stuff. I’m here for the vibes only and that just ain’t it. Best recommendations for a good time are Love Is Blind, Breeders, and Shark Tank!
Hayley: I LOVE watching Tiny Desk concerts stoned, or watching ‘90s/2000s music videos — top notch music video era. They are IDEAL for stoned viewing.
What do you like to listen to after smoking? Any albums, radio shows, or podcasts?
Lana: I love listening to music. Once upon a time, I used to throw parties for VICE and searching for upcoming artists was such a big part of that job that I still spend time doing that to this day. It’s definitely a hobby for me, and getting into rabbit holes is easy for me. You start out with one song and follow the feature, to the next song, to the next artist, etc. and before you know it… it’s late AF and you need to go to bed!
Hayley: I am a big podcast listener, I really like political podcasts. I’ve actually started getting into Master Class which you can listen to as a podcast cause it makes me feel like I’m educating myself!
Can you recommend something to read after smoking?
Lana: I don’t read as much as I would like to, so maybe y’all can recommend something for me to read haha. That said, I read a few books by Colleen Hoover recently, and they’re so good I think I cried every time. So, if you don’t want to cry, don’t read those lol
Hayley: I wish I read more, but the last book I read was Women Who Run With Wolves, which is a really great book to sink into!
Do you think weed is considered “cool” amongst young people in NYC right now? Why or why not?
Lana: I think the cool thing about weed now is that it doesn’t need to be cool or not, it finally just is. It’s now a viable option to be a part of your mental health support, physical support, party vibes, Sunday brunch, or whatever you want it to be. So people can now curate and have fun with the experience vs. have to hang on to the simple act of smoking weed to be what’s cool.
Hayley: I think people are much more open and communicative about doing what makes them feel good, supports their lifestyle, and aligns with their values. Weed has always played a big role in people’s life and I think people are just feeling happy that they don’t have to hide that part of themselves anymore.
Who’s in your dream blunt rotation? Dead or alive!
Lana: Rihanna, Emma Grede, Jimmy Iovine, Adele.
Hayley: Rihanna, Cher, Ilana Glazer, and AOC.
Any upcoming products, events, or projects you’d like to plug?
Lana: We recently launched an NFT Collectible on TYB and gets you access to the Sackville Social Club. We release exclusive products, fun discounts, and access to brands we love around NYC, restaurants, concerts, so much fun stuff, so buy the Collectible and join! We also have so much cool shit happening in 2023, follow us for more updates!
Hayley: We really do have SO much coming down the pipeline for 2023 — it’s an exciting time! Just stay tuned, we will be releasing a ton of great new products and have some amazing collabs coming out that we can’t wait to share with the world! So keep your eyes peeled and join our mailing list!
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