Sarah E. Lewis has launched her two-pronged fashion venture, Bootleg, with a take-no-prisoners attitude. She has a plan, she will see it through, and she will not compromise it.

The name Bootleg is one that lends itself to two separate but connected identities—a high-end storefront and a high-fashion newspaper. "I wanted to create two business models that would support one another," Lewis says. "The store needs an outrageous and unique marketing tool, so I created Bootleg Newsprint for that."

The newspaper is published every four months out of New York City, where Lewis still has an apartment and a generous network of artist friends, owing to her work there as a stylist since 2003. "In [Bootleg Newsprint], I also support other artists, designers and retailers around the world," she says. "What we make is absolute art, I take fine art photographers and twist them into a fashion context."

That fashion context is a dark and dreamy one that features art revolved around shoes, ultimately tying in as brand support for the Airstream storefront in Austin. And rest assured, Lewis maintains the same high standards for top-level artistry when buying merchandise for the store. She says, "I love very unique, smaller designers doing very special things," and cites Lara Bohinc, Raphael Young, Laurence Dacade, Matt Berson and J Shoes as perfect prototypes.

"It would take ten times the work, commitment and money to do Bootleg, the shoe store, in New York City," she reveals. "Austin is a great place to start and build a company because it is more cost-effective and thirsty for very unique concepts."It would seem a natural progression for Lewis to launch her own business after working as an independent stylist and market editor, but why do it with roots in Austin rather than New York?

She pushes business aside for a moment and admits, "But Austin is also my hammock. It catches me so I can rest and clear my mind and visit my family. Austin and Bootleg, the shoe store, are security, in every sense of the word.”

Representative of shrewd business analyses and artistic tendencies, Lewis settled on opening Bootleg in an Airstream after failing to find a brick and mortar space that felt like the right fit. So, she took matters into her own hands, bought a gutted trailer in Houston and had it customized within four days.

In line with not wanting to be tied down to one residence—“I’m a little fed up with the concept of ‘living’ in one place,” she told us—she can take the trailer anywhere. “Nothing will keep me from making a bold statement that will keep costs down,” she says.

The result? A well-edited, high taste-level stock of inventory from around the world brought to Austin first—allowing you to get your hands on some products before they see distribution to stores in Paris. And if the price point (which does range) is a bit of a stretch for you, I’d recommend finding inspiration—or solace—in the raw and seductive newsprint, online or at the store.