Jessica Michault 6/23/21 Jessica Michault 6/23/21

🎙️ Mary Katrantzou

I’ll never forget the first time I discovered the work of Mary Katrantzou. It was in London in 2008 I believe, and I just happened to wander into a room where a rack of her now-famous perfume bottle printed dresses was on display. On hand was her mother who was proudly showing off the stunning creations her daughter had dreamt up.

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And Mary’s mom had every right to be proud. Her work was unlike anything else going on in fashion at that time. Advancements in printing and computer technology had made it possible for this young woman to create architectural designs on fluid fabrics. Blending beautifully her passion for interior designs and her studies in the field of architecture at Rhode Island School of Design with her Bachelor of Arts in Textile Design and her Master’s in Fashion from Central Saint Martins. But it wasn’t just the print work that set Mary apart from the pack,it was that combined with her choice of vibrant rainbow colorways. The result was a collection that was the harbinger of the 2010s colorful print fashion revolution.

Since she started her signature brand in 2008 Mary, who was born in Athens, Greece, has found a way to modernize trompe l’oeil, help women fall in love with print and color again, and showed the world that clashing aesthetics can be boldly feminine and empowering. This is why powerful women like Michelle Obama, Cate Blanchett, Beyoncé, Lizzo, Jane Fonda, and Zendaya have all flocked to her creations.

But Mary’s success goes beyond her ability to reinvent her core design principles every season. She is a very savvy businesswoman who saw early on in her career the power that collaborating with other creatives and brands could have in expanding her reach and name recognition. Her recent partnership with the high jewelry company Bulgari on a line of limited edition bags is a perfect example of this. But so is her work with Victoria’s Secret, Longchamp, Topshop, and Adidas Original. And her recent decision to create the size-inclusive year-round holiday capsule collection called Mary-Mare also is indicative of how Mary is able to deftly read the fashion tea leaves as the industry shifts away from seasonal shows and moves into a space where smaller drops throughout a year feels more in keeping with the times we live in.

With over a decade in fashion, Mary Katrantzou is still innovating and challenging herself as a creative, and her devoted clients couldn’t be happier.

Photo from Athens Insider.

Jessica Michault 4/6/21 Jessica Michault 4/6/21

🎙️ August Getty

Fashion designer August Getty is a gentle soul whose goal is to create a fully inclusive, fully immersive sartorial world where everyone is welcome. All that is required is that you be yourself 100% both in the real world in one of his one-of-a-kind couture creations, or in the digital sphere where he recently created a whole new virtual universe he has baptized Tinitus.

It is inside Tinitus that August brought to life four digital gowns for this past haute couture season, with 3D imagery so detailed it probably caused some of the biggest couture houses to turn green with envy. The designer spent six months creating these three-dimensional virtual gowns and he intends to expand on this concept with the upcoming couture shows this summer.

Based in Los Angeles, the August Getty Atelier has become a niche go-to fashion house for celebrities like Miley Cyrus, Cher, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Zendaya..and I could go on. All of them looking for outfits that are bold, unexpected, and wholly original for their galas, red carpets, and event outfits, because let's get one thing clear, August designs ensembles for maximum impact.

For August, who is an autodidact designer, the goal of fashion, which he says he has loved all the way back to “when he was in the womb” is how transformative it can be. It can make you brave and it can give you the strength to be the person you want to become. Turn fiction into reality with fashion. That is what makes it so magical and so powerful.

Jessica Michault 2/25/21 Jessica Michault 2/25/21

🎙️ Romeo Hunte

Romeo Hunte first registered on my radar in a way that I have never connected with a young designer before. He sent me a DM on Instagram during the global lockdown last year and suggested that the two of us jump on an Instagram Live to talk about the state of fashion in the throws of a global pandemic. And that is exactly what we ended up doing.

I am telling you this story because I think it perfectly illustrates who Romeo is. He always takes the initiative, he has a clear vision of where he wants his brand and his career to go. And he is open to experimenting, trying new things, meeting new people, and just seeing how the creativity all comes together to build something new and engaging.

Now just a bit of background about Romeo before we jump into our podcast interview. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and turned down a full athletic ride for his skills in track and field to instead attend the Fashion Institute of Technology to pursue his dream of becoming a fashion designer. He launched his brand in 2014 and then he hustled. Using his contacts via his freelance styling gigs and his full-time job as a personal shopper at a luxury retail store he was able to build both momentum and a buzz for his signature label.

And then it wasn’t long before Romeo found his statement-making outerwear on the likes of Beyonce, Dwayne Wade, or Tobias Harris. Zendaya was a very early adopter of his colorful ensembles, and Michelle Obama has been spotted wearing his tailored blazers and denim hybrid jackets.

Step by step, Romeo has been building a reputation for making cool, reconstructed pieces that take the best elements of different items of clothing and creating CRISPR-like hybrid pieces designed to get noticed. One person that early on took a shine to Romeo’s designs was Tommy Hilfiger.

The two designers have built a strong relationship over the years, and Tommy recently gave Romeo free reign to forage through his archives. Romeo took it upon himself to revisit and reinvent some of Tommy’s iconic designs and give them a new lease on life. This clever collaboration is just the beginning of the long road ahead for Romeo in fashion.

Photos by from USA Watchpro website.

Jessica Michault 12/14/20 Jessica Michault 12/14/20

💭 Sarah Andelman for ODDA Magazine

What do you do after you have created one of the most iconic multi-label fashion stores in history? For Sarah Andelman, the co-founder of Colette, her second act is all about making creative and unexpected connections between brands. Her one-woman consulting agency, which she perfectly baptized Just An Idea, is a natural extension of her character. The concepts and collaborations the agency facilitates are all upbeat, original, and have just the right amount of joyful pop. Here, Andelman discusses what she sees for the future of luxury retail, how her life has changed post-Colette, and why she always wears skirts.

This article first appeared in the ODDA Magazine 19th Issue “You, Me, and Everyone We Know”.

SARAH ANDELMAN

JESSICA MICHAULT. Sarah, let’s dive right in. I want to know all about your new adventure, Just An Idea. Tell me a bit about the origins story of your new company.
SARAH ANDELMANN. It happened really quickly. We announced the closing of Colette in July 2017 and very quickly people started to contact me, and I was like “wait wait wait, I’m still 100 percent with Colette until December 2017, right until we close.” From January 2018, I did many interviews and all I wanted was to keep up with the diversity that I had at Colette’s; fashion, beauty, design, art, streetwear. And that’s what I did with Just An Idea over these past two years. Very quickly, projects started coming, different from each other, but a lot of them revolved around collaboration, curating pop-ups. In the end, it’s a lot of connections, a lot of connecting the dots.

J.M. What are the tactics and tricks of the trade that you learned during your years at Colette, that you still use today in your new adventure?
S.A. Obviously on the practical side, a lot of contacts since throughout the years, I’ve met a lot of wonderful people. I think I have a sort of positive outlook, an open mind to say anything is possible. I always say you need to try. It’s not because someone never did a collaboration that they wouldn’t be open to the idea. Maybe they were waiting for the right one. You have to try. Today, that is what I am trying to apply, to try going towards the unexpected, all while keeping something authentic, that makes sense for the brand.

J.M. And you are that connecting factor, that guiding thread between different brands. How do you do that? It really is an art form; the idea of networking, of connections, especially as you are and forgive me if I am wrong, but someone who is rather self-effacing. How do you grow this network around yourself, all while being someone that isn’t necessarily comfortable with networking to start with?
S.A. For sure I am not what you call a “party animal.” People realize I have a very simple rapport. I’m very respectful, and of course, there are a lot of people with whom I’ve collaborated multiple times. It wasn’t just “I’ll work once with you and then move on to the next.” There are a lot of relationships that took time to build. I’ve tried as much as possible to accompany all the brands I have worked with, even if there were moments where I was forced to evolve. I had to keep this objectivity and that is why, I think, I keep a distance from the people I work with. Obviously, my professional and private life are very tied together, but at the same time, there are a lot of people with whom I first and foremost have a professional relationship with. I keep that limit, and that’s what you want.

J.M. And today, if I understood correctly, you work alone? There is no team, no one around you. What has that shift been like for you?
S.A. I feel lighter. I feel content being alone, being able to work as I see fit. Obviously, for each project, if needed, I’ll find people to help, be it a graphic designer or a writer. So for every project, if I need it, I will find it. But otherwise, I feel lighter, more flexible. People who contact me are contacting me for me now.

J.M. You mentioned you have different projects, you talked about pop-ups, of consulting, of accompanying these brands. How do you deal with the egos of it all?
S.A. At the base, there needs to be a lot of openness, of curiosity. I need to be at ease with the message the brand wants to share. I feel, the more different it is to what I know, the more challenging it will be, the more exciting it will be. I am still trying to find myself. I’ll keep doing it while it gives me pleasure but sometimes I do say I just want to publish books or expositions. I’m always on the lookout. Obviously, the brands I’ve already worked with, Sacai or Valentino, were projects where I knew the designers. It was good that there was a specific aim. We knew where we wanted to go from start to finish. I like projects like that.

J.M. It’s also interesting because before, with Colette, it was in the world of Colette, the four walls of Colette. And now, the sky’s the limit in a sense. I wonder, do you like having limits?
S.A. It’s true that our way of thinking at Colette was 360 degrees. I had the chance, with Colette, to control projects from A to Z, from concept to the final result. Today, I realize what a big corporation is and that I can be surprised, like, “Ok we managed to do the product, convey a message. Oh but you didn’t do the Instagram post this way?” And I can’t say anything because this brand has its way of working and sees things differently. So. I always learn from that and the frustration it may create. I learn and organize myself differently for next time.

J.M. Talk to me a little about the “Sarah signature.” Can we recognize your work easily?
S.A. With Colette, we didn’t manage to stay in the shadows. It was very complicated at the time, but with Just An Idea, when I worked with the brand, I have to tell them “don’t put my name down. It’s not necessary. There’s already a lot of things happening.” I really tried to stay, for the most part in the background. However, if we are talking about my signature aesthetic, I think there are obvious influences; maybe a bit of pop. I also always tried to merge extremes together but it isn’t always easy. I would say something happy, positive. I try to bring that to whatever I work on.

J.M. What are your impressions now that you stepped away from it running a multi-brand retail store? Because we know they have been hit hard by the pandemic, what do you think is in store for multi-brand shops in the future?
S.A. It isn’t obvious. When my mother and I decided to close Colette, it was a personal choice. We never could have imagined everything that was to come and we have no regrets because I think it would have been very hard to manage in Paris with the yellow vests, the strikes, and these past few months have been terrible for retail. Even if you decide to go online, people don’t consume in the same way.

I think today for a multi-brand they need to forgo the huge brands that are very available in their own circle. Multi-brand stores must have brands that are not yet broadcasted all over with a real selection. The service is what will differentiate them; the little extras, the personalized experiences, and I am surprised at how much it’s changed. I didn’t use to go to many other stores before, and in these last few years, I have had that sort of disdain that clients feel in stores. So yes I understand why we want to buy online more and more.

J.M. I think there are three big topics facing fashion in the near future. There’s the sustainability aspect, the whole buy less but buy better idea and the direct to consumer shift in retail buying. How do you think those three concepts will evolve?
S.A. It’s been a few years that a brand has been able to directly sell to consumers. Be it beauty, street, or fashion, without the need to go through a multi-brand. They just need to have visibility for their clientele. Sustainability is obviously a priority. I don’t see how some brands don’t put that as a top priority. When you meet young designers, I’m thinking of the LVMH prize and other young designer awards, what’s good is this whole new generation that is just entering the industry now. For them, sustainability is an intrinsic part of their work, unlike a few years ago. I think it will eventually become just second nature to brands. At least I hope so.
Talking about buying less, but better, I’m curious to see how that will continue considering the crisis we are currently facing. You tell yourself you need to save more, that you don’t need to buy something new every week. But when I see how we’re going back to our norm, I think that shopping habits will come back.

I think sustainability has a better chance of staying than others. I do wish and hope people will buy less, that products will be more durable, and I am curious to see how, in practice, it will happen.

J.M. Today, for younger brands, is it better to create that online connection and forgo being in a physical shop?
S.A. Completely! All the brands with whom I talk, I tell them to sell directly to consumers. However, it’s true that for some that means creating stocks in advance when they don’t have the ability to do so. Ideally, you should sell directly without having stock. I think Emily Adams Bode is a perfect example because every piece her company makes is unique. It’s upcycled. There’s this personal aspect to it. They are an e-shop and it is fantastic. So yeah, every creator needs to sell directly to consumers or at the very least offer them this possibility. I find it to be extremely essential, without finding yourself burdened with useless stock. You need to have this choice.

J.M. As someone who has always had a talent for spotting the next big thing, I have to ask, is there something lately that is really fascinating you?
S.A. There is this ABC Crystal puzzle that I really like. They make me laugh a lot. It’s from a couple in Los Angeles and New York. You see, I immediately think of a product when you ask me that question. (laughs). What I did find exemplary during confinement is the people who stayed active, the people who did Instagram Live every day, who succeeded in not being passive, looked at what was happening and became a part of it. I have a lot of admiration for that.

J.M. Time for some more classic questions. The future of fashion for you, what is it? I always say we’re in a state of transition, but today that feels truer than ever, so what do you think about it? Where do you think we are?
S.A. From what I hear, being a bit more on the outside than before, I feel like there’s this clash between Old School and New School. There is a group of people that don’t see fashion any other way than via a show, via a certain traditional way of doing things, while other brands have realized they have to speak directly to their consumers and go to them where they are, not ask the consumers to come to them.

It’s not easy to reinvent yourself, to think differently, and there are so many people in this industry that depend on the shows, of the production. I think that before the pandemic we were at a time when there was too much. You see now brands saying we don’t need this many shows. We don’t need to go all over the world. Creativity will always win but the way it is presented, I think will evolve.

J.M. We agree 100 percent on that. There are a lot of people who say that we need to rethink the way we sell clothes and the idea of seasons. Do you think that’s doable, that we go back to the drawing board, or is the industry just too big to change its ways?
S.A. I think it’s really going to go in every direction. I think a lot of it has to do with how long a brand has been around. I saw recently that Burberry announced an exterior show in September. I think it’s very audacious to announce anything right now because who can predict where we will be in September with everything that is going on with the virus. Today in Paris, it’s back to normal and I hope it will continue like that, but you never know where it’s going to go. That must be extremely difficult for brands; to make plans. I don’t think there will be any single format going forward. I think we can say goodbye to four fashion weeks that followed one after the other. I don’t believe in that anymore.

J.M. Finally… I always wanted to ask you this question because I’m a woman who solely wears pants, why skirts? Why do you always wear skirts? It has become your signature, like me with my updo!
S.A. It’s just that pants do not suit me at all! I unfortunately don’t have a model’s body, so skirts are able to hide certain things.

Photographer PHILIP ANDELMAN
In conversation with JESSICA MICHAULT

Jessica Michault 12/10/20 Jessica Michault 12/10/20

💭 Kaoru Imajo for ODDA Magazine

Taking over as Japan Fashion Week’s director was something of a baptism of fire for Kaoru Imajo. When he stepped into the top job last year, with goals to transform and modernize the bi-annual event. Little did he know that his first fashion week would be hit by a massive typhoon. Then in March of this year, with just days to go before the kick-off of his second fashion week, it was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, Imajo is more determined than ever to elevate and internationalize Japan Fashion Week with the online universe playing a key role in its future success.

This article first appeared in the ODDA Magazine 19th Issue “You, Me, and Everyone We Know”.

KAORU IMAJO

JESSICA MICHAULT. You took over running Japan Fashion Week a little over a year ago just before fashion week got underway. What was that like for you and how have you gone on from there?
KAORU IMAJO. Well, it is kind of like a joke. With the first one, there was a big typhoon and lots of international press and buyers couldn’t fly in. Then, with the second one, there was the virus. But I’m a person that wants to think positively. I think this was a good experience for me. This past season, I really wanted to do the physical fashion show right up until the last minute, but we are a team. It is not just about what I want.

J.M. As you canceled the March shows right at the last minute, there wasn’t a whole lot of lead time to do the digital. How did it function? Were you happy with the results as far as the functionality and turnout?
K.I. It’s true. We made the final decision at the beginning of March but we were talking with the designers and the media starting mid-February. Some were surprised we canceled, but they understood that everyone in the world is going through the same situation.

Luckily for us, all we had to do is open up our website for the designers. They just sent us links or movies to post on the site so it wasn’t that hard for us.

J.M. I remember when we spoke the last time I was in Japan for fashion week, you whispered in my ear that you had lots of plans in the works about how you wanted the fashion week to evolve. What are those big ideas and have they been modified because of the new normal we are living?
K.I. The last time we talked, I was thinking of our website and our Instagram feed, and wanting to make an app for the fashion week. We’re still working on it and still talking with the government. I think we will get a decision in the next few weeks. Because of the confinement situation and the pandemic, it made me focus on doing those online and digital things sooner and faster.

J.M. There’s a lot of discussion with designers about rethinking the whole premise about when things are for sale, when we’re talking about seasonality. What are your thoughts about all of the shakeout within the industry?
K.I. I think it’s a really good opportunity for Japan Fashion Week. We always do our week right at the end of each season, usually in mid-March and mid-October. By then, most of the buying for the season has been done. I think all the designers are suffering in terms of production.

If we decide to reschedule our week, by moving it to the end of August before New York, that could make a huge difference. If they’re saying that they’re going to schedule Women’s Fashion week on to the Men’s Fashion Week season, it would also be really good for Tokyo.

J.M. What do you think about the blending of men’s wear and women’s wear into one Fashion Week?
K.I. I think it’s really good for all our designers. Since our men’s designers show in July in Europe; if they happen to want to do something in Tokyo, it’d be four months after their Europe tour. Europe has showrooms and it will be too late in Japan. So if the men’s and women’s fashion weeks were brought together, that could be incredibly helpful for our designers.

J.M. What about the e-commerce aspect? What are you seeing as far as that’s concerned on your end? What are local designers discussing with you about their online selling strategy?
K.I. Well, Sacai just opened its e-commerce store last week. Yohji Yamamoto opened in April. So all the big brands that have the money are really starting to do e-commerce. They’re changing everything. Also, as you know Rakuten is our main sponsor. They’re professionals in e-commerce so we’re trying to build a new e-commerce Fashion Week site for the young designers with them in the coming months to help support the smaller brands and give them more visibility.

J.M. Rakuten was signed on as the sponsor two seasons ago. How has that relationship been with them? What else have you guys got up your sleeve?
K.I. Making a platform for young Japanese designers is one thing, but another thing that Rakuten wants to do is a special event during fashion week with us. Right now, we’re talking about something with virtual reality in October, but we’re still four months away so we will see.

J.M. Looking at everything that’s happened, what, for you, is the key thing that needs to change, that you want to change for your Fashion Week?
K.I. I think everything is connected. Getting more followers on Instagram, getting a bigger website, and a bigger app leads to getting bigger sponsors. Then getting a bigger sponsor leads to supporting more designers, and having international designers as guests. It’s a continuous evolution, and I am happy that there is this evolution, that we are always looking for new and creative ways to support our designers both locally and globally.

J.M. I think it is also great that Japan Fashion Week’s main sponsor is a Japanese e-commerce company. To have that local connection with the culture, that maybe Amazon didn’t, and the support of the Fashion Week from such a large homegrown e-commerce entity like Rakuten could make collaborative ideas flow more easily.
K.I. Rakuten is everywhere in Japan. They have a popular credit card, a travel agency, and insurance too. They have everything and that’s partly why on e-commerce, they’re doing really well. The problem with e-commerce is that right now—it’s getting better—but a year ago, Rakuten fast fashion was really not good. The price range was really low.

J.M. So Rakuten needs to elevate itself a little bit to move in the direction of a Net-A-Porter for example? Or at least have a new segment on its site that is dedicated to a more luxury offering?
K.I. I think many of the luxury brands, specifically European ones, were a bit lazy on their e-commerce in Tokyo. I have some friends that work at luxury events and they say they’re looking for a solution for that. But it would be great for Rakuten to grow the luxury e-commerce sector on its site.

J.M. Is there anything else that you want to express about the Fashion Week and how you’d like to see it in the future?
K.I. I think right now, whatever we do with Rakuten, is going to be really big. So I want to talk to you more about it when we have all the information but right now, I think that’s coming out in September.

J.M. What about you? Was it always a dream of yours to work in fashion?
K.I. Well, I didn’t study fashion, but I’ve always wanted to work in the fashion field. I think the honest reason I got into fashion in the first place is that I like basketball. Basketball, and what the basketball players wear, are linked with cool fashion labels. That was how I first connected to fashion.

J.M. How did you actually get involved with Japan Fashion Week in the first place? You were working more behind the scenes for about a decade before you got the top job.
K.I. As a student, I worked at a Japanese brand store for two years, and I know how important store employees are, but I thought “I can’t do this for years.” I was also interested in consulting and I like the idea of working on lots of different projects at once. I enjoy how the challenges are different every day and so working with fashion week was a perfect fit for me.

J.M. For you, what do you think is the biggest difficulty for Japanese fashion brands? What do you think are the stumbling blocks for Japanese brands to have a more global reach?
K.I. I think there are a few reasons. One is simply because Japan is really far from Europe and America. Another is that I think many Japanese designers can’t speak other languages, so they’re really shy when they come up to foreign buyers.

J.M. Do you think it’s because they’re just so shy and not interested in being a global brand? Are they just content to make the money that they’re making in Japan?
K.I. That’s pretty much it, but some designers, like Sacai, were more ambitious to go abroad so some are dedicated to doing that. It’s a mix.

J.M. What is your dream for Japan Fashion Week five years down the road?
K.I. I would really like to find a way to bring more international guest designers to show in Japan. I think it is just as important to inspire the local audience with the vision of designers from other countries as it is for our Japanese brands to connect with the rest of the world. The more perspectives and creative points of view we can present at our fashion week, the richer it becomes.

J.M. How do you want to see the fashion week system evolve?
K.I. I think we need to do better. In the past 10 or 20 years, everyone has been thinking about how to do a better presentation, not a classical runway, but maybe doing something more “out there.” I’ve seen skateboarding fashion shows. It was physical. So there is no one right answer. I think fashion weeks that are a mix of runway shows, mini all-day presentations, happenings, online events, and other things are what we need to do. It has to be a creative mix, to keep things interesting while also involving the online community so that they feel a part of the fashion week too.

J.M. What do you love most about fashion?
K.I. I think the good thing is that you meet people and you always see new clothes, new collections. It is such a creative space and it touches so many other creative sectors too. If you know fashion, I think you know food, movies, music. I think fashion is the ultimate culture.

Portrait by YUJI WATANABE

Jessica Michault 12/10/20 Jessica Michault 12/10/20

💭 Christopher John Rogers for ODDA Magazine

Christopher John Rogers has got a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award on his mantle. His clothing is worn by the likes of Michelle Obama, Rihanna, Lizzo, and Priyanka Chopra, and he just opened his epon- ymous studio space in New York.

This article first appeared in the ODDA Magazine 19th Issue “You, Me, and Everyone We Know”.

CHRISTOPHER JOHN ROGERS

His work is big, bold, and badass. But even better, everyone is accepted into the Christopher John Rogers universe. For this 26-year-old Louisiana born de- signer, the mantra is “the more the merrier”and that is why this inclusive designer is currently positioned as the fashion world’s next big thing.

JESSICA MICHAULT. How did color and print become your happy place? Because, to me, that’s what your collections are — sartorial happy places.
CHRISTOPHER JOHN ROGERS. I would just say it’s always been a natural thing that I’ve gravitated towards more than anything representational, historical period, or specific era of costume. Color, more than anything, has been sort of what drives my creative force. Seeing the material or even something blowing in the wind like a trash bag or whatever, color really just gets me excited. I started taking art classes when I was really young with encouragement from my grandmother, and that’s sort of obviously where I started mixing colors and playing with paints. Seeing that when you add, you know, red to green, instead of getting black, you get this really unusual brown, which is also just as valid as hot pink. Exploring all of that within the context of a collection really excites me.

J.M. Tell us about what your starting point is like for your collections. Does it involve colors first, or do the fabrics start to tell the story and you build from there? Do you look at a particular era or place?
C.J.R. So it kind of happens all at the same time. There’s more than one starting place, but I work on it in my head and on multiple seasons at once. So I’ll see one color and say “this is great for fall” or if I’m really really feeling it, I’m like “we’ve already established a color palette for this current collection, but I need to add this one color in.” So there’s never really a theme. It is kind of like an amalgamation of things that I’m feeling. Its color, fabric, and visual references may have nothing to do with each other, but all feel relevant to me at the time. It’s really kind of about what emotionally triggers me.

J.M. Are you the collaborative designer, or are you off in the corner doing your sketches? Is it like everybody comes in the morning and you have the line up sketched out and your team executes it?
C.J.R. It’s both. It’s everything and nothing. I definitely always have a certain direction that I want to go to or go towards with every season, and it’s very intentional. We all kind of pull together references and ultimately, I decide what feels right for me. Then again I’m always asking my team like, “Would you want to wear this? Does our customer want to wear this? Does this feel right for us? Are you personally excited by this?” It’s not so much because I don’t trust my own instinct, but because I know that what I’m trying to build is work that speaks to a variety of different types of aesthetics and voices funneled through my creative direction and vision. So it’s nice to have people that you trust to bounce ideas off of and bring it all together.

J.M. I’ve seen you take your finale bows at your shows. They are full of joy and happiness, as they should be when you’ve just finished a collection. That being said, I get the impression that you are a “glass half full” kinda guy. Where does that positivity come from?
C.J.R. I definitely think it’s my family and friends growing up. My parents were always super supportive of the work that I did. They always made sure to let me and my sisters know that with hard work, and obviously the sacrifices along the way, you’re able to do whatever you want. You can make your dreams a reality. I also learned through experience that if the thing that you planned didn’t work out exactly how you wanted it to, it always ends up happening for the best. So I just try to lead with that intention. If it doesn’t go exactly as planned then, you know, at least you tried and you can be sure in the knowledge you have that it will lead you to the place that you need to go. So there’s always an opportunity to look at something from a positive side.

J.M. I was talking to President Wallace at Savannah College of Art and Design and she was saying that you have just been an amazing alumnus for SCAD, that you keep coming back and giving back. I am curious to know why you decided to attend SCAD instead of one of the fashion schools that is based in a fashion capital?
C.J.R. When I visited the campus initially, it kind of struck me as a nice middle ground between the sort of chaos and creativity of New York City, but it still held that southern charm. It had a sense of community that I personally really needed coming from Louisiana. I also loved how small and intimate the classes were. You could really learn from the professors and the people that you were working with. Instead of feeling super competitive in any way, it felt like we were all a big family working together towards this one goal.

J.M. Speaking of self-discovery, as a queer black man, how are you trying to empower members of your community through what you’re doing? I did notice in your most recent collection there were trans models included in the mix. How are you trying to represent your community within your work?
C.J.R. I think that I’ve always just come from a really authentic place. Instead of trying to make any statements, I just lead with sort of what feels right and honest to me, working with friends that have always supported us from the beginning when we couldn’t afford agency models. We sort of looked around and asked ourselves, “Who is just as beautiful and just as amazing as someone who’s repped by whatever agency?” And so, including those people in the shows that we do now just really feels like the direction that we want to go in. I think it is really important because it sort of expands the cannon for what you can expect from a queer designer or the visual language that you can expect from someone who happens to be black and working in fashion.

J.M. I know that before you went out on your own you worked at Diane von Furstenberg, and I was wondering what that moment in your career taught you. What did you take away from that experience?
C.J.R. That time definitely showed me where I wanted to go as a business and also simultaneously where I didn’t want to go. I think that it sort of taught me to build a really strong visual language and make sure that I’m making clothes that are both exciting and accessible while also memorable and pragmatic. It is a way to build a business that will last, and, you know, making sure that everyone on my team feels heard, excited, and comfortable coming into the studio. I really just kind of want to foster a place where people can grow in the long term.

J.M. How are you balancing that flamboyant side of your designs with the more real-world demands that most women have? A designer can’t grow on event dressing alone.
C.J.R. Yeah, so we’re definitely trying to think about not necessarily what everyone wants from us, but what our customer wants from us. At this point in sort of the brand’s trajectory, we’re focused on creating clothes that are really meaningful and intentional. Since we make everything in New York, manufacturing prices here are extremely high.
We have to make sure that the product ends up looking like the price that it will be so that it lends itself to things that are evening, to things that are incredibly special. As time goes on, as we get more accounts, we’ll be able to sort of increase units and make clothes that are more casual, or even more pragmatic. Then we can also make sure that there are prices that serve that end-use. It’s really about slowly expanding the vernacular of what you can expect from this brand.

J.M. For a designer, you sound like a businessman. Most designers can’t or won’t take on both the business and creative side of their label, but I get the feeling that is not the case for you.
C.J.R. I like all of it. I mean, I’m a Libra. So I’m always kind of balancing everything, which is a problem because it usually ends up being quite indecisive. Not because I don’t know what I want, but because what I want to do and what I should do are not always aligned. That’s why I take so long, I’m equally as focused on cutting something really beautiful and interesting as I am truly making sure that piece doesn’t just sit in a museum for 20 years. I want it to be worn by someone for 20 years because it still serves them, still excites them, and that they will be able to actually use the piece.

J.M. I know this is the classic generic fashion question but I am curious to hear how you would describe the person who is going to connect with your clothing. What kind of spirit do they have?
C.J.R. Well, they have an incredible sense of humor. They know who they are. They dress just for themselves as opposed to sort of reacting to trends. They’re incredibly intelligent and know that what they wear serves a greater purpose. But they also aren’t afraid to take something that’s super expensive and mix it with, you know, vintage jeans that they’ve had for 20 years.

J.M. Okay and then as far as the brand is concerned, what do you feel are your biggest challenges at this point?
C.J.R. I think our biggest challenge right now is balancing growth, and staying honest to who we are as a brand. Grow the business in a way that doesn’t require us to make things only purely for sales, sort of balancing that and, like, creating things with intention and purpose because that’s why I love fashion.

J.M. Okay, I have a couple of fun questions for you… first up, what are you currently obsessed with?
C.J.R. I’m currently obsessed with Michaela Coel’s new HBO show “I May Destroy You.” I’m only on episode three, but I’m already, like, ob- sessed. Oh, and I am also obsessed with mezcal.

J.M. What is your guilty pleasure?
C.J.R. Double Stuffed Oreos.

J.M. And then what is on your bucket list of things that you want to do, see, or accomplish?
C.J.R. Actually, I would love to travel to Asia, I’ve never been. I’ve just heard really great stories that you come back, you know, a different person. And so I think to be able to go there would be really interesting.

Portrait by JACK BELLI

Jessica Michault 9/25/20 Jessica Michault 9/25/20

🎙️ Milan Vukmirovic

I am going to be very honest here and say that every time I end up being placed next to Milan Vukmiorvic at the front row of a fashion show, a smile spontaneously forms on my face. And at the exact same moment, I say a little prayer that the show will run a bit later than normal. This is because Milan is just a great front row buddy. He and I end up always getting into these extensive philosophical conversations about the current state of fashion. We discuss the nuances of shifting tides of trends we have picked up over the season and what we both think that might mean for the future of fashion.

So you can imagine that with the current upheaval of the industry, I wanted to find a way to have another front row deep dive debrief with Milan, so the two of us jumped onto a Zoom call to hash things out. And what makes talking with Milan so engrossing is that his career in fashion is so varied and vast. He was a multifaceted creative before that was even a thing.

Just to give you a bit of background. Milan was born in France to a Serbian family and grew up in Paris, he studied at ESMOD and then, after an internship at the Jardins des Modes, in 1996 he co-founded the concept store, Colette. He went on to become a design director for the Gucci Group during the reign of Tom Ford, then came a stint as the creative director of Jil Sander, and after that, he re-launched the magazine L’Officiel Hommes Paris as its editor-in-chief and creative director, where over 7 years he expanded the brand to more than a dozen international versions of the title. In 2007 he returned to designing for a fashion house, this time as the creative director of Trussardi. And as a side hustle, he co-founded The Webster Miami, another ultra-cool concept store. Then in 2011, he launched his own menswear bi-annual book magazine hybrid he named Fashion for Men, of which he remains the editor-in-chief. And if that wasn’t enough, he also took on the duty of menswear creative director of Ports in 2015.

So Milan clearly likes to keep busy. And his work as a buyer, a designer, a stylist, an editor, and a photographer, just to name a few of the titles he has carried over the years, gives him a very unique perspective on the world of fashion. This is why, when we finally were able to connect, I simply pointed Milan in the direction of a topic I wanted to get his thoughts on and let him rip.

I am sure that once you have listened to what he has to say you too will be trying to find a way to sit next to him in the front row of a show.

Jessica Michault 9/7/20 Jessica Michault 9/7/20

🎙️ Louise Trotter

Sometimes it just feels like destiny when a designer lands at a fashion house. This is the case for British designer Louise Trotter, who took up the mantle of creative director at Lacoste at the tail end of 2018. Growing up she played a considerable amount of tennis and Lacoste was always her go-to label. Her husband is also a bit of a tennis nut and over the years has built up his own collection of Lacoste pieces that take up considerable room in his closet. But perhaps the most profound connection comes from the one that Louise feels with the founder of the company, René Lacoste. His rebellious decision to become a tennis player on his own terms resonated with Louise, who from a very early age knew she wanted to be a fashion designer, a career path that really wasn’t a consideration for most kids growing up in the north England town of Sunderland.

It was René’s moral code and approach to life on and off the courts that Louise connected with. His strategic yet stylish way of playing the game, his sense of fair play, tenacity, and bringing joy into whatever he did, are all values that are close to Louise’s own heart. And it's the reason why, while still riding high after a successful 10-year stint at the label Joseph, she decided to make the leap to Lacoste and become the brand’s first female creative director in the house’s almost 90-year history.

Since her arrival at the house, Louise had been quick to put her own stamp on the label. Her signature aesthetic slants to the oversized; be that silhouettes, patterns and prints, or even the iconic Lacoste crocodile. And her approach to the performance wear heritage of the house has been to look at it as creating clothing that “performs” daily. Day in and day out, week after week. Garments that are so well made, flattering, and still maintain a fashion-forward viewpoint that they are the ones that men and women continually turn to.

But what I found perhaps most appealing about Louise during our interview was that she is all about the work. She is not a diva designer with an ego that could fill a room. If she doesn’t know about something, say having an encyclopedic knowledge about high tech performance fabrics, she says so, takes steps to educate herself, and is always looking to learn new things. She is one of those “best idea wins” designers. Encouraging her staff to speak up and she has created a workplace that promotes teamwork. For Louise, each collection is a new chapter in a continuous journey of sartorial discovery.

After listening to this podcast, and learning about how Louise likes to work, Lacoste is probably going to find itself inundated with resumes from people wanting to learn from a leader who is as open, inclusive, and creative as Louise.

Image from Vogue.

Jessica Michault 8/5/20 Jessica Michault 8/5/20

🎙️ Christian Lacroix

I’ll never forget my first Christian Lacroix fashion show. Watching all of the supermodels walk his catwalk in outfits that mixed colors, patterns, and prints in combinations my mind could never have conceived would ever work together, let alone look as fabulously as they did on the Lacroix catwalk.

Lacroix’s shows were always full of energy, passion, and precision but above all love...with just the perfect dash of joie de vivre added in for good measure. By the end of every show, the audience was always revved up to throw out onto the catwalk, during the grand finale, the single carnation that was systematically placed on each seat at each show throughout the designer’s prodigious career.

That was why, when I showed up at the Dries Van Noten Spring/Summer 2020 fashion show and saw a single carnation sitting on my seat...well...I am going to be honest...my heart skipped a beat. Was this the return of Lacroix I asked myself? And to a certain extent, it was. The famed designer, who had walked away from the catwalk after his fall/winter 2009 haute couture show, was back. This time working in collaboration with Van Noten for one season only.

Let’s just say it was a fashion moment, and the show was certainly a highlight in my career.

But Lacroix hasn’t been in hiding since he stopped doing fashion shows. He turned to theater and Opera houses, creating dreamlike confections for the stage. A place where his theatrical sartorial inclinations were right at home. And also he consulted for big name brands in need of a designer who is a master of the color wheel and has never met a print he doesn’t like.

I spoke with Christian in the wake of his triumphant return to the catwalk. To take a joyful stroll down memory lane together. For me, it was a pure moment of bliss. I know, when you listen to our conversation, it will be one for you as well.

Image from DesignInsiderLive.