fashionologie

Jason Wu, Alexander Wang, Vena Cava Among 2008 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Nominees

fashionologie — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:19:04 PDT

>> The CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund has determined its ten finalists for 2008.

Last year's winner, Rogan Gregory, was announced in November and received a monetary award of $200,000, with two runners-up reiving $50,000 each. For the past couple of years, the nominees have worked with Gap as part of a limited Gap Design Edition collaboration to gain more exposure, and many have also gone on to work with Target in limited-edition runs.

This year's nominees are:

Richard Chai

Jason Wu

Alexander Wang

Irene Neuwirth

Albertus Q. Swanepoel of Albertus Quartus

Alejandro Ingelmo

Juan Carlos Obando

Swaim and Christina Hutson of Obedient Sons & Daughters

John Patrick of Organic

Sophie Mayock and Lisa Buhai of Vena Cava
*image: source

fashionologie — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 12:52:08 PDT

>> Vena Cava Launching Handbags for Fall 2011, Designers Hope to Build "Lifestyle Empire" -Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai, who both hail from Los Angeles, have paired up with LA boutique TenOverSix for shoes, which will debut on Thursday during Vena Cava's Spring 2011 presentation; the duo has worked with Via Spiga in the past, starting with the Spring 2009 season. Come the Fall 2011 season, Mayock and Buhai are adding handbags for the first time: "They're going to be mostly structured pieces in the $700 price range. There's nothing else out there at that price point except for Alexander Wang. We're also doing some small leather goods like wallets and evening bag type styles." Eventually, they hope to have a "Vena Cava lifestyle empire," including "flagships, posters, websites and movies." [Viva Vena Cava, WSJ]

Vena Cava Get Together With Uniqlo For Collaboration

Chi Diem Chau — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 15:49:37 PST

>> Vena Cava's Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock - whose past collaborators include Via Spiga, Gap, and Bloomingdale's - have a new partner. “We’re about to do [a collaboration] with Uniqlo,” Buhai announced at a Fashion Group International-hosted panel discussion on entrepreneurship yesterday. “Lisa and I were at a point where we felt like we were getting stagnant,” Buhai elaborated. “Fashion is cyclical, but when you add in different projects, you feel like you’re learning again.”

“It’s an opportunity for us to articulate our brand in a way that’s more mass,” Mayock added. “We just want to make sure whatever we do has our stamp on it,” Buhai concluded, giving no further detail.

Vena Cava's Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai Want to See You in Thick-Platformed Sandals and Halter Dresses for Spring 2011

fashionologie — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 13:16:18 PDT

>> Next season brings bags from Vena Cava, but for Spring 2011, it was all about the debut of the seriously-platformed wedge sandals Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai did in collaboration with LA boutique TenOverSix. In fact, according to the Vena Cava show notes, the entire collection was designed in Los Angeles, where both Buhai and Mayock are from. The designers cited "the 1980s design movement Memphis, which used bold geometric shapes, bright colors, and a health sense of humor to refute 'good taste' design," as inspiration, showing up in "colorblocking and geometric construction, mixed with a southern California ease and less rigid way of dressing." Hence the flowy skirts, loose halter dresses, and even a pair of overalls snuck in.

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Vena Cava Relaunches Website with E-Commerce, One-Off Vintage Picks

Chi Diem Chau — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 09:28:50 PDT

>> Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai debuted their new and improved Vena Cava website today, featuring e-commerce for both the Vena Cava Spring 2011 collection and the secondary Viva Vena! line. The goal was to give the site a "handmade, not-too-slick feel that our collection is known for," according to Mayock, so they also devoted a "Garage Sale" section to selling hand-picked, one-of-a-kind items (like an early '80s portable TV and vintage accessories) and a "Vibes" section to showcasing their friends wearing the collection. [VenaCava.com]

fashionologie — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 13:54:59 PDT

>> Vena Cava Launching Lower-Priced Basics Collection: Viva Vena -Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai are the latest young designers to foray into basics with Viva Vena, a lower-priced line of organic and cotton jersey tees, tanks, and dresses, all produced in Los Angeles with a twist: Vena Cava's signature photo collages and hand-drawn prints. “We looked around and noticed that almost nothing was printed,” said Buhai. The collection, “priced so you didn’t have to think about it” - or under $200 - launches in July. [WWD]

Vena Cava Fall 2010: Rooted in Woodstock, with Live Music, to Boot

HannahNicole — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:15:13 PST

>> Vena Cava was the first of three shows today (the others being Rachel Comey and Erin Wasson + RVCA) to boast live music. Ear plugs were left on every seat, as The Like was situated front and center on the runway.

In the show notes, Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai explained that after a long weekend in a house in Woodstock, they immersed themselves in the '70s craft movement and "designed a collection for the Vena Cava woman to wear in her cabin upstate: pieces that read more minimal, American, '70s tinged, and somewhat classic." Stylist Kate Young helped Buhai and Mayock translate those ideas onto the runway with raccoon tails pinned to dresses and streaks of purple, green, and pink through the models' hair. The designers are known for their hand-drawn prints, but there were noticeably less this season - only appearing on the sleeve of a top or two.

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Vena Cava Brings Back '90s Glamour for Fall 2011

fashionologie — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 23:08:50 PST

>> It was a '90s throwback at Vena Cava's Fall 2011 show - think Donna Karan, Giorgio Armani, Azzedine Alaia-style. “We dug out all our old fashion magazines from the early nineties,” explained Lisa Mayock of their starting point. But, Sophie Buhai pointed out, “It’s about the elegance that was happening back then, and not the grunge." Hence the glitter eye makeup, the squared-off necklines, the sleeve cutouts, and the berets, crafted by Brooklyn-based millinery Yestadt. And perhaps inspired by all of that magazine gazing, the design duo produced their own 'zine, Zina Cava, full of '90s imagery and contributions from their friends.

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Where Will Karl Lagerfeld, Naomi Campbell, Alexander Wang, and More Be For Fashion's Night Out 2010?

fashionologie — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 07:47:07 PDT

>> Fashion's Night Out is back with even more bang in its second year: in addition to a CBS special documenting the occasion, the official directory for the event - scheduled Sept. 10, from 6-11 pm -boasts almost 1,000 events, including a public fashion show for the first time ever. Check out some of the highlights, below.

1. Karl Lagerfeld Will Be In Town

He's hosting a Chanel dinner the night before Fashion's Night Out, and accepting a Fashion Visionary Award (from the Couture Council of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology) at a luncheon the day of, so he's definitely in New York for the occasion. Word is he'll be at Chanel's Soho store - where they're also offering complimentary manicures and selling the forthcoming Les Khakis de Chanel nail polish collection for one night. Alternatively, the 57th Street Chanel boutique is offering visitors the option to color-customize their very own pair of iconic Chanel ballet flats.

Block parties, exclusives, and models galore »

Fall 2009 Could Be the Death of More Promising Designers

fashionologie — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 17:30:11 PST

>> Fall 2009 is "the make or break season" for small designers, according to Eric Wilson of The New York Times. Stores are reducing their orders by 20 percent or more for Fall, and some are already trying to cancel their Spring orders, which puts small businesses, especially those without independent financial backing, in a tenuous position. Basically, Wilson points out, "The more stores that close, the more designers will follow." And in show season, the cost of samples and putting on a show doesn't help with the strain.

"We're just trying to survive." »