Fri, 11/13/09 — 09:37:42 AM
>> Alexander Wang is experiencing quite the winning streak — he was awarded the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund of $200,000 last November, the 2009 CFDA Swarovski Womenswear winner this past June, and now he's taking home the 2009 Swiss Textiles Award, a prize of about $150,000, to go towards international development. Wang becomes the second American designer in a row to win the Swiss Textiles Award, following after Rodarte, who were the first American winners ever last year.
The jury this year, chaired by Isabel Toledo, apparently had a tough time making a decision — Wang's fellow finalists this year were Peter Pilotto, Erdem, Thakoon, Alexis Mabille, and Ohne Titel, who will each receive a prize of approximately $6,000.
Former winners, Raf Simons, Kate Mulleavy sound off »
Sat, 09/12/09 — 11:02:21 PM
>> Ohne Titel's Alexa Adams and Flora Gill told Fashionista backstage that their Spring 2010 collection was their strongest yet, and they weren't kidding. Inspired by "the graphic lines, lush textures, and bold colors in Egyptian reliefs and sculptures," according to their show notes, Adams and Gill adapted their signature tailoring and body-con sensibilities to span an oxymoronic look of primitive modernity. They elaborated to The Cut: "We looked at a lot of wall painting and sculptures, and so we’re kind of playing with taking those same kind of proportions and applying them on the body."
Lace-up heels, flats, and thigh-high boots done in collaboration with Cesare Paciotti are sure to have the shoehounds drooling, and the prevalent texture in the collection — including patches of multicolored hand embroidery — was exquisite. Alastair McKimm, who worked with Alexander Wang the last two seasons, styled, and both Cathy Horyn and Visionaire's Cecilia Dean appeared front row.
Thu, 09/03/09 — 02:20:40 PM
>> Rick Owens Isn't Concerned with Being Copied —Designers are having a Rick Owens moment, New York Times's Ruth La Ferla asserts today, from Rag & Bone to Ohne Titel. It makes sense, Karlo Steel, partner at Atelier boutique in New York: “We’re coming out of a period that was very flamboyant. Fashion’s pendulum is swinging away from that now in a direction that is a bit anti-material.” Owens, for his part, took little heed at the thought — “when something’s in the air, no one can really own it" — except to say: "Suffice to say that it’s motivation for me to do my best to move forward.” [NY Times]
Mon, 07/20/09 — 08:54:44 PM
>> Laura and Kate Mulleavy of Rodarte became the first American designers to take home the 100,000 euro Swiss Textile Award last year, and the 2009 nominees are half American brands this time around: Thakoon Panichgul, Ohne Titel, Alexander Wang, Erdem, Alexis Mabille, and Peter Pilotto among them.
A winner will be announced Nov. 12, but in the meantime, Wang, who's been on an winning streak with the 2009 Swarovski Award for Womenswear and the 2008 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award under his belt, recently spoke to Vogue about how he's gotten so far in such a short time.
He's known for his model selection now, but in the beginning, they came from Craigslist.
"In one of the first pictures we did, the model, who we found on Craigslist, was just wearing a sweater, slouching, and smoking a cigarette. People identified with her then, and she hasn’t changed much since.”
"When I first started, my product was definitely a lot safer . . ." »
Wed, 07/15/09 — 02:32:38 PM
>> This year's ten CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalists have just been announced — they range from the eco-conscious (Monique Pean, Alabama Chanin) to cobblers (Esquivel Shoes) to straight-up womenswear designers (Sophie Theallet, Wayne, Ohne Titel, Gary Graham). Anna Wintour noted, “We had very strong applicant pool this year, particularly among the jewelers" — here's looking at lucky jewelry nominees Pean and House of Waris. The winner and runners-up, who are bestowed with cash prizes and industry mentorship, will be announced Nov. 16 at the annual gala.
Until then, an introduction (minus menswear nominees Patrik Ervell and Simon Spurr of Spurr).
Sat, 02/14/09 — 10:42:40 PM
>> It was a three-tone show for Ohne Titel this morning: black, gray, or brown, but it contrasted quite nicely with the light, bright white space; the only pops of color in the room came from the varicolored macaroons being served beforehand. Quite the show for the newly-minted 2009 Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation winners. The model cast was excitingly blue-chip — Liu Wen! Constance Jablonski! Lakshmi Menon! Eniko Mihalik! — it must be those unzipped knee-exposing stretch pants they're all gunning to take home; that and the over-the-knee, ruffled-top, lace-up back leather boots Alexa Adams and Flora Gill did in conjunction with Cesare Paciotti.
The designers say they went "darker" with "armorial" accents this season; along with the tight-fitting knit bondage dresses, the pieces fitted with studs, what looked like washers, and other assorted metallic elements organized in a pattern that reminded me of an art deco skyscraper, stood out. Also of note: Alastair McKimm, who styled Alexander Wang last season and this season, also styled this show.
*image: source
Thu, 02/05/09 — 05:30:11 PM
>> 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." »
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