fashionologie

Vena Cava Reportedly At Risk of Shuttering

fashionologie — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 08:42:15 PST

>> In the wake of opting for an intimate dinner party - in lieu of their usual runway show or presentation - for the Spring 2012 season in September comes news that Vena Cava may be in trouble.

WWD reports that the label was in the final stages of negotiating a financing deal with an unnamed investor earlier this month when talks broke down. According to WWD's source, Vena Cava's current financial state is "drastic," and it won't be able to move forward without an angel investor or partner coming forward.

Fashionista, meanwhile, reports: "According to a source close to the situation, the label moved out of their Soho headquarters this week and laid off a lot of staff." Apparently founders Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai, who started Vena Cava in 2003, have moved their offices home, and still have a deal with TJ Maxx in the works.

“We love what we built with Vena Cava and are dedicated to seeing it thrive and grow. We have had some very positive talks from potential partners and feel confident about moving forward,” Mayock told WWD.

A Look Inside Vena Cava's Spring 2012 Collection Dinner Party

fashionologie — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 20:14:36 PDT

>> In lieu of a runway show or presentation this season, Vena Cava's Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock hosted an intimate dinner at MPD in the Meatpacking District, dressing friends like Tennessee Thomas, Stephanie LaCava, Kate Young, Nora Zehetner, and Lily Kwong for the occasion. “We really design for our friends so we thought this was a great way to do that and have a nice evening,” Buhai explained.

See Vena Cava's Spring 2012 collection here.

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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]

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 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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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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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]

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 »

Vena Cava Does Mesh Tanks and Handkerchief Hems For Resort 2011

coutorture — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 09:19:30 PDT

Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai’s resort collection for Vena Cava is full of the wearable, easy looks we love to see in a pre-spring lineup. Their mesh tanks, overall-inspired jumpsuit with zippers, menswear button-downs, and adorable handkerchief hemmed dresses and skirts are fresh takes on spring sportswear. We want it all.

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]