Designer Spotlight
Kate Boggiano
October 17, 2011
The classic lines and craftsmanship in Kate Boggiano women's apparel make it seem like a timeless brand, not unlike Ralph Lauren, where the designer, Kate Coxworth, got her start. I learned about Kate through the Chicago Fashion Incubator - an annual program started at Chicago Macy's on State Street back in 2005. The Chicago Fashion Incubator offers select designers the resources, workspace, showroom, curriculum, and mentoring to grow their business and learn more about the fashion industry. Not surprisingly, this CFI alum has a clear brand identity - classic femininity - and a good understanding of the business from her experience and her dad, her mentor and a successful entrepreneur. I asked Kate a few questions in this interview, to shed some light on her design priorities and interests.
How did you get started in fashion?
I have always been in love with fashion. When I was a little girl, my grandmother taught me how to sew. I used to make my own patterns and sew all my own clothes. I ended up majoring in fashion in college at Indiana University after a brief detour in pre-med. Post college, I moved to NYC and worked first as a technical designer and later as a product merchant at Ralph Lauren.
What have you learned from your experience at Ralph Lauren?
The best education I received was at Ralph Lauren. I learned fitting, factory communication, and really how all pieces of the fashion industry fit together. I also learned a lot about corporate waste and some very valuable lessons in what I didn’t want to do when I had my own business.
How would you sum up the Kate Boggiano brand?
Kate Boggiano is a high quality line of women’s apparel focused on blouses, dresses, and jackets all made in the USA.
AprilMarin
February 7, 2011
As much as I love the latest trends, there is a certain comfort in knowing that there are designs that never go out of style, the classics. It's the little black dress, or the simple clean silhouettes Jackie O or Grace Kelly used to love. It is these classic outfits that are at the core of AprilMarin line started by April Bukofser and Marin Milio in 2007. What makes these two designers unique is that the clothes are all custom made based on each client's measurements submitted on their website. So not only do you pick the style and color, you get the outfit made to fit you perfectly. This is a rarity, since it's close to impossible to find clothes that universally fit all women even of the same size. April and Marin are dedicated to the classic styles, yet they add new twists to each collection. Below is my interview with this custom powerhouse design duo.
What made you create this brand a little over 3 years ago?
As women ourselves we understand the importance of a perfect fit. We initially researched other women’s custom clothing companies and realized that there were no other contemporary clothing designers offering high quality designer custom made garments...and so AprilMarin was born.
Why did you decide to work together?
We met in a marketing class at Pace University and instantly hit it off! With a fashion design background (April) and marketing background (Marin)- we have a perfect combination!
What are the biggest advantages of custom made clothing?
The biggest advantages of custom-made clothing are that you can literally customize every inch of the garment. From the dress length to the sleeve length - it is truly amazing! The AprilMarin design team designs all of the AprilMarin pieces. We are fashion designers that are able to tailor our designs to different body types. AprilMarin gives customers the option of submitting all of their measurements as well as picking their fabric and lining colors. Our customers really enjoy choosing their colors as it makes the design to fit their individual style.
Jean Roth
June 20, 2010
Jean Roth is a unique type of designer - she blends her talent for graphic design with her sharp sense of humor and knowledge of fabrics. The end result - tees and scarves that you will definitely want to wear this summer and beyond. She is a big traveler and fluent in many languages, so her grasp of pop culture is definitely reflected in the apparel she designs. I asked Jean a few questions about her story, her inspirations and a few fun facts in this email interview.
You do graphic design work in addition to apparel design. How does one influence another and do you enjoy one more than the other?
I love being able to alternate between the two. Most of my graphic work is client-oriented so naturally I am bound by client requirements, and often, short deadlines. I can't always be as creative as I'd like, but more times than not, if I forge ahead with my own intuition the result is the winner.
Designing for my own apparel like t-shirts, is a lot more self-indulgent; I design what strikes my fancy. Often humor is a key element, so it's more light-hearted – lucky me, getting to giggle while designing!
What both areas have in common, however, is that typography figures very strongly in my design approach. With a background in Asian languages (but not painting or illustration) it's not surprising that I gravitate toward typography as a central visual tool in my graphic design. I spend inordinate amounts of time tinkering with fonts, balance and layout.
Laura Dawson
March 28, 2010
Laura Dawson is a perpetual traveler who draws her inspiration from life, architecture and environment. And it is this passion for the environment that initially drew me to her designs. Yet, it is her attention to detail and play with color that makes you notice something unique. Her love for architecture is reflected in the structure of all her designs (particularly the back of most every outfit). Just look at the V-back shirt, the apron dress, deco dress or the latest trench from the Spring collection. Laura got a great start working for Donna Karan's Urban Zen. She stood out in a quick turn on the Bravo reality series The Fashion Show. She is no stranger to celebrity culture having created designs for Susan Sarandon, Cate Blanchett, Scissor Sisters and Yelle. I think it is her whimsy and use of sustainable materials that continue drawing interest in her career. Hopefully, it's a long one.
I asked Laura Dawson a few questions about inspirations, life interests and the future of fashion in this interview.
Are you a big traveler? What's your favorite destination?
I have travelled extensively, to Stockholm, Paris, London, Rio, Los Angeles, Mexico, Hawaii, Amsterdam, Brussells. In the end the best destination is where the best company is. I refuse to travel to Paris ever again unless I am in good company. Too many trips there without it. There is nothing worse than a beautiful destination filled with poor company. My favorite place that I have ever been is Stockholm in mid summer. It's gorgeous, and people are at their best because the light hours are so long. (About 20 hours a day of sunlight). The usually reserved Swedish lose a bit of their veneer and it's possible to make fast friends.
Renae Plant
November 22, 2009
Renae Plant, designer and founder of Bump Babies pregnancy apparel is a multi-tasker. Her popular [bump] tees and other apparel are worn by many celebrities - Gwen Stefani, Salma Hayek, Tori Spelling, Nancy O'Dell, to name a few. She successfully handles talent at Nebula Management, runs Camelot Kids preschool, and juggles three kids. I talked to Renae about her designs, since only a mother can understand the need for every stage of pregnancy to be glorified - this event is too exciting to hide. Bump babies apparel is comfortable and stylish with maternity tank tops, t-shirts, yoga pants and more. What separates this pregnancy apparel line from others is not only its attention to detail (more bling please!) but largely its sense of humor. Moms would appreciate a good chuckle. I asked Renae about her designs, inspirations and life story in this exclusive interview.
How did you come up with the idea for your [bump] business and name?
I was pregnant with my son Mateo at the time and coming from Australia we use the word bump to describe being pregnant...so then I started thinking of funny acronyms for the meaning of bump and voila [bump] baby under manufacturing process was born. I wanted to be different from the other novelty tee lines that were out there, so I took it one step further and trademarked my saying and incorporated my trademark in every single design. I got to work immediately making samples and sent them to retailers and my biz took off. Within the first year my line was in over 200 retail stores worldwide and I had created my very own brand.
Cheri Milaney
March 29, 2009
Vancouver designer Cheri Milaney surprised the audience at Toronto's LG Fashion Week this month when she picked real women instead of regular models to walk in her Fall/Winter 2009 show. She is celebrating a 10-year anniversary of her line this year, but has been sketching outfits since early age. It is this fashion experience and her travels around the world, and Italy in particular, that made her realize that clothes should be a reflection of women who wear them and not the other way around, and women come in all shapes and sizes.
Being able to bring out that something special in each woman is what Cheri's designs are about. She also favors a certain color in her Fall/Winter 2009 collection. We asked the designer about this and other things fashion in our interview.
You are celebrating 10 years in fashion this year. How did you get started?
I was encouraged to study fashion design by my high school art and drama teachers, as well as my mother who recognized my talent and passion at the age of 6. After going to fashion school, I worked in many different facets of the industry including retail sales management, visual merchandising and display, fashion editorial and art direction. I started on a small scale working from sketches and fabric swatches, going from store to store.
Victoria Hinks Taylor
Jan 12, 2009
Victoria Hinks Taylor has been making headlines in Paris, London, Milan, New York. Just one look at her work and you see how striking and individual, memorable it is. We asked Victoria a few questions about her life and work in this email interview.
Please tell us a little about the person behind the label and how you started in fashion.
I remember finishing school and having to make the decision of what I was going to do. The choices were always; acting, photography, or fashion. I was always individual in the way I dressed, and my parents were always very aware that even at a young age other girls would copy how I wore something. In the end, I actually graduated in Photography. My final show was a collection of short films, which was a little controversial, as no one had explored film on that course before. I went straight to London, although still unsettled about what I wanted to do, and followed the film route, which lead me into post production and advertising. I worked for 6 years in Soho where I worked for some great creative figures, and some fantastic companies such as Mother and M&C Saatchi. But it wasn't until I met my now business partner Lawrence, that I finally began to realize where I was supposed to be. For the next 2 years we travelled and worked around Europe, he is a film director, and I worked as an art director and stylist. Throughout those 2 years I would draw books and books of fashion designs. So much so it got to the point where Lawrence realized before me what was happening! He encouraged me to define all these ideas into a collection, which I did. It was a natural progression for both of us to define all our ideas experience and vision into creating the Hinks Taylor label. And since then it has just been fantastic. One profound comment that stays with me is "you most fear what you most want to do". Because if you fail at the thing you want to do most, where do you go from there!? However I am finally realising what I always knew deep down, and life has never been easier and more fulfilling.
Asli Filinta
December 1, 2008
Asli Filinta's designs are both eccentric and optimistic, so no wonder her latest (Spring 2009) collection is called Monkey Town. Where does she find inspiration? Primarily from her native Turkey and the markets of Istanbul. Though she is originally from the Turkish town of Adana, Istanbul is her biggest source of inspiration - the history, culture, the sights and sounds of the city. She is excited by special fabrics from Turkey, since she gets the culture behind it. Even her favorite period in fashion history is from the glamorous Ottoman Empire times - all the sultan costumes. She is quite a spontaneous traveler, but when she roams the world it's the cultures that she loves to see. Enter her fascination with Istanbul's Grand Bazaar, or Kapalicarsi, one of the largest covered markets in the world with more than 58 streets and 6,000 shops. Asli says most people enter the bazaar through the "Nuruosmaniye Gate" (meaning "the light of the Ottomans"). Once you enter, she suggests you look at the ceiling, look for something special. Finding beauty in what's around you perhaps makes someone like her such a unique spirit.
