Fashion world sees Thakoon, Doo.ri and Rodarte on the cusp of something big
May 29 07:33
By SAMANTHA CRITCHELL, AP Fashion Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- The fashion business is largely about buzz. Sure, talent matters and so do solid retail numbers, but nothing sparks a career like word of mouth.
Thakoon, Doo.ri and Rodarte are the names on the lips of industry insiders these days: They've been nominated for the emerging talent award at the Council of Fashion Designers of America awards, essentially the Oscars of the fashion world.
No matter who wins the Swarovski Perry Ellis prize, simply having the attention of the press, retailers, stylists and top-tier designers who select the nominees could help push the up-and-comers toward style stardom. Previous winners include Zac Posen and Derek Lam, now considered must-see shows at New York Fashion Week.
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Thakoon: Thakoon Panichgul is realizing that his childhood -- half spent in northern Thailand and half spent just outside Omaha, Neb. -- influences his creative process.
He sees the formality and modesty that's inherent in Thai culture in his clothes, and he has an affinity to gold and metallics. "Those are very Thai, too," he says. Spending his early school years in the Midwest encouraged him to be very thoughtful and introspective, especially in his drawings.
He also notes the elements of classic American sportswear in his otherwise more urban designs. That might come from seeing classic American suburban women near the Air Force base in Bellevue, Neb., he says.
Panichgul's business degree from Boston University, his first fashion job at J.Crew and his short career as an editor at Harper's Bazaar, figure into his overall style as well.
"I look at it all as schooling," he says during an interview at his spare-yet-bright studio in Manhattan's Tribeca district.
Eventually Panichgul, 31, did get a formal fashion education at Parsons School of Design and he produced his first collection in 2004.
It was a blend of camera-ready dresses and more retail-friendly separates. His magazine experience taught him what would get him the good press that aspiring designers need to catch on, while the business school background nudged him toward clothes that regular folks -- OK, rather well-to-do regular folks -- will buy.
"I still do a lot of black things. Editors hate black, but, you know, there's never enough black for a real woman. ... My skinny black pant is the fall best-seller. It's a balance -- suits and black pants versus my version of evening dresses. They're shorter and easier to wear, not formal or stiff. I love designing dresses, they're my favorite to design."
Either way, the goal is to offer pieces with "impact," Panichgul says. One of his favorite techniques is to play with the back of an outfit, noting his favorite piece from the current collection is a dress with an open back and black-and-white bows. "It's unexpected. I think clothes can be playful and sophisticated."
He's exploring adding gowns or menswear pieces a few seasons down the road.
Gowns would be an acknowledgment of how important dressing celebrities has become. Panichgul already has worked with Rachel Bilson and Amanda Peet but he says he's not actively pursuing stars just to get the credit in a magazine. "In this new fashion climate -- to compete with the big guys and grow the brand -- celebrities are important. But I don't seek them. It has to be organic," he says.
Menswear would be more personal.
"A men's line would make my life easier. "I don't live in Tokyo so I don't have access to my size," the 5-foot-4-inch designer says with a laugh. "I wear basics. I don't have much else to wear. I did get a black suit for the Met (Costume Institute) gala, but the jacket was a bit long."
His "uniform," he says, is a white polo shirt, jeans and a blue cardigan that fits him like a glove -- and which he did indeed buy in Tokyo.
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Doo.Ri: Doo-ri Chung agrees with the CFDA that her business is "emerging." As a designer, though, Chung feels after more than 10 years in the business, she's hit her stride.
After attending Parsons School of Design, Chung worked for the late Geoffrey Beene, "the best graduate school I could have had." She praises Beene as "the most important designer of American fashion" and she says it was from him that she learned the importance of draping and movement of garments.
When she formed her own label, Beene was her biggest supporter.
Back then, Chung says she was confident in her back-end talents -- she could draw, she could sew, she had a sense of what women want from their clothes -- but she didn't know quite how to handle press, celebrities and the hoopla that surrounds a fashion show.
"I thought our first show would be family and friends. Turned out Vogue wanted to see it. Style.com came. It was more attention than we expected. And four stores bought that collection. That's from zero to 4, and each season we've double stores, people and press," a beaming Chung says. "I didn't want to design in obscurity."
But she didn't want to mimic anyone else, either. A young designer who wants a long career needs to carve a niche, she says, and working with jersey is hers.
She learned about jersey from Beene, considered the master of the fabric, but instead of keeping it close to the body like he did, Chung likes to see it flow. "Stiff tailoring isn't my thing. ... I like movement. I think women are more beautiful in softer, feminine clothes. I think it takes a strong woman to wear something soft and loose."
Chung is trying to branch out in an effort to make a more comprehensive collection, but, she says, since every garment goes through her, they all have that common thread of movement.
She also tends to embrace complicated patterns. One raincoat in her office was made from 40 pieces.
"I like clean and minimal but not cold. I'm sort of like my clothes -- there's no kitsch, no clutter, but there's warmth," Chung says.
What first drew her to fashion as a suburban New Jersey teenager was illustration. That led her to the elongated portions used in fashion illustrations, and that led her to actual draping of fabric.
Chung, who was born in Korea but moved to the United States at age 4, is preparing for her eighth runway show. The next milestone will be walking down the street and seeing a woman wearing Doo.ri clothes. "Someone out there is buying it (my clothes), so it could happen. I did see a dress at the Costume Institute gala and it wasn't a sample!"
But she is brought down to earth each time one of her garments requires a zipper. She still doesn't know how to sew one in. Her mother comes to the studio and does it for her.
Chung says her parents are pleased -- and even a bit surprised at her brand's success -- but what they still care most about is if she's eating well.
"I think I'm eating well. ... My parents do bring me Korean food during show time because then I get too busy to eat."
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Rodarte: Sisters Laura and Kate Mulleavy didn't follow the typical path of aspiring designers. They didn't even know fashion was their thing until they were at the University of California at Berkley -- and wondering what they were doing there other than following a family tradition.
The Mulleavys were raised by an artist mother and botanist father in Northern California, surrounded by redwood trees and greenhouses. The relationship they witnessed between trees and shadows greatly influences their work today, says 25-year-old Laura Mulleavy. Kate Mulleavy is 27.
The sisters both started drawing at age 5. "Mom wanted us to be really exposed to the arts," recalls Laura Mulleavy. "We also had a lot of science and math since dad was a scientist, but he was interested in photography, too. He took photos of spores and mushrooms, which are the most amazing abstract patterns."
When they started their company, Rodarte, they didn't have a plan, Mulleavy says, but they did have a vision. "We didn't have an internship or a class on production -- things you need to learn about -- but we knew we wanted to do it so we had to make it happen. We started reading couture sewing books."
For fall 2005, Rodarte produced 10 pieces, but Mulleavy says they didn't know how to get anyone to see the seven dresses and three coats. "We're in Pasedena -- and completely removed from fashion. We had never even been to New York City," Mulleavy says. "We knew all the names but not the people."
They gambled with a letter to Cameron Silver, a well-known Los Angeles stylist and owner of the vintage store Decades. They asked for him to review the collection -- which he liked. Since then, Silver has evolved into a mentor.
They brought that collection to New York without having a single appointment booked, but Kate Mulleavy had sent out clever lookbooks made of paper dolls to top editors. "We sat in a room waiting for the phone to ring. Finally, Women's Wear Daily called us in and three days later we were on the cover."
Four stores bought pieces from that collection.
By spring '06, the collection grew to 16 looks, building on the sophisticated look that's becoming the Rodarte trademark. But the size of the line will always be limited by the complicated cascades of fabrics and its atelier-only production. "Start to finish, each piece is made one at a time. We pin each one on a form. Most pieces take forever to make, but, in the end, they're really beautiful and special."
One recent knee-length cocktail dress took almost 100 hours to make.
Don't expect to see a Mulleavy in one of those numbers, though. "We don't normally wear our own clothes. There are two reasons -- right now, out of functionality, everything we do is put back into the business. We're self-funded," Laura Mulleavy explains. "Also, when you're sewing, you need to be comfortable all day. I normally wear pants and a simple top."
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On the Net:
www.cfda.com
www.thakoon.com
www.doori-nyc.com
www.rodarte.net