28 Jan 2010, Posted by admin in 20 Questions, Fashion, 0 Comments

20 Questions With Chris Benz

Designer Chris Benz

Carter Cramer: What’s your hometown and your age?

Chris Benz: I grew up in Seattle, and I’m 25

CC: Where in New York do you currently reside?

CB: I live in the West Village

CC: And what’ your background? How did you get into fashion?

CB: I think it was just sort of natural. I always drew a lot growing up, and I was always into clothes and putting outfits together. It wasn’t any sort of epiphany. It was pretty expected and natural

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27 Jan 2010, Posted by admin in 20 Questions, Fashion, 0 Comments

20 Questions With The Blonds

The Blonds

Job Title: Creative Director of The Blonds

Carter Cramer: Just by looking at you and your partner/co-designer Phillipe Blond, it’s obvious that you’re both larger-than-life characters. Tell me a little about who the Blonds are, and what your brand stands for

David Blond: Well, we didn’t set out to become these characters of ourselves, but it is a personal sort of thing that we’ve come into. The way we feel about fashion is, it’s an outward expression and has to do with what you think of yourself and how you see yourself. You can tell a lot about a person from the outside, and the clothes they wear. Our clothes help people express themselves and become someone else for the night, or reinforce themselves, like a little show girl, or whatever girl you want to be

CC: You described yourself as having become a character. Would you say you’re half designer, half performer?

DB: Most people in this industry do become caricatures of themselves because it’s all about the exterior and what that exterior [looks like]. You naturally cultivate these exaggerated images of yourself. You have a part that you play, and it’s really not on purpose

CC: What were you and Phillipe like growing up?

DB: I think that one of the things we both have in common is our attraction to animation, movies, and that we both played with Barbie—obviously. We both are and always [have been] dreamers—very creative, always doing something artistic in nature. We were both into shoes growing up. We’d run around in our mom’s shoes. My mom had this one particular pair, which I loved—a wooden wedged-heel that was carved, like a sculpture. I loved that shoe

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25 Jan 2010, Posted by admin in 20 Questions, Fashion, 0 Comments

20 Questions With Catherine Holstein

Catherine Holstein

Carter Cramer: How old is your label?

Catherine Holstein: Two years old exactly. But last year was the first full collection. I am doing a show this year at Bumble and Bumble, and I am scared shitless! This is so weird, and something I have dreamed of. I always daydreamed about doing a show, but I never actually thought I’d have a runway show. It is scary—I mean, it’s exciting, but scary

CC:  How many people work for the Catherine Holstein label?

CH: Just two of us—me and my production manager

CC: What is your background?

CH: Well, I was born in New York City, then I lived in California for a while, and when I was nine I moved to London, and lived there until I was seventeen. I moved there for my parents’ jobs

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20 Jan 2010, Posted by admin in 20 Questions, Fashion, 0 Comments

20 Questions With Keith Lissner

Keith Lissner

Name: Keith Lissner

Job Title: President and Designer of Keith Lissner

Carter Cramer: What are some of your main responsibilities at your label?

Keith Lissner: Everything from designing, costing, fabric sourcing, paying the bills, overseeing all the PR work, the sales, the showroom, I get the orders produced—you name it, I do it.

Right now I’m overseeing my show that’s on September 3^rd, and I’ve been taking solo appointments with Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. So as I go through the sketch process, I have the creative director of Saks come in and look at my sketches. That’s kind of standard procedure for these department stores, because they kind of look in on you until they buy. They’ve been looking at me since I started designing two years, so hopefully this year they’ll buy. I’m still not sold in a department store

CC: And what’s your background? How did you get into fashion?

KL: I first became interested in fashion from my grandmother. She owned a couture dress shop in Chicago before I was alive. I used to hear the tales of the store, and she was just very into fashion, and that rubbed off on me. She used to take me to the theater and the ballet. Any sort of cultural experience I ever had—it all came from her. Then I went to college at the London College of Fashion, where I got a degree in fashion design. Then I moved to New York, started working at Ralph Lauren Children’s, then moved to Perry Ellis, then back to Ralph Lauren again, this time in the adult division. And then I started my own line about two years ago

CC:  Did you go directly from high school to fashion school, or did you first pursue a different agenda for yourself?

KL: I did a bit of exploring. I was sure I wanted to go into fashion, but wondered if I had the courage. So I transferred from small school to small school for a period of time, and then finally went to the London College of Fashion. But I don’t really think of those [transition years] as part of my education because I only stayed at those schools for a semester each. I was just trying to figure out who I was—self exploration. Also during that time I spent a few summers interning for Aeffe in New York, which acts as a sales and PR showroom for Moschino, Narciso Rodriguez, Alberta Ferretti, and Jean-Paul Gaultier. I was obsessed with Gaultier, so I spent all my time on the Gaultier floor going through all the clothes and fantasizing about my life as a designer

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19 Jan 2010, Posted by admin in 20 Questions, Fashion, 0 Comments

20 Questions With Commonwealth Utilities

Anthony Keegan and Richard Christiansen

Name: Anthony Keegan

Job Title: Creative Director  and Founder of Commonwealth Utilities

Carter Cramer: What’s your hometown and your age?

Anthony Keegan: Originally I’m from London, Ontario Canada. And I’m 35—but if you want you can take ten years off that

CC: And what’s your background? How did you get into fashion?

AK: Well, I grew up an art kid, pretty much always doing fine art. Then someone asked me to help them with a fashion show and I started making clothing out of playing cards and AstroTurf—so that was fun. Then I started school in London—I was in an interior course at the London College of Fashion, then went to Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design and got my degree. After that I worked at a place called Fabrica, which is a creative think-tank in Italy. The guy who did the Benetton ads was my boss. Then I went to Armani and was there for over a year, then Versace, where I did the men’s collection, which was fun. Then I came to New York and ended up working for Kenneth Cole. After that I started a division for Donna Karan, and now I’m where I am now

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