After a year of anticipation and excitement Proenza Schouler designers Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough finally opened their very first store on Friday on Madison Avenue.
Their choice of location was one of the main topics of conversation in their interview with WWD and it's not hard to understand why. Over the years the brand has become known for their cool 'downtown' aesthetic, which many felt was at odds with the Madison Avenue. 'It just felt wrong in a good way to open uptown..the reality is, the clothes are expensive and the customer is here,' Hernandez said frankly and besides, they have a SoHo store set to open soon too.
Looking at their resort 2013 collection, it's not difficult to understand why they are doing so well. At the unveiling of the collection designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez said that they are committed to creating 'wearable, salable clothes that girls want' and that's exactly what their latest offering is.
Compared to their fall collection, there was nothing particularly new about the resort pieces but that wasn't a problem. The boyfriend jeans, scaled up coats, tweed jackets and leather pieces will undoubtedly go down well with their loyal following because it's the uncomplicated, practical natures of the clothes that make them so desirable. The use of interesting fabrics, which the duo are known for, helped elevate the otherwise simple pieces.
Clockwise from top left: Ashley and Mary Kate Olsen in The Row; Solange Knowles in Marni; Kate Bosworth in Altuzarra; Dakota Fanning in Proenza Schouler; Pamela Love in Theyskens Theory; Tabitha Simmons and Karen Elson in Proenza Schouler
The CFDA Awards are less than a week away and now the confirmations of those involved are coming in thick and fast. While we already know who some of the awards are going to - Johnny Depp is receiving the style icon award and the media award is going to Garance Dore and Scott Schuman - this years presenters have remained under wraps until now.
According to WWD, Jessica Chastain will present the women's wear award to Marc Jacobs, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen for The Row or Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza Schouler. The menswear award will be presented to either Billy Reid, Simon Spurr or Patrik Ervell by Matt Bomer and Jessica Paré will present for accessories.
On a different note, who else has a feeling that Kim Kardashian will attend this year's event to make a point after Met Gala-gate?
The Met Ball is just over a week away and finally the designer-celebrity paring confirmations are beginning to pick up pace. So far we know that Isabel Lucas will attend with the Proenza Schouler boys and as you'll recall, Lana Del Rey's partnership with Joseph Altuzarra came as a bit of a surprise.Azealia Banks and Alexander Wang, on the other hand, is a pairing that makes sense.
Banks confirmed the news on Twitter saying: 'I can't wait for the MET ball! I'm going as Alexander Wang's date. He custom made my outfit and shoes!!!! It's so hot!' And if that gets you excited, there's more good news as the Harlem based rapper will also perform at some stage during the event. 'I've been invited to perform for PRADA next week in NYC! Gonna b so lush!! Let's see what new songs I debut there! #metball2012'
You may not recognise the name Andrew Rosen but does Theory ring a bell? The middle market retailer was established by Rosen back in 1997 with Elie Tahari and really paved the way for the contemporary market which is dominating the industry right now. In recognition of his sucess the Wall Street Journal have released a big feature on him titled, 'A Homegrown Fashion Mogul'.
While the term 'mogul' seems to be applied to any reality TV star making money off the back of their show or in the case of Kim Kardashian has more Twitter followers that Barack Obama, Rosen actually fits the bill. Theory has grown from yearly sales of $30 million back to $700 million today and last year he helped take the brand to the next level by hiring the brilliant Olivier Theyskens to serve as a creative director for his own line under the Theory umbrella.
But it doesn't just end there. Rosen helped pump financial support to several key young American brands like Proenza Schouler, Rag & Bone and Alice + Olivia, helping take their businesses to the next level. 'We don't have a Gucci or LVMH in this country," Anna Wintour said of Rosen, "but in his own way, Andrew is creating a kind of American equivalent.' And it's true. Rosen has pretty much done for contemporary brands what the big European conglomerates have done for luxury brands. If Lazaro Hernandez is anything to go by, Rosen might actually be doing a better job for these young brands. 'I mean, we hang out,' he told the title. 'If we wanted to be employees, we would have gone to one of the big vacant houses in Europe.' Rosen suggested the same thing at the time when the Proenza deal was announced. 'We believe that the Proenza business is the future of American luxury, and uniquely poised to compete in a global marketplace, which is currently dominated by European designers.'
Do you agree with Wintour? Is Rosen that influential?
Designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez are still affectionately referred to as the Proenza Schouler 'boys' by the fashion press but after 10 years in the business, they are far from boys. Their collections continue to be met with rave reviews and it was no surprise that their name popped up this month along with the likes of Marc Jacobs and Alexander Wang as nominees for this years CFDA Awards. Far from resting on their laurels, the pair have announced that 2012 will be a year of expansion.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times they confirmed that they will use their latest round of investment to help take the brand to the next level. That has a resulted in a Madison Avenue boutique, which is currently in the construction stage and is expected to open its doors later this year. 'For us, it's weird to go to stores and see a watered-down version of the collection," Hernandez told the paper about the brand's presence in department stores. "With our own store, we'll have the opportunity to show our whole expression of the brand." Alongside the working on the store, they have also revamped their website and made more pieces available to buy and in July, a new line of denim priced between $255 to $295 will hit stores.
Early last week we were at talking about the appropriateness of Rodarte's aboriginal prints but now the focus is on references to Navajo tribal culture. Over the past few season everyone from Proenza Schouler to Isabel Marant has tapped into their cultural references and as you would expect, the high street has picked up on this and gone to town. It's this misappropriation of the 'Navajo' name and their culture, though, which has been the source of litigation.
“We are very proud of our name, Navajo,” Ben Shelly, Navajo Nation president, said when referring to a recent legal challenge to Urban Outfitters use of the Navajo trademark and name. “To be used in this kind of fashion, I’m very unhappy with it,” he continued referring to the designers reinterpreting their culture. “The fame or reputation of the Navajo name and marks is such that, when defendant uses the ‘Navajo’ and ‘Navaho’ marks with its goods and services, a connection with the Navajo Nation is falsely presumed,” the suit alleged.
Yesterday Diane von Furstenberg and CFDA CEO Steven Kolb held an event in New York to announce the nominees for this year's CFDA awards. The nominees were not a surprise. The usual names like Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen for The Row was in the mix alongside Jack McCollough and Lazaro Henandez for Proenza Schouler, Marc Jacobs, Rachel Roy and Alexander Wang.
Last year's fashion icon award went to Lady Gaga leading many to question how they will be able to top that. Even Kolb tweeted: 'How do you top @ladygaga from last yr? We will!' This time the award will go to Johnny Depp, the first male to ever receive the award but while I've always been a fan of his, I'm not convinced that he can top Gaga.
Last season I was just about the only person that wasn't crazy about the Proenza Schouler show but yesterday, Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough really pulled it out of the bag with their Fall 2012 collection. The feeling of reflection of the past for SS12 gave way to a collection that felt intrinsically modern.
The proportions were oversized and were the perfect deviation from all of the body contouring and figure hugging pieces that we've seen this season. This was particularly true on the oversized jackets and brilliantly slouchy wide leg trousers that the duo used to open the show. Shirts came with stiff collars in white or with a yellow section on the chest with a grey collar and oversized pocket.
Aside from porportions, the pair really experimented with textures. Leather appeared in the same oversized style of the opening looks but came teamed with a great oversized red and black shearling coat, that will undoubtedly be a hit a retail compared to the opening jackets that will prove hard to wear for the average customer. But it didn't end there. The pair wove leather strips in red, black, blue and white to create a grid-like effect for dresses, skirts and tops that was testament to their impressive technical ability. Quilting also popped up on varsity jackets and matching skirts with asymmetric hemlines.
Inspired by Asia but with a New York twist, kimono-style jackets featured but in the traditional prints but in modern silhouettes and a bird printed dress that appeared towards the end was the perfect updated nod to the continent, as well as their early collections.
