From modelling to management consulting, publishing to fashion design, Caroline Issa’s iterative evolution has been nothing short of remarkable.
Caroline Issa | Photo: Morgan O'Donovan
LONDON, United Kingdom — Sitting opposite Caroline Issa, the 37-year-old chief executive and fashion director of London-based Tank magazine, one can’t help but notice her natural beauty. Indeed, her high cheekbones and mixed Singaporean, Lebanese and Iranian heritage landed the 17-year-old Issa a place as a model on the runways of Milan, her first entrée to the fashion world. Today, she is best known for the ubiquitous street style images showcasing her penchant for colour and print, but, beautiful as they may be, these capture neither the range of roles Issa now plays within the industry, nor her keen business mind.
“As a teenager I really got to understand what my potential career could be like as a model. I wanted to be in a position where I could have a say, make a decision, so that summer I applied to Wharton Business School,” she said. “Definitely the opposite end of the spectrum; I was very, very nerdy for my college years and I decided that management consulting was the right path.” Issa secured a position at Marakon, a New York-based firm, and spent almost three years living across Asia, Europe and the United States, working for a wide range of clients until, aged 25, she requested a move to London and an assignment in retail.
“They put me with Boots [a British mass-market pharmacist and convenience store] doing corporate strategy and I just knew it wasn’t quite the right kind of retail.” Boots may not have been a good fit, but the city, a childhood favourite, was. And, serendipitously enough, it was London that provided Issa with the chance meeting that would change her career, and her life, forever.
“I met Masoud [Golsorkhi] and the founders of Tank and I was completely inspired. I thought I could change the world because I knew everything, that I could turn it around in six months, and then I had to completely restart and learn everything from scratch,” joked Issa. The consultant immediately quit her job and invested personal savings in the small publishing company, becoming a shareholder and joining the Tank masthead as the magazine’s publisher in 2002.
But joining Tank, which had pioneered the ‘bookzine’ trend in the UK when it launched in 1998, was not without risk. “At that age, incredibly, I was more self-assured than I am today. I had this innate sense of confidence, as a model and then as a management consultant on the bottom rung, sitting in meetings filled with older men, trying to prove that you have something to say in that room and then at a small fashion magazine, where you have no real credibility aesthetically,” she said. “I think my ambition is tied very much with my curiosity. Giving up an incredibly stable, well-paid expat job at the age of 25 to, essentially, for the first two years, pay to work at Tank… I think I have always been that type-A personality that takes a risk and just goes with it.”
“I have been given challenges where normally, I would say, ‘I am unqualified,’ but I have had the opportunity to take them, learn from them and translate them into another multitasking bit of the arm.”
Issa’s willingness to take risks and speak up meant her talent for business was not her only contribution to the magazine. “I started off on the business side until I began to be involved in the creative output of the magazine as well. It grew very organically. I started looking at the fashion output of the magazine from a business and publishing point of view and eventually got to the point where I now commission all of our main fashion photoshoots.”
“I think what I have loved in the last 13 years since I joined Tank is that I have been given challenges where normally, I would say, ‘I am unqualified,’ but I have had the opportunity to take them, learn from them and translate them into another multitasking bit of the arm. It has always been about getting more and more confident, working with fantastic clients, doing really interesting work and learning on the job.”
In 2007, Issa launched BecauseLondon.com, a digital magazine of which she is editor-in-chief, under the auspices of Tank. In 2013, she launched a print edition featuring Fashion Scan, an experimental app developed by Golsorkhi, Issa and their team, that enabled users to unlock digital content within physical magazine pages using their smartphones and tablets.
The technology was later brought to O: By Tank, a longstanding supplement created by Tank for The Observer, a Sunday newspaper published by the Guardian Media Group.
As Issa’s metamorphosis continued, she began attracting street style photographers and soon realised its potential to raise the profile of her magazines. On the currency of street style, Issa is frank. “It is literally like you are a walking editorial. I have never been paid to wear anything; I have always worn everything that I love, personally. But when you have 71,000 followers on Instagram, it is a very powerful tool to use for marketing, so long as it is done with love and authenticity.”
Caroline Issa | Photo: Morgan O’Donovan
In February 2013, Issa launched a capsule collection of shoes in collaboration with British fashion brand LK Bennett. “The shoes went viral when my friends and I wore them,” she said. It was the first true test of her personal brand and sense of aesthetic. But in September 2013, when Vanity Fair included her on its prestigious annual best-dressed list, her status as a style leader was sealed. This, alongside countless images of her taken by top street style photographers like Scott Schuman andTommy Ton, created another opportunity for Issa to widen her portfolio of activities and try her hand at styling.
“My partners Alexa [Adams], Stephen and I all simultaneously suggested Caroline in a design meeting. Once her name was in the air, we could not think of any other candidate that would bring what she brings to styling the collection,” said Flora Gill, co-designer of Ohne Titel, the first brand to bring Issa on board as a stylist. Adams concurred: “She has an instinctive styling sense, evident to everyone who knows her. A joy to work with, she’s a true professional, a skilled, talented eye and dear friend.”
Ohne Titel was not the only brand to seek Issa’s eye. “Alessandra [Facchinetti] approached me to work on Tod’s,” said Issa. “We’re friends so she approached me, saying, ‘You are not a traditional stylist and that is what I like. I want to work with a woman that has a strong sense of what she wants to wear and has a busy life. We have similar aesthetics; let’s make beautiful, luxurious clothes that we want to wear, and that we know there is a customer who will also want to wear.’”
“It has been a fascinating learning curve,” said Issa. “I have had the most amazing learning experiences, which I am translating now into making a capsule collection of ready-to-wear, which, again, I have never done. But part of my approach to my career is: if I am offered these amazing opportunities, why not? Life is short.”
Next year, in her biggest move yet, Issa will launch a ready-to-wear collection in 53 Nordstrom stores and on Nordstrom.com. Price points range from $225 to $2,995. “She is smart, she is an entrepreneur, she is charming, she is chic and she is an influential international style icon,” said Pete Nordstrom, executive vice president of Nordstrom, explaining the appeal of working with Issa.
Ironically, the Nordstrom project has taken things full circle for Issa; the retailer was her first client as a management consultant. “She has a rare understanding of the Nordstrom culture, strategy and customer. It was a combination of her iconic style and her relationship with Nordstrom that made us want to collaborate with Caroline,” added Pete Nordstrom.
“I have asked to be part of marketing discussions, design; obviously, I am going to be the face of it and I have got them to use Fashion Scan on all the labels and swing tags. I consciously have built my career trying to understand every aspect of this industry; whether it is the press aspect, marketing, social media or pure CRM (customer relationship management). Initially, I was incredibly nervous, but the more I thought about it the more excited I got to put to test everything that I have learnt in my career so far.”
Is the Nordstrom project a first step towards Caroline Issa, the lifestyle brand? “It is definitely the first step to something,” said Issa. “Would I launch my own range? Maybe. Or is there something more interesting where digital, publishing and retail really converge?”
What is certain is that if the opportunity is there, Issa will seek it out. “You have to keep putting yourself in situations where you feel slight discomfort, to feel like you are a little bit alive and a lot like you are learning something. When I was sixteen, my mum gave me this book called ‘Feel Fear and Do It Anyway’ and I have kind of lived my life by it.”
This article originally appeared in the second annual #BoF500 print edition, ‘Polymaths & Multitaskers.’ For a full list of stockists or to order copies for delivery anywhere in the world visitshop.businessoffashion.com.
In the last two years, emerging fashion brands like Christopher Kane, Altuzarra, JW Anderson, Nicholas Kirkwood and Roksanda have attracted a flurry of investment. Who’s next? BoF identifies the young fashion labels we would bet on, based on their commercial and creative potential.
Mary Katrantzou Fall/Winter 2014 | Source: NowFashion
LONDON, United Kingdom— Just before the Spring/Summer 2015 womenswear shows kicked off in New York, rumours began circulating that luxury conglomerate LVMH was eyeing a stake in Proenza Schouler. The label, founded by Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, is backed by Andrew Rosen, John Howard and others, who, together, own approximately 40 percent of the company. Rosen, who also holds investments in several contemporary-priced labels, including Alice+Olivia and Rag & Bone, has been instrumental in helping Proenza Schouler open two Manhattan stores and expand its accessories offering.
Meanwhile, last Friday, designer Jason Wu announced that he had sold a majority share of his company to investment firm InterLuxe. “I met Jason at the very beginning of his career,” Gary Wassner, co-CEO and principal of InterLuxe, told BoF. “Over the next seven years I had the opportunity to watch his business grow and get to know him better. He is extremely authentic and that’s refreshing.”
The news follows a veritable surge of new interest — and investment —in emerging fashion brands, which typically require significant capital injections in order to expand their product lines, open stores and enter global markets. Last year, Kering took a 51 percent stake in emerging London-based label Christopher Kane, its first young designer acquisition since Alexander McQueen in 2001. The same year, Kering also took a minority stake in Joseph Altuzarra’s burgeoning New York-based business. Rival luxury conglomerate LVMH has also announced its own minority investments in emerging labels JW Anderson, Maxime Simoens, Marco di Vincenzo and Nicholas Kirkwood.
But in a sea of wannabe fashion brands, what does it take to attract a financial backer?
Wassner says “a brand has to resonate with consumers in a way that allows it to be scalable. I have to be able to imagine brand extensions in multiple categories. I also see opportunity when the designer is focused and clear — and that focus has become identifiable by the style and essence of the product, not a logo or label.”
Earlier this year, London-based womenswear designer Roksanda Ilincic attracted investment from Eiesha Bharti Pasricha, who took a minority stake in the business, now rebranded as simply Roksanda. The infusion of capital enabled Ilincic to open a 2,500-square-foot David Adjaye-designed boutique on London’s Mount Street in June. “I wanted to support young talent, but with a brand that already had some traction with its consumers and had a presence, however small,” said Ms Bharti Pasricha. “My mantra is very clear. If I don’t connect with the brand as a consumer, I won’t invest. I started wearing Roksanda’s clothes long before I considered investing in her brand. Her use of bold colours, colour blocking, directional style and strong aesthetic really attracted me to her collections.”
So who’s next? While most emerging fashion businesses struggle to generate the kind of strong brand identities, product signatures and sustainable revenues that attract potential backers, a number of young labels based in New York, London and Florence have become interesting targets for investment.
Here are six emerging fashion brands worth investing in.
Since introducing her collection at Fashion East in 2010, London-based Simone Rocha has, in short order, become one of the highlights of London Fashion Week.
The transparent Perspex-heeled brogues, which she presented during her first collection, were an immediate hit and stocked at I.T in Hong Kong and 10 Corso Como in Milan, earning her valuable exposure in new markets. She has since attracted influential wholesale partners (includingDover Street Market in London and Tokyo, Ikram in Chicago andColette in Paris) and, in less than five years, defined a real signature aesthetic: a mash-up of distinctive feminine and masculine shapes, with dose of gothic romanticism.
Rocha’s Elizabethan-inspired collection for Autumn/Winter 2014 was hailed by critics as her most polished to date. Her Spring 2015 collection, presented just days ago, was her first after the designer came within a hair’s breadth of winning the inaugural LVMH Prize (according to market sources, she was considered a front-runner, but was passed over due to her family’s wealth, as she is the daughter of esteemed designer John Rocha; the top prize ultimately went to a fellow Saint Martins graduate, Thomas Tait).
While it’s worth noting that her father, also a fashion designer, remained independent throughout his career, eschewing external financial backers, Rocha’s impressive trajectory validates her business as a natural target for investment.
Mary Katrantzou
Mary Katrantzou Fall/Winter 2014 | Source: NowFashion
Mary Katrantzou first gained a strong following for her sublime trompe l’oeil prints shortly after launching her namesake line in 2008. In only six years, the Greek-born, London-based designer has built one of the largest and fastest growing business of any independent designer, not just in London, but across the world. Her early collections were quickly snapped up by prestigious international stockists including Colette in Paris and Joyce in Hong Kong. She has since attracted over 200 stockists and, in 2010, won the British Fashion Award for Emerging Talent in Womenswear.
While Katrantzou’s eye-popping digital prints have long been her signature, industry observers have wondered if the designer might fall into ‘the Pucci trap,’ presenting a predictable repertoire of prints season after season. For her Autumn 2014 collection, however, she successfully demonstrated the range of her voice, jolting her audience by showing a beautiful collection — rendered in lace, jacquard and brocade — without a single print on display.
Katrantzou’s design talent, existing business traction, personal drive and commitment easily make her an attractive contender for investment.
Peter Pilotto
Peter Pilotto Spring/Summer 2015 | Source: NowFashion
Commercially-savvy upstarts Peter Pilotto and Christopher de Vos met while studying at Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts in 2000, before going on to launch their own womenswear label in 2007. Since debuting at the Vauxhall Fashion Scout showcase in London, which gave the brand its first real exposure, Peter Pilotto has become known for its vibrant yet approachable digital prints.
Industry recognition has come fast and furious: the label was awarded Best Emerging Talent at the British Fashion Awards in 2009 and the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund in 2014. It’s certainly no disadvantage that this buzzy London label is a two-man team and can, therefore, share the heavy workload of building a fashion brand from scratch.
Peter Pilotto is now stocked in 50 countries and has proven to be a swift seller at influential retailers, including Selfridges and Dover Street Market in London, Colette and Le Bon Marché in Paris, and Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman in New York. Peter Pilotto’s collection for Target was Net-a-Porter’s fastest selling collaboration ever, besting Karl Lagerfeld and Christopher Kane, who have previously teamed up with the low-cost retailer. The partnership helped generate increased global awareness of the brand, particularly in the US.
While Peter Pilotto has demonstrated business traction, making it an attractive potential investment target, the label has yet to prove that it can expand beyond prints while maintaining its brand signature. This will be an essential next step for the brand as it seeks further growth and expansion.
Tim Coppens
Tim Coppens Spring/Summer 2015 | Source: NowFashion
New York-based Tim Coppens, a former BoF Spotlight, has rapidly ascended the menswear ranks with a sleek aesthetic that blends classic tailoring with the technical details of activewear. Born and raised in Belgium, Coppens graduated in 1998 from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp and worked with Adidas and Ralph Lauren’s RLX, an activewear line, among others, before going solo and founding his eponymous label in 2011.
Building a men’s fashion brand can be difficult and designers often follow a formulaic approach. Coppens, on the other hand, has succeeded in striking a winning balance between being wearable and being cool. Indeed, along with particularly great outerwear and skilled tailoring, his greatest strength lies in his ability to produce slick and sporty clothing that is directional, but not unattainable for the average guy.
The industry has taken notice. Coppens has attracted influential stockists, including Barneys New York and Matches Fashion. In 2014, Coppens won the CFDA Swarovski Award for Menswear and was a finalist for this year’s LVMH Prize. And, as the global menswear market continues to accelerate, Coppens has carved out an enviable position that is sure to attract attention from investors.
But Coppens currently shows his menswear in New York, during the city’s womenswear week, which puts the designer out of sync with the global menswear calendar. In coming seasons, Coppens’s business would surely benefit from shifting his shows to Europe.
After attending Central Saint Martins and the London College of Fashion, Edgardo Osorio, the Colombia-born founder and designer of emerging women’s footwear label Aquazzura, spent over 10 years perfecting his craft and acquiring valuable market knowledge, designing footwear for luxury brands such as Salvatore Ferragamo, Sigerson Morrison and Roberto Cavalli before striking out on his own in 2011.
A former Bof Spotlight, Osorio has since built a largely self-financed, fast-growing business based on sexy, high-quality shoes. Based in Florence, Italy, the designer has defined himself as a real expert in shoe manufacturing, a true cobbler who understands construction and quality and has pinned down the production side of his business. Indeed, strong relationships with manufacturing partners in Italy, as well as close proximity to factories, which allows him to personally oversee production, have given Osorio an important advantage. His shoes are currently stocked at influential stockists including Barneys New York, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Harvey Nichols, Net-a-Porter and Matches Fashion.
With a new company headquarters in the left wing of the iconic Palazzo Corsini in Florence and his first retail store set to open, next month, in the same building, Osorio has big plans for his label and aims to expand into new product categories, including bags, small leather goods and jewellery, turning Aquazzura into a full-fledged lifestyle brand and, no doubt, making the company an attractive proposition for investors.
Erdem
Erdem Spring/Summer 2015 | Source: NowFashion
Canadian-born Erdem Moralioğlu moved from Montreal to London to attend the Royal College of Art, where he received his master’s degree in 2003. Upon graduation, Erdem moved to New York and worked in the design studios of Diane Von Furstenberg before relocating to London to launch his namesake ready-to-wear label in 2005. His debut collection won him £100,000 in prize money from Fashion Fringe prize. Shortly after, Moralioğlu won the 2007 Swarovski British Fashion CouncilEnterprise Award.
Over time, the designer has developed a real signature for graceful, feminine designs that fuse serious craftsmanship with custom-designed prints. The level of handiwork that goes into Moralioğlu’s clothes is whispered to rival that of a respectable Paris couture house and his recently debuted Spring 2015 collection was no exception. For the jungle-inspired show, he used coloured palm fronds and arched-widow motifs as the base for beautiful, Victorian broderie anglaise dresses.
Importantly, Erdem’s work appeals to clients across multiple generations. The designer is something of a modern Oscar de la Renta, who has attracted a wide range of customers, dressing both mothers and daughters, young starlets and grande dames, and managing to be both fashionable and creative without being inaccessible. Today, Erdem is available in 160 stores in 40 countries, including Barneys New York, Harvey Nichols,Liberty and Selfridges, as well as online via his own e-commerce site.
Spring 2015 — which coincides with the brand’s 10th anniversary — is set to be a key season for Erdem, as the brand will open its first physical retail store on London’s South Audley Street, near Rick Owens’ London outpost and around the corner from Mount Street, where Balenciaga, Lanvin and Céline operate stores.
From stylists, photographers and editors to casting directors, hair stylists and nail artists, BoF spoke to 10 of New York’s fastest-emerging fashion creatives, many of whom were born outside the city and are poised to continue their rise to the top of the industry with a blend of creativity, commerciality and plain old hard work.
Marla Belt, makeup artist | Photo: Dominic Neitz for BoF
Gordon von Steiner, filmmaker | Photo: Dominic Neitz for BoF
Tom Van Dorpe, stylist | Photo: Dominic Neitz for BoF
Robert Storey, set designer | Photo: Dominic Neitz for BoF
Dorian Grinspan, editor | Photo: Dominic Neitz for BoF
Bryan Buenaventura, hair stylist | Photo: Dominic Neitz for BoF
Naomi Yasuda, nail artist | Photo: Dominic Neitz for BoF
Piergiorgio Del Moro and Sam Scheinman | Photo: Dominic Neitz for BoF
DIS collective | Photo: Dominic Neitz for BoF
Maurizio Bavutti, photographer | Photo: Dominic Neitz for BoF
Marla Belt, makeup artist | Photo: Dominic Neitz for BoF
Gordon von Steiner, filmmaker | Photo: Dominic Neitz for BoF
NEW YORK, United States — “There are roughly three New Yorks. There is, first, the New York of the man or woman who was born here, who takes the city for granted and accepts its size and its turbulence as natural and inevitable. Second, there is the New York of the commuter — the city that is devoured by locusts each day and spat out each night. Third, there is the New York of the person who was born somewhere else and came to New York in quest of something.… Commuters give the city its tidal restlessness; natives give it solidity and continuity; but the settlers give it passion.”
So wrote E.B. White in his elegant ode to the city Here Is New York. And, indeed, more often that not, New York is the stage where professional quests play out for ambitious and passionate young fashion creatives from all over the world who have come here to settle.
Compared to other major fashion capitals, New York has a robust ecosystem that prizes commerce as well as creativity, which means career opportunities are plentiful. Some find personal success swiftly, while others work alongside some of fashion’s biggest legends, patiently honing their skills for many years before striking out on their own.
Over the past few weeks, BoF spoke to 10 of New York’s most promising young fashion creatives — many who were born outside the city — to learn about their personal passions and professional trajectories.
Gordon von Steiner, Filmmaker, 26, Williamsburg
Gordon von Steiner, filmmaker | Photo: Dominic Neitz for BoF
“I really want to further my craft and make new things so I try to approach every time a little bit differently.”
In today’s new, digitally-led media landscape, momentum continues to shift away from static photography towards online video. But the combination of skills required to create compelling moving fashion content remains rare. Enter Gordon von Steiner.
The Toronto-born von Steiner, who frequently works with iconic lensman Steven Meisel, blends a fashion photographer’s eye for beautiful images with a film director’s sense for compelling narratives. And, while he is only 26, many of fashion’s biggest brands have recognised his talent. With Meisel, he has filmed and edited winning films for Prada and Lanvin, while, on his own, he has directed films for Barney’s New York, Bottega Veneta, Chanel, Vera Wang and, most recently, Zara.
A precocious, creative child, von Steiner made “a ton” of videos when he was growing up. By the time he was 12, he had become somewhat of a sophisticated cinephile, voraciously watching the cerebral and visually arresting films of David Lynch, Pedro Almodovar and Woody Allen. These “cinema masters” inspired von Steiner to study experimental film making at NYU’s prestigious Tisch School of the Arts. It was there that he discovered the works of legendary fashion photographers Richard Avedon, David LaChapelle and Steven Meisel. “I became really interested in that aspect of this super, super beautiful aesthetic transferred onto film,” says von Steiner, who cites Meisel as an influence.
Working with Meisel, von Steiner has learned the importance of detail. “It’s not just about light or location but having such knowledge of hair and make-up… even paying close attention to the colour of the models’ eyelids,” says von Steiner. “Most importantly, he has such an appreciation for each member of the team as well.”
For his part, von Steiner still works with the same core team who initially worked together (for free) when he opened his studio a few years ago in Bushwick, where the closest form of ‘catering’ was a nearby gas station. “It was always things like bananas and tuna fish sandwiches,” reminisces von Steiner of his studio’s humble beginnings.
Now, in a capacious Williamsburg studio, von Steiner and his team have built up a diverse body of work. Like most perfectionists, he oversees most of the projects himself, from shooting films to post production — even editing them himself. Aesthetically, his films are, by design, hard to define. “The one thing I’m always trying to avoid is having everything look the same, but of course there are some things that are always common in every film,” he explains. “I want the viewer to feel something.”
Tom Van Dorpe, Stylist, 30, Chelsea
Tom Van Dorpe, stylist | Photo: Dominic Neitz for BoF
“Never forget that it’s about hard work and most of all teamwork, but try to have fun along the way. It’s gonna make it a lot easier.”
As a 16-year-old studying in an art school in Ghent, Belgium, stylist Tom Van Dorpe was cast in Discotheque — a KIDS-like play — with models that included An Oost and Delfine Bafort, both of whom were were at the top of their careers. While touring, Van Dorpe met the owner of a local modelling agency who gave him his first job — as a model scout. He discovered Hanne Gaby Odiele, Cesar Casier and Pauline Van der Crusse and, in some cases, styled their first looks. “I was very comfortable being on these shoots,” says Van Dorpe. Naturally, he became a stylist.
Van Dorpe moved to Paris. But after a year, he knew that New York was the place to be. “I didn’t know what job I could get back then, but I always wanted to come to New York and work in fashion since I was nine years old,” says Van Dorpe. Indeed, the transatlantic move, in 2008, has served him well.
Initially, Van Dorpe planned to stay for only three months, but was encouraged to stay by make-up artist Peter Philips, whom he met on a shoot while assisting stylist David Vandewal. Soon after, Van Dorpe began assisting Marie Chaix, whom he credits for teaching him how to be fearless with his work. He then became a full-time fashion and market editor for V and V Man magazines (he’s a contributor today), where he quickly built a reputation for visually arresting, streamlined editorials that made models look like iconic statues by dressing them in sharp silhouettes and graphic colour combinations.
Daria Strokous by Nathaniel Goldberg, styled by Tom Van Dorpe | Source: Harper’s Bazaar Sept 2014
“I like images that are upbeat and make people think, ‘I wanna be that person,’” says Van Dorpe. He was instrumental in defining Tim Coppens’s signature aesthetic — the clean, streetwear-meets-luxury look that is now having a huge fashion moment. Today, the in-demand Van Dorpe has attracted an enviable list of clients, including Harper’s Bazaar, Interview Germany, Vogue China, Peter Pilotto, Hugo Boss and Iceberg.
Tim Coppens A/W 2013 campaign | Source: Tim Coppens
No matter who Van Dorpe works with, he has cultivated an identifiable style that’s all his own. However, “in styling, there is no ‘right’ and there is no ‘wrong,’” maintains Van Dorpe. “But for your team, and everybody you work with, you need to be sure and be confident enough to say whatever you want to say.”
Robert Storey, Set Designer, 28, Greenwich Village (and London)
Robert Storey, set designer | Photo: Ben Benoliel
“I think it’s really important for everyone to know that the only way to make it is to work really hard.”
Rising set designer Robert Storey hails from West Berkshire, England, and grew up in an artistic family. His grandfather, a carpenter, and his father, a furniture design hobbyist, were both highly skilled at making objects with their hands. “It was always kind of inherent that I was always going to be quite creative,” notes Storey.
Storey studied sculpture at London’s Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. After university, he moved to Brooklyn and eventually began assisting artists and filmmakers the Neistat brothers and working with talented set designers (and London expats) Janine Trott and Piers Hanmer. Storey admits that coming to New York fresh out of school with limited experience was challenging. “When I was in New York in the beginning, it was a lot more about who you were or what you had done and there wasn’t a lot of scope for people that hadn’t already made it in some way,” says Storey. At the time, “there was a very young creative scene in London with people who were very encouraging.” So he returned and cut his teeth with another talented set designer, Shona Heath. But after 9 months, he struck out on his own, opening Robert Storey Studio.
Nike exhibition | Source: Courtesy Robert Storey Studio
In London, Storey, who is inspired by modernist architecture and art, was able to nurture his conceptual yet effortless aesthetic, characterised by sharp geometric angles, graphic colours and strong lines. “I like to take complicated things and make them look as simple as possible,” explains Storey, who also has another trademark: perseverance and diligence. In Paris, after a gruelling two-and-a-half days on the set building a giant paper origami for Vionnet, “we were falling asleep on the scaffolding five-and-a-half meters high,” recalls Storey. “But, in the end, it doesn’t seem so bad because it’s always worth it.”
After ten years in London, having built a strong body of work, including editorials for i-D, Wallpaper and Vogue as well as working onChristopher Kane’s upcoming show at London Fashion Week, Storey is ready to give New York another try. “Coming back to New York now, people kind of welcome you with open arms because, ‘Oh you’ve done this amazing work,’” Storey observes.
With a well-received Nike presentation on Mulberry Street in New York’s Nolita under his belt and a New York Fashion Week collaboration with Patrik Ervell that’s poised to be an Instagram sensation, Storey is set to continue his rise. “There are a lot of opportunities in New York that aren’t in London.” This fall, Storey will debut a project for Uniqlo.
Dorian Grinspan, Editor, 22, Gramercy
Dorian Grinspan, editor | Photo: Dominic Neitz for BoF
“I’d like people to buy Out of Order not because you recognise the name, but because you are attracted to it as an object.”
Out of Order may be the name of the fashion, art, and culture magazine founded by Dorian Grinspan, but the recent Yale graduate is anything but out of order.
An editorial talent who is clearly in complete control, Grinspan has gathered a stellar list of contributors in just four short issues. In the current issue, called “The Unknown,” there are photographs from designer Prabal Gurung’s trip to his native Nepal and striking images from American artist Matthew Barney’s latest oeuvre, River of Fundament — as well as advertising from luxury heavyweights such as Stella McCartney, Bulgari, Cartier and Chanel.
Matthew Barney on OOO Issue 4 | Source: Courtesy OOO
Surprisingly, the Paris-born, New York transplant did not launch his magazine with a clear cut plan. Its conception was more “trial and error” than Grinspan’s methodical nature would suggest. Grinspan, then 19, and several other staffers decamped from another Yale University publication because they found themselves wanting to “do their own thing.”
Three months into the project, Grinspan and his team still lacked a name. So like any enterprising and digitally-savvy millennial, Grinspan started a Facebook thread. “Every day we’d post names that we’d come up with. At the end of the week, we would close it and have our name — Out of Order came up.” The publication’s clean and directional visual look was also unplanned, according to Grinspan. “It sort of happened.”
Out Of Order ‘The Unknown’ issue | Source: Courtesy OOO
But what’s certain is the strength of the editor’s sharp, erudite curatorial taste. The magazine is currently distributed in 10 countries and has worked with collaborators like Woody Allen, Maria Abramovich, Ryan McGinley and Larry Clark.
Brian Buenaventura, Hair Stylist, 37, Chelsea
Brian Buenaventura, hair stylist | Photo: Dominic Neitz for BoF
“In fashion, starting out as a hairstylist was hard and was scary. But at the end of the day, I knew I was doing what I wanted to do. I had a choice.”
Rising hair stylist Brian Buenaventura has long indulged his creative impulses. Growing up in Queens, New York, Buenaventura styled his family members — his sister were his main muses — for photo shoots. His mother owned a number of salons and spas and Buenaventura spent years as a massage therapist. His roster of clients included all-star fashion industry heavyweight like Donatella Versace and Mario Testino. But after several years of travelling the world with his well-heeled customers, he returned to his first love — styling hair — and completed his training at the Aveda Institute.
Coco Rocha in L’Official Netherlands Dec 2013 | Source: Models.com
As luck would have it, Buenaventura got a big break when Mario Testino made a well-timed phone call to legendary hair stylist Orlando Pita. Pita’s assistant had just quit that morning and a glowing recommendation from Testino landed Buenaventura the position.
“[Orlando Pita] loved to teach technique… no matter how long it took,” says Buenaventura of the invaluable experience. Pita’s faith in his protégée meant Buenaventura soon found himself in the frenzy of the 60th anniversary Dior Couture show at Versailles, doing supermodel Naomi Campbell’s hair, where he learned to work under pressure and think on his feet.
After six years of working with Pita, whom he considers his mentor, Buenaventura began carving his own path and has gone on to work for 032C, Vogue, Elle, Interview, CR Fashion Book, Oscar De La Renta, Public School and Gucci. “Put in the work. It’s not gonna happen overnight,” advises Buenaventura. “You have to sacrifice.”
Naomi Yasuda, Nail Artist, 30, Lower East Side
Naomi Yasuda, nail artist | Photo: Dominic Neitz for BoF
“Get inspired and practice a lot.”
Growing up in Nagoya, Japan, nail artist Naomi Yasuda has been giving her nails outlandish makeovers since she was 10 years old, when her family and friends were already amazed at her flamboyant work.
When Yasuda moved to New York at the age of 23, she got her first job at Hello Beautiful — a salon in Williamsburg, Brooklyn — when a stylist noticed her nails at a Japanese bar. Later, Yasuda was at a Dunkin Donuts in the East Village when her nails caught the attention of Sharon Gault, known as Mama Make Up in Madonna’s infamous movie, Truth Or Dare. Gault “grabbed [my] hand and was like, ‘Where did you get this?’” Again, her eclectic nail art got her the job. The next day, Yasuda was introduced to singer/songwriter Keri Hilson and has since worked with Lady Gaga, Alicia Keys, Madonna and FKA Twigs.
It can often be difficult for creatives to transition from working with musicians and celebrities to doing fashion editorial. But thanks to her bold work, which favors a gel application, vivid hues and the use of 3-D materials like stones, studs and chains, Yasuda has done this seamlessly, working with publications including Vogue (US), Elle (US), V and Vogue China. She has also done campaigns for brands including Revlon, Chanel and Barneys New York. But Yasuda’s flamboyant work really shines in Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari’s cool and artistic campaigns forKenzo. And, this season, Yasuda’s nails will be on display at both the Opening Ceremony and Kenzo shows.
Although Yasuda chalks up her rise to a healthy dose of luck, she also acknowledges that to be a successful nail artist, you need to pay your dues.“You need to see as many clients as you can,” advised Yasuda. “You need to practice.”
Piergiorgio Del Moro and Samuel Ellis Scheinman, Casting Directors, 37 and 23, Chelsea
Piergiorgio Del Moro and Sam Scheinman, casting directors | Photo: Dominic Neitz for BoF
“When thinking of models who have potential for success, there’s something about them that transcends just beauty.”
For casting directors Piergiorgio Del Moro and Sam Scheinman, selecting the right models for editorial, a campaign or a runway show is like conducting a chemistry experiment — the formula only works when you have the right ingredients.
To build a compelling fashion story, “you need to mix people in the right way,” explains Del Moro, who hails from just outside of Rome, Italy. “Sometimes you can get the best girls that everyone is using in a particular season, but if they don’t all gel together, they don’t add anything to the collection [or story].”
Del Moro, who studied international law and owned a fashion production company back in Italy, has an approach that transcends fleeting fashion trends. It’s not always about beauty. “It’s about personality,” says Del Moro, sounding like a veteran. But in fact, he only started DM Fashion Studio four years ago when he moved to New York at the encouragement of his friend, the stylist Patti Wilson.
Dasha Gold, Katryn Kruger, Veroniek Gielkens by Emma Summerton in Vogue Japan Oct 2014 | Source: Models.com
Eight months in, Del Moro — who likes iconic beauties from the past like Oriana Fallaci, Maria Callas and Florinda Bolkan — began casting for Carine Roitfeld’s CR Fashion Book, which effectively launched his career. Then, roughly two years later, he met Samuel Ellis Scheinman, 23, a born-and-raised New Yorker who had been working in fashion since the tender age of 16, while doing a job for the CFDA. Although Scheinman was working as a stylist, Del Moro invited him to work with him on the Milan menswear shows. Initially, Scheinman wasn’t keen on casting, but Del Moro asked him to take a chance. Scheinman loved the experience, finding it “a mix of different things that I find fascinating,” and joined DM Fashion Studio as a senior associate, though he continues to work on independent projects for the likes of V, V Man and Document Journal and has built strong relationships with model agents, developing an encyclopaedic knowledge of established and rising faces.
Today, the duo count Vogue China, Vogue Japan and Mary Katrantzou as clients and worked on this season’s Public School and Versus shows. Starting your own company is a risk, but as Del Moro says, “This city can give you the chance to be what you really want to be [because when] you knock the door, somebody’s gonna open.”
Lauren Boyle, Marco Roso, David Toro, Solomon Chase, Creative Collective, 31, 41, 34, 30, Lower East Side
DIS | Photo: Dominic Neitz for BoF
“We’ve always tried to strike a critical tone and create questions to confront things that makes us uncomfortable.”
Lauren Boyle, Marco Roso, David Toro and Solomon Chase founded DIS with the goal of establishing a multidisciplinary creative collective more concerned with the culture of ubiquity than the culture of exclusivity. Indeed, when shooting photo stories, the group looks to mass-market department stores — the place where trends reach their apex — rather than the runway. “We weren’t going to Prada. We were going to Burlington Coat Factory. We were really into this materiality that’s mass-produced,” says Boyle.
Born in the midst of the financial crisis and the ensuing ‘Great Recession,’ DIS began as a simple email thread between friends. It was a reaction to the dwindling freelance market and the rise of Internet culture, which the group embraced aesthetically and conceptually.
‘Privacy Is An Issue’ | Source: DIS magazine
At DISown, an online store that’s art disguised as retail, they sell limited-stock products made in collaboration with artists, such as Simon Fujiwara’s Gay Wedding Ring and a bag by K-HOLE, a trend forecasting agency which has been credited with coining the term “normcore.” Fittingly, to premiere DISown, the group created a classic mass-market infomercial.
Working outside the DIS umbrella, the collective created Kenzo’s Autumn/Winter 2012 menswear “Watermarked” video, depicting an unsettling stock-photo-esque world that quickly went viral. Chase, Boyle and Toro also oversee editorial content for VFiles.com, a fashion entertainment platform that’s part publisher and part social media site.
“I think people expect us to push boundaries, make them uncomfortable, and question things. That’s what we’ve always done and what we want to continue doing,” says Boyle.
Maurizio Bavutti, Photographer, 34, Lower East Side
Maurizio Bavutti, photographer | Photo: Dominic Neitz for BoF
“The beauty of being an artist is to see what you actually experienced, to see what you feel as an emotion, to put it in a picture.”
Maurizio Bavutti found his way to photography by way of film school. Originally from Modena, Italy, Bavutti spent time in Spain before moving to London, where he did a post-graduate degree in photography at London College of Communication — and got his big break. While working as a runner atSpring Studios, he met the Mert and Marcus team, which, a few months later, he was asked to join as a full-time assistant.
Working with Mert and Marcus, Bavutti learned not only technique but, most importantly, how the fashion system works. Though after five years with the duo, Bavutti moved to New York to find his own voice. “New York is freedom… There’s a chance to actually produce what you’re thinking,” he says.
”As an Italian, I’m a romantic, I’m traditional,” he continues. And, indeed, Bavutti can skillfully shoot with a manual camera. But he also uses digital equipment. “They let me introduce colours that you couldn’t reach before,”explains Bavutti. This hybrid of old and new gives Bavutti’s work a recognisable look that’s classic in composition and modern in hue. But his ultimate intention is to evoke “an emotion,” he says.
‘Waiting in the Wings’ in CR Fashion Book S/S 2013 by Maurizio Bavutti | Source: Models.com
One of the first people to take notice was Carine Roitfeld, who has something of a knack for finding fresh new fashion talent. Almost instantly, Bavutti shot the editorial called “Waiting in the Wings” with the leading French editor and stylist for the second issue of CR Fashion Book. Soon after, Bavutti racked up editorials in Interview Russia, Harpers Bazaar China, Bon, V, British Vogue, i-D, Dazed & Confused, Elle (US) and Vogue Japan.
Marla Belt, Makeup Artist, 42, Hell’s Kitchen
Marla Belt, makeup artist | Photo: Dominic Neitz for BoF
“I always like the skin to look really beautiful. I like the skin to look like a Dutch Master painting.”
In fashion, sometimes what seems like an overnight success story can actually turn out to have been 15 years in the making. Marla Belt, a supremely skilled makeup artist, found her career taking off just last year, on her own terms, at 42.
As a kid growing up in Toledo, Ohio, Marla Belt began experimenting with fashion at an early age, using makeup to create characters. Inevitably, she made the migration to New York to study fashion design at FIT. After a year, Belt left to complete an illustration degree at Parsons the New School for Design.
While at Parsons, Belt started doing shoots with photography students and realised that makeup was what she really wanted to pursue. Before graduating, Belt was hired as a makeup artist at MAC Cosmetics, where she worked for 11 years.
Belt’s big break came, in 2005, when she started working with the legendary Pat McGrath. “In makeup, it was the highest pinnacle – you can’t really get higher than that,” says Belt. While working with McGrath for a total of seven years, she took away a few tricks of trade and realised that constant visual research is absolutely critical. “For me, in my downtime, I’m always looking and always storing images in my head of what I want to do in the future,” explains Belt.
Last year, Belt decided to strike out on her own — and she’s quickly carving her own path. To date, she has worked for Vogue Japan, Vogue Germany, Interview, Teen Vogue and Numero. Above all, Belt loves pure beauty stories that give her a chance to showcase her signature, graphic sensibility. The strongest example? Her work with photographer Ben Hasset for Vogue Germany. “It’s very colourful and mixed-medium-looking.”
Beauty editorial shot by Ben Hassett, makeup Marla Belt for Vogue Germany Jan 2014 | Source: Models.com
Though Belt has shown early signs of success, she knows that it takes time to make it. To aspiring makeup artists, she says, don’t focus on becoming a Youtube sensation, but hone your skills. “Know about art or drawing or colour theory,” says Belt. “It’s always nice to have some dimension – a different framework – to your skills.”
Caroline Issa | Photo: Morgan O'Donovan
Mary Katrantzou Fall/Winter 2014 | Source: NowFashion
