Designer Profile: Norisol Ferrari

Norisol Ferrari and the back of one of her hooded coats

In the middle of a massive heat wave in New York I sat with Norisol Ferrari in her un-airconditioned studio and talked about –and even tried on– heavy leather coats. Each one a custom creation, they were also so exquisite that I quickly forgot the heat and was utterly intrigued. I want need a Norisol coat!  I also want to share with you more about both the designer and her collection.

Like all great American originals, Norisol Ferrari is a master of re-invention in the best sense of the word. She has gone from a childhood in group homes and orphanages to teen years in NYC nightlife to emerging as an elegant, articulate and sharply intelligent designer of one-of-a-kind coats that debuted in 2009. Read my interview with her below.

How did you get into fashion?
The truth is I had no education and it was the only thing that I could do. I really loved couture and I lied about my age and had the opportunity to be a showroom slave and did a series of internships at button companies on Seventh Avenue – that sort of thing – and just sort of was an office slave. And this was at a time, 1987, when there were no stylists. When Elektra Records would call and say we need an outfit for Anita Baker’s new album cover no one cared!

That’s crazy!
It is crazy, but it wasn’t a store order so they didn’t care. Give them a store order they’d care…so it fell to the office assistant and me, the office slave, to put it together. A lot of the stuff that is fun and has titles now is how I began.

What was your inspiration for your current collection? It looks old fashioned and timeless at the same time…

This is exactly what I wanted. I fought for this timeless quality in myself, with the seamstresses, by the material I’ve chosen…I’ve never agreed with the fashion cycle of delivery six times a year and something new every season. I strive to create heirlooms. I want people to say “This is my winter coat and I don’t need another coat. It’s not about what’s in or out of fashion but what will become part of my style. The idea is that I don’t want you to know it’s Norisol 2010. More that it’s an amazing piece –so of course it’s a Norisol! (laughter)

I am betting that in 5 years or 10 years your work won’t even look dated. And I am insane about knowing what year’s things are from to the point that I can look at a period movie set in 1925 and be able to tell you if it was made in 1976 or 86 from the styling and make up–
Yes, I’m the same way! Doesn’t it drive you crazy? I find it distracting –I’ll look and think why are there zippers? There weren’t zippers back then!

Exactly! Which brings me to what’s so intriguing about your collection: while it clearly references the past it doesn’t feel costume-y or like a period piece yet there is nothing trendy about it either.
I mix 17th, 18th 19th and 20th century. And I reference English, French Italian and even a little Japanese kimono sleeve…I try to take the best of everything and create something you won’t get sick of.

Inspiration and Materials at her workspace

How does your experience of New York and it's history inform your work? 
New York City and all it’s older buildings, and how it gives you a time machine into the last few centuries is something I have romanticized and fantasized about as long as I can remember. When I was young in Grand Central Station? You couldn’t get me to walk in a straight line I was so busy looking up and around at everything. The Post Office? That era is so alive in my collection, in my aesthetic, in my home…and New York educated me on that. I asked questions and learned the history…that it was a major port and built so long ago has given me a healthy respect and a desire to learn more about the past.

I know you’ve been in NYC for a long time and I know there is a tendency for those of us who have been around for awhile to get cynical about changes in the city, so I want to ask you what you think are positive changes that you’ve seen recently?
That’s a tricky question for me! This is my hometown and someone messed with my main street (Broadway – specifically at Times Square) and I don’t like it! I am nostalgic for my youth! But…I think art is coming back. I think there is more street art and murals happening again and I really like it.

So you feel like street life/art is coming back? Because there has been an attitude that it got really commercialized…
I think it did. Definitely…but there is always a pendulum and I think it’s slowly swinging back…

I hope you're right! Okay, let's get back to your work. What do you like most about what you do?
With every single new skin, meaning the same skin new delivery of it…my passion for it and understanding of it grows. Each skin is different and how you have to work with it is different and I find this exciting. I use skins because they are biodegradable and natural. I will never use synthetic material. The idea of producing something that will sit in a landfill and never go away disturbs me to no end. Even if it’s the easier choice, to use a synthetic material, I absolutely will not do it.

And what do you find most challenging in your process?
The most challenging thing is to find organic materials that are beautiful and workable. Also finding people who really care and take pride in the work they’re doing is really hard. –this is universal– it doesn’t matter the culture or place, there are too many people just working for money and not caring about what they do.

Current inspiration?
Sade’s new album. Is the best ever. I’m working on a fashion film and I call myself Your Armor. When you have that piece that you put on and it’s like it protects you, it’s your armor and her music plays into that.


And finally, what’s the best advice you’ve ever given or received?
The best advice I’ve ever given –I put on a piece of one of my accessories, and if you Google it you’ll get various attributions– so I think it’s just an old bit of wisdom which is “Go within or go without”. When people ask me for an answer to something they are questioning about themselves I generally tell them "I don’t have your answer, you do and you have to figure that out. To listen, to hear it. And if you can’t hear it you need to spend more time listening because it is within you."

And the best advice I’ve ever received was that my scars would never go away. They would simply stop hurting. And be easier to live with. And it was the realest thing that was ever said to me as a child and made me able to move forward and be a good human being.
Norisol Ferrari's collection can be found at Maxfield in LA and by appointment in NYC

Norisol and Jones
large version of coat photo

Lindsay Jones in Silhouette

My Q&A with the designer of Outlaws of the Border

Lindsay Jones radiates an ethereal and delicate quality as well as a quiet inner strength. It's this juxtaposition that makes her interesting as a person and an artist/fashion designer.  I first met her at the Zac Posen party for Target. We've since found out that we both live in loft buildings in a decidedly unhip area of Brooklyn and we're beginning our own collaboration -more on that another time. In the meantime please click below to read my interview with Lindsay and learn the details of her upcoming show.

Hey Lindsay, what's up?

I'm working on the next Outlaws of the Border Collection, of course, but I am also showing work at the Chelsea Museum in the project room on June 21st with a musical composer and a film artist. My pieces will be larger than life art/fashion pieces that I will execute with a very conceptual approach. They are part of the installation that fills the space of the room and links the various elements together through movement and fabric. I am very excited and hope you all can make it out!!

That sounds great. I personally love the Chelsea Museum. And this leads perfectly into my first question! You were originally studying as a sculptor and then got into fashion design. How did you go from one to the other? 

I feel most mediums translate into each other, It is a blurry line where one medium shifts into another, be it sculpture or film or writing...the more you learn of one it bleeds into the others. The focus is what makes it grow into  something strong. And Fashion in a sense is wearable art/ sculpture, that is collapsible and functional on a daily basis. I love that it can say so much so quickly and be gone. Like a series of thoughts.

So you see fashion design as creating something in 3D space. Because obviously clothing on a body is interacting with space in all dimensions and isn’t flat… 

One of the key things I like to pay attention to is the silhouette. I like the idea of a silhouette being interesting or modern or having a unique approach but not in a overly constructed way that restricts movement of the body. For me it’s kind of like a tension between the super constructed silhouette and the natural organic approach to shapes that are more along the lines of a woman’s body and the freedom that exists there… that point of intersection is what I find interesting. Silhouette has for many years reflected culture. Through fashion, sculpture and architecture. It is rather revealing about a cultures ideas of what is happening on a larger spectrum and the future motion of the whole, although harder to see when in the midst of it. That is why I think it is good to find things that are interesting without being tricky or overly trendy. So that the end result is classic although modern in its approach.  

You worked for some other designers before you began your own line. How did that experience inform you?

Well first you start as an intern and you have to do a lot of tasks and it can get quite complex. But I think that was kind of the best transition, because what it did for me was better than school. It forced me to be organized. It also let me see firsthand where an idea comes from, how it’s communicated, translated, executed: the whole thing through a team. It’s really exciting to see how it all culminates.

Speaking of teams, do you work with others on Outlaws of the Border? 
I’ve had up to 4 interns! Seriously I have two other people who work with me now. Maria Sharpe and Sheyna Imm. They do more of the business marketing/ P.R. side which that allows me to focus on design. They are also close friends of mine so we have a very open/collaborative relationship. 

Ideally how do you see your line developing?

I would like to move Outlaws forward in a way that includes more people into my vision while I remain true to myself.

Are there any women you’d want to dress? 

Honestly, Kim Gordon, maybe even Grace Coddington. People with individual style: to see how they translate the clothes into their own style.  

What are your current obsessions?

Andy Warhol! I even have a little hair piece that I'll wear sometimes. Seriously I love Warhol and his work and his effect on popular culture. 

  

What do you like best about New York? 

I like the hidden places. And how everything is interconnected, I like the mix of cultures and mix of rich and poor and how everyone is so close together and I like the industrial aspects and places further out. Little Russia, Brighton Beach, the bridges, all the parks…

What's the best piece of advice you've ever given or received? 

Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide whether it's good or bad. Whether they love it, or hate it. While they're deciding, make even more art.

-Andy Warhol

All photos from Outlaws of Border Spring/Summer 2010 Lookbook by Yana Toyber

Kenzo says you might as well dance

A Q&A with designer Kenzo Minami
I met Kenzo Minami awhile back at a party at B.East. He was dj-ing at the party and I liked his energy and overall vibe. Later I learned that dj-ing was just a small part of what he's about. Kenzo is a majorly accomplished artist/designer and the more I learned about him the more intrigued I became: he has been commissioned to do work by a variety of companies from Mercedes-Benz to Converse to the Tribeca Grand Hotel. He's also had both solo and group shows and in 2007 was chosen as one of 35 people for “Johnnie Walker Blue Label Celebrates 35 Under 35” which was designed to celebrate the brightest young minds across a broad cross-section of disciplines including artists, writers, music executives, comedians and designers. Oh! And he also designs t-shirts that are sold at one of my favorite NYC boutiques Seven! So I'm psyched that he took the time to answer a few questions for me and that in turn I can introduce him to those of you unfamiliar with his work.
(click below!)

 If people ask you the question “What do you do?” how do you answer?
Graphic Designer?


WSOGMM1 - Kenzo's piece for Exit Art
What are you currently working on?
I have work in the upcoming show/benefit for Exit Art Gallery on June 7th. It's with an amazing collection of artists including Nan Goldin, Yoko Ono, Bill Viola, Swoon, among others and Special Guest Host Michael Douglas.
In addition I'm working on multiple pieces for other shows. And I really have to update my website and finally planning to start on that as the next top priority.

You've also done work recently for the ACE Hotel, which is one of my favorites in New York. How did you get involved in creating work for them?

It goes back to long before the one in Portland was opened, and one of the very first solo project I did years ago when I was still mainly doing broadcast stuff.  When I did the a few projects with Nike in 2003, I met Alex Calderwood (who eventually opened Ace Hotel) who was involved in the projects through the agency Neverstop back then. When he opened Ace Hotel in Portland, they contacted me if I would do a mural for it - and I did.  And when they opened one in New York, we talked about doing another one for it also - and 2 years had ended up passed till I did one this past March.  

Turbine of Life mural
Can you tell me a little bit about the mural / your thoughts behind it?

Yes, it's called Turbine of Life. I went through a very stoic or almost bland period creatively, dealing solely on academic or meta level themes (about creation and process of the pieces themselves, what it is to graphically construct, or regarding where we are in our visual culture). Then I snapped out of it and went for something more emotional, positive, and in the direction of "Forward" as oppose to everything being in retrospect or in comparison or referenced.  So this was the piece I was picturing: this turbine, springing out all these lives and living organisms.  This in my head was about the nature as organic based machinery but also about human scientific attempt to reboot the nature. 

You seem to have successfully created your own career path/avoided a corporate route. How did you manage that?

I don't think I necessarily "avoided" the corporate route - I think (and would like to think) that I had a healthy and balanced relationships with corporate projects and essentially corporate clients.  As much as I was very specific and careful of the tone I was setting and balancing between art and commerce, I was also fortunate to work with people who really wanted to do something cool in the world of advertising or corporate media and gave me a freedom.  And as much as I had freedom and fortunate environment to work within, I think I consider myself as a designer rather than artist and I do definitely come from design back ground (I studied industrial design and started my career as a set designer) - so I never had any emotional or artistic conflict with potential restricted condition I could had been working with (even though I cannot say that I experience too much of it, as I mentioned), and I think this created the condition of mutual respect and understanding of creative territories.  

And regarding creating my own career path - again, I was very careful of every move I was making and really pondered  every step I was taking and tried to make sense of the whole. It was a balancing act of so many different elements, but at the same time, there was no way of me doing what I was trying to do if it wasn't for all these people who gave me chances and opportunities.  So I am not sure how much of my career path I "created" on my end even though I did try my best to be on top of it and it has progressed in the way that I intended it to and hoped it to - There are so many people I owe my career to and should give credits to. 

Okay, and now some easy questions! What are you looking forward to in 2010?
The summer!

What are your top 3 favorite places to go out in NYC?
I really don't go out to particular places anymore except a few coffee shops when I take a break. Blue Bird Coffee Shop on East First Street, Gimme Coffee on Mott street, And La Colombe on Lafayette street. I really wish that they would open an hour or two longer (if not whole night) - they all close around 6 p.m. or something, and I often miss them by the time I step out of my studio.

What music are you currently listening to?
Alton Ellis. Aphrodite's Child. Nick Drake. John Cale. Susumu Hirasawa  Young Marble Giants. Van Morrison. Bob Dylan. The Blue Hearts. Soutaiseiriron. Nino Rota. Boz Scaggs



Are you still dj-ing?
Not at the moment.

Best advice you’ve ever given or received?
Not the advice I received personally, but after all the pondering and agonizing, I reached the point in my life that I generally try to live by these 2 quotes and sayings. One is "You can live to be a hundred if you give up all the things that make you want to live to be a hundred." by Woody Allen. And the other, which sort of came as a surprise to me is this very common and old Japanese saying "We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance." I never payed attention to it until I saw the English translated version - which puts it in complete new light and perspective, since this was such a regular and common saying to the point that it is banal and almost lost any significance when we say it in Japanese. It was one of those thing your uncle said to justify drinking and partying. But then, when I really thought about it, this really sums up how I feel about life, as the other side of same coin of saying by Woody Allen. In the way that there is no point in thinking why we are here. We are already here, so we have to start the whole topic from the basis and the idea of "might as well". In original Japanese version, it actually says more of "We are either dancing fool or fool who watches it, so it's pity if you won't be the one who dance." In a way, having one saying from true New Yorker, and the other from Japanese as mottos for my life makes sense considering that I lived half of my life in Japan and second half so far in New York.


"Rose" + "Money"

I meant these pieces as a pair loosely.  I usually jam-pack an artwork with multiple themes and sub-themes like a puzzle, but with these, I just wanted to simply suggest one simple theme for each.  And 2 things we all are paying attention or have them in our collective consciousness at the moment seem to be ecology and finance - nature and money.  

the end

Q + A with Helena Fredriksson

The further I get from the age of 24 (the age it seems so many designers are designing for) the harder it is for me to find fashions that resonate with me. Because I'm relatively small I deplore wearing ruffles or florals or anything too sweet. On the other hand I get bored with black and all the shredded and deconstructed stuff going on. (although that I do own) So if you're somewhere in the middle what is there to wear? H Fredriksson is one answer. Designer Helena Fredriksson's clothes are a brilliant combination of sophistication and sex appeal. Born in Sweden and now living in Brooklyn, her beautiful hand batiked silk dresses and other clothing made with materials such as bamboo and hemp are currently part of the Ecolux Pop-Up Shop at Grand Central. She'll also be having a trunk show this Thursday at Trunk in Dumbo. So I encourage you to check out her work at either venue. And learn more about her below!

What is your background? How did you become a designer?
I started making clothing as a young teenager, it was something that made sense and happened very naturally, I went to art school where I painted and did a lot of photography, and designing was more of a fun side project… that I did at home. I moved to New York in 97 and continued working on and studying art but with the fashion design as a constant sideproject. A few years later I got invited to do a collaborative runway show, and that’s when my first collection and H Fredriksson was born.


What do you see as the intersection of fashion and fine art?
My process when working is the same as during my years in making art, adapting thoose ideas to a fine art context is very possible and something I would love to explore more. The prints I make are made from photography and drawings that I manipulate. I sometimes make screened and painted canvases with the prints as a work on its own.

I read that you have designed for dance. How did you get involved with that? What did you like about doing this? Are you still doing this?
I love collaborating, and dance is a great way to work together to realize a vision. To design for movement and performance where a different intimate experience is possible, is something I really thrive on.

What’s the inspiration for your most recent collection?
Thie S/S 2010 collection is inspired by the history of film. I draw from the lightness and sensitivity of imagery, the movement and subtleness of the camera and imagery within the framing. The garments have a strong presence while still feeling light and understated. The movement and draping in the shapes creates a subtle drama that draws the eye without being loud. I believe the pieces to be timeless enough to be relevant for a long time, just like the old great films.


What do you love most about what you do?
Making the fabric prints, draping the shapes, and creating the evolving identity for the brand is what I love the most with my job. And of course to get to work on different Costume and Art collaborations is always super fun.

What do you find to be the most challenging aspect?
The hardest part is to be the designer, the business manager, the strategist, the creative director, the owner and founder of the business all at once. The necessity to keep creative focus while dealing with day to day business is a hard balance to sustain. This is why I would love to find a partner in crime at times.


What inspires you about NYC?
I love New York because it is filled with people and culture from all over the world. It gives the city a very open minded energy that is hard to find anywhere else. And that is very creatively inspiring.


What’s the best advice you’ve ever given or received?
To learn from everything we experience and realize that the hardest things we go through are the ones that make us grow and understand the most. And that keeping an open mind at all times is how the wonders of life appears.

Meet Brian Stanziale of SLOANE

I originally met Brian through our mutual friend Niko Liakaris. We were all doing the "end of fashion week party" at the Soho Grand and Niko was telling me what an amazing store Brian has and about his designs - so of course I had to see for myself!
Brian's store is called Sloane and it sits unobtrusively on a corner on the edge of Chinatown. Walking into it you get the feeling that you're not in NYC 2010. It feels more like Berlin now or maybe NYC circa 1990: it's cavernous and racks are on wheels or hung from the ceilings with chains.



The mannequins are old and from various time periods and the desk is a sculpture that looks like haphazard stacks of wood. In short there is no polish or self consciousness to the space -which is refreshing!



And then there are the clothes. Brian's creations always begin from another garment -something that has been found at an estate sale, on the street or brought in by a friend. He works with what is there and transforms it into something else by adding and subtracting elements from the original piece, until it's a custom creation with wit and a touch of theatricality.


His clothes are like the best dress up box ever but with the fit and craftsmanship that take them beyond merely play. -Although playing is an important part of Sloane as well! It's not just a store it's a magnet for creativity. There is frequently a party or event taking place there and the vibe is friendly and welcoming to all comers. (the first time I went to his store Brian apologized for the disarray stating that the night before there had been a boxing match in a ring right where I was currently standing!)


I'm thrilled to know about Sloane and to share it with you and hope you get a chance to check it out for yourself. Also, we will be putting on an event there on April 17th which will be a party/shoot for their Lookbook. I'll be shooting it and the entire event will also be covered by Taff! an entertainment show out of Germany. So if you're interested in being a part of this let me or Brian know.



Following is my original Q + A with Brian.

What is Sloane? A store? Your atelier?
Sloane is all that and more! It is my store, and design studio, but also one of the coolest places in NY to party as well!

Are you the only designer?
Yeah.

Why remake old clothes instead of start from the beginning?
Because I really never enjoy making the same thing twice. It loses its value. And in addition to that, each garment that I have in front of me has a past, a story... a soul even (I know that sounds a little corny!)

How do you see fashion evolving in 2010?
I see more people starting to realize that it is ok to experiment.


Where are your favorite places to go out to have fun in NYC?
Under Sloane... Aaron Genuth, one of my parnters in Sloane, runs the party space that we have in addition to the store, which pretty much always houses some of the chicest people in NYC.


What do you find the most inspiring or challenging about NYC?
The fact that the city is a living entity.

Best advice ever given or received?
In fashion, if your not hanging on by a thread, then what's the point?