Designer Interview

The Stylish City: What’s the inspiration for your line?
Selen: I’m inspired by abstract forms and shapes in nature and under the sea. Things like architectural salvages and ancient forgery.

The Stylish City: We heard that you sometimes wake up in the middle of the night to sketch out a design you dreamed of. Is that true? What else can you tell us about your creative process?
Selen: Yes, once I am in the creative phase, I start being aware of synchronicities. I visualize and slowly shapes and textures appear in front of my eyes. This is a very spiritual moment. It’s like the universe approves of my path and whether it’s day or night, anytime this happens, I am back to my creative spell. I start sketching – trying to rewind what I thought of. The next day, I make little models, still visualizing what I dreamt of during the day and than I turn them into metal.

The Stylish City: How did growing up in Turkey influence your work?
Selen: Istanbul is a magical city for an artist/ Seeing beautiful remains from the Byzantine, the magnificence of the architecture of the Ottoman Palaces, mosques and the whimsical sincerity of Mediterranean and Aegean seas is all very inspiring!

The Stylish City: What are your ultimate plans for the line?
Selen: I would love to have some permanent location and customize work for my customers. I have designed for brides and bridesmaids. I would love to be able to do more commissioned work for non-profit groups.

The Stylish City: Who would be your dream fashion collaborator?
Selen: Donna Karan

The Stylish City: Is there a celebrity you’d like to see wearing your designs?
Selen: I’ve never really thought about it!

The Stylish City: Who’s the ideal Selen Design customer?
Selen: Women of all ages who appreciate art and contemporary jewelry, handmade textures, and the life and thought behind each piece.

The Stylish City: It seems like so much of the fashion industry these days is about PR and marketing, yet you draw in repeat customers by word of mouth without any gimmicks. Is that a conscious decision?
Selen: So far in New York, my sales team and I have developed great relationships with my customers and I appreciate how loyal and excited they are. They are the reason I push myself to make new items so often. That said, I do eventually want to get some marketing help.

The Stylish City: What’s your single favorite piece for Studio Gluck customers? Why?
Selen: I love the Abundant Bamboo necklace and it’s flow and earthy texture.

Leila Cohan-Miccio

Charity-minded clotheshorses face a clear dilemma: how to justify spending money on fashion when there are so many people in need? Enter SURevolution. This innovative fashion house, headed by luxury brand vet Dina Rothstein, designs luxury goods that are handcrafted by artisans across the world. SURevolution’s goal is nothing less than to alleviate poverty and preserve traditional folk arts. We caught up with Rothstein to learn more about traditions, their upcoming sample sale, and her travel essentials.

The Stylish City: What was the inspiration for SURevolution?
Dina: SURevolution is inspired by the artisanal world: their culture, their lifestyle, their traditional techniques. I’m from Columbia, where there’s a vast artisanal world: woodwork, metal work, stitchwork. There are so many beautiful things being made, but most artists are impoverished because most people in the country don’t have the income to buy these artisanal products. So what happens is that the artists get other jobs, which means the artistic tradition is being lost. With SURevolution, I want to make these traditional arts appealing to the Western luxury world, so we make the quality impeccable and pick the colors. The end result is a brand with appealing designs and artisanal production.

The Stylish City: How, exactly, does the organization work?
Dina: Our New York creative team makes the design and then, depending on what the design is (wool, metal, etc.), we pick a different artisanal group to produce it. We travel to the group with the design, and together, we come up with the perfect sample. When orders come in, we pass them along to the group. Our goal to provide the artisanal group with enough work that they can build up their workshops in a healthy, productive way. As the workshops grow, so do their businesses. They start hiring those around them and now they’re entrepreneurs.

The Stylish City: How do the collaborations with other retailers, like J. Crew, work?
Dina: I’ll take you through our collaboration with J. Crew, which will hit stores in May. J. Crew came to our showroom, where we have products from all over the world. They picked mochila, a traditional bag made by the Indians who live in the northern desert of Colombia in Guajira. The mochilas come in various patterns and J. Crew chose the ones they liked. We then sent people to Guajira to oversee production. J. Crew will tell the story of the mochilas and the people of Guajira, not just sell the items.

The Stylish City: Looking ahead to this week’s sale, what are the best pieces?
We have these great brightly colored silk bangles ($5) that are perfect for spring. I also love these cuffs made out of real leaves dipped in gold ($20). We’re also offering recycled brass sand casted bowls made in India for just $20.

The Stylish City: You travel a ton. What are your travel essentials?
Dina: I’m on the road every six to eight weeks. I always bring a great scarf, usually from SURevolution, to keep me warm on the plane and at night. A great pair of flats is a necessity – I like Diepa Restrepo. And, of course, I can’t forget a SURevlotion wooden bangle to take my outfit from day to night.

The Stylish City: What’s your best travel story?
Dina: I usually make friends wherever I travel. People are extremely hospitable and the artisans usually invite me to their homes for dinner. I love trying their food, meeting their families, and experiencing how they live. Once on a trip to Udaipur with my mother, an artisan friend (who was very concerned that I was not married yet and was convincing me of the virtues of arranged marriages,) had his personal palm reader take a look at my future. My mother was very pleased to hear that I would meet my future husband over the New Year. And guess what, I did! I can’t say if it was destiny or mere casualty, but I sure want to go back to hear what’s coming next.

WHEN: 3/31 – 4/2, Th (noon-6), F (10-8), Sat (10-2)

WHERE: SURevolution NY Showroom
197 Grand St., Loft 6s (between Mott & Mulberry)
Buzzer 62
(212-255-6928

Leila Cohan-Miccio

Bridal line Michelle Rahn offers simple, yet fashion-forward gowns for the bride with a modern edge. As the brand prepares to open a new flagship in Los Angeles, we spoke to designer Michelle Gertzman about her inspiration and the plans for the line.

The Stylish City: How did you get started?
Michelle: I studied couture at the Fashion Institute of Technology thirteen years ago, where, my senior project was to make a couture wedding gown. After I graduated, I worked as a buyer at Macy’s for a few years before moving to Chicago. When my sister got engaged. I did my sister’s dress, along with the dresses for my mother and all the bridesmaids.

The Stylish City: What was your sister’s dress like?
Michelle: It was soft and romantic, but with archictectural details: fit and flare, crystal belt, soft chiffon, huge pleated silk chiffon tulle. This was seven years ago, so it’s very on trend for today. I guess my sister was ahead of the curve. (Michelle laughs)

The Stylish City: What’s your inspiration for the line?
Michelle: It changes season by season, but there’s always an Art Deco element, whether it’s the accessories or a pleating detail. I’ll combine that vintage vibe with innovative uses of fabric. I work with a lot of European companies that do unusual netting or tulles. I shop a lot of estate jewelers to find looks that inspire me. Then I modernize that vintage inspiration. For me, everything goes back to silhouette and fit.

The Stylish City: What’s the price point?
Michelle: The average is $3500, but we do custom designs, so it goes all the way up!

The Stylish City: Who’s the Michelle Rahn bride?
Michelle: She’s confident and modern, yet a little bit traditional. Sexy but cool. She doesn’t want to look like everyone else and she wants to push the envelope, but she doesn’t want to be too trendy. She wants people to see her and ask “Where did you get that dress?”

The Stylish City: What are your future plans for the line?
Michelle: Our LA flagship opens at the Bridal Bar next week! We’re excited to offer Los Angeles women the same customizable experience we offer to brides in Chicago. For right now, we’re focusing on our semi-custom business, but eventually, I want to change the way women buy wedding dresses. I’m one of the few wedding dress designers to offer online purchasing. Right now, it’s very basic, but in the next few years we hope to really boost our online presence.

The Stylish City: What’s your biggest wedding trend prediction for the next few years?
Michelle: I’ve seen a lot of women lately who don’t want strapless, which I love because I make a lot of dresses with straps and sleeves. Women want organic, rough-cut fabrics without much beading. I’m going to start playing more with hemlines: tea length, shorter in the front. Brides are getting more adventurous. Their dresses can express who they are – they don’t have to wear the same kinds of dresses as twenty years ago.

Leila Cohan-Miccio