Keep them coming
I'm still finalizing a date to interview one of New York's most important designers but in the meantime ,this Friday, I am meeting with one of tomorrow's most important designers - Richard Chai.
Along with the Proenza boys, Richard is one of the few young womenswear designers I'm really pulling for. He has a great background, an evolving aesthetic and has experienced the ups-and-downs that make a designers business stronger if it doesn't kill it first.
Richard's recent work with Onward Kashiyama has spawned a new store in Soho called Nave. The work and the store look really good. I use to work at Kashiyama years ago so I know to achieve this result must have been an epic struggle in its own right - I can't wait to ask him about it - and tell him a few of my crazy Kashiyama stories! Remind me to tell you guys some of my crazy Kashiyama stories sometime!
Since I have such a tapped-in, style-savvy readership I wanted to give you guys a chance to ask Richard a few questions. Just email me your questions for him with "Richard Chai" in the subject line of the email and let me know how to credit you if I post your question.
Thanks, I think this could be fun.
Here is Richard Chai's bio
Richard Chai, a New York native, began his career in fashion at an early age with an internship at Geoffrey Beene while still an undergraduate at Parsons School of Design. Upon his graduation from Parsons, Chai moved to Paris to continue his education at the Lissa School, during which he worked as a sketcher at Lanvin.
Immediately following his return to New York a year later, he became an assistant designer at Armani Exchange. He then joined the design team at Donna Karan as a designer for the DKNY and D collections. From 1998 to 2001, Chai held the position of Design Director for the Marc Jacobs’ men’s and women’s collections as well as launching the Marc by Marc men’s collection. In September 2001, Chai was appointed Creative Design Director of all TSE brands, including TSE men’s, TSE women’s, and TSE Say. As a designer with a strong background in luxury goods, he was an invaluable asset to the continued growth of TSE worldwide. His appointment marked the first time in the company’s history that one person oversaw every line under the company name.
Through these experiences Richard has built a foundation of knowledge crucial to launching his own collection and after two years working at TSE, Chai decided he was ready to found his own company, which was established in the summer of 2004.
During New York Fashion in September of 2004, Chai launched his collection of women’s wear for spring 2005 in a formal runway presentation. His debut collection, which was sophisticated yet elegantly understated, reflects his aesthetic sensibility with clean structured lines and touches of classic craftsmanship, truly setting him apart from his contemporaries. Chai’s collections reflect the emphasis he places on the craft of making clothes, creating modern clothing by utilizing truly old world techniques such as hand stitching, bias tapes, and French seams. Chai prides himself on the fine detailed finishes he gives his clothing, creating precious yet wearable garments.
His debut collection for spring 2005 as well as his second collection for fall 2005, received an overwhelmingly positive response from both the press as well as major retailers. His collection is available exclusively at Barney’s New York as well as Lotte in Korea and Villa Moda in Kuwait.
Earlier this year, Richard Chai was a finalist for the Rising Star Award from the Fashion Group International which recognizes new fashion designers in a variety of categories, including women’s ready to wear. In addition, he was the recipient of the annual Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation Award 2005, which honors emerging new talent in fashion design.