In May, CFDA.com checked in with the CFDA + Lexus Fashion* Initiative designers to find out who inspires them. Here are the people who have had impact and influence, and who helped to shape both the designers and their company ethos.
Sara Beltran, DEZSO by Sara Beltran: “Frida Kahlo. She was such a strong woman. Unstoppable, elegant, eccentric and very talented. Great style. I love her, and she was Mexican like me.”
Erin Isakov, Erin Snow: “My dad wouldn’t miss good surf, even if it meant waking up his toddler daughters to stumble to a cold, foggy beach before dawn. Skiing was similar. As soon as I could walk, we were in a car headed north. The passion to be outdoors with my family, in sometimes cold and uncomfortable conditions, was instilled in me by my father and inspired me to help other women get out there and push their boundaries.”
Katie deGuzman and Michael Miller, K/LLER Collection: “Listening to Melissa Joy Manning speak about how she selects diamonds and stones for her collections really made us understand how she is inspired by nature’s ‘imperfections.’ She goes above and beyond looking for unique stones that have color variations and striations. It really speaks through her designs and business how much she respects nature and wants to nurture it. Melissa has motivated us to look deeper into our company and has influenced us to change our day to day methods, from shipping and packaging to how we speak about being a responsible company. We hope to follow in her footsteps to be a well-respected, responsible, leader in the industry as well.
Nicholas and Christopher Kunz, Nicholas K: “Paolo Soleri, the architect, was a forward thinker of design dedicated to architecture and ecology (arcology). His vision from the 1960s portrays a city that is sustainable and incorporates efficiency practices that are just now being incorporated into modern structures. His ideas were proposed as a way to combat urban sprawl and the continuing segregation of the urban and natural surroundings.”
Prabal Gurung: “I have always been and will always be inspired by the people of Nepal. They have an incredible inner strength and sense of calm no matter what they’re faced with. Even with the destruction and devastation from the earthquake in 2015, they pushed forward and did so together. My Nepalese roots will always factor in to my life both personally and professionally. Giving back to the country that has helped shape the person I am will always be part of the brand’s ethos. We produce the majority of our knitwear in Nepal with a factory that ensures fair trade and follows ethical practices. A percentage of the proceeds from these knits go directly to my foundation back home – Shikshya Foundation Nepal and we will continue to find ways to use our platform to bring attention to Nepal in bigger ways.”
Britt Cosgrove and Marina Polo, Svilu: “SVILU was founded on the premise of creating mindfully made clothes that set a woman apart without speaking louder than she does. We design for fearless, independent, effortlessly chic women because we learned from the best – our mother’s Rosa & Anita..women who are quietly confident and unapologetically themselves.”
Ryan Lobo and Ramon Martin, Tome: “Louise Bourgeois, Georgia O’Keefe, and Pina Bausch are past influences of ours. These painters and choreographers are formidable and strong women. They’ve each lead prolific lives, are diligent, and inspired by that work ethic”
Maria Cornejo, Zero + Maria Cornejo: “I’ve always thought my friend Natalie Chanin was inspiring and I’ve loved seeing her successfully create her own world, run by her own rules. I really look to independently minded individuals as a great source of inspiration. Natalie’s energy and the fact that she is being creative and outside of the norm has always been impactful to me. Christy Turlington Burns is [also] doing such great work right now. She’s had a long career in the industry and is now doing something that makes an impact through her organization, Every Mother Counts. I believe that one of life’s greatest luxuries is to give back.
Wing Yau, WWAKE: Christina Miller has also been a huge influence on sustainable initiative in jewelry too. As the founder of Ethical Metalsmiths, she’s helped bridge an international community of jewelers, vendors, policy makers, NGO’s and innumerable sustainability representatives in the industry who share the same goal of creating safer practices in every sector. By bridging conversations between all these sectors, Christina helps shed light on why sustainable results takes international collaboration and time. Through Ethical Metalsmiths, she’s also facilitated the first US delivery channel of fair-mined gold. This is a huge step in providing jewelers like myself responsible sourcing choices.
