For Norma Kamali, the creative process often begins with a dream-like vision, an idea that creeps into her mind in the middle of the night. “They feel like gifts, like someone is giving them to me,” she said, “And I have to do something about them right away.” These personal anecdotes and insights into Kamali’s life, work, and mentality kept a captive audience last week, when the designer held an intimate conversation to celebrate the launch of her limited-edition vintage collection. Before an enthralled crowd, Kamali sat at the head of the room perched on a stool talking effortlessly and freely, covering everything from her rise into the fashion industry (something that occurred slightly unintentionally), to her daily routine and current goals. Those largely have to do with passing on her accrued knowledge and experience to other women. “I realize my role is not just about being a designer but understanding what I can do for women,” she said at her 56th Street studio and store. “When a woman feels good about herself, the power she has to change the world is invincible.”
Kamali, a recognized proponent for wellness, had lots to share on the subject. “Laughing, singing, and dancing are so important to wellness,” she explained. “People think of them as a luxury but they are things we need to do.”
Perhaps this is yet another way that Kamali uniquely responds to consumer needs and trends. That certainly was the case back in the Eighties when she dared to foresee the overlap between technology and shopping and in turn artfully installed small computers in her shop. The future of retail and e-commerce supplied a long list of talking points, all of which Kamali happily (and knowledgably) indulged in. According to the designer, who became familiar with early computers while working for an airline before her fashion career, we are on the brink of an era where a full digital shopping experience (complete with body scanning and digitized dressing rooms) is looming in the not too distant future. “This is such an exciting time,” Kamali said, embracing the hypothesized change and all the accompanying unknowns with wide open arms. “I am just so thrilled to be a part of it.”
