O: Why did you choose
to focus on accessories?

A: “Accessorizing
is not the frosting on the cake….it’s the main ingredient!” I almost always base my outfits around my accessories…while
most girls put on accessories as the final touch.

O: What makes your
collection unique?

A: My collection
is very unique in the sense of style, shape, and touch. The *Fat Free collection is so incredibly soft and light…so
fat free!

O: Each of your
accessories is virtually weightless. Was this feature accidental or was it
planned that way?

A: By accident! I had been designing handbags for the past
few years.  Realizing how competitive the
accessory market was really made me start brainstorming about other outlets or other
items to introduce.  *Fat Free was born on February
24^th, 2006, as I was getting
my handbags ready for a local trade show. 
Hoping to at least break even, I wanted to introduce something else to
sell.  I bought some plain beach
flip-flops and applied Swarovski crystals.   Surprisingly they turned out
super-cute!  I thought these would be a
guaranteed sale, unlike $450 handbags! 
This sparked a creative path, which led me to my leather scraps, which
are leftover pieces from my handbags.  I
started cutting different shapes and then started applying the leftover Swarovski Crystals to the leather cut-outs.  I then threw on some 14K gold earring hooks, and we
were “good to go!” 

O: How did you know you were on to something?

O: What are you
inspired by?

A: I am inspired
by color and nature.  I love seeing all
the different color combinations in the sun-setting sky.

O: Design
philosophy?

A: Without
accessories, fashion would be compromised. I always add a little bit of drama to fashion, using bold colors and mixing unexpected textures and shapes.

O: What is your
favorite piece?

A: “Angel of Hearts”…in the MILK color!  I love the idea of having accessories that
work year round!  They add style and sass
to my summer tops and dresses while keeping my winter wardrobe looking
fresh!  I love adding light colored
accessories to heavier/darker clothing.

O: Where can we find *Fat Free accessories?

A: LF stores
(nation wide), Gracie’s Boutiques, JEP boutiques…and more!

O: Is your line
fairly affordable or does it break the bank?

A: The fat free
collection is very affordable…all suggested retail prices are under $100!

O: If your house was
burning down, and you could only keep one thing in your closet, what would you
keep?

A:  My mom’s gold locket that she used to wear
when she was in high school.  It has a
beautiful flower etched into the front of the locket.  Inside is a black
and white photo of her when she was in high school.  The locket is so special to me…I wear it all
the time!  I also love how it adds a nice
feminine touch to any outfit–even Jeans
and a T.

O: Last words?

See more *Fat Free by Cici accessories at FatFreeStyle.com.

T: My interest in fashion design started in a roundabout sort of way. It wasn’t like I woke up one day and decided to create a line of clothing, especially since I’m not a fashion designer. Instead, it was an evolution of an idea whose best expression happened to be fashion design. This was close to two years ago.

O: Why did you choose to focus on workout clothing?

T: Two reasons – The first was to capitalize on the emerging “crossover” market of clothing that is both for working out in and living in. The second reason was simply because it’s my favorite type of clothing since I’m always either doing Yoga or swimming or walking.

O: What makes your collection unique?

T: We have found a non-tacky way to integrate artwork into the clothing. We have allowed the artwork to inspire the color story for the season. We’ve reproduced the artwork in a way that retains the true integrity of the work and yet does not overpower the clothing. It’s like you get an original work of art with your clothing purchase.

O: Each of your pieces incorporates the work of an emerging artist. Were you always interested in art?

T: I have been an artist since I could pick up a crayon. With Erebelle, I have decided to implement the work of artists into the clothing. This provides an “alternative gallery space” for artists’ work. In addition, it gives artists the opportunity to understand more about business transactions and broaden the horizons of possibilities beyond gallery walls. At Erebelle, I strive to create opportunities for artists by accepting artwork submissions from unknown artists and integrating them into a season of Erebelle clothing.

O: How do you choose artists to feature?

As an artist, I think in concepts, pictures–NOT in a linear fashion. As a business woman, I have learned that creative thought is much more instrumental to business than our current education system teaches. Creative, visual thinkers are able to grasp a “big picture” perspective on business much more quickly, solve problems faster and are generally more resourceful in unconventional ways. These are amazing skills to have in business.

T: I follow the rules for creating timeless and lasting designs rather than following trends. While this tends to produce a more conservative result, it also provides one with the foundation pieces in a wardrobe that can transition from one trend to the next.

O: How did you go about selling your collection in stores?

T: We hired an in-house sales rep who hit the road with samples. Luckily, there were a selection of stores who bought into the Erebelle concept. And day by day, that list of stores is growing.

O: If you were to design a new product line to add to your current business, what would it be and describe?

T: We are considering launching a line of contemporary knitwear for women, called YellowfinTina.

O: Some may argue workout clothes should only be worn during exercising. What would you say to those people?

T: I would say that they do not share my inspiration by the intersections between definitions. We are looking to create clothing that works for a workout, or out-and-about. This specific challenge mirrors the lives of women today. How do you balance all of it? It’s an ongoing challenge for all of us. We’re out to embrace a new space for apparel design with the “crossover” clothing.

O: Do you care about what you wear?

T: Of course! First and foremost I need to feel comfortable in what I wear. Secondly, I’d like to feel like I look good. I like to have a nice set of basics to choose from and add a bit of current trend or personality here and there. Overall I’m pretty conservative when it comes to dress.

O: If your house was burning down, and you could only keep one thing in your closet, what would you keep?

T: My Erebelle cargo pants with the Red Sun painting.

O: What clothes have you worn that you’re now ashamed of?

T: Anything and everything covered in “splatter paint!”

O: Anything else?

O: When did you know that you wanted to be a designer?

M: I started getting really interested in design when I was 16 years old. I had always liked drawing and doing crafty stuff, but when I was 16 my mom brought home a new G4 computer.  It was loaded with Illustrator and Photoshop, so I started messing around doing graphics and teaching myself those programs. A couple of years later, I started Yellow Toothpick – and started making iron on t-shirts with my graphics on them. At that time I also got into sewing and taught myself how to follow simple patterns. Crowded Teeth kind of grew out of that into what it is today.

O: What makes your collection unique?

M: I don’t even know if I am unique!  I guess what makes my collection unique is me - I’m kind of a weirdo. I just want to make things I like – even if they aren’t “cool.”  I guess I’m just lucky if people like what I’m doing. I think what makes my business unique is I have a total DIY spirit. I do almost everything for it, from design, to handling production, to packing orders to making phone calls, accounting, and web design!  I’m a busy gal.

O: What are you inspired by?

M: I get inspired by so much. My childhood had a strong influence in my designs.  I wasn’t brought up with a super strong or traditional Japanese upbringing, but my mom is Japanese, and growing up, my grandparents visited me every other summer. I always had weird snacks, books, toys and little snippets of culture thrown into my regular life. I like cute little things and love Hello Kitty and Licca dolls. I also had a very all American side of my childhood that included a lot of 80’s TV, and vintage furniture, packaging, electronics, and jewelry, (my grandma rarely threw anything out) and I think that influenced my taste and style in design.  I am also inspired by a ton of artists, some of my favorites right now are Ryan McGinness, Audrey Kawasaki, Beci Orpin, Mark Ryden, Junko Mizuno, Brendan Monroe, Saelee Oh, Souther Salazar, Kozyndan, Stephen Britt,  –  the list goes on forever. I am lucky I live in LA and am exposed to a lot of great art.

O: Design philosophy?

M: I think my design philosophy is just to make things I like. I have a day job that requires me to make just what is in style, and because of that, I have to design a lot of stuff I think is crap.  I’m not saying that my stuff is crazy deep or inaccessible, but I think there’s a certain amount of myself I put into my design. I also always want to be making something that is affordable – because that’s important to me. I like to make money like everyone else, but I think sometimes things are priced a little ridiculously. I don’t ever want to be the guy selling an $800 t-shirt that cost me $2.50 to produce.  I hope that doesn’t make me sound like a pretentious asshole  Maybe I’m a bad business person - I just draw things.

M: At this point? Anyone! I haven’t had a real life Crowded Teeth sighting ever.  I got lucky and dropped off my stuff at the set of the TV show Scrubs, and the costume designer liked my designs. So I get to see my t-shirts on the cast of Scrubs pretty often! I think from a nerdy standpoint I would like to see my designs on anyone from the cast of Mr. Show, or anyone I admire in the art community.  In the regular world – I wish that I would have nice people come up to me and say that my designs make them smile.

O: How did you go about selling your collection in stores?

M: I started off doing consignment with a few stores, and it kind of went from there.  I didn’t have any idea how to get into stores. I would just email random people and see if they liked me. I am the WORST salesperson ever. After a while, I started making catalogs and mailing them to stores I thought would be interested in my products. Occasionally people would contact me. It was hard, and I am not good at selling myself. This past February, I did the Pool Tradeshow in Vegas, and that got a huge number of stores interested in my line. Buyers are there just looking for new lines, and a lot of people seemed to like me. I got a great response and I am going to do the show again in August.

O: If you were to design a new product line to add to your current business, what would it be?

M: I really, really, really wanted to do jewelry this season – just simple metal cut out necklaces of my characters. But I couldn’t afford it this time around, and am just going to have a solid t-shirt line. If things progressed ideally, I would just make everything. I want to have a line as expansive as Sanrio or Paul Frank – from housewares to men’s clothing.

O: Can you talk a little bit about your 40-hour-a-week design job?

M: I work as a designer (my official title is Lead Graphic Designer and Specifications Manager – so fancy!) for a company that makes mostly junior’s apparel and accessories (think Hot Topic and Urban Outfitters). I do initial product designs and follow them through into production and do correspondence with China. It’s a small company that does a lot of business, so we are constantly working. It’s fun because I get to design new and different products every day. I can do jewelry one day and then work on bags and t-shirts the next day. It’s really stressful though because the design department only has three people, and we all have a lot of responsibility.  I used to think that designing for my day job and designing for my self was conflicting, but I’m hoping I am just a never ending fountain of ideas. I think I am capable of designing great things for both companies. They were upset with me for having my own line for awhile, but I would never stop doing Crowded Teeth for any one but me.

O: How has your style evolved over time?

M: I do care about what I wear, but not in the sense that I have to have the latest fashions or most expensive brands. I dress pretty casually all the time - t-shirts, tank tops, and jeans. I’ve always been a layer-er. I like simple things that fit my weird long torso correctly. I am a sucker for a hot pair of shoes. I think I dress like a lazy indie hipster.

O: If your house was burning down, and you could only keep one thing in your closet, what would you keep?

M: My diamond studded, solid gold sports bra. Just kidding. I don’t know. I can’t think of anything in my closet that I absolutely love. Everything in there is pretty replaceable. 

O: What clothes have you worn that you’re now ashamed of?

M: Oh so many! In high school I was really into Ska music and dressed like a “Rude Girl.” It was cute, but it seems almost like a costume to me now – and it was super uncomfortable. I used to wear a lot of men’s slacks that fit me poorly – why didn’t anyone tell me they made my legs look short and funny?  In 4th grade I used to donut my socks and wear these terrible pseudo-denim floral printed shorts that were awful. I wore sweatpants as actual pants until I was like 13.  More recently, I cut off some Levi’s slack/pants at the knee and they make me look like a pirate – they are pretty ridiculous and embarrassing but I wear them anyway.

O: Can you tell us how you came up with the name Crowded Teeth?

M: Everyone always asks if I actually had crowded teeth – but I didn’t. I never had to wear braces, and I have straight teeth. I got lucky. I came up with the name was while I was drawing a skull for some project.  I was describing it to someone and said it had “crowded teeth” – I liked the way it sounded, so I emailed my web host friend and had him buy me the domain. I just decided on a whim to change the clothing line from Yellow Toothpick to Crowded Teeth.

Omiru: Where did your obsession with bags start?

Pamela: It would have to be when I received my first Louis Vuitton bag from my sister.  I was 16 or 17, and I really loved the bag.  My love of bags continued in college.  My first fashion internship was at Cosmo in the Accessories department.  Later, I was at InStyle in Accessories.  At both jobs, I was more into the shoes, bags, and belts than the clothes.

O:  Tell us about your site: BagTrends.com. 

P: We feature new designers that haven’t yet hit the mainstream.  We were the first to write about Andrea Brueckner, and we were the first to carry her bags.  We were also the first to report on JT Carpet Bags.  We wrote about them before Vogue and Elle.  We also have a bagtionary—a dictionary of bag terms.  

O: You also have a BagTrends blog.

P: It’s relatively new—we launched it about a month or two ago.  We wanted something that we could update daily without having to talk to our web designer to adjust the layout.  We were covering New York Fashion Week with daily updates, and it was driving me and my sister insane.  We were working from 8am to 3am, writing, editing, and pulling pictures.

O: Favorite Contemporary Bag Designer?

P: Zefanya.  The first collection is coming out this fall.  I saw Zefanya’s collection at a trade show, and I was impressed by the quality of both the designs and the bags. 

O: Bestsellers at BagTrends.com?

P: Andrea Brueckner—we had to reorder.  Ipa-Nima also had a European style canvas and leather tote that sold out really fast.  Renato Minelli bags are also in-demand for good Italian quality.

P:  The Big Thing is color.  There aren’t really any rules right now—we’re seeing everything from neon colors to canary yellow, fuchsia, and lime—some really obnoxious colors.  Even Chanel did a bag in neon yellow with a splash of white.  Someone’s going to regret spending $5K on that bag in a few months.  Other than that, knitting is a big trend.  It’s been around for about three seasons, and it’s not going away.  We’ll be seeing crochet, but thicker, for fall.

O: How about the next big bag trends?

P:  For fall, we’ll be seeing embossed leather with the look of a print.  We’ll also be seeing some great details—I saw a bag with handles that were barrel style and woven.  As for bag size, we’ll still be seeing a lot of big bags.  However, as we move from Fall 2006 to Spring 2007, the bags start to get smaller.  Not small, but not as outrageously large. 

O: What bag trends are going out of style?

P:  Always look for quality.  Check out the zippers, and not just the one on the outside.  Look at how it’s made.  Look at the stitching.  Look for a bag with longevity—not too wild, and not too trendy.  Certain styles don’t go out of style—such as the doctor’s bag, the satchel, and the shoulder bag.  Look both at color and at shape.  Personally, I’m big on pockets—so I look for a bag with a good number of useful pockets as well.

O: What’s the most you’ve ever spent on a bag?

P: $1300.  It was the day after I gave the deposit to the web designer to create the Bag Trends site.  I bought a Gucci bag about five seconds after it came out.  I don’t regret the price of the bag—just how it functions.  It has no smart closure to it, and when it rains and snows, weather gets into my bag.  I could have gotten three great contemporary designer bags for the price of this one Gucci.

O: What’s your all-time favorite bag?

P:  The LV Speedy bag.  It ages well, and it never goes out of style.  The bad thing about the Speedy, however, is that it has no pockets.  

O: Last words?

P:  People are very focused on accessories as a whole.  You can have ten women wearing black pants and a black shirt, and each one of them can be totally different through accessories.  Here, accessories are what define them. And what’s fun is that it’s easier to take risks through accessories instead of clothes.

A: I went to Northeastern University in Boston, and my major was Business Administration, concentrating in entrepreneurship and marketing.  When it comes to fashion and jewelry, I knew I wanted to open my own business one day combining the two, but I did not know when or what it would entail.

O: When and how did you decide to become a jewelry designer?

O: Lead us through the design process for a piece of jewelry.

A: I do not sketch anything before I create.  I first look at all my stones and see what color combinations POP!  Then, I string them and see if it is my "look" or my customer.  Once I do this, the stones mellifluously take on their own unique look to complete a piece, and I show them to a circle of my loyal customers to get their reaction.  Upon approval, I add the piece to my line.

O: What makes your line stand out?

A: I am trying to turn my passion into my career.  I would love to be able to wake up every morning and do something I love like designing and making my own jewelry–that is why I am going for it!  I just graduated college in May, and instead of pursuing a career at a traditional company like all my other friends, getting benefits and a constant paycheck in my bank account, I am taking a different path in life.

O: You pursued an internship in New York City’s Fashion District. What did you learn from this experience?

A: I worked at a women’s suits company, and I was able to experience the entire wholesale end of a fashion business, working closely with the design, sales and production teams.  I also was able to show my line to the main designer at the company, sell to his flagship store in Puerto Rico, and custom design Alanna Bess pieces for his high-end clientele.  I was also able to showcase the women’s suits at the Coterie show at the New York Piers.  I hope to one day show Alanna Bess jewelry at the Coterie show!

A: I studied in Florence, Italy, and all the art and the museums and fashion gurus there inspire me.  There is even art on street lamp-posts in Italy. When I was there, all the creativity and art everywhere was like pure eye-candy to me.  My line took a sophisticated turn after this experience.

O: What’s your favorite piece in your collection?  

A: I love the "Isle of Capri" series of necklaces.  I think these pieces are so versatile, and the color combinations are lots of fun.  I love to layer 2 or 3 of them at once to get a whole new look.

A: The only jeweler’s block I get is when I think something looks good in my head, and then I actually sit down and create it, and it looked that much better in my imagination than in real life.  However, after a few touch-ups,  it often becomes a piece of art.   

O: How do you know how much to price each piece? Does it depend on how long it took you to make? How rare the stones are?   

O: Tell us about the collection that won you Gen Art’s Perrier Bubbling Under Award.

Z: This year, Perrier’s theme was “sparkle.”  However, I’m not a sparkly designer.  “Sparkle” makes me think of beads, sequins, and other add-ons.  It was a challenge, but I love a challenge.  I gave it my own twist and made sure the collection looked like me.  I like mixing menswear elements in clothes, unexpected color combinations and fabrics.  I played with these ideas with this “sparkle” theme in mind.  So many designers out there are creating convoluted concepts.  I like concept for the sake of clothes, not concept for sake of concept.  I wanted to make something beautiful, something that was concept for the sake of clothes.

O: Tell us about your trip to New York for the competition.

Z: It was pretty insane.  I’m trying to become a citizen, and I had an immigration interview scheduled for the day before.  That’s not one of those things you can reschedule.  I went to the interview, came home to get my bags, hopped on the plane to New York, got in at 6am the day of the event, only to find that the hotel check in started at 3pm.  After check in, I hopped into the shower, then did a Coutorture interview right before the event.  

O:  What about the actual event?

Z: Really, the first hour was a blur.  I had too much caffeine and not enough sleep.  The awards ceremony itself was pretty straightforward.  I was in the second segment, and the person who won right before me was Bruno Grizzo.  He’s a great guy, and I have a lot of respect for him.  However, when he won, he had a speech.  It was written on a tiny little piece of paper.  I freaked out!  He had a speech.  I really didn’t have a speech.  I calmed myself down by figuring that I wouldn’t win anyways.  So when I won, I was completely unprepared.  I was blinded by the lights, and I rambled something.  I didn’t know what I said until Coutorture showed me the video of the event later.

O: You were quoted in WWD as saying, “I’d like to give Gen Art mad props for existing for this exact purpose.”  Would you like to comment on your comment?

Z: I was just really worried that I had offended Gen Art with my comment.  I actually asked Tali at Gen Art to see if it was offensive.  Luckily, she thought it was a great quote.

Z: I just sort of sat there.  My boyfriend poked me on the side and asked, “Are you going to get up there?”  I was wearing a traditional kimono for unmarried women.  The sleeves were long, and they went just past my knee.  I was also wearing 5-inch platform heels.  I just kept thinking, “Don’t trip! People are watching!”  

O: How did you celebrate your big win?

Z:  I’ve been meeting a lot of fashion bloggers online, including Julie Fredrickson, one half of the Coutorture team.  I emailed her a couple weeks before I went to New York and told her why I was coming.  She decided to throw this huge party—a Coutorture Launch/Congratulations Verbal Croquis [my blog’s name] party.  It was at Lucky Jacks on the Lower East Side.  WWD, Fashion Wire Daily, and Glam were there.

O: How did winning the award change your life?

Z: It hasn’t really changed my life.  I don’t ever think that these sorts of things change your life.  It’s what you end up doing with it.  I feel like my 15 minutes of fame are over.  But for me, the most important thing was an industry validation of my talents as a designer.

O: In addition to being a designer, you’re also an avid fashion blogger.  For our readers who aren’t familiar with your blog, Verbal Croquis, would you please describe it?

Z: Verbal Croquis is the adventures of a not-famous everyday fashion designer who is extremely ambitious and hardworking.  It’s a realistic view of the life of a fashion designer.  It’s not always glamorous.  A lot of days, it’s coming home really tired, waiting for your samples from China that are stuck on a boat somewhere, going to boring meetings, and not being able to meet fabric minimums.  It’s a boss who’s not feeling you one day, and yet, totally feeling you another day.  Interestingly, people recently started writing me asking for fashion career advice.  Now I appear to be the blogosphere’s go-to gal for how to get your fashion career started.

O: What’s your most important piece of advice for aspiring designers?  

Z: You really have to figure out where in the industry you belong.  Pinpoint what you want.  That will guide you to whatever methods you need to get started.  There are various options, and plenty of options as a designer.  What kind of designer do you want to be?  Where do you want to be?  How involved do you want to be in production and construction?  First, nail down your long-term and short-term goals.  Only then can you figure out how to get there.

O: How did you get into the fashion industry?

Z: When you talk about fashion, you can have one conversation about the cute shoes you have to have, which can turn into a discussion about fashion trends and consumption and how things have changed.  I love the variety and how it reaches different parts of my brain.  I never get bored.  

O: What do you dislike about fashion?

Z: The preconceived reputation of designers.  Everyone assumes you don’t need any training.  It’s not like law. You don’t need to pass an exam, you don’t need a degree.  Sure, we’re not saving lives or anything, but it does the profession a disservice when people come in and say, “Oh, design can’t be hard.”  It lowers the already tarred reputation of designers as lazy.  

O: What do your parents think about your career choices?

Z: I was groomed to be a lawyer.  I had piano lessons.  I had to learn how to cook, quiet my voice at the appropriate time, and do the whole docile Asian thing.   When I was preparing my portfolio for design school during my senior year of high school, my dad not so subtly hinted at alternative college options.  He left a Yale Law school sweatshirt outside my bedroom door.
 
O: What’s your definition of style?

Z: It’s your personality in tangible items.  I have no personal style because I never groomed it.  I’ve been too busy grooming other people.  My uniform is a leather jacket and jeans.  When I have to go to an event somewhere, I start sweating thinking about it.  I was never my own muse. 

O: Favorite designer?

Z: It’s a tie between Alexander McQueen and Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga.  I love them both because they do it different.  I don’t think their designs are really about shock value.  It’s just how they are as designers. 

O: High maintenance or Low maintenance?

Z: I had a very interesting conversation with some fellow fashion bloggers.  We decided that it’s everything and nothing.  We did the whole bohemian look for awhile, but that’s done, even though the garmentos are still doing it.  More recently, we saw designers doing the “new minimalism.”  Really, it was about looking like a woman instead of looking like a girl.  That’s where fashion is right now.

O: Everything and nothing?

Z: Fashion doesn’t have an identity this year.  It’s trying to make an identity for itself this decade, while trying really hard not to do the vintage thing.  It’s tough, because a lot of what’s out there has already been done.  It’s giving fashion a bit of an identity crisis.  There’s a whole movement towards making fashion more democratic with small design houses proliferating.  There’s no fashion dictatorship anymore.  All of the big stars—Marc Jacobs, Prada—they’re left over from the 90s. 

O: Last words?

Z: I’m still young, I have a lot of energy, can you expect a lot of new things coming from me, and not just from my blog.  I have more ambition than most fashionistas have shoes.  I love this industry.  

M: Three years ago, I had an opportunity to have a colloquium with Fabio Zambernardi (head designer at Prada), showing him my prêt-à-porter womenswear collection.  At that meeting, he asked me if I was interested into shoes. I wasn’t initially, since my thoughts were about producing my own collection, but I started to think about it.

O: Who wears your shoes?

M: Fashion journalists. They are my favorite celebrities.

O: Describe your design process.

M: I start by collecting interesting details from movies, old magazines (I have big archive of them), art, nature, and architecture.  Really, the whole world surrounding me.   I do this several months before I start designing, and then one day it all comes together like a pieces of mosaic. My next step is to "stick" all the research work over the shoe form and create unique inspiration for the combination of colors and lines of shoe construction. Then you have to find a compromise from what do you want and what can you have, using a technical language for materializing the drawing.  I rarely do fabric, color and trend research before designing.  Normally, I am searching for the right fabrics, with drawings already in my hand, which might help me better to express my concept.

O: How do you manufacture your shoes?

M: My shoes are made in Vigevano, a small town next to Milan.  Vigevano is traditionally famous for the factories, which are best for manufacturing high quality shoes.  My shoes are being produced using old craftsman studio processes, and they can take about 3 months in production.

O: Any advice for aspiring designers?

M: Accept any experience that enriches your own fashion vision.

O: As a designer, do you feel extra pressure to wear trendy clothing?

M: Not at all, I still feel very comfortable continuing wearing my Helmut Lang jeans with Lacoste polos.

O: What do you think about this increased interest in what celebrities are wearing?

M: Celebrities, in this day and age, gain more human aspect, unlike the unreachable divas in the era of old Hollywood. As a result, it’s very easy for any person to identify himself with celebrities.

O: If your house was burning down, and you could only keep one thing in your closet, what would you keep?

M: Helmut Lang jeans, since his shops are closed and they are so hard to find!

O: What is in style right now?

M: Chunky heels.

O: What’s going out of style?

M: Diamond shoes.

O: What clothes have you worn that you’re now ashamed of?

M: None. You have to try everything you want to, to find your own style.

O: What are you inspired by?

M: Mostly by old movies.

O: What are your favorite designers?

M: Miuccia Prada, Jil Sander, Helmut Lang, and Alber Elbaz.

O: High maintenance or Low Maintenance?

M: Trying to be low maintenance.

O: What’s your style philosophy?

M: Less is more.