Interview with Chrissie Miller of Sophmore

If you’ve ever seen one of Sophomore’s lookbooks, or had the opportunity to get a hold of some of their clothes then there’s no need to read this introduction because you’ve already been won over. There’s an inviting warmth and openness in their attitude that makes you feel comfortable. These aren’t the cool kids who sit at their own table at lunch, these are the cool kids who threw the great parties. There’s an undefinable quality to Sophomore that just makes you want to like them, and that quality is derives from designer and owner Chrissie Miller. Miller started Sophomore in 2002 designing t-shirts and with the addition of designer Madeleine Von Froomer has expanded the line to become one of the coolest brands out there. There is a genuine nature to Miller that makes you a fan. She never comes off as trying to be cool, trying to sell you something, or trying anything at all except just being herself and doing what she loves. There are so many genuine people out there, but they get lost in the hype machine that the blogs and pop culture create and they come out looking like a token figure for some fad. Miller and Sophomore sidestep those potential traps by keeping things simple and only make what they themselves would want. Their clothes are comfortable, affordable, never serious, and always fun. It was a pleasure to sit down with Miller to talk about fashion, music, and of course Woody Allen for our next issue of Letter to Jane Magazine.

I want to start with your recent lookbook for the spring 2010 because I really do love this film, I would have paid money to see it.

CHRISSIE MILLER: Aww thanks so much.

How do you avoid the usual clichés that most fashion videos suffer from? I think most companies still think it’s cool to have two star crossed lovers magically find each other while they’re spending millions across Europe?

CHRISSIE MILLER: You know what I think it is? It’s that the clothes are secondary. It’s more about making something artistic and being creative; that’s more important to me than just showing the clothes and trying to sell to somebody. I’m not trying to do that, it’s more about creative expression. We make t-shirts so we don’t take ourselves too seriously and if people like the clothes they’ll buy them. I mean I really liked the thing Levi’s did, but it was so much about the jeans that it ruined it. Everybody wants Levi’s or buys Levi’s already; you don’t need to show them.

Now the film is comprised of interviews of people telling stories of how they got in trouble in high school, first loves, etc. Was the dialogue taken from your own lives or were they actually the characters own words?

CHRISSIE MILLER: Well originally we thought it was going to be more planned since a lot of the people in the film are actual actors, but what the editors mostly wound up using were their real stories. I mean obviously those two girls aren’t twins and there’s some other funny stuff, but ya those moments are real.

Any stories of your own match the ones in the film?

CHRISSIE MILLER: [laughs] Oh my God, how much time do you have?

If the story is good I have all day…

CHRISSIE MILLER: [laughs] I’ll just say I wasn’t too good during my high school years. I wasn’t a good teenager, but once I got to college I really got into it and got good grades and really turned it around.

You went to art school right?

CHRISSIE MILLER: Ya I went to SUNY Purchase.

What were some of your heroes to study?

CHRISSIE MILLER: Well I studied film when I was in school and they were really geared towards independent filmmaking there so we were watching Hal Hartley and stuff like that, but oh man it’s hard to remember all of them. To be honest, I mostly just watch rom-coms these days [laughs]. Once you get out of film school you just don’t want to watch films like that anymore. I studied you know Godard, Mike Nichols, stuff like that.

I know what you mean I used to TA film classes in college and now the only thing I watch is sitcoms, which is kind of embarrassing since I named this magazine after a Godard film.

CHRISSIE MILLER: Oh really? I don’t remember that one.

Ya not too many do, I don’t think it was supposed to be remembered but I loved the name and it just stuck with me.

CHRISSIE MILLER: That’s cool.

As I was preparing for this interview I noticed you’re a big Bowie fan, what’s your favorite?

CHRISSIE MILLER: Hunk Dory for sure, that’s my favorite.

I think what Bowie album a person likes says a lot about them as a person.

CHRISSIE MILLER: So what does that say about me?

Early Ziggy means you’re a pretty fun and outgoing person, but if you said something like Low I would be led to believe you’re a bit of a shut in.

CHRISSIE MILLER: Ha, well good then, I think it’s more to do with I just didn’t find those albums till a lot later.

Do you play any instruments?

CHRISSIE MILLER: No, no I wish I did.

Well why don’t I actually ask a question off my list here… what’s the one thing you hope to find when you go into a vintage store?

CHRISSIE MILLER: You know it’s funny, I just went to LA and went vintage shopping, and I realized that what I do is look for things that I already own, which is so stupid [laughs]. I’ll always go straight to the jean jacket section and it’s like “How many more jean jackets do I need?” I feel like your brain kind of does that, you go with what is familiar to you. So my goal next time is to get something I don’t have. I also just moved into a smaller apartment so I’m trying to be more selective with what I buy.

I read one bio that mentioned there were a lot of obstacles to overcome with creating Sophomore. Is that true? What were some of those struggles?

CHRISSIE MILLER: Well yes and no. I started really early in 2002 and everything just happened very organically. I would make some shirts, they’d make some money, so I would make more shirts which would make some more money. So things were going really smoothly, but owning your own business is really difficult which is why I realize not a lot of people do it. There were times where I would be wondering how I was going to pay for my office or my rent, and I really didn’t have the time or the energy to get another job while I was doing it so just financially it was hard. But the great thing is that the stuff has always sold well and we always get good feedback so that’s kept me going.

How many people are involved in the day-to-day operations of the company?

CHRISSIE MILLER: There’s only three of us. I design together with Madeleine Von Froomer. She’s a technical designer but the collection is a lot of her vision. Then there’s Leah Dell who runs the office for us and she’s actually in the film, the girl with dark hair who says the line like, “because you’re my brother’s friend…” It was actually her idea for the movie. She grew up in Wildwood New Jersey and we saw this documentary about it and took a lot of ideas from that.

And when you teamed up with Madeleine to extend the line, what clicked with her, what made her the perfect partner?

CHRISSIE MILLER: That’s a good question. It’s funny, sometimes you meet someone in life and you just know right away. It was a total instinct thing, I didn’t really see a lot of her work, but when I met her she looked like the person I was thinking about, it was really strange. It’s like when you’re looking for an apartment and you just know you’re going to live there. Her interview was just her bringing over clothes she really liked and that was it. It wasn’t that I was so blown away with what she brought, it was just her, I really liked her. She is really talented, I’m really lucky to have found her because she was a designer for Proenza before. She had this amazing job already but with this she has a lot more freedom.

Well it’s a great partnership. What I love about Sophomore is how everything can be so simple but it has that little twist to it, that little something extra.

CHRISSIE MILLER: Ya that’s totally her, if it were me alone it would look more basic. She had much more of a fashion background so she would say things like, “we have to make these things have little details,” she’s always been really attentive to the little things.

Going with that, it seems like with every new season you implement some new element into the collection.

CHRISSIE MILLER: Ya that’s absolutely right we do a different fabric group every season. We do t-shirts in jersey, ah I hate that word, then a French terry, and then we add in a different group. So we did leather that one season, then we did oxford for spring. For fall we’re using this material called ponte. We actually did a lot of new stuff for fall, there’s a few different fabrics. It’s fun to do something special ya know?

Speaking of fall, fashion week is pretty much here, what are you looking forward to?

CHRISSIE MILLER: We usually don’t do anything for New York fashion week, but this year we’re doing Gen Art, so I’m excited about that,. We threw a party in Paris a few times. This year we’re throwing a party in London. I’m excited; I haven’t been to London since I was a kid.

Sophomore is dedicated to basics and sportswear, but are there other places you’d like to expand, maybe some collaborations? it doesn’t have to be clothes, would you like to extend Sophomore into film, music?

CHRISSIE MILLER: Ya I really enjoyed doing the film, I would like to do more of that. I guess I don’t necessarily consider myself a fashion person. I’ve gone into it more recently, but I think that’s just sort of what comes through. It’s just clothes, it’s just simple stuff that I felt like I couldn’t find. I want to do more things soon like bathing suits, especially for men. It’s really hard for men to find good bathing suits.

Yes that’s completely true.

CHRISSIE MILLER: Right? They’re all really sporty or really long so that’s something I’d like to design.  As for collaborations, I feel that so many designers do that. If we did one I’d want it to be special; I don’t want to do it just to do it.

If I could say something about the swim suits. If you make one keep in mind that it’s impossible to find a suit that doesn’t make you look like an old man or like you’re flaunting something, both scenarios that do not work well on someone like me.

CHRISSIE MILLER: Ya like in the 70’s they made really nice ones that just looked like shorts that you could just wear, they didn’t look like a bathing suit at all.

Ya know there is always a lot of talk about a sort of New York 70’s vibe around Sophomore.  Are there any specific scenes or eras from New York’s past that you love?

CHRISSIE MILLER: I think designers come back to the 70’s often because it’s such a flattering silhouette; it just looks good on people. I think that classic look with the higher waist jeans, a t-shirt, and a jacket is just more flattering.  The bodies look so disproportionate in the 80’s and 90’s. In the 70’s everyone looked so long and lean.

I was just thinking the same thing the other day when I was watching some of the early episodes of Saturday Night Live and everything just seemed more natural, I was a bit jealous.

CHRISSIE MILLER: That’s funny I recently watched some of those too; ya the clothes are really good. Did you notice their old logo? We were going to make that into a t-shirt but I think originally the show was just called Saturday Night.  So for fall I just made a t-shirt that says Saturday Nights.

What would you say inspire your t-shirt designs more: your day-to-day life or things you see such as books, movies, tv?

CHRISSIE MILLER: I feel like the key for me is to not look too much at what other designers are doing. I don’t mind to look after we’re done and I have my antennae out there to think about what is coming next. Also living in New York is a big inspiration almost to a fault; I feel like that antennae goes off in other places. It’s really hard for me to get inspired unless I’m in New York because I want to get my inspiration from the people around me. I don’t want to guess what is going to be hip.

I was thinking your “Girls Girls Girls” t-shirt kind of looks like a New York Dolls album cover.

CHRISSIE MILLER: That one came from an old Motley Crew t-shirt I had.

Ah yes of course, the old stripper anthem.

CHRISSIE MILLER: The hardest part to me is designing the graphics. It’s weird you’d think the other stuff would be harder. I have a really hard time doing the graphics, but they sell really well.

No I can understand, you don’t want it to come off as a Hot Topics shirt. You got to find that perfect touch that makes it unique.

CHRISSIE MILLER: Ya it’s like this weird thing where it has to have mass appeal, but with a little bit of an inside reference to it. What you were saying earlier about vintage shopping, I always go through the t-shirt section so a lot of the stuff comes from that. There are some shirts that I’ve just scanned and redone, like old random graphics. Remember the one from spring that has a yin yang thing on it? That was a Yoko Ono t-shirt. We changed a few little things so we wouldn’t get sued but that’s really just Yoko Ono. I really love graphics; I started with graphics so I’m always on the hunt, but there will be months where I don’t feel like wearing a graphic t-shirt. But I think guys really like graphics. Every guy I know has a graphic tee in their rotation so I feel like it will always be popular for them.

Is there anyone in the industry that you’re jealous of?

CHRISSIE MILLER: That’s a good question; I guess I get jealous of people that are making money because we’re not making a lot of [laughs] if I can be totally honest. I look at someone and go, “those guys got a Target deal? They’re so rich!” Not that I want to be rich, but it would be very nice to not have to stress about money.

Thank God somebody is honest about this. I get asked all the time why I do this and I tell them it’s because I it’s what I love to do, I just wished it made money so I never have to work in another office.

CHRISSIE MILLER: Ya I know it’s true, a real motivator for me was that I couldn’t imagine working for someone else.

You’ve developed this close circle of friends around Sophomore that you work with. Are you socially outgoing or do you just like to stay within that social circle?

CHRISSIE MILLER: Ya I’ve always been a social person I think and it’s always been important to be around my friends, it’s my inspiration too. That’s just a priority for me.

That’s good, I have a real problem with staying in touch some times.

CHRISSIE MILLER: We’re all working harder and harder when we get older but I try my best.

Do you like to take vacations or is it pretty much work all the time?

CHRISSIE MILLER: I have a boyfriend so I like going away with him. We went away to Miami for new years and that was nice. I wish I could go on vacations more for sure.

Miami, nice your’s was a lot better than mine, I got stuck in the Portland airport for mine. Hey this is random, but what is your favorite Woody Allen film?

CHRISSIE MILLER: When I was in school I took a whole class on Woody Allen so I’ve seen them all. My favorite? That’s so hard. This is random but I love Deconstructing Harry. You know one of the newer ones?

Oh ya, it’s been a while since I saw that that, but he’s great in that one, he’s just so angry.

CHRISSIE MILLER: Ya and that thing about the out of focus is so genius.

People usually say Annie Hall but there’s really nothing wrong with that.

CHRISSIE MILLER: Stardust Memories is another one I like. I just don’t think there’s one that you can’t like. Interiors is the one that people give him a lot of shit for, but I think they’re all good, I love him.

I haven’t seen the last one with Larry David yet, have you?

CHRISSIE MILLER: Ya I did, it was good but it was a little like Larry David trying to be him, and I would rather it just be Woody Allen.

Ok last question. You seem to have the insider’s connection to The Virgins. Have you heard of any new music coming our way?

CHRISSIE MILLER: Yes they are recording new music at home right now. I used to live with them, and I grew up with Nick.  I love them they’re the best guys ever. They’re really three of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet.

(Chrissie Miller is designer and owner of Sophomore. you can find out more about them at their website www.sophomorenyc.com)