Posts Tagged ‘nyc’
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)
Interview With Gary Graham
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Designer Gary Graham’s Spring 2010 collection was one of the shining examples during New York Fashion Week this past September. With the “Fashion’s Night Out” event starting off the week, the question of how the economy would effect fashion loomed over almost every show, Graham being one of the exceptions. The CFDA/Vogue ‘09 Fashion Fund finalist put out a collection that was aggressive but not over the top. There was the evidence of tradition with looks that clearly narrated a time and place from America’s history, but there was also that transformation into something modern and attractive that kept me interested. The collection worked because of a designer’s strong vision and concept. I’ve always been so interested as to how a designer at this level works. They live in a middle ground that other creative professionals don’t have to necessarily stay at. A designer has to be part historian and part psychic at the same time. To be honest to your inspiration, present a product that is culturally relevant, and to be an expert craftsman, all in an ever changing environment is nothing short of amazing and something that honestly fascinates me. This is why I was so glad that Gary Graham agreed to be part of our ongoing Artist Interview Series. I found Graham’s commentary on fashion to be so insightful that anyone can at some level find some inspiration. It’s always great to meet someone who you know could make something interesting whether they have a budget of 5 dollars or 5,000 dollars. With all the economic worry that surrounds the creative industry right now, it’s artists like Gary Graham who show that one’s vision and concept rises above it all.
Hello, Every fashion review always uses the term “(insert designer’s name)’s woman is…” So what is the Gary Graham woman like?
She has a casual approach to glamour and definitely likes to mix disparate styles together. She has a history of Goth and punk but sort of keeps it on the back burner and expresses it in a more rustic sort of way.
How has your idea of that woman changed over the years?
I once did a show where I divided the collection into three women: a scientist, a farmer living off the land, and an isolated society lady. I think I always sort of mix these three together but now its become more precise and refined and not so aggressive.
With your Spring 2010 RTW collection, there seemed to be a big influence from silent films with a sort of Lillian Gish type of muse. What were some of the inspirations behind this collection?
Kenneth Anger’s Hollywood Babylon was a huge influence on me as a kid. Our library had a copy of the sequel, which had the photos of the Black Dahlia that I would stare at. There are some stills, which I referenced for this collection, of Anger appearing with Lillian Gish in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I wanted to think about women from two generations coming together, one at the end of her life and one just starting out.
I also found this photo of Imogene Coco after a performance with her head down. Her posture was so different from how I remembered her on television shows, where she always seemed so up and crazy. It was the downtime of Imogene that I was trying to capture.
What would you say is your approach to fashion?
There is a transformation that happens with Tallulah Bankhead’s character in Life Boat, not just in her wardrobe but within her, when she uses her diamond bracelet as fishing lure. It’s a moment of letting go. I think that was a big influence on me—seeing glamour torn apart or worn, either by weather or life circumstances.
I sometimes look at the creation process as making problems and then finding the answers through the work you create. What are some problems in fashion you like to answer with your collection?
I often work from narratives or scenarios. For next fall I am working on constructing a Masonic order of women in Pennsylvania who controlled all the building of the roads. I am also thinking about the story of the Fox sisters, who were famous 19th-century mediums. So the problem is connecting them all with research. The research has me thinking about the history of librarians and how their roles have changed in the digital age. I’ve been talking to librarians and getting their views on the way information is being accessed and the Dewey Decimal System, so this will create ideas and new problems. For example, this might raise the question what do the librarians and the masons have to do with each other? Were they enemies or did they work together? Also, if the women masons of Pennsylvania controlled the roads, how did the politics between the men and the women play out? I can imagine women masons stitching the roadways into their quilts and then somehow they would materialize, like sorcery.
When was it that you felt like you understood fashion, that it was what you wanted to do?
I think in high school I figured out the transformative power clothing can have, especially in relation to the physical and emotional changes one goes through in those years. I feel like I’m only really getting it now, in terms of the big picture. Which really just goes back to that DEVO song, We’re Through Being Cool.
I was doing some performance type work in college and realized there was a discipline to fashion that I loved. The reality of selling things I made was also attractive. I was excited by the idea of creating a garment and it then being worn in the “real world” – the theater that happens out on the street at 2 a.m. in the pouring rain.
How did you get your start in the business?
I started in a basement on West Broadway and sold out of a store called Shack. It was owned by J. Morgan Puett, who is now just working on her artwork but she was a big influence on me in terms of fabric manipulation and garment dyeing.
You just opened your flagship store in Tribeca, how’s the response been so far?
It has been very interesting. We do not advertise so it’s all by word of mouth, neighborhood men and women, we just started a few men’s pieces, and customers that buy our clothes in other cities, and from our boutique inside ABC Carpet and Home. For me it’s really like having guerilla research. You get direct feedback and it’s all very exciting. We are planning many events in the new space, everything from dance performances to film. I am currently working with my friend Liz Collins on a sock monkey terror film that will coincide with her sock monkey sweaters. On the business side, the response has been great.
The economy has been a big topic in fashion lately and I felt some of the recent collections at New York Fashion Week seemed to reflect that with a more consumer, commercial friendly apparel. As a designer how much do economic factors go into your thought process when designing a collection?
There are different economic factors. One is the overall health of a company in terms of cash flow and then the details of margins, profit, and volume. They all affect budgets, which then allow or constrain the amount of money you get to spend on development. So this could come down to being able or not being able to buy a certain lace or beading or leather. It does not ever effect my initial inspiration or concept, which is ultimately free. No one is going to say I cannot be inspired by a Masonic woman who was a witch in Pennsylvania in 1840 but we can say as a company that maybe the apron I designed that was inspired by her with intricate lace work on it is not going to retail for under 1200 and therefore we are not going to sell very many and maybe you should think of something else in addition to this item. That’s sort of how it works. The trick is not letting the two extremes; the sellable pieces and the collection pieces cancel each other out into a void.
There have been many complaints that fashion weeks are becoming too much about entertainment instead of design. How do you feel about the current state of fashion?
Fashion along with everything else is moving so fast that its inevitable there will be a new medium that comes out of all of this. I think DIY fashion is going to take the place of so much. It would be great if home ec became relevant in a new way, reconnecting us to the physical act of making things. I think what Alice Waters is doing with slow food could be done with fashion, if only in terms of making a connection between human labor and the end product, or at the very least an appreciation of quality.
(Gary Graham is a fashion designer from NYC. You can learn more about Graham at his website www.garygrahamnyc.com)
