#openninefive

Open Nine Five FW’16

Take Your Time 

I have designed five full collections and have released two for sale. My latest collection, “Take Your Time,” will be my third consecutive release. I have learned along the way that I can’t make everything that I want to, and that I can’t run a business if I produce everything I design.

I started designing this collection while in Beirut last fall. I stayed in Beirut and then Dubai for over two months. My experiences in these places—particularly the clothes I made and the older buildings and styles I was able to see in Beirut—greatly influenced the ideas behind my designs. While designing clothes in Beirut I picked more pastel fabrics like pistachio and pink, which was really different for me as I am most comfortable with black. When I came back to LA I slowed things down, focused, made great pieces, simplified my collection, tried some new things out but without packing it all into one season.

As for the pieces themselves, I wanted to create fits that were sharp and calm. There’s a dress shirt I call the Sophia that is made with light blue Irish linen. It has a sham collar, and the buttons, instead of going straight down, are all hidden going down the chest and start curving toward the bottom left. I also had a go at a traditional biker jacket and removed all of the staples. It’s made with the perfect pink calfskin suede, and when it’s zipped up, it has a Sham collar. There’s a two-piece overcoat that can be worn separately: the top piece is made with dark purple wool, and the second layer is made out of soft charcoal nylon from Japan. I made a camel-colored velvet-corduroy sham pant, which has parabolic seams. I am continuing the Sham oxfords, now with hidden top buttons. Lastly, to round out the collection, I made the triple wool blazer. This has holes behind the front pockets, which allow you to hold your scarf through them, and they can be worn over our new hoodies with a heightened neckline to ensure you’re warm.