The other week I popped over to independent designer Jenny Lai's apartment-cum-atelier to talk about her line, NOT, and play dress up. Armed with a duffle bag of some of my ensembular essentials, we excitedly devised ways to take the line, which is solely "women's wear," and see how I could make the pieces my own. We ate 饺子 (dumplings) while listening to Macklemore and xxyyxx and chatted about what it's like to develop and manage a brand, why fashion week isn't relevant anymore, and where the hell is Rihanna when you need her? FIRST LOOK: Oak t-shirt with NOT skirt (looks like pants sorta, no?) and vintage Stacy Adams patent brogues.
LOOK 2: Wearing a twisted seam shirt of two fabrics with contrast piping and an uneven hem worn over another tee with my black skinnies.
Lai has an apparel degree from RISD, though she grew up studying music and has a diverse fine arts background. She interned for houses in London and Amsterdam and even designed jewelry in Rwanda before launching NOT right after school. "It was really important to me to experience the industry from a lot of different viewpoints, not just from the high-fashion side," she tells me. "I didn't feel daunted by the idea of starting my own business...I'm not learning on anybody else's dollar, but I still feel this is my route."
LOOK 3: Collared shirt with "backpack strap" shoulder padding and the sheer side pant.
Production and manufacturing for NOT is entirely based in NYC, and all fabrics are sourced here as well. "It's important to work with a very stable set of people that start to understand how you like your clothing produced," says Lai. "A lot of my clothing is produced in an untraditional way, and it takes time to teach someone how to do that." The techniques are also developed in the city, such as the laser cutting used for her Spring collection. "I would encourage anybody and everybody to understand a little bit better the process behind creating clothes."
LOOK 4: Pink lasercut spandex top and skirt handwoven with flower print tulle strips over my
Commes des Garçons SHIRT shirt.
LOOK 5 (top): One of my favorite pieces, the sheet dress, worn over jeans and a t-shirt with a custom NOT headpiece; LOOK 6 (bottom): Quilted vest and paneled shorts.
LOOK 7: NOT skirt worn with one of my kimonos (yes, I have two) and NOT shoes (on my hands).
LOOK 8: Lace-trimmed jumpsuit with lace cutouts.
Commes des Garçons SHIRT shirt.
Lai describes a busy work schedule that requires a precarious balancing act: concepting next season's collection while monitoring the current season's production while maintaining a strong PR presence and trying to attend educational lectures and talks.
"I begin by writing a lot and experimenting with tactile stuff, not necessarily fabric," she says. "I’m always very present when I’m designing the collection. It’s a very personal thing that I’m hoping people will respond to."
"I begin by writing a lot and experimenting with tactile stuff, not necessarily fabric," she says. "I’m always very present when I’m designing the collection. It’s a very personal thing that I’m hoping people will respond to."
LOOK 5 (top): One of my favorite pieces, the sheet dress, worn over jeans and a t-shirt with a custom NOT headpiece; LOOK 6 (bottom): Quilted vest and paneled shorts.
“I’m creating for a woman who’s very creative and versatile...like a million people in one," says Lai. "Every collection is a new language or a new part of my personality." Well I am no one if not a million women in one, so...
We get to discussing the pressures the fashion industry puts on young designers. “The danger of following the seasons is that they come and go so fast, you don’t have time to question what you’re doing and why,” laments Lai. “Some of the big brands are coming out with 12 collections a year, which I guess is what people think they want from a brand.”
For young designers preoccupied with longevity and versatility, it can be difficult to find a foothold in the marketplace. “I don’t understand why something I created last season doesn’t have value now," notes Lai. "For me, it’s just as relevant…I’m trying to create pieces that will always be relevant. It’s really timeless in the sense that it can always be reinvented.”
We get to discussing the pressures the fashion industry puts on young designers. “The danger of following the seasons is that they come and go so fast, you don’t have time to question what you’re doing and why,” laments Lai. “Some of the big brands are coming out with 12 collections a year, which I guess is what people think they want from a brand.”
For young designers preoccupied with longevity and versatility, it can be difficult to find a foothold in the marketplace. “I don’t understand why something I created last season doesn’t have value now," notes Lai. "For me, it’s just as relevant…I’m trying to create pieces that will always be relevant. It’s really timeless in the sense that it can always be reinvented.”
I really feel like the collection has commercial viability—Lai just needs to get one of her designs on Rihanna! "I've thought about that a lot," admits Lai, and I point out the potential in her floral lace-lensed sunnies (Look 4). If not Rihanna, Katy Perry! I'm pretty sure I am Katy Perry in that outfit.
“What I strive for in continuing to design is that I want to be excited about what I’m doing or else I don’t need to do it…it’s really hard for me to make something that I don’t care about.”
Thank you so much, Jenny, for taking the time to share your brand with me! For more NOT by Jenny Lai, visit the brand's Tumblr, Twitter and/or Facebook fan page. You can shop some of the pieces here.
Thank you so much, Jenny, for taking the time to share your brand with me! For more NOT by Jenny Lai, visit the brand's Tumblr, Twitter and/or Facebook fan page. You can shop some of the pieces here.
Like this post? Check out my features on Giles & Brother, In God We Trust, Andy Lifschutz and Ale et Ange.
