During the party last week, I had the chance to ask him a few questions:
K:Tell my readers about your past experience:
P: I studied fashion at Parsons for 4 years. I then went to work at Qi where I also designed a collection called Victim Of Circumstance, which became a victim of the bad economy. But it was the best experience I could have asked for – I learned so much designing that line. I've worked freelance for a lot of designers over the years and I realized working with good people was bigger for me than what I was designing, and I realized I would find fulfillment designing what I love under my own brand – which is luxurious leather goods.
K:What made you decide to start your own collection?
P: I always knew I would eventually create my own collection, it was really a matter of how and when. After I made the first standard flat – people loved it. Random people would come up to me and ask about it. Even guys not into fashion would say “I love that bag, I couldn’t wear that, but I love it”. So I started thinking, maybe this is a smooth way to introduce myself to the industry – and the clutch was having such a moment in fashion that I decided to go with it. I also felt confident in a small launch with room for growth and potential – I really believe in doing things in their right time.
K:What was the inspiration behind the debut collection?
P: The biggest inspirations behind the debut collection are my own needs/wants and reaction, I say this because I originally made the bag for myself, and people started asking about it and responding to it. A cool, discreet luxury is always an underlying theme in my design. The inspiration for the colors are really a story of sunset and midnight sky hues, and pastel candy colors, so you get a deep orange, hot pink, midnight blue and classic black. But on top of those options you get statement colors like bubble gum and powder blue. I wanted to use unexpected colors for fall. Other things that inspire me are color, texture, and and the contrast of utility vs. luxury.
K:What advice would you give to people our age who are looking to start their own business?
P: It’s all about being comfortable in your pursuit – if you feel you need more experience –learn first. Most important for me was trusting my intuition, like I said before, this felt like the right thing at the right time. I would also say listen to the suggestions of others, but do what you want. I had plenty of people telling me their ideas and what they wanted to see, but ultimately I stuck to my initial feeling that I had something great with the ‘standard flat’. If you’re starting in fashion – I think smaller is better, things will grow naturally.
I can't get enough of the attention to detail Phillip put into this collection, down to the dust bag:
Looking for an investment leather piece is a challenge at times, especially with brands claiming goods are 100% leather when there is just a small percentage. Phillip's clutches due to their sleek but simplistic design solves the problem. I can't wait to see what colors the clutches will be shown for Spring 13.
Phillip, I am very proud of you!
To purchase your own clutch head over to: http://www.shop.phillipnoel.us/
xo
Kosi