{"id":34303,"date":"2021-09-10T13:17:01","date_gmt":"2021-09-10T13:17:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?post_type=articles&p=34303"},"modified":"2021-09-10T14:25:19","modified_gmt":"2021-09-10T14:25:19","slug":"showing-their-colors-laquan-smith","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/showing-their-colors-laquan-smith\/","title":{"rendered":"Showing their Colors: LaQuan Smith"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"LaQuan
Symone Lu wearing LaQuan Smith corset top, $425, skirt, $895, revolve.com; Gianvitorossi pumps, shop similar at gianvitorossi.com.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

BY\u00a0TAYLOR HARRIS\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>
<\/span>PHOTOGRAPHER\u00a0MENELIK PURYEAR<\/strong><\/span><\/span>
\n<\/span><\/strong><\/span>HAIR MARK ALAN\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>
\n<\/strong>MAKEUP WALTER OBAL<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The shows will go on.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s the decree of the IMG Alliance, an initiative banding together 11 American designers in a collective pledge to show at New York Fashion Week<\/a> for the next three seasons. \u201cWe\u2019re rebuilding the bedrock of New York Fashion Week,\u201d Noah Kozlowski,\u00a0director of\u00a0designer\u00a0relations for IMG,\u00a0tells\u00a0<\/span>Grazia\u00a0USA<\/span><\/i>. \u201cIn partnering with these designers through 2022, we\u2019re safely demonstrating the resilience and artistry of American fashion on a global stage.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In exchange for their commitment, each of the participating designers will receive funding from IMG to help finance their shows. \u201cThe designers who are showing here are, for the most part, independent and don\u2019t have the scale and level of support that some of their counterparts in Europe have,\u201d Kozlowski continued. \u201cSo, this initiative came about very organically, out of countless conversations we\u2019ve been having with designers over the past several months.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pre-pandemic,\u00a0there were countless\u00a0conversations\u00a0of a different nature:\u00a0regarding\u00a0the relevance and ROI of the shows,\u00a0the breakneck pace of the fashion calendar, the implications\u2014environmental and otherwise\u2014of a six-collections-per-year output, the sheer volume of\u00a0<\/span>stuff\u00a0<\/span><\/i>created in the name of newness. Then,\u00a0the\u00a0pandemic\u00a0hit\u00a0and an industry\u00a0often\u00a0pushed into\u00a0hyperspeed\u00a0was stopped dead in its tracks.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nearly two years\u00a0later,\u00a0we\u2019re picking up speed but\u00a0how it resumes\u00a0in earnest\u00a0remains to be seen.\u00a0For insight, we spoke with those who have their eyes on the horizon:\u00a0six designers taking part in fashion\u2019s great Reconstruction.<\/span><\/p>\n

Grazia\u00a0USA:<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span>Your\u00a0showing at the Empire State Building\u00a0was one of the highlights of NYFW. Tell me a little bit about that decision.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u202f<\/span>LAQUAN: As a native New Yorker, it\u2019s always been a dream of mine to show at a\u00a0historic New York landmark. The Empire State Building is so inspiring to me. When you enter the lobby, you are met with incredible\u00a0Art\u00a0Deco design,\u00a0from the tiling on the floor to the elevator doors to the\u00a0moldings. It heavily inspired the direction of this collection. It\u2019s a celebration of New York and New York\u00a0fashion.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u202f<\/span>GG<\/span>:\u00a0<\/span>Tell me about the mechanics of putting together a collection in a pandemic<\/span>\u2014<\/span>not just in terms of developing SS22<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0but you can speak more broadly, to the past couple of collections. Did the design studio meet over Zoom for\u00a0a period of time? What was it like\u00a0sourcing<\/span>\/<\/span>working with overseas vendors?\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u202f<\/span>LAQUAN: I\u2019m very lucky that\u00a0all of\u00a0my manufacturing is based in New York,\u00a0so when other brands couldn\u2019t maintain production my team and I were still cranking out orders. The first few months of the pandemic were\u00a0definitely a\u00a0learning curve for us,\u00a0with our team working from home and communicating over Zoom. It\u2019s difficult. This is a\u00a0very hands-on industry and I like to work very closely with my team, working side by side with them and ensuring every piece is made exactly how I would like it to be.\u00a0That being said,\u00a0the\u00a0health and safety of my team has always been my top priority and\u00a0luckily,\u00a0we were able to make it work.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

GG<\/span>:\u00a0<\/span>How did solitude affect your design process?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u202f<\/span>LAQUAN: Initially when the pandemic hit,\u00a0I found it hard to get into a creative state. I\u2019m very\u00a0visual\u00a0and I find myself most inspired when I\u2019m out in New York City,\u00a0so being in isolation was\u00a0definitely an\u00a0obstacle.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"LaQuan
LaQuan Smith corset top, $425, skirt, $895, revolve.com.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u202f<\/span>GG<\/span>:\u00a0<\/span>You haven\u2019t shown on a runway in a few seasons. Why did now feel like the right time to do a show?\u202f\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

LAQUAN: Once the pandemic hit, I knew I wanted SS22 to be the next live runway collection. I would consider myself somewhat of a perfectionist and I knew I wanted the show to have the same energy and impact that my shows in the past have had. The only way of ensuring that was to wait until I could have a live audience again and a full model cast.\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u202f<\/span>GG<\/span>:\u00a0<\/span>Why do you think live, in-person shows are so important? What is it about that experience that can\u2019t translate to Instagram or livestream?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u202f<\/span>LAQUAN: In-person shows are so important because a lot more goes into the collection than just the garments themselves. I like to think of the entire experience. From when you step foot in the space, I like to create a tone or mood.\u00a0And\u00a0I use so many different fabrics in my collections with textures and details, seeing them in a flat image is no comparison to seeing them live in person.\u202f<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

GG:<\/span>\u00a0Early on in lockdown, when we all really couldn\u2019t leave our homes, most of us reached for sweatpants and slippers. What was the\u00a0comfort\u00a0item\u00a0you\u00a0found yourself reaching for again and again?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u202f<\/span><\/b>LAQUAN: I purchased so many pairs of designer\u00a0slides\u00a0it was getting out of hand.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/b>Slides through the pandemic were my go-to shoe between the design studio, the factory, the grocery store,\u00a0and the bodega. I was living my entire life in slides.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u202f<\/span><\/b>GG<\/span>:\u00a0What are you wearing right now?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u202f<\/span>LAQUAN: A\u00a0LaQuan\u00a0Smith\u00a0T-shirt, Prada shorts,\u00a0and slides, of course.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30655,"featured_media":34306,"template":"","format":"standard","categories":[17,16],"yoast_head":"\nShowing their Colors: LaQuan Smith - Grazia USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/showing-their-colors-laquan-smith\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Showing their Colors: LaQuan Smith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"BY\u00a0TAYLOR HARRIS\u00a0\u00a0PHOTOGRAPHER\u00a0MENELIK PURYEAR HAIR MARK ALAN\u00a0 MAKEUP WALTER OBAL\u00a0 The shows will go on.\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s the decree of the IMG Alliance, an initiative banding together 11 American designers in a collective pledge to show at New York Fashion Week for the next three seasons. \u201cWe\u2019re rebuilding the bedrock of New York Fashion Week,\u201d Noah Kozlowski,\u00a0director...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/showing-their-colors-laquan-smith\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Grazia USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-09-10T14:25:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2021\/09\/LaQuanSmith_feat.jpg?fit=1280%2C720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/showing-their-colors-laquan-smith\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/showing-their-colors-laquan-smith\/\",\"name\":\"Showing their Colors: LaQuan Smith - 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