Meet the designer: Katie Gallagher

Interview & Photography by Victoria Brandt, Model Kai Cameron

How did you first get into designing clothing? 

It happened very organically (for lack of a better word), really. I loved thrifting and antique shopping as a teenager. I would spend all my time either drawing (not clothes though) or altering the vintage pieces I would buy. Once, I started school at RISD--with the intentions of studying painting--I decided to study apparel design instead. I didn't believe I would ever be able to live as a "painter" or "artist" and I still think I may have been pretty on point with that logic. 

“Black looks good on everyone.”

I'm still painting and drawing and if I wasn't designing clothes and creating collections, I'd probably be making clothes and painting and drawing:)

Where do you get your inspiration from?

It varies from season to season. I'm a color synesthete and begin every season with paintings and drawings, mostly to better understand the colors and overall feeling I'm imagining for the season. With this in mind, I decided to make it all about just that. The color and/ or lack there of...the idea of seeing something and it's color just before it fades away. Something like dew, or smoke, or a memory. To disappear. 

Why all black, do you think black suits your designs best, or?

Every collection has a different color scheme, but we always use black as an accent color. Black looks good on everyone.

Do you think you will ever do a color collection? 

I've done several. My most colorful collection to date was Arena, SS11. Red, Red Blood, SS12 was also very...red.

Where do you want the brand to go? 

I would love to create more of home for my collections in the US, sales wise. After all, it is a New York brand in full. I design and produce in NYC. I also still make most of the samples myself in my Chinatown apartment. 

http://www.katiegallagher.com

Meet the designer: DEGEN

Photography & interview by Victoria Brandt, Model Kai Cameron

How did you first get into designing clothing?

I learned to knit when I was very young but I think my mom making all of my Halloween costumes growing up was a huge inspiration.  I had a little fashion show in high school and continued making some clothing pieces during college.  I didn't really make wearable garments until 2008 when I made some finale pieces for the VPL show.

Where do you get your inspiration from?  

I'm inspired by my friends and their work.  We are all making different things in a lot of different mediums.  We all influence each other.

"I have always been an advocate for being comfortable with your own body."

Does the knit aspect tend to inform the rest of the collection or vice versa? 

Up until this coming ss15 season I'd say my collection was 90% knitted.  The other aspects of the collection were added afterwards to help add balance to the work.  I really only think about the knitting when I first begin a season, then I add those other printed elements.

Your collection is very playful, what helps you keep this playfulness?

I think making everything myself is the key to keeping the fun within the collection.  Because I have to make everything I want the making to be fun.  That means working with a lot of colors and textures to keep myself excited.  I think you can see the fun I have making the work in the final product.

We loved the boobless rainbow top, is this an embrace of sexuality in the #freethenipple way? 

I have always been an advocate for being comfortable with your own body.  I think the #freetheKNITple movement comes from a similar place although I would say that both women AND men should be more comfortable.  So I guess its less of a feminist statement and more of a universal sexuality statement.

Where do you want the brand to go? 

I would like to be able to continue making art while also expanding the wearable section of the brand.  I want to see DEGEN in more upper tier stores.

http://degen-nyc.com