EDITE , THE SHOWROOM OF THE FUTURE AND SISTER COMPANY, L’ATELIER NATIONAL – the secret address of New York’s Most sought after Pattern Maker
Text, Vivian G. Kelly
Images of Brenda Rojas and Pring footwear, Vivian G. Kelly
Images of Verrieres & Sako, Bionda Castana, and unnamed line, courtesy of Edite
After visiting Edite and spending some time with cofounder, Rachel Paletsy, we’ll venture that the Edite style showroom is the way of the future. These days, $ are in short supply, the competition fiercer, and then you’ve got the consumer. She/he is far more sophisticated and wants something special, unique even, for her to get excited enough to invest in a piece. There are “little designers” out there who have wonderful lines that marry art and fashion, resulting in some interesting, wearable fashions.
The problem is its hard for them to be heard in a marketplace in which everyone who’s a player, metaphorically screams for attention by cramming expensive ads in as many high end consumer magazines as the budget allows. This approach is the M.O. of the big global brands: Vuitton, Dior, etc.
COMPANY PROFILE
Rachel Paletsy is a true multi-tasker, explained Edite’s mission while showing us the lines.
“Edite is a showroom, press office. It’s all about designer- artists, meaning fashion as art, honoring the craft – attention to fabrics, aesthetic. We travel/prospect around the world looking for up and comers who could qualify.
EDITE = edit in French, and that’s what we do when we’re finding and help develop the lines we represent.”
Rachel, a former stylist/PR/and Sales do-it all dynamo met the other 1/2 of Edite, Julia Simon, at a shoot. The chance meeting resulted in their brainstorming Edite’s company concept a year ago. Julia had valuable managerial experience, having been the CEO of the luxury French shoe brand, Renee Mancini. These two women wear a variety of hats, and are “specialists” in many areas. These days, companies that can work lean and mean have an edge. Companies like Edite who can devote special attention to carefully handpicked clients will thrive in this new, harsher climate.
CLIENT LIST –WHO QUALIFIES
THE MAIN CRITERIA: you have to be new and cutting edge in your discipline: shoes or jewelry or clothing.
So far, Edite represents:
7 RTW lines
1 organic tee shirt line
1 knitwear line
2 footwear lines
1 jewelry line
Below, we profile Verrieres & Sako, and a line so new it hasn’t been named!
& in accessories: Pring, Bionda Castana – 2 hot footwear companies
EDITORIAL OPPORTUNITIES – A UNIQUE APPROACH
Collaborations and collective & presentations are their preferred mode of showing their designers’ collections, but they’re “open to anything”.
THE FUTURE:
Rachel is thinking of doing something in Bryant Park, in the early planning stages showing most of their designers.
RTW LINES: SO NEW, VERRIERES & SAKO
SO NEW [and unnamed]
This small eveningwear line caught our eye, impossible to ignore the killer couture chiffon dresses in nude and black. What was on the rack made a promising start and we’re looking forward to their next collection. Next time they show, they’ll have a name for their emerging brand.
VERRIERES & SAKO
This popular San Francisco based line drew us in. We were intrigued by the designers’ inspiration for this Holiday collection.
The collection is film noire inspired, specifically Murder by Sweet, & Asphalt Jungle
What popped out at us were the pieces with the designers’ distinctive “ruckling” detail on a long sleeve blouse and on a coat collar. The duo developed their ruffling technique while working together on a design project at FIDM [Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising.]
We also love that they’re dipping into the eco fabulous sector with some easy but elegant bamboo pieces, like the turtleneck overlay knit dress in cream that’s 95% bamboo and 5% Lycra. These elegant pieces are for the well-dressed woman who’s out on the Town, whether at the latest eatery or charity shin dig. By contrast, PAMPLEMOSSES, which we made an appointment to see in their LA showroom, is the perfect thing for a casual day at the office or lounging about your home.
Look for our coverage of our visit to PAMPLEMOSSES LA showroom next week.
2 KILLER FOOTWEAR LINES FASHION INSIDERS LOVE
PRING = irresistible! We kept looking over Rachel’s head at the towering candy apple red platforms with winged ankle strap details, and the brown and tan version. According to Rachel, “Thai born Pring is a character, super eccentric and a former ballet dancer. Her motto is ‘Every one should have ‘happy dancing feet’. Her Mother owns her factories, she keeps her business all in the family.”
Pring’s already on the big players’ radar screen and has an upcoming editorial credit in WWD in the Fall 2008 Ultimate Accessories Line.
PRICING: Retail $200 – 700.
WHERE TO GET IT: www.pringparis.com
www.pringparis.com
BIONDA CASTANA
Here’s your chance to join the ranks of the stylish and famous – Victoria Beckham is a fan and the editorial’s already pouring in for this Milan brand that’s manufactured in London. Although only into its 3rd season, BC is on fire.
There’s an array of 40 fabrics so you can customize the shoe to their store’s demographic.
Retail: $400 – 1,000
WHERE TO GET IT: Wynn Las Vegas and Pink Duchess in CA just picked it up.
biondacastana.com
www.biondacastana.com
L’ATELIER NATIONAL -
The end all of designer pattern making
THE BIG SECRET – A GENIUS PATTERN MAKER,
We wandered over on the other side of the curtain to L’Atelier National, where Brenda Rojas and her sample hand, Benilda aka “Magic Fingers” gave us the scoop on the ins and outs of the pattern making business. Brenda’s an FIT grad who attributes a master Cuban Pattern Maker in the Garment District for teaching her “everything I know”.
Brenda let us in on a dirty secret – designers and students don’t want to make their own, and they often don’t. This shockingly applies to everyone from Golden Thimble award winners to more than a few of the top names in the business.
For this, Brenda’s on just about everyone’s rolodex, which means frantic calls during fashion business who need someone with her skill in flat pattern making and the ability to Doctor a pattern that’s not right – tout de suite!
When she’s not doctoring fashion designer wear, she also works on costumes. Most notably, she made all of the costumes for the Grammy Award winning Regaton Artist, Don Omar. Her 1st billboard was on 46th, featuring Omar’s album cover, dressed in the clothes she’d made the patterns for. [She’s had several billboards since then!]
Edite and L'Atelier National are located at 134 West 29th Street, NYC
For more information about Edite, visit
www.edite.us