July 11, 2007

2007 Highest Number of Applications in CFDA’s 45-Year History. Annual New Members reception to be held July 30.

New York, NY – July 10, 2007 – Today, the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s Board of Directors ratified the addition of 30 new designers to its membership. They are:

• MICHAEL BALL – Rock & Republic
• VICTORIA BARTLETT – VPL
• MONICA BOTKIER – Botkier
• TORY BURCH – Tory Burch
• RICHARD CHAI – Richard Chai
• GEORGINA CHAPMAN and KEREN CRAIG – Marchesa
• WENLAN CHIA – Twinkle
• KEANAN DUFFTY – Slinky Vagabond
• PINA FERLISI – Generra
• JUSTIN GIUNTA – Subversive Jewelry
• HENRY JACOBSON – Henry Jacobson
• PHILLIP LIM – 3.1 Phillip Lim
• ADAM LIPPES – Adampluseve
• ANDREAS MELBOSTAD – Phi
• KATE MULLEAVY and LAURA MULLEAVY – Rodarte
• DAVID NEVILLE and MARCUS WAINWRIGHT – Rag & Bone
• JAMES PERSE – James Perse
• MARY PING – Mary Ping
• LAURA PORETZKY – Abaeté
• JESSIE RANDALL – Loeffler Randall
• LELA ROSE – Lela Rose
• RACHEL ROY – Rachel Roy
• PAUL SINCLAIRE – Tevrow & Chase
• MICHELLE SMITH – Milly by Michelle Smith
• MIMI SO – Mimi So
• MICHAEL SPIRITO – Exhibitionist
• JEAN YU – Jean Yu

Executive Director Steven Kolb said of this year’s new members, “The CFDA is pleased to welcome this extraordinary range of American designers. 2007 boasts the largest group of applicants in the CFDA’s 45-year history and speaks to the quality and talent of American fashion as well as to the current growth of the CFDA as a community.”

On July 30, CFDA President Diane von Furstenberg will host an intimate group of CFDA members, retailers and editors at a reception to welcome the new inductees.

The new members are:

Michael Ball
ROCK & REPUBLIC
Ball launched Rock and Republic in 2002, and in just four short years, has made it one of the most successful luxury denim brands in the world. Today, the premium luxe lifestyle brand is best known for cutting-edge fashion for both women and men, unparalleled, spectacular fashion shows and a strong following of A-list celebrities. The brand is available in over 86 countries and includes denim, sportswear, and a tailored collection of ready-to-wear, handbags, shoes, and eyewear.

Victoria Bartlett
VPL
VPL was founded in 2003 by Bartlett, a well-known stylist and editor. She created VPL in order to form a new niche in the underwear market, where undergarments may serve as outerwear for the everyday uniform. Supportive panels, multi-functional pockets, corrective strapping, and strategic stitching all add to the practicality of VPL. By including these elements, VPL brings attention to the aesthetic form of otherwise utilitarian concepts. VPL’s core color palette consists of nudes, whites and grays with shots of color.

Monica Botkier
BOTKIER
A native New Yorker, Botkier first delved into the fashion industry as a photographer, shooting for magazines such as Seventeen, Nylon, Surface, and Fitness. Botkier found herself longing for a better bag that was roomy, yet chic; hence the functional and wearable, stylish and detailed Botkier “Trigger” bag was born. BOTKIER has since become a successful, global accessories brand. From the supple leathers, rich colors, and custom-crafted hardware, BOTKIER bags establish a personality of their own – clean, classic, and sexy.

Tory Burch
TORY BURCH
TORY BURCH is a lifestyle collection of sportswear and accessories for women, which embodies the personal style and spirit of its founder and creative director, Tory Burch. Perceiving a void in the market for a sophisticated American aesthetic at an accessible price point, Burch created stylish yet wearable clothing and accessories for women of all ages, providing an original look for the style-conscious woman who might be aware of the trends but does not rely on them. In 2005, the Fashion Group International awarded the Rising Star Award to Burch for best new Retail Concept.

Richard Chai
RICHARD CHAI
Chai, a New York native, began his career in fashion with an internship at Geoffrey Beene while still an undergraduate at Parsons School of Design. In 2001, Chai was appointed Creative Design Director for all TSE brands; marking the first time in the company’s history that one person oversaw all brands. Three years later, Chai launched his own collection with a formal runway presentation of his understated and elegantly sophisticated apparel. He was honored with the annual Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation Award in 2005.

Georgina Chapman & Keren Craig
MARCHESA
Womenswear designer Chapman and textile designer Craig established MARCHESA in 2004 with inspiration from muse and namesake Marchesa Luisa Casati. With Casati’s vision of “fashion meets art” in mind, the duo combine Chapman’s expertise in design and draping with Craig’s textile designs to craft a collection with both distinctive and iconic style. MARCHESA was chosen as one of ten finalists for the 2006 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund.

Wenlan Chia
TWINKLE BY WENLAN
The TWINKLE collection was born from Chia’s affinity for knitwear and love of art and prolific images. In less than seven years, TWINKLE has expanded into a world that includes clothing, accessories, fine jewelry, yarn, and home furnishings. Chia launched her business with an array of colorful, exuberant chunky knit sweaters that have become the TWINKLE signature. TWINKLE by Wenlan made its runway debut at the Gen Art Fresh Faces in Fashion Show in 2002. TWINKLE has since shown consistently during New York Fashion Week, receiving well-deserved recognition.

Keanan Duffty
SLINKY VAGABOND
Duffty, an award winning British designer based in New York, launched his menswear collection in 1999. The line is inspired by subversive subcultures and mixes high fashion with youth culture, music, and British iconography. In 2007, Duffty was appointed as design consultant for Ben Sherman tailored clothing. The David Bowie by Keanan Duffty collection for Target will launch at 1,400 stores for Holiday 2007 season. The Keanan Duffty “Rock and Roll World Tour” fragrance and skin care line is projected to launch at Boots for Holiday 2008.

Pina Ferlisi
GENERRA
Ferlisi joined GENERRA as Creative Director in March 2006. Prior to her appointment there, she was a seasoned designer for Theory, GAP, Marc by Marc Jacobs, where she launched the brand in 2000. Ferlisi held her first runway collection for GENERRA in September 2006. A handbag collection will soon join her current collection of effortless, chic clothing and soft shirts.

Justin Giunta
SUBVERSIVE JEWELRY
Treading the art/fashion divide, Giunta makes one-of-a-kind jewelry from found objects and junk-store treasures. Recently the Phillips de Pury gallery in New York displayed his SUBVERSIVE necklaces alongside the work of Andy Warhol and Jackson Pollock. This year Justin received two honors from the CFDA: he was a finalist for the 2006 CFDA / Vogue Fashion Fund and was nominated for the 2007 Swarovski Award for Accessory Design.

Henry Jacobson
HENRY JACOBSON, LLC
Jacobson launched a line of neckties in and quickly built Mulberry Neckwear into the nation’s second largest tie company. In 2001, Jacobson started a separate company under his name and began to create ties and dress shirts. He gears his collection of vibrant, classic, woven ties towards modern men with classic sensibilities. The ties are made of 100% custom dyed silk threads, meticulously woven into superior quality yarn dyed fabrics and versatile enough to go with many different pieces in a man’s wardrobe.

Phillip Lim
3.1 PHILLIP LIM
Phillip Lim founded his eponymous collection in 2005 after stints at Katayone Adeli and Development. The line is now available in more than 250 boutiques and department stores nationwide and represented in 26 countries worldwide. Lim’s collections feature individual looks that are unexpected, unplanned, but completely relevant. He was selected as a Finalist for the 2006 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund and won the 2007 Swarovski Award for Womenswear.

Adam Lippes
ADAMPLUSEVE
Beginning his design career at Polo Ralph Lauren and Oscar de la Renta served as catalysts of success for Adam Lippes. In 2004, he launched ADAMPLUSEVE. The super soft and refined line of “perfect” basics for men and women would become the foundation of an advanced contemporary sportswear collection. This year, Lippes will ship nine complete collections for women, five for men, and will have over 150 wholesale accounts worldwide. In addition, he currently operates an online boutique and will open his first freestanding store in New York this Fall.

Andreas Melbostad
PHI
Melbostad honed his skills designing at several fashion houses including Calvin Klein, Nina Ricci, Yves Saint Laurent, Guy Laroche, and Nicole Farhi, before ultimately serving as Design Director for the Donna Karan Women’s Collection. In 2003, PHI appointed him as Creative Director. His collection for PHI Fall/Winter 2007 can be summed up as biker rock woman chic, incorporating knits, heavy textures, and a short silhouette – all accented by leather accessories or outerwear.

Kate and Laura Mulleavy
RODARTE
After majoring in English Literature and Art History at Berkeley, the Mulleavy sisters began their design careers after taking an inspiring costume design course. With no prior experience or design education, they designed their first collection of ten pieces for the Fall, 2004, came to New York with no appointments, and landed the cover of Women’s Wear Daily. Since the launch of their business just three years ago, the Mulleavys and were runners-up for the CFDA / Vogue Fashion Fund in 2006 and have been twice nominated for the Swarovski Award for Womenswear.

David Neville and Marcus Wainwright
RAG & BONE
David Neville and Marcus Wainwright launched RAG & BONE in 2001 to address their shared frustration at not being able to find the type of clothing that they wanted to wear. Neville and Wainwright were initially drawn to denim and jeans, believing that they represent history, authenticity, and fundamentals. The duo fused these elements to produce collections that reflect the same qualities as classic work wear. Their manufacturing is based entirely in the U.S. RAG & BONE was selected as a finalist for the 2006 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund and won the 2007 Swarovski Award for Menswear.

James Perse
JAMES PERSE
In 1996, Perse refined and perfected the shape and softness of women’s knits with his eponymous womenswear line. Perse eventually added men’s, children’s, and a home collection, all of it reflecting the design, architecture, and casual warmth of his Southern California lifestyle. With the opening of his Melrose stores, he was able to fulfill his dream of creating an experience that would capture his design sensibility and share his passions for both clothing and architecture. Perse plans to open more retail stores on the east and west coast, as well as a boutique hotel.

Mary Ping
MARY PING
Born in Queens, Ping studied visual art and designed costumes for her campus theatre productions at Vassar College. Upon graduation, she went to London to work with couturier Robert Cary-Williams and then interned at Anna Sui before launching her own womenswear line in 2001. She is the recipient of the Ecco Domani Liquid Style Award for new designers, and the 7th on Sixth / UPS Presents Fashion’s Future Award, which allowed the designer to show her Spring 2006 collection during New York Fashion Week.

Laura Poretzky
ABAETÉ
Poretzky began ABAETÉ in 2004 with a small but well-received womenswear and accessories collection, which debuted in stores like Kirna Zabete and Linda Dresner. The first ABAETÉ for Payless Collection hit the runway during Fall 2006 Fashion Week. While garnering much attention from major fashion publications, the label has also experienced extremely high sales figures, prompting a continuation and expansion of the collection.

Jessie Randall
LOEFFLER RANDALL
After attending FIT, Jessie immediately got a job assisting Katayone Adeli, where she learned a strong, modern sensibility. She honed her business and technical skills at the GAP, where she began to focus on accessory design. She won the Swarovski Award for Accessory Design in 2007. Her accessories are sold in several department stores and boutiques in the U.S. and abroad.

Lela Rose
LELA ROSE
Rose’s formal design education began at Parsons School of Design, but her stint as Christian Francis Roth’s assistant strengthened her knowledge of the design business and prepared her for a career in fashion. In 1996, her vision and passion compelled her to create her signature womenswear collection. Through intricately designed and finely detailed separates, dresses and jackets, Rose has established herself as a renowned designer who creates beautiful, hand-finished clothes that exude casual luxury and refinement.

Rachel Roy
RACHEL ROY
A born and bred Californian, Roy quickly gained recognition in fashion’s inner circles for her keen sense of chic as a stylist for magazines and music videos. After as a stint as Creative Director for the Women and Children’s divisions of Rocawear, in 2005, she launched her eponymous collection, featuring elegant and demure designs for the modern, urban working woman.

Paul Sinclaire
TEVROW+CHASE
After holding several positions at Club Monaco and Bloomingdales, as well as creative positions at magazines such as American Vogue, L’Uomo Vogue and House & Garden, Sinclaire launched his women’s sportswear line, in 2003. Chic shapes, deluxe fabrics, and polished details are the line’s trademarks. It is Paul’s philosophy to reinterpret the classics, and juxtapose traditional American sportswear and couture to make his customer look chic and cool at the same time.

Michelle Smith
MILLY BY MICHELLE SMITH
Before launching MILLY in 2000, Smith interned at several French companies including Hermès Paris, Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, and Torrente to help pay for her design education at ESMOD. She returned to New York in 1996 to pursue her dream of creating her own line, which launched at Coterie. Smith designs 12 monthly ready-to-wear collections a year, and has successfully launched a resort collection, MILLY CABANA, for which she designs five monthly collections a year. She intends to launch her first freestanding store in the coming year.

Mimi So
MIMI SO INTERNATIONAL
From the world’s most brilliant diamonds, to some of the most skilled craftsmen in the industry, So sets a high standard for her jewelry. All of her pieces are hand-made, and she personally oversees the quality of every collection through production in her New York City studios and workshop. In recent years, So has consulted for both Montblanc and Cartier. In May 2007, she bought back the minority stake that Richemont had invested in her company in 2002.

Michael Spirito
EXHIBITIONIST
Spirito titled his jewelry line “EXHIBITIONIST” to indicate that his pieces bring out the “show-off” in us all. Determined to break out from the constraints of traditional jewelry design, Spirito began exploring forms, shapes, and symbols that would fit into his lifestyle. In 2002, he was awarded the Gen Art International Design Vision Award for Accessories, and in 2003 he was a finalist at the FGI Rising Star Awards.

Jean Yu
JEAN YU DESIGN STUDIO
Yu’s collections have a distinctly feminine appeal, combining fluid fabrics with meticulous architectural seams. Her collections include flowing dresses and lingerie of silk chiffon, charmeuse, and georgette, with a basic black, white, and nude palette. To compliment her body-skimming dresses, she offers lingerie without lace, wires, or padding. Yu received worldwide attention when Gwen Stefani wore one of her dresses on the April 2004 cover of Vogue. Jean was a Finalist for the 2005 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund.

Prospective CFDA members must contact the CFDA to request admissions materials. Eligible candidates may be American citizens designing in the United States or abroad or foreign nationals with businesses based in the United States. The application for membership includes a resume, a portfolio, and other materials that represent the candidate’s work to date, and two letters of recommendation from active CFDA members in the same area of design. The Admissions Committee who then recommends selected candidates for membership to the Board of Directors, which must ratify each candidate, reviews all submissions.

On Monday, July 30, the CFDA Board of Directors and CFDA President Diane von Furstenberg will host an invitation-only party for the new members at Ms. von Furstenberg’s studio.

The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Inc. is a not-for-profit trade association whose membership consists of American’s foremost fashion and accessory designers. The CFDA Foundation, Inc. is a separate, not-for-profit company organized to raise funds for charity and industry activities.

Press contact:
Bonnie Morrison
KCD
(212) 590-5113 (t)
(212) 590-5101 (f)
Morrison@kcdworldwide.com