1000 Ideas by 100 Fashion Designers

Samantha Pleet 239

074

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New York designer

Samantha Pleet

debuted her namesake

collection for the

F/W 06/07 season,

intertwining elements

of the dark, mysterious,

and fantastical with

a distinct sense of

modernity. Her

signature rompers,

jackets, and chic day

dresses are now best

sellers at boutiques

across the US and

abroad, and she has

developed a specialty

in dressing indie bands

such as Au Revoir

Simone, Chairlift, The

Pains of Being Pure

at Heart, and Apache

Beat. Since October

2008, she has designed

an exclusive collection

called “Rapscallion,”

which led to curating

an Urban Out tters

pop-up store in Los

Angeles in November

2008. She received a

2009 Ecco Domani

sustainability design

award for her work on

the premiere collection

of Bodkin. The 27-year-

old Philadelphia native

also paints, acts, makes

 lms, and plans to start

a band if she ever has

the time.

Samantha Pleet

www.samanthapleet.com

© Jacqueline Di Milia

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© Tom Hines

© AXVI

© Tom Hines

731 INSPIRATION. I work very

organically. My themes continue to develop

all the way up until the last day before the

show. It isn’t until I have all the pieces that

I really know what I was thinking.

732 W

ORKPLACE. I share a loft space

in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with four

friends: Tara of Covet, Susan of Dirty

Librarian Chains, Eviana of Bodkin, and

the photographer Jacqueline Di Milia. It’s

great sharing a space with these talented

ladies because we all exchange ideas. In my

office I surround myself with inspirational

images, books, trinkets from my travels,

and necessary design tools.

733 C

OLORS. I use color the same way I

would typically use black in a collection.

I want it to still feel “dark,” even if it is a

light color.

734 T

RADITIONAL MANUFACTURING VS.

EXPERIMENTATION. I love reinventing

traditional clothing, like using details

from nineteenth-century menswear,

 annel shirts, and 80s rompers but

combining them to make something new.

I read history books and look through

old periodicals and  lms for inspirational

ideas from a long lost time or place. But

I also think about what people want

to be wearing now in their day-to-day

lives, morning until evening, hot or cold.

“Rapscallion,” the line I design exclusive

to Urban Out tters, is a collection of very

classic Samantha Pleet pieces. Each style is

completely new; it really encompasses my

ideals while being very wearable and sexy.

735

M

ATERIALS. The fabrics I favor are natural,

vintage, recycled, and organic. I use them

for their high quality and because they

are sustainable. I also produce everything

in New York City. It’s important to me to

support the local economy.

240 1,000 Ideas by 100 Fashion Designers

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Samantha Pleet 241

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© Tom Hines

736 INDIVIDUALITY VS. GROUP BELONGING.

I design for the individual. People can

wear my clothes in many different ways.

There are so many in uences in our society

from so many different places, people, and

times. It seems that people change their

styles everyday and I want my clothes to

be classic enough to work with them.

737 S

TYLE. My style is full of wonder

and curiosity. I try to express this in each

collection. Sometimes I will reinvent

myself for a new season but the underlying

in uences are still there. My favorite  lms

are watched over and over again from a

different perspective, and then if I  nd

something new and exciting I introduce it

into the next season. I like addition more

than subtraction.

738 A

DVICE. Don’t try to make too

many things. It is more important to pay

attention to detail and do a few things

perfectly. It’s quality not quantity.

739 S

ALES. The key is to make

silhouettes that may not be available

everywhere, but that are what people are

seeking. The hope is that when they see the

piece, they buy it with a shriek of delight.

Making the clothing saleable is the biggest

challenge. You must focus on details in

each of your designs–pockets, buttons, and

 t–to make it as perfect as you can.

740 A

CKNOWLEDGEMENT. I have been

called a sorceress understudy, a butter y

farmer, and the queen of the romper.

© Tom Hines

© Tim Zaragoza

© Tim Zaragoza

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