Indie Fashion Daily

See also: www.bunim-murray.com/prcasting

By Pablo Breton | Facebook | Twitter
Editor, IndieFashionDaily

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IFDaily: What inspired you to be one of the first brands to “go eco” in such a profound way?

GYPSY ’05: We were in the dye business for some time before we started our line. Being people that love and feel connected to nature, we were always looking for ways to be friendly to the environment. We were always looking for ways to make a difference. In December of 2009 our Southern California headquarters went green. A true revolution for the garment industry, we were the first completely solar-powered dying, printing, and manufacturing facility in Los Angeles. It’s been our goal to make a mark in the fashion world, without leaving a carbon footprint on the rest of the world.

Jessica Alba in Gypsy 05 Farra Dress

IFDaily: You have so many celebrity clients, from Kate Hudson to Jessica Alba. How has the line caught on so strongly among celebs? Is it word of mouth; press? Do you think the line offers an opportunity for celebrities in particular to relax a little while still looking fashionable? And / or do you think that’s essentially this same factor that appeals to everyone?

GYPSY ’05: We feel that we make clothes for the people. We don’t design particularity for celebrities; but we take pride when they wear them. We’re making clothes that are colorful, comfortable, unique, and fashionable; therefore, they appeal to many different clientele.

IFDaily: Obviously you both share duties. You also have slightly different, but complementary backgrounds: Osi’s being advertising / marketing and Dotan’s being garment and dye. How do you divide the work now? How have your roles evolved? How do you work as a team?

GYPSY ’05: We are a brother and a sister team that grew up in a tight-knit family. Not only are we close, but there is a mutual deep appreciation and respect for one another. Our partnership compliments one another’s strengths with Osi being the designer and Dotan handling the business side. The roles do however cross over from time to time.

IFDaily: How does Osi’s background influence the marketing of Gypsy ’05 today?

GYPSY ’05: Osi has developed a great eye for visuals and a great understanding of advertising, which definitely helps in the course of our business to expand strategically.

Osi & Dotan Shoham

IFDaily: How did Dotan’s work with color innovators Pacific Blue spark some of the earlier inspiration behind the current colors and eco-consciousness of the brand?

GYPSY ’05: As it is we still develop washes and dye techniques on almost a daily basis. We’re bringing back some of the old washes we used to do years ago and we are trying to give them new looks and interpretations. As well in Pacific Blue we are always trying to find ways to use eco-friendlier chemicals and materials in processing of garments. Some will include soy-based softeners, seaweed based discharge paste, low-impact dyes, and we use solar energy as a power supply.

IFDaily: What’s the “one sentence” that describes your brand?

GYPSY ’05: Gypsy ’05 is a colorful, fashionable and EVOLVING brand.

IFDaily: It seems, roughly speaking, the evolution of the brand so far has been t-shirts to maxi dresses, and now sweaters and even footwear. Where will the brand expand to next? Is the sky the limit, or will it stay close to a core concept?

GYPSY ’05: Embodying the “gypset” lifestyle, Gypsy ’05 is an ever-changing brand that will continue to grow to evoke our free-spirit. Gypsy ‘05 is an artist brought to life, through interpretations of beauty, life, and culture. By gathering motivation from our surroundings — both Los Angeles and our native land — we tend to focus on elements which revitalize nature through fashion. This is apparent in our contemporary collection for men, women, and children.

Gypsyz knit stocking / boot hybrid

Our shoe collection, Gypsyz, launched for fall / winter 2010 as a new and unparalleled type of footwear.  A hybrid between a knit stocking and a boot, Gypsyz are meant to be worn both indoors and outdoors and are offered in various heights, prints and colors. For fall 2011 we have created our Gypsyz Clogs in knit, as was seen on the runway.

We are very excited about the launch of this new style and are expecting it to do wonders in the market.

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GYPSY ’05 | Web | Facebook | Twitter

“Modern mankind is losing touch with one of the most fundamental aspects of our lives: To Seek Beauty. To Seek Beauty is to Seek Goodness. To Seek the pinnacle of Our abilities to create. To inspire novels without a word. To inspire symphonies without a sound. To be connected to this great cosmic flood of aliveness.

“I Seek to Create & Experience Beauty Everyday. Silently, Actively Awake.

“Tommy Mountain
Model & Actor”

Modeling Portfolio | Facebook

Jim Dalool Photography

Photo: Pablo Breton

By Pablo Avion | Facebook | Twitter
Editor, IndieFashionDaily

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IFDaily: First of all, I love you guys’ designs. “Retro future” is the term that springs to mind for some of it. Please tell me about this picture.

I can’t get enough of this wide-brimmed 1940s-style hat in fuzzy, futuristic material and synthetic emu-type … what is that? A collar? Shoulder ornament?
 What is this, what’s the material, where could I buy it (if I was a woman … or a more-daring man). How much does it cost? What’s the name of the collection?

JC: This photo is from our recent presentation at LA Fashion Week. The collection was sort of inspired by the grace of death and dying and the idea that when we die we can live forever in whatever vision we make of ourselves. My vision for these models was to create them as they dark spirits from some other planet and time. The head piece was made by my good friend and longtime collaborator Rick Gradone. He used human and synthetic hair that he painstakingly coated in layers of latex to create something otherworldly and in my opinion incredibly unique and fashion forward. The head piece is complimenting the Skingraft jacket with giant exaggerated shoulders covered in goat and human hair.

IFDaily: Okay now on to picture 2.

Photo: Apparel News

To  me this is like Gone With the Wind meets Star Wars. It’s odd for me to be gushing like this about women’s fashions, simply because I usually reserve my intense spasticity for men’s stuff I probably can’t afford. What’s this called? What’s the inspiration / story behind this look?

JC: Though Skingraft primarily focuses on designing ready-to-wear collections, we have always invested a lot of time into making one-of-a-kind ornate garments like the one in this photo. This was the finale piece for our spring 2011. The entire show was inspired by African folklore and the concept of ancestry. The oversized hood and armored hips and shoulders was my take on an African warrior-type but coupled with the flowing silk skirt I believe the look became much softer and feminine while still maintaining its power.

IFDaily: It’s hard for me to see your designs without thinking of Philip K. Dick (who wrote the book that became Bladerunner, among many other surreal science fiction classics, for anyone unfamiliar). Or hear a song by Daft Punk. Where do you get your inspiration? Do movies, music or books play a part?

JC: I pull my inspiration from everywhere but there are definitely some iconic movies from the past that have burned lasting images in my memory such as Dune, Bladerunner, Mad Max, and Fifth Element. Ideas of future, apocolypse, and re-imagining how we dress and relate to a different world are always reoccurring in the Skingraft aesthetic. Also music is a huge inspiration to me. I have always been very active and social in nightlife settings so everything from electronic music to punk rock has had a deep impact on the way I imagine Skingraft.

IFDaily: You’ve done quite well in the celebrity arena (understandably, given the theatricality of your garments). (Yes, “theatricality” is a word: I just looked it up and I’m surprised myself.) More recently I see you have Britney Spears, for example, wearing a Skingraft graffiti jacket and shorts in the “Hold it Against Me Video.” How did that come about? Do you ever design looks for celebrities by request, or do they get wind of your looks, somehow?

JC: Being based in Los Angeles has granted us many great opportunities to work closely with celebrities and interesting projects. For the Britney video, we were asked to especially design pieces for Britney that would help recreate her image to fit with the future aesthetic of the video. Bea Akerlund was the stylist for that video and she had worked with us through the Black Eyed Peas and other musicians, so she came to us directly because she felt that we would be good candidates to create a rock-n-roll futuristic look for Britney.

IFDaily: Adam Lambert came to the show at CONCEPT LA during LA Fashion Week, and apparently has been a Skingraft fan / friend going on a couple of years, at least. How did that come about?

Photo: mjsbigblog.com

JC: Adam was actually one of the first new friends I made when I moved to Los Angeles 6 years ago. We met in the kinda freaky club scene in LA and have known each other for years. It has been such a great experience to watch him explode into worldwide fame because he is damn talented. It is also convenient and lucky that our aesthetics are very similar so he has come to us for a number of custom pieces during his time on American Idol and then later on his national tour.

IFDaily: Skingraft is both Jonny Cota (designer) and Chris Cota (brand manager). Does Chris ever share design thoughts, and do you ever get involved in marketing the brand? Or are you happy keeping duties separate?

JC: We both crossover a lot. I am very very specific about how I want the brand to by presented and perceived in the public so I contribute a lot to the “voice” of Skingraft and Chris helps maintain that voice and grow the brand. I design the collection but I love having Chris’ opinion on all the designs because he comes from a more marketable and mainstream point of view and he will ask me important questions like “do we really need to produce perforated leather pants that show everything? I mean, is anyone going to buy this.” He brings me back to earth a lot and I think together we really make a great team.

IFDaily: Anything else you’d like to tell us? For example, any fun personal trips coming up, events or other news related to the brand?

JC: We have some really exciting things coming up for the brand this year that I can’t really talk about yet but it involves everything from more celebrity projects to designing a lower priced sub-label. Definitely keep an ear out because we will be making some big announcements this summer.

IFDaily: Thanks, can’t wait!

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Skingraft | Web | Facebook | Twitter

Gypsy ’05 Unveils the Fall 2011 Men’s and Women’s Collection in a Transcendent Fashion Show

Los Angeles, CA (March 16, 2011) – Debuting the fall 2011 men’s and women’s collections, Gypsy ’05 conducted a dazzling display of earthy, bohemian style with their first ever fashion show.  The Gypsy ’05 fashion show, held at the historic Vibiana in downtown Los Angeles, was a main attraction of “Style Fashion Week”, one of the most highly acclaimed event showcases of LA Fashion Week.

The star-studded event attracted over 900 guests including celebrities, stylists, members of the media, national and international buyers, and select tastemakers.  The front row was lined with famous faces like Haylie Duff, Beverley Mitchell, Virginia Williams, Taylor Spreitler, Alexa Vega, Jayson Blair, Vanessa Lengies, Ben Hollinsworth, Kristy Wu, and Amber Lancaster.

The show opened with a large projection illuminating the stage walls, taking its viewers through the seasons as the images changed and colors morphed.  As the animated leaves fell, the runway was transformed into an enchanted garden cueing the eco-inspired fashions.  Gypsy ’05 delivered everything from their famed diaphanous silk maxi dresses to unchartered territories of knit sweaters and even explored footwear this season.  Designer Osi Shoham intentionally created styles that convey a carefree romanticism while still remaining a “casual lifestyle collection.”  With a focus on pastels and earth tones in flowing styles, the color palette consisted of greens, blues, and purples, exuding a lightweight, natural feel.  Osi Shoham explained that airy, ethereal fashions are not solely for spring and that “people can look light and beautiful in fall as well.”

Gypsy ’05’s headquarters made a mark in the fashion world by going green in December 2009.  A true revolution for the garment industry, this is the first completely solar-powered dying, printing, and manufacturing facility in Los Angeles. “People feel very connected to our clothing, not only because it’s so easy to wear, but because of our efforts to protect the planet,” said Dotan.  “Gypsy ’05 is about a lifestyle, and our customers relate to the philosophy behind the brand in addition to loving the look of our clothes.”Gypsy ’05 was established in the spring of 2005 by a dynamic brother and sister duo, Osi and Dotan Shoham.  Based in Los Angeles, the contemporary line reflects the Southern California lifestyle, with a focus on effortless, comfortable clothing.  Using nature as the inspiration behind each collection, Gypsy ’05 is one of the fastest growing eco-friendly fashion lines on the market today.

Photo: BaokhanhPhotography

Today, Gypsy ’05 has established itself as a well sought after brand with representation in over 1,000 stores worldwide.  With a strong celebrity following, Gypsy ’05 has graced the pages of major publications both nationally and abroad. Since the creation of the brand, Osi and Dotan continue to push the envelope in creating a truly distinctive collection.

Photos and video of the fashion show are available here:

http://blog.gypsy05.com/post/2011/03/17/Gypsy-05-Fashion-Show-Pictures-and-Videos!.aspx

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