Fresh Faces: Imaginary People
Design duo Telo and Olivia talk inspirationWhat inspired this collection?
Our collection was inspired by not only the clothes that we wanted for ourselves, but for all of our close girlfriends. So many times when you're out kickin’ with your girls the conversation turns to clothes: how we love them, what clothes are best to travel with, what clothes make women feel sexy, how the fabrics feel on, what we dislike in certain garments and how we would change them. Those conversations and the women in our lives became the inspiration for this collection. In addition, they literally inspire, push and motivate us to make Imaginary People a success.
Is there a certain type of girl who embodies this collection?
We tried to make the pieces versatile enough so that any woman can embody this collection. Since we've been selling Imaginary People we've been lucky enough to build a posse of loyal fans that range in age from 16 to 70, from a variety of lifestyles. We love that. Any woman who is real, confident and independent can embody this collection.
Can you explain your design process?
We work mainly out of my (Olivia's) house mostly because it's the most spacious. We're best friends so it's kind of difficult to differentiate between work & play. We're constantly reminding each other of things and bouncing ideas off of each other whether we're in front of our computers at 9 a.m. or teetering on a dance floor at 3 a.m. As far as the design process, we generally envision pieces that one or both of us want for ourselves. We construct an original rough draft and tweak it until we love it as far as fabric, fit, and finishing, then we work closely with a very talented pattern maker to perfect the construction of each piece before we send it to production.
Do you have any favorites from the Spring 2010 shows?
Balmain, Hermes, Limi Feu.
Three things you can’t live without?
Music, good food and even better booze.
Top three fashion blogs?
Jak & Jil Blog, The Sartorialist and Garance Dore.
Check out more photos from Fresh Faces Chicago here.
