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 BY TIFFANY GRIFFIN HALL |  | | | | | Shiny Nichols | | | | | | | Big city, meet bright light. As design darling Rozae Nichols descends upon Dallas this month effusing a substantially optimistic point of view and bringing forth glorious garments for the Texas style sect, a luminescent energy comes requisitely and readily. Los Angeles native Nichols launched her label in 1993, after stints in Hong Kong and Paris, seeking to develop a visual language intertwining artful intelligence with precision in cut and construction. Whipping up sophisticated separates whilst employing signature details such as sheer silks, narrow-edged leathers, and exquisite hand finishing, Nichols expertly turns out two collections per season; her namesake line and Rozae by Rozae Nichols, a younger, sportier, edgier line with a requisite lower price point, to which she affectionately refers as RBR. Naturally, style arbiters around the globe have embraced Nichols’ designs as her company continues to expand exponentially.
And as she grows, she glows. Intended as an exuberant celebration of a powerfully positive future reality, Nichols chose The Light at the End of the Tunnel for Fall 2009, as the thematic cornerstone that would ultimately serve to inspire the iconography bedecking her wearable art. “When we started on that collection this time last year, we were celebrating the Obama election and the ideas of things getting better in the world for all different reasons,” explains Nichols. “The Light at the end of the Tunnel was our iconic idea for the season. It was literally reflected in the RBR collection with the whole iconography of the light bulb. We used light and illumination as a symbol with regard to print as a play on words and the concept of choosing a literal object such as a light bulb as the conversation piece for that collection. It became a real gesture of how we’re feeling about the future.” | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Rozae Nicholas Spring 2010 | | | | | | | Seeking to define each RBR collection respectively with distinct symbolism meant to playfully intrigue, Nichols speaks to using a particular formula in contriving each group. “Every season, we’re inspired by an idea and then we look for an object-symbol to represent that. It is then turned into the graphic inspiration throughout the collection as a word play and tongue-in-cheek philosophy. RBR is the lighter viewpoint and always has a sense of humor and more of a graphic sensibility.” The designer works a bit of a different angle in approaching the main line collection, utilizing an alternative motivation that leans toward a more global perspective. “The main line is inspired more by artisan elements, arts and crafts, textiles, and prints that have more of a historical context. It is also inspired very much by world dress in terms of various ethnicities, so the craft and the textiles will represent those various inspirations. It’s just a bit more studied and a bit more intellectual, but in a light way.”
For Nichols, drawing inspiration from her surroundings whilst exploring a broad landscape of cultures is an elemental part of the creative process. “Because I was born and raised in Los Angeles and have spent most of my life in the area, (though I’ve traveled during my adult years and worked overseas in the early part of my career), for the most part, I’m inspired by the broad landscape here, as well as the natural vastness of such an open city. There is something very magical about the urban landscape,” Nichols muses. “I was always very inspired by reading and looking into other cultures when I became old enough to start traveling, and I realized how much I really respected and was inspired by the craft and the visual elements of various travels and how people dress in different parts of the world.” | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Rozae Nicholas Spring 2010 | | | | | | | As a myriad of designers have explored a vast pool of global inspirations and subsequently have sought to return to the roots of the brand, Nichols also finds herself well suited to such an approach. Spring 2010 in the world of RN is a study in the Pre-Raphaelite era that touches on Greco-Roman references whilst incorporating light, feminine finishing. “Spring, for RN, has a romantic, but still very modern feel, with very simple, delicate touches on the garments. We’re returning to a simplicity and a femininity that has not been a big inspiration for that collection in quite a few seasons and getting back to a very almost Grecian goddess touch.”
Reflecting back and propelling forth with sheer effervescence, Nichols displays a confidence in her brand that is both inspiring and endearing. “Every designer has their signature philosophy, and I think it’s important now, more than ever, to really adhere to that. We’ve certainly developed a look and a feel for this collection for the last fourteen years or so, and that’s very much what I was looking to capture in this last spring collection. With regard to the economy and the future of fashion, I think, again, that whatever designers real DNA and voice is, that’s what we should be really celebrating at the moment.”
Visit: www.RozaeNichols.com
Available: The Shak - Stanley Korshak www.StanleyKorshak.com | | | | | | | |
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