VICTORIA BARTLETT
Photo Courtesy Victoria Bartlett
Victoria Bartlett was a fashion editor for Allure and Interview before starting her own fashion line, VPL in 2003. Her collection reinvents itself each season while maintaining its core concept of bringing the innerwear out. A UK native, Victoria is now based in New York.
Do most people know what VPL (Visible Panty Line) stands for?
Now more people do. You see it a lot as an expression.
JENNE LOMBARDO
Photo Courtesy Jenne Lombardo
Jenne Lombardo is the fashion director of Milk Studios as well as the founder of the new consulting firm, The Terminal Presents. She is one of the key decision-makers on which designers get a coveted slot to show at Milk during Fashion Week.
How many requests to do you get from designers wanting to be featured at Milk during Fashion Week?
Over a hundred.
JANIE BRYANT
Photo Courtesy Janie Bryant
Janie Bryant is the Emmy-winning costume designer behind the period costumes on Mad Men. Her influential designs for the AMC show have inspired a number of other designers including Prada and Michael Kors. In 2011 and 2012, she created a capsule collection for Banana Republic.
You have done such an amazing job with both the men and women on this show. Is it difficult to keep up with so many of different personalities and styles?
The amount of characters can certainly be a challenge for a show like Mad Men. The turnaround time between filming episodes is very quick, and the costume design is not only for the principal characters, but also for the background characters, which can amount to a lot of people!
ALEX ORLEY, SAMANTHA FLORENCE & MATTHEW ORLEY
Photo Courtesy Sage Grazer
Brothers Matthew & Alex Orley along with Samantha Florence are the designers behind the new mens knitwear label Orley. The Orley aesthetic draws on an array of influences, from 20th century art to the Canadian outdoors, while maintaining a sense if humor and elegance.
What inspired you to start your collection with bright colors?
We felt there was a void in the market for colorful designer menswear that stood out from the rest. While the colors are definitely a cornerstone of the collection, what we were really trying to show with this first collection is our interest in doing something innovative and unique to the market place. Hopefully as we grow we’ll have different platforms to show that concept as well.
MICHAEL FINK
Photo Courtesy Michael Fink
Michael Fink is the Dean of Fashion at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Previously, he was the longtime Fashion Director of Saks Fifth Avenue.
What was most alluring to you about moving to Savannah and becoming Dean of Fashion at SCAD?
The opportunity to be a part of shaping the designers of the future. The responsibility fashion professionals have in sharing their knowledge with each new generation is an invaluable transfer of knowledge. And Savannah is absolutely one of the most beautiful places in the world - I always feel like I'm living in a movie set.
