Meryl Streep and Anna Wintour Are Vogue’s May Cover Stars! | PLUS Rachel Comey Celebrates 25 Years

27:16You know, my retail director from California says that their store in Melrose Place is their customers or their clients' third place, she calls it. So homework and then this other place where you go for, you know, companionship, friendship, dialogue, discourse, community. So that's nice. So I like that she's so tight with the community there in L.A., which is wonderful. So let's go back to 2001. Okay. You did a show just a few days before 9-11. Is that right? Yeah, on the street in Tribeca. Yeah, crazy. So how did you get through that hurdle? To that Tribeca Street? I had a friend. I mean, I didn't start my company until I was much older, 28, I think.

28:12I found the math. Still young. Yeah. Well, nowadays, young people, you know, they want to be like— They professionalize in high school now. Very young, yeah. Yeah, so I was looking around through all different types of arts and, you know, styling, costumes, all different types of things through the galleries to figure out what I would want to do. And I never studied clothing design, but I always loved it. I always loved how people communicate through their clothes. I like how it had the capacity to make you feel something, to communicate something. things. So there's all sorts of things that I loved around the culture of clothing.

28:52So it took me a while to also understand that manufacturing and all these other elements are so fascinating and challenging, to say the least. So I decided to give it a shot in that year. I had been making some stage things for, you know, there were a lot of men that I knew at that time because it was a menswear label that were on stage and really peacocking around New York City. And I just thought it was a really nice place to start and learn. So it was primarily men's shirts. So it was really just about tailoring. I found this manufacturer in New Jersey who did custom shirts, and I spent time with him.

29:31And I just, it was a real educational learning process on the development side. And then on the face, I guess it was a bit just fun experiment with all my friends were the models and we just did a show what we thought was a show and you know there was didn't seem much divide between the audience and the and the people on the runway you know they were all kind of one and then um yeah stella ishii i remember she came up to me after the show i don't know how she got there like a friend of a friend and said i love to represent you and she was had a showroom that sold the news that sold primarily to japan so the next day she's like where's your line sheet?

30:13I'm like, what's a line sheet? I don't know. How do you want to price these? I don't know. She helped me through all of that. We had one day, like this show was on maybe a Saturday or something. And we had one day of sales on Monday and it was mostly her customers in Japan. Got a bunch of orders and then Tuesday was 9-11. You know, that was a crazy moment, of course. And I was on unemployment at the time because I got fired from my job at Theory. what made you get fired well this show like i mean i was andrew rosen was very very respectful to me and gray he would call me into all these meetings and i was totally fish out of water in that situation because i'd never been in a fashion building company or anything i'd always kind of been in the arts and in studios and things like that so he had um you know, one person, like this, somebody else was like, oh, there's new brands to watch kind of thing.

31:09And there was a Time Out magazine. And I thought there'd be a little postage stamp photo, but it turned out to be like a whole page photo of new collections to watch. And I don't think, I assumed we couldn't have a, anyway, I went into work that morning and somebody photocopped that thing and put it on the desks all over the studio. People were coming up to me, congrats, Congrats. I'm like, what are people talking about? Congrats. And then Andrew came into my office and he's like, why didn't you tell me? I could have helped you. And I was like, what? I don't know. I was just like an art project on the side.

31:43Like I didn't have a big business plan. So he's like, I have to fire you. And I was like, okay, here we go. My girlfriends pulled up in their car. I had my box with all my desk stuff and picked me up and that was the start. But then I had unemployment, and then because of 9-11, I got extended unemployment. And at that time, too, people would send you credit cards, you know, zero APR for six months credit cards. So for six years, basically, I transferred all my production funding from credit card to credit card to credit card, and then I got out of debt at six years, which was crazy. I also freelanced here and there.

32:24Like I freelanced, I remember, for The Gap, for Louise Trotter for a little bit, which is really fun. Louise Trotter now at Bottega Vanida. Yeah. And I would like make photocopies to make mood boards like on a photocopy machine and then secretly kind of call my interns and be like, hey, can you pick up that fabric from Mr. Chen? Bring it over to Innie. You know, we kept the thing going, going, going. And then at six years, I got a debt and I hired my first employee, Michelle, who still works for me. Wow. And she lives in L.A. and runs all my denim production. So then that was like the start of profitability.

33:03But, I mean, all those six years was long. And, I mean, it's all been kind of long if you actually start to reflect on it. But, yeah, lots of learning along the way and lots of little mini stories. Is it true that David Bowie wore your T-shirts on stage? That was in the early, like before I started. It was like corresponded to the Time Out magazine. I had my friend, Avina. I remember this. Avina Gallagher, who's a great stylist to this day. She was styling him. She called me. And I had been making these stage costumes. They were like shirts that were hand-painted and whatever. And, you know, altered, vintage type of things.

33:42And she called me. And she borrowed the things. And he wore them. Bunch of stuff on the tour. He loves them. She called me. She said, okay, David Bowie wants to buy those three shirts for you. What do you want to charge him? And I was like, charge for that. I thought, I don't know. And she's like, charge whatever you want. It's David Bowie. And I was like, $200? She was like,$200? And I'm like, yeah. It felt like it was a real lot. And she was like, yeah, okay. I'll bring you the cash tomorrow. And I was like, okay. So, yeah, there's just super naive stuff. Not like kids today, I guess. They're much more savvy than I was.

34:18Yeah. Well, we didn't have eBay and all of those things teaching us the value of stuff. Yeah. Right. We were going to Salvation Army and Goodwill and buying. Digging, buying by the pound. Yes. Domsies. And like vintage slips from the 30s were like$1.75 or something. I know. I know. The good old days. Beautiful stuff. So you have always attracted a very cool kind of celebrity contingent. I'm thinking back to the the show dinners you did at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn and, you know, sitting with Maggie Gyllenhaal or Miranda July or Zadie Smith. How have you cultivated those kind of clients? I feel that those women, if I were to put them in a group of some kind, are all independent-minded, creative Gen Xers like myself.

35:20I feel like this is like a topic somehow lately, like Gen X and even among my peers of Gen X and how we relate to our other generations. And I was thinking about this, too, this idea about the when you were called Rachel Comey brand. I'm like, oh, I've always hated that word brand. You know, it's like never sat well with me. And I think about now everything has to be like every person has to be a brand like brand, you know, tweens are brands. And when we were coming up in our young years, like that was not a good thing. Like the good thing was to be an independent, creative, autonomous, not commercial, like with, you know, and I think that all of those women that you mentioned kind of have their very own strong points of view, have, I don't know, an intellectual, creative sides to them.

36:15I don't know. I think it's just maybe mutual respect. And I feel that that's something we really focus on as a company in general, like, and as our purpose and what we do as designers, I really think about design kind of as a service to the client and making sure that they're feeling the things they want to feel in the rooms that they want to go into. And so I think it's kind of some kind of mutual respect relationship, if I was to guess. What are the, you know, what are the words you hear your customers saying? Or what do you think? How do you want to feel when you're making a new collection?

36:52Well, we do spend a lot of time listening to what's going on in their lives. And, you know, that's, I guess, one of the things I bring them up to you when you come in, because I feel like I'm constantly observing the changes and evolutions in our clients' life and that to the political world, to the, you know, climate, to their journeys as they age and their bodies. And there's just right when you think you figured it out, like there's like a new experience, you know, life is complicated. And so I feel in my job as a designer is almost like the service to what's going on with them. So I have to really listen like, yes, are they going to the award?

37:30What kind of award? Who are they? What do they want to convey? Because this person and that person are wanting to convey different things. Or, you know, some women don't even like clothes. You know, they just want to do their work. They just want to be heard. What do they need to be heard and be respected in their careers or in the rooms they're in? So, and then counter to that, like, how do you feel cared for or vulnerable or softer? You know, like, those are also real challenges, I think, in the modern life, you know. I liked our last meeting. You surprised me and you said you had a new category.

38:09You had the sweater you buy for your husband, but you're actually going to wear it yourself, which I could relate to. Yeah. When I assigned Maya this story, you know, I was struck by the fact that, you know, you had coming up on your 25th anniversary, and rarely had you been in the pages of Vogue. And so there is a quality, an aspect of you, you know, coming up and being really hugely successful without a lot of the sort of props and the assistance that a lot of other designers of your generation and generations younger than you have received. True. I mean, I do say that. I mean, I don't knock on wood here, But I always thought that not being in vogue was actually a good thing for my career.

38:58I mean, I don't hate to say it. It's kind of true. It gave me an opportunity to learn and grow. And there was a lot of mistakes along the way. And I'm glad that I was able to kind of recover from those. And the stakes weren't as high as they could have been if we were in some other, like, you know, financial media storm, you know, that can happen with a young new financed brands. I mean, you know, we're independent, so it was just, yeah. I mean, there were early days I was bummed that Anna didn't come to my shows. And then I kind of recovered from that eventually and found my audience, you know.

39:39But it's like all these years I've you find your community or people. I don't know. And people find you. I think, yeah, that's one of the great things about the fashion in general is that it's very big and broad and it's different things to different people. And there's lots of versions of it. And there's, you know, everybody's getting dressed every day. We'll be right back with Rachel Comey after the break.

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42:02Beyond opening this store, how will you sort of acknowledge the 25th anniversary? What are you thinking? I want to bring some old, you know, old products back in some kind of new way, like a pre-order thing of coveted pieces. Because sometimes I have pieces that I do bring back and I wear and the people ask me about them. And I'm like, okay, maybe I should put that in the line again. And I go to put it in the line and then somehow my whole team doesn't buy it. Or something happens because it's not like of the moment that doesn't sing. And then still people ask me for it. So now I'm like, okay, I'm going to make some products of some of these memory pieces.

42:44And, yeah, open the new store. I mean, that's the amazing thing about this business is that there's always a ton to do. So beyond, you know, opening the store and having the show, there's a new collection. There's new products we're trying. There's new fabrics and new technologies within the fabrications. And, you know, each one of the relationships on the manufacturing sides needs to be nurtured and cared for in order for it to be fruitful and productive and good for both of us. And there's a lot of changes all the time, just, you know, navigating tariffs. And now with the war and how that's going to affect gas and transportation for all the products.

43:31So there's a lot of nuances that happen on a daily basis. Does the sort of collapse of the wholesale model impact you as well? The trouble that's happening at Saks and more broadly speaking in retail stores? I mean, it has been slow. Like, yes, it has impacted us over time. I mean, during COVID when Bergdorf's went bankrupt, they didn't want to pay us for the product that they had. And then we had all, they wanted us to still ship the order, you know, for what they had to order, but they weren't going to pay for what they owed us. So that, as a small business, you know, I can't get my head around that kind of thing.

44:15And then that's how we ended up opening that store in Brooklyn, because we had the merchandise that was supposed to go to Bergdorf's, basically. Because we're a small manufacturer. We don't over-manufacture. We try not to. So it's like keeping everything tight, keeping, you know, and realistic. So, yeah, like, okay, so we don't sell to any big department stores right now. So that's a good thing in a way because we survived it. And now we've refocused our relationships with our smaller, you know, owner-operated, localized boutiques around the country that are amazing. And when I go visit them, when I can find the time, each one of them, you know, they're like owned by amazing women that have communities.

45:06They're going out in the world buying stuff for all their women. It's like they're similar to what I feel like I'm doing. We have a shared mission, and that is often happening in a small business model. I mean, slow and steady is how we've grown and how we've survived, I guess. And I just stay focused on that, you know. But every year, things get more complicated because everything is getting more expensive all the time. And I try to keep our prices very fair, although sometimes they feel expensive for me. But if you look at manufacturing prices, cost of living, shipping, duties, they go up. But we are buying fabric from the same places that the luxury bands buy fabric.

45:53I have my mills in France and Italy and, you know, all over also sell to the finest luxury brands. So it's just kind of margin choices. And, yeah, it makes us have maybe less cash for elaborate other things. But it's great for our—I feel like it garners respect and appreciation from our clients, which is the most important thing. One thing that Maya made a point to talk about in her piece about you is that Stephanie Cavalli, the model who was very, very much in the media after opening the Chanel couture show in January. And, you know, everyone made a big deal about her middle-agedness and the graying hair and the idea that, you know, you can have women of all generations on a high fashion runway.

46:51She has been a regular Rachel Comey model for some time. Yeah. Yeah, she's great. I have so many fantastic models and she's beautiful and fun to work with and lovely human. Your runways, I think, reflect real life in a way that in an uncomplicated way, in not a strategic way. It's just, you know, what you do. And there is a sense that fashion has caught up to you a little bit. I appreciate that. Thank you. Yeah, well, let's see what I can do next, I guess. I'm excited to see women of all ages on the runway. And the more that we see it then on those runways in Paris, then the more visibility and opportunities there are for middle age and older women for modeling.

47:45and that makes the pool bigger for me because right now sometimes I have to, you know, convince people that aren't models to come and model, you know, in their older ages. So I'd be excited to see representation across age and all of the things, you know. And also like unique beauties, you know, like unusual and different takes and to see how, you know, all of that evolves and changes and doesn't homogenize. You know, I do think there's like a bit of a global homogenization problem right now. And I hope that we can kind of move beyond that sometime. That is, I'm so glad you brought up this idea of homogenization because, of course, you know, fashion, I think, falls prey to that so often.

48:40Like, how would you, you're probably going to resist this question, but like, where does sort of the courage to go your own way come from? I think a lot of other designers, you know, wouldn't admit this, but there is sort of a safety in, you know, doing like everyone else does. I think it's just opportunity. I mean, I don't think I had a choice in a way, you know. So I think I had to, you know, and I still do. Like, if I'm not following my own instincts, then I don't really feel grounded in knowing what I'm doing. and then I can't really explore the things that I want to explore. And then, yeah, I think I would lose my footing if I was following some other path of somebody else.

49:26Like, I don't think I would know. It's like being a person that went to the gym when I was younger. I feel like at that situation, I feel like, okay, I'm going to try to be one of these people that does step aerobics or whatever the things are. And then I would have, like, that was my earliest memory of this in college. And I remember kind of having an out-of-body experience and being like, okay, who is this person? That's not you. Like, you've got to get out of this situation and go figure out what's you. Because we're so, I think, so focused on our client and the purpose there, I think it makes my team on my design and development side very independent in some ways because they know, too, the purpose.

50:07And so they can design in for this woman because they're thinking about her in the same way that I am. And we're all having a very strong dialogue about where she's going, what she's doing, what she's wearing. And then we can all bring the influences from each other's lives. And that's separately a really great thing about the fashion business is because there's a lot of different types of people in the room, you know. And my team is so diverse culturally, people from all over the world, you know. and they all found their way to New York and we're all in the room. We're all focused on the design and we all know who she is, but they're all coming from different points of view.

50:45So we can say, oh, this is, you know, I have a very diverse team right now. And I always love that too. It's like makes the room more interesting. It makes the work fresh because there's different points of view, but we're still focused on her. So what are some of the inputs now that are sort of, you know, adding interest to the stew? I mean, like, are you going on a trip that you're looking forward to? Are you reading something that feels like it's sort of... Yeah, we focus a lot on experiences. You know, I have like a little list of going up like, like things. Important lunch sweater was one thing.

51:22Like, sometimes it's hard to wear tailoring indoors, right? But you're going to an important lunch. So you need an important lunch sweater. So starting there at that and then what's silly. But like it's not silly ultimately. It's like how's that fitting the body? What's the yarn? How's the shoulder? How's the thing? You know, so it's a lot of experiences I think that we kind of collect based on the season and the delivery, you know. And then so that's kind of the input in some ways, the experiences on one hand. And then there's a whole material input and a whole kind of we let a fantasy roll like a little bit.

52:03Like it can be anything. Pirates can be like some weird trend that somebody's daughter is following. And you're like, that's crazy. All the girls are into like what? You know, and then explore it, you know, because it's interesting. Tooth gems. We were literally talking about that last week. So there's like all the stuff. It could be from anywhere. It could be from someone's daughter. Your daughter is almost a teenager. Is that right? She's a teenager. She's a teenager. She wants to get some tooth gems. What did you tell her? I'll do it with her. That sounds fun. Does she still want to do it now that you want to do it too?

52:42I know. I know. That's exactly what my mom did to me, I remember. Because I was like at her age, I wanted to go get a tattoo. And my mom was like, great, let's go. I'll go with you. I want one. And I was like, what? No way. I'm not getting a tattoo with you. But no, my daughter's game for it. So we'll see. If you see me in September. I'm thinking back to before the pandemic when you entered the popular culture in that show, High Maintenance. Wasn't that fun? Yeah. It was a great HBO show. And he was back in the news lately. But you or one of the characters in that show was going to wear something of your...

53:25Dan. And then you actually were in it, right? So how that happened is one of the gals on my team was like, Rachel, you're going to love this show. And she sent it to me. And at that time, it was just a little Vimeo series. And I fell in love with it because it's little snippets about New York life that were just so priceless. And I felt like not being captured anywhere else. you know like crazy little scenarios where people are living in giant lofts and air being being out like the one bedroom and just all the stuff it takes to live in new york and um so i wrote to them i said oh my god i love this show i just i and it just as a fan well done love it and then they wrote back oh my god we're fans of yours we have and then like a couple weeks later a month later we had an idea we want to pitch it to you and so they came and they pitched it and it was about it was so cute it was about a couple and when the woman was at work the husband was cross dressing in his wife's closet and it was really adorable cute fun thing and yeah they filled me my studio and some people on my team were in it and we just just for fun you know I love doing those things so uh we always ask this question of designers what advice do you have for young people who want to be the Rachel Comey of 25 years from now?

54:50I'm always scared to give advice to young people because they really know what they should be doing. I have experience with that with my daughter. But my path was unconventional. So I think that everybody's path is it's okay to be unconventional. Yeah, my mom's advice for me, she said, forgive yourself. And I was like, what is she talking about? But I think she's kind of talking about me working all the time and not being there and not for my kids or something like that. But I'm not sure. But you know, it's just like, go easy on yourself. I don't know. Like, enjoy the exploration. Maybe it takes a long time.

55:31It's it's I don't even feel like I I feel in some ways I'm just getting started. Like I feel like there's a ton for me to learn and do. That's the weird thing about being all in your 50s is being like, whoa, okay. Do I have to stop and be like, I know the stuff? Or can I keep going and being like, oh, there's still a lot for me to learn and grow? And I think yes. I think yes, there's still a lot to learn and grow. So I think, yeah, I don't know. Is that solid advice? Go easy. Keep learning. Keep learning. Learning is the best, most important thing, of course. Always, at every age, young and old.

56:11Well, I learn when I talk to you. So thank you. Thank you for coming on the podcast. You're very nice and generous. Thank you for your patience with my rambles.

56:25The Run Through with Vogue is produced by Chelsea Daniel, Alex DePalma, and Alex John Burns with help from Emily Elias. The show is engineered by Brand Bandi and mixed by Mike Kuchman. Bye!

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