Thursday, July 10, 2008

Lam & Labelux


If there is any young designer I'm rooting for, it's probably Derek Lam. Judging purely on design, that hasn't always been the case. But in recent seasons, I've come to appreciate his particular take on how women should dress. I guess the only measure I can offer to explain this is that if I had the money to buy an entire wardrobe of designer duds, I would certainly want a few of his pieces in the mix.

So when I opened up yesterday's WWD to learn that the designer had a financial partner in Labelux, it dawned on me that he'd be one of those smart, talented few, who will probably be blessed with a very long, and hopefully profitable career. He certainly had all the tools in place to start with. Business plan and business partner, check. Design talent, check. Charisma and cool, double check.

But while he may have been armed with all those things, he was still smart enough to know that he needed something more to take his business to the next level. And after being in business for some five years, which is akin to dog years in fashion, he knew that that something more was a serious cash injection and an even bigger expansion plan.

How smart is that? Which brings me to my next question. When will I be walking along 7th Avenue and see his name on the sidewalk, along the likes of Calvin Klein and Donna Karan?

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