Rachel Comey

Rachel Comey is an American independent fashion designer based in New York City. She is the founder of Rachel Comey, a clothing, shoes, and accessories brand known for its "intellectual, arts-and-crafts aesthetic."[1]

Early life

Comey was born outside of Hartford, Connecticut.[2] In 1994, she graduated from the University of Vermont,[3] where she focused on Asian studies, printmaking, and sculpture.[3]

Career and brand

After college, Comey worked at an art gallery in Vermont and designed a line of novelty underwear.[3][4] In 1997, she moved to New York, where she worked as a freelance production assistant and later as a design consultant at Theory.[5] During that time she began making costumes for her then-boyfriend Eugene Hutz's band, Gogol Bordello.[5] In 2001, after her designs caught the eye of a stylist friend, Comey was commissioned to make two hand-painted shirts for musician David Bowie.[6] She charged him $100 per shirt.[6] Soon after, Comey was fired from Theory for performing outside work.[7][5]

In September 2001, Comey presented her first menswear collection.[8] In 2004, Comey expanded her brand to include womenswear.[5][9] Of her Spring-Summer 2004 ready-to-wear collection, Vogue published, "The overall mood was pure summer, and the collection full of confident, easy clothes for cool customers with discerning eyes."[9]

In 2009, Comey was inducted into Council of Fashion Designers of America.[5]

Her clothes have been worn by celebrities and artists including Miranda July,[10] Rashida Jones,[11] Lady Gaga [12] and more.

Fashion shows

Comey's first official fashion show took place in September 2001, days before 9/11, near her studio in Tribeca.[8] The ad-hoc, menswear-only show was held on the street and featured models including Waris Ahluwalia and Devendra Banhart.[8]

To present her Spring-Summer 2014 ready-to-wear collection, Comey hosted a sit-down dinner at Pioneer Works in Red Hook, Brooklyn[13] featuring a performance by Justin Vivian Bond.[8] Thus began a series of untraditional presentations taking place at venues including Hauser Wirth & Schimmel in Los Angeles, CA.[14] To celebrate the brand's fifteenth anniversary in 2016, Comey presented her Spring-Summer 2017 ready-to-wear collection on the sidewalk of Crosby Street in New York City,[15] a nod to her first-ever fashion show in 2001.[8]

In addition to choosing unconventional venues, Comey is also known for casting unconventional models in her fashion shows.[16] For her Spring-Summer 2016 ready-to-wear show, Comey included "artists, eccentrics, dancers, and businesswomen" in addition to professional models.[16]

Unisex line

In March 2017, Comey introduced a line of unisex clothing[17] – "because clothes are for everyone."[18]

Pop culture

In 2002, Comey appeared in a documentary short about Gogol Bordello.[19]

In 2014, Comey played herself in the "Rachel" episode of the web series High Maintenance.[20]

Personal life

Comey lives with her husband, Sean Carmody,[5] and two children in New York's SoHo neighborhood.[21]

References

  1. ^ "Rachel Comey Goes West". The Business of Fashion. February 2, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  2. ^ "Rachel Comey - About". www.rachelcomey.com. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c Vermont, University of. "Vermont Quarterly : University of Vermont". www.uvm.edu. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  4. ^ "Fashion Week Questionnaire: Rachel Comey". Interview Magazine. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Aleksander, Irina (November 13, 2013). "Rachel Comey Aims for a Bigger Slice of Fashion's Pie". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  6. ^ a b "How Rachel Comey Turned Two Shirts For David Bowie Into One Of New York's Coolest Brands". BuzzFeed. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  7. ^ "Rachel Comey Shoes Designer - Career Advice". Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  8. ^ a b c d e Hyland, Véronique. "Rachel Comey Has What Every Indie Designer Hopes For". The Cut. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  9. ^ a b Borrelli-Persson, Laird. "Rachel Comey Spring 2004 Ready-to-Wear Fashion Show". Vogue. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  10. ^ "Rachel Comey Pictures and Photos | Getty Images". www.gettyimages.com. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  11. ^ "Rachel Comey - Backstage - September 2016 - New York Fashion Week Photos and Images | Getty Images". www.gettyimages.com. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  12. ^ "8 Outfits That Prove Celebrities Dress for the Season They Want, Not the Season They're in". August 3, 2017.
  13. ^ Ashlock, Jesse (September 5, 2013). "Rachel Comey's Intimate Dinner to Kick Off Fashion Week". T Magazine. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  14. ^ WWD, Marcy Medina | (December 23, 2016). "Rachel Comey to present her fall 2017 line in L.A." Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  15. ^ Singer, Maya. "Rachel Comey Spring 2017 Ready-to-Wear Fashion Show". Vogue. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  16. ^ a b "One Of Fashion Week's Biggest Show Had 2 Yoga Teachers, 13 Dancers, & Only 7 Models". September 10, 2015. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  17. ^ "Rachel Comey - Unisex". www.rachelcomey.com. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  18. ^ "Rachel Comey on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  19. ^ Comey, Rachel; Donaldson, Susan; Ferguson, Eliot; Hushion, Ryan (June 9, 2002), Gogol Bordello Documentary, retrieved March 13, 2017
  20. ^ Sinclair, Ben; Blichfeld, Katja; Stevens, Dan; Comey, Rachel (March 26, 2014), Rachel, retrieved March 13, 2017
  21. ^ Harris, Elizabeth A. (June 17, 2010). "Rachel Comey Buys SoHo Loft". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 12, 2017.