By Tim Groen.

“Effortlessly chic. Playful but never overly complicated”, is how Whitney Pozgay, founder and designer of WHIT describes her brand new line of women’s apparel. And when I say brand new, I mean so new that Whitney just presented her very first collection, and so new that this is her very first interview as a designer in her own right.
Prior to launching WHIT, the young designer honed her craft working for arguably the two American designers responsible for the current obsession with classic preppiness and outdoorsiness.
It can’t be easy taking something that’s classic to the point of invisibility, tweaking it, and becoming a—widely imitated—retail sensation with street cred while you’re doing it, but that’s pretty much what Steven Alan and Kate Spade (pre-Liz Claiborne ownership) both have done.
Starting out in the fashion industry at her aunt’s company (yes, that would be Kate Spade), Whitney worked her way from accessories designer to women’s wear. Her Kate Spade period was followed by several years at Steven Alan where she was responsible for his successful women’s line.

TG: How do you feel, right after your first ever presentation?
WP: I feel great; I’ve always wanted to do this, so it’s like an itch that’s finally been scratched.
And I’m particularly happy that I did it now, when everybody has been so scared for so long. I feel like It’s all dark and stark and black when you go into stores. So it’s nice to try to make it fun again to go shopping, and to make something that doesn’t have to be taken so seriously.

TG: Did the “challenging economic climate” ever make you second-guess your timing?
WP: I think I was just ready, hungry to launch—regardless of what the economy is or isn’t doing.
And there is another way to look at this; a lot of people are putting their businesses to bed right now, making room for others—room which might not have been there in flusher times. Also, a lot of the factories that used to work with all these shut-down designers, are really excited to work with you, and have the time to go out of their way. So in my case, it meant that we got to work with craftsmen and embroiderers, right here in the States, who were open to doing new things and experimenting with their machinery.

TG: This early in the game, do you already have secret fantasies about becoming a mega-brand?
WP: Not yet (laughs)…but…I am guilty of seeing something and thinking “Mmm…That doesn’t work as a skirt but it would be an awesome desert plate”, or “that fabric’s not going to make a good shirt but it would be amazing shoe”.
And yes, I do say to myself: “One day I can make that shoe.’”
Of course hope that WHIT grows, but right now I’m just trying to stay as focused as possible to make sure I’m doing one category very strongly. And the next time I get that itch again, it might be about shoes—who knows?
It would be fun to do men’s, because I love shopping for men’s clothes. A lot of what I like for girls is based on menswear; girlie shapes but in men’s structured fabrics.

TG: And you definitely have the experience to pull off a men’s line…
WP: True, it’s been so nice to first have designed at Kate Spade where everything is very much about feminine shapes, and then with Steven Allen where it’s all about “Tomboy”. I like to meet in the middle; a Tomboy in a puffy skirt.

Both Kate and Steven take the concept of classic and timeless design, and like them, I like to pick items that keep appearing in your life. Take Fair Isle sweaters. I had a great Fair Isle sweater when I was 10, I had a great Fair Isle sweater when I was 16, and I like designing them now, but I play with the proportion, and twist or tweak something, so that its new and fashion, and not overly traditional.

TG: Finish this sentence: “WHIT is …”
WP: Crisp. Structured. Feminine. Nostalgic? Mmm, Maybe a little…
(Pensive silence)
I’m drawing a blank! I had a really smart list of adjectives written down, just to be able to answer this exact question. I have to memorize it.

TG: Ha ha! Well thank G-d your fist ever interview is only with me.
Here’s my two cents: when I look at WHIT I see a line that’s designed for women by a woman, which I think is generally a good thing. And I get an American-no-nonsense-yet-elegant-vibe. Kind of Claire McCardell-ish, but for less formal times.
WP: Oh, wow—I like it if that is what you walk away with!
The concept of WHIT is basically to take these items that are interchangeable for all different kinds of women to make their own. My friends are all either more edgy or androgynous or rock & roll then me, but we all tend to like the same stuff; we just take it these different directions. Which in reality means that the same skirt that makes them look incredibly sexy, tends to make me look like an 8-year old! (laughs)
I remember clearly the first time seeing someone on the street wearing one of my designs, and she was wearing it in way that would never have occurred to me—and that’s what I like. I originally come from costume design, where it’s like “you’re a princess, here’s your princess outfit.” Women clearly don’t think about their wardrobe in that way.

TG: You and your aunt both have—or rather, share great and specific taste, and now I hear that your brother works for Marc Jacobs. Stylish family much?
WP: My mother has four sisters, so I grew up with five women who all represented different versions of amazing style. Katy always had her her distinct silhouette; a-line skirts and cigarette pants. My mom was more of the high-waisted Bermuda shorts, with a wide, big-buckled belt, paired with an open, oversized plaid Ralph Lauren shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Very chic. Then there’s my grandmothers style. And all the elements my mother and aunts have in common: the pearls, the cardigans and all the bright preppy colors they all seemed to wear in different ways. I think a combination of all of that went into my sense of taste.

I did learn a lot from Katy specifically, I’m very proud to be her niece, and I don’t believe I could have learned from anybody better.
When I was 14 I came to New York to visit Katy and Andy, and they introduced me to their friends, they had all this cool art and lived in a loft in TriBeCa. And Andy explained to me what outsider art is, those kind of things. As a little girl from Arizona, how would I have known about all that stuff, if they hadn’t exposed me to it? So, I officially fell in love with the city when I spent an entire summer here at 18. And finally, at 22, I moved here permanently. As soon as I got here I worked for Katy and Andy. Starting out professionally at Kate Spade, the company, as a design assistant, was a major education for me. And my family continues to inspire me; I love Andy’s storefront for example. Every time I’m there it just makes me happy that it exists!

TG: It seems like celebrity fashion lines are here to stay; from Beth Ditto to Liam Gallagher, and from Justin to the Olsen twins and on and on. How do you feel about that phenomenon?
WP: You know, that’s a hard question. Celebs are products themselves, in a way, and I don’t want to begrudge them the opportunity to explore what that product could evolve into. As a designer I might one day go into other categories, so I feel bad just sitting here and judging it.

But on the other hand I do think it’s a little weird to think of an actress going (in ditzy voice) “Oh, I like clothes, I’m going to attach my name to a line”. And then a big design team and a PR company come in and do their thing, and there you have it: a line.
I think it makes it the industry look very easy to a kid, when they see a certain actress or singer “designing” fashion. And the garments end up having the fashion value of a Hannah Montana T-shirt.
So in the worst case it kind of cheapens the craft and what it means to be a designer. A bit of responsibility lies with the media to educate consumers and to push fashion as an art form.

And then there are people like Gwen Stefani or the Olsens, who really aren’t doing a bad job at it. I think they are very involved and passionate about it, and they know what they are talking about— without having an enormous team doing all the work.

TG: All right, so I guess that our not-very-exciting conclusion is that some celebs are super-cheesy whatever they do, and some actually respect fashion and have taste and make decent stuff…right?
WP: Something like that. And starting a bad line just because you have backing is not exclusively a celebrity thing. There are plenty of non-celebrity kids who get out of school and start a line without having worked for anyone to test their skills, and without any idea of how the business works.
It’s a weird moment in time. I’d like to think that, with so much about fashion becoming so disposable, a renaissance of craftsmanship and quality will take place. It’ll be interesting to see what happens because there is only so my much shopping money to go around.
But there are savvy consumers out there, who really appreciate the same things we do, and who shop at well-curated boutiques. The kind of people who are interested in the story and the person behind a brand.

TG: Will you promise me something?
WP: Sure, what is it?

TG: When you’re at the point in your career that you’re being interviewed with first looks going on in the background, don’t ever say that you design for “strong women.” If I hear one more designer say “strong woman” I’m going to scream.
WP: Ha, true! I have to remember to never say that. I’ll tell them I design for a “complicated woman”.

Links:
>WHIT
>Whitney’s Blog: Be Nice. Be Kind
>Andy Spade’s Partners & Spade