Interview: Laura Kathleen

Thursday, 01 September 2011 19:01

From St. Louis to New York, Laura Kathleen’s looks hit the runway with a stride featuring streamline silhouettes, bright pops of colorsand a whole lot of glamour after her debut on Lifetime’sProject Runway.

Laura, 26, has always aspired to be a fashion designer. After auditioning four times, she finally made it on season nine and is already standing out among the competition. She was the winner in challenge three, taking home an immunity after designing a flowing red silk piece where her model walked on stilts for an outside fashion show.

We got  to chat with Laura about her personal style, advice for dressing this fall and her three—or four—fashion must-haves!

When did you know you wanted to be a fashion designer? The earliest day I can recall is kindergarten, because I dressed up on career day as a fashion designer/super model. My teacher probably thought it was very odd career choice. I think because it wasn’t like the ballerina or firefighter thing. Here’s the funny thing, I was a tomboy when I was young so it doesn’t exactly make sense that I wanted to be a fashion designer. I think that I was extremely interested in the expression that clothing can give to a person. I’ve always been very loud and someone who likes to say what I was feeling. So I felt that by the way you dressed it could convey a mood.

Where did you train? I went to Western Kentucky University where I got a Bachelors in Design, Merchandising and Textiles. I also studied at Accademia Italiana in Florence. I also have to say I studied under my mom. She started teaching me how to sew when I was 8. I have to give her some credit.

How would you describe your personal style? Do you bring that into your design esthetic? As a designer you evolve so much. I’ve always had myself a personal style.  The only time I usually wear color is in the summer and with maxi dresses. Otherwise, I’m a very like gray, white, black, brown—that kind of a dresser. But it seems that I tend to…Well, I say this as used to, because I feel like my style is still evolving. I designed for others in a lot of color. I think that I’m starting to turn that around to just really being…Well, I call it selfish. Because I’m just designing clothes for myself now and hoping that others will want them too. I design exactly what I feel like I want to wear at the moment. My aesthetic, you know, what I’ve always been designing, has been inspired by vintage silhouettes. I’m very attracted to the silhouettes of pin-up girls. The majority of my garments really accentuate a women’s waist, because I find that with showing the waist, that if it’s synched in, it seems to be one of the sexiest things a woman could do. You don’t have to show it all to be sexy, I guess, is my thing. Pin-ups were so sexy and a lot of them could be fully clothed. I take that silhouette, and I bring it with modern fabric and modern fabric manipulation and make it something that a modern day woman would want to wear.

How would you describe your customer? Someone who definitely likes luxury items and understands spending a lot of money on a garment as investment pieces. I will spend whatever I want on something if I want it bad enough. My woman, a lot of the times, will have a disposable income and if she doesn’t she saves for it. By all means, I will admit, I’m not like trying to get my price to the people. Right now, I’m a small business and I have to make things on a smaller minimum so it tends to make my prices higher. Eventually I’d love to be able to target all demographics and let everybody be able to buy my things.

When did you launch your first collection under your name ? It was, let’s see, I opened my business in 2008 and my first collection was that spring of ’09. It was at Saint Louis fashion week that I actually presented my first collection and then filled orders for sales.

What would you say are three fashion staples that every woman should have ? OK, you have to have an amazing blazer! A blazer is just a must! It has to have a really modern cut to it. Honestly, I think a woman should have a ton of them. Because you could be wearing something and you throw it over it and it automatically makes you look more chic. I’d also say a really, really phenomenal pair of jeans. And if you find them, buy them in every wash. If you find a pair of jeans that fit you well and were made exactly for you, I mean, it’s awesome. I’m a little torn between an amazing watch or a great pair of leather boots, because I’m obsessed with leather boots. I just love a big cool watch you can wear with anything, and I love boots. I’d say I’m a boots whore.

Who or what has been your biggest inspiration or drive in your career to help you reach your success? I think my biggest inspiration is probably my mom. She’s always been so, so supportive in everything that I do and everything that I try to accomplish. She really is my unpaid personal assistance, because she’s always there for everything I need. And her work ethic. She was a stay-at-home mom. But I’ll tell ya, if anybody ever knocks a stay-at-home mom, I mean, she would have been having the highest paying salary because she did it to the fullest. She did everything possible. She was on every PTO or PTA or whatever. She was the head of Girl Scouts. She was the head of everything. I think that, you know, that is something I’ve aspired to be; as dedicated to whatever I loved. And she loved her children and she dedicated herself fully to them. She still does. I keep telling her, we’re 26 and 29, you can let us go now.

Do you have any style advice for this fall? You know, I’m really getting interested into architecture and clothing. Really, really structured pieces. I’m kind of known for that goddess flowing gown thing. But much more streamlined and getting rid of the bulk in clothing is really, really appealing to me right now. I guess more streamlined pieces is my best advice. And also, I’m on this huge accessory kick. So, get phenomenal accessories and great streamline pieces and you cant go wrong.

How has your experience on Project Runway influenced you as a designer? You know, I’m going to say that Project Runway has influenced me so positively. It’s been a great, great experience. Its allowed me to know myself more as a designer because it really pushes you, and you need situations like that to really understand yourself. Beyond that, the only thing I could say was negative is that you become so critical on yourself that even if you think it’s a brilliant idea, you’re like, ‘Are other people going to think it’s a brilliant idea?’ But then again, that’s a good thing because it gets you thinking about the bigger picture, and the bigger picture is always what you want to sell to. So at the end of the day, I think Project Runway has only done great things for me as a designer.

You won the competition in episode three in the “Go Big or Go Home” challenge with the flowing red number. Can you tell me more about that challenge and what your design inspiration was? That challenge was really exciting, and it was really fun to work with Anthony. You know, Tim said, ‘Think Paris couture.’ So with that in mind I was like, “Well, we have to do a gown!” All these people were doing pants and jackets, I mean unless they are phenomenally structured and have some amazing couture components, it’s just going to be pants and a jacket on somebody tall. I immediately thought just like an amazing gown a woman would wear to an art event or whatever. Anthony and I collaborated on the color. We thought red was just a stunning color that would read really well and decided to go with different shades of it. I knew that I wanted some kind of draping in the bodice and emphasized shoulder, because I think that’s really beautiful and makes women look really lovely. The skirt part though was a completely last minute change, because Anthony was going to build this cage that was going to be like an antebellum, kind of like, you know— big skirt. You see it in the episode, he’s like this isn’t working. I was like, “Alright, we’re scraping it. We’re not going to deal with this,” because I didn’t want to waste any time with it. And I started to draft a pattern for a skirt that was a wrap skirt with pants underneath it so you wouldn’t be able to see the silk until when she walked, and the skirt opened and flew really lovely. Anthony was really sweet to say that I deserved the win. I told him, though, ‘If you weren’t going to say that, I was going to be so mad at you.” So when he said that, I was like, “Oh thank God.” Because when Anthony had that roadblock I ended up constructing and designing that whole thing and was like, “I better win it.” But again, he was a wonderful, gracious partner to have. He was not at all trying to play unfair.

Where do you  see yourself in the future? As a designer I’d like to see myself still in St. Louis but having my own workroom, which means my own manufacturing under me. You know, being able to employ a handful of drapers and a handful of seamstresses that can manufacture and fill orders from directly under me. But I’d also like to take on and be in a great, reputable showroom in New York and definitely have a presence. I’m not even thinking that my only presence has to be in St. Louis. I’d love to be picked up by Saks or Neiman’s in the near future, so I’m pushing for that goal. I do feel like I could do well there.

This wasn’t your first season trying out for Project Runway. What kept you coming back and trying to pursue it? This was my fourth time trying out. I think that, what kept me keep pursuing it was honestly, I knew I could kick ass. I was like, “I have to do this, because I know I could kick ass on this show!” with that being said, I think this was the perfect timing. I think its great they didn’t pick me for the previous years because I think I was most ready to really take everything that comes with the show. You know, it’s not just about being a strong designer, it’s a lot more to do with your personality and how you weather through things as a professional designer. Being in a professional world for four years and then being able to be a part of Project Runway was an amazing thing for me and I was right. What made me come back was knowing I could do really well and the exposure that came with it.

Who are your favorite designers from past seasons? Last season, Michael Drummond, who’s a dear friend of mine, was on Season 8. I love, love, love him. And also I really liked Jeff—what’s his last name? I always say the one with tattoos on his neck. Sebelia, he’s really, really cool. And of course Christian Siriano, I mean, who doesn’t like him? I think he’s an all-time favorite of every Project Runway person, because he really is phenomenal and taken the success of the show and done something with it.

Did you deal with any rivalries or clashes on the show? I mean, not really. I think everybody gets in little fights with Bert, so I mean, there’s one. Otherwise, I made some really great friends. I still talk to one of my really great friends from the show every day.

Want to know more about Laura? Watch Project Runway at 9pm on Lifetime or visit her personal website atwww.LauraKathleen.com. The winner of this season will receive a prize that includes $100,000 from L’Oréal Paris to start a line, a fashion spread in Marie Claire, a $50,000 technology suite by HP and Intel and the opportunity to design and sell an exclusive collection on Piperlime.com.

—Allysar Hassan

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