8 April 2025 |
The unifying power of fashion cannot be disputed. Just ask these 14 stylish collectors who found each other through a shared love of their favorite designers.
Head to a Rick Owens runway show and you’ll know you’re in the right place when you see a crowd clad in head-to-toe black and shod in egregiously high platform boots. The chances are that some people aren’t guests but superfans sharing in the collective enthusiasm.
That level of devotion isn’t limited to gothy Rickophiles. The most influential of designers can attract a community, with complete strangers finding kindred spirits through their love of a label. Take Chopova Lowena, whose carabiner-adorned plaid skirts have cultivated a cult following among cool girls and boys worldwide, or Eckhaus Latta, which opted to place its devotees front and center at its spring/summer 2025 show this past September, presenting its catwalk looks in the midst of a raucous friends-and-family dinner. Schiaparelli’s Daniel Roseberry has reinvigorated the iconic brand, much to the delight of fanciful collectors of his surrealist designs. And at Chloé, Chemena Kamali gives chic boho types the chance to flaunt their ruffly, Romantic style everywhere, while Issey Miyake’s long-standing Pleats Please fan base is made up of the ultimate IYKYK set of creatives.
Since this issue is about music and its universal power, we wanted to gather the collectors who met through a shared appreciation for their preferred brand. Like a good song or a killer soundtrack, a strong sense of style can also be a means of connecting.
from left: Mandy, Alexander-Julian and Allison wear CHOPOVA LOWENA
CHOPOVA LOWENA
Instagram: @chopovalowena
chopovalowena.com
MANDY LEE – Content creator
HER FIRST PIECE
In 2020, I worked with Lyst, and I was like, “Look, you don’t have to pay me, just send me this [Chopova Lowena] dress.” I wound up taking it to a tailor and having them make it into a top and skirt because I wanted to get more bang for my buck.
CREATING A VIRAL MOMENT
I decided to host a giveaway because I owned four skirts, which was too many. The brand caught wind of it and offered to add more. People were so creative! They did everything from styling videos to dressing up dolls to illustrations and stop motion videos. It was so cool that [the brand] wound up donating five in total.
FINDING THEIR NICHE
Emma [Chopova] and Laura [Lowena], the founders of the brand, make clothes for freaks. It’s so punk without trying, and that’s what resonates.
ALLISON HILL – Publicist
THE A-HA MOMENT
I like cute things, and my personal style journey began by exploring Comme des Garçons, which felt like a girl with multiple personalities. She’s an outsider but also an insider. Finding Chopova on Matches felt the same—something I could wear daily that suited me as I entered my mid-twenties. She’s young and cute, but also a bit chaotic.
TRENDY? SO WHAT!
I don’t care if something is trending. I bought this for the insecure child who wanted cool things but didn’t think she could wear them. For me to like a piece, I have to have a personal connection to it. These skirts remind me of school uniforms, while the big-sleeved tops recall the ones my mother and grandmothers would wear.
ON HER OWN COLLECTION
I have 23 pieces. The number spiked because I bought a lot more during the Nordstrom sale. Don’t ask me about my credit score.
ALEXANDER-JULIAN GIBBSON – Stylist
MEN IN SKIRTS
I remember seeing the skirts in 2019 and thinking that if I ever wore one, this is the one. But it took me until 2022 or 2023 to get one, in a women’s size large at Bergdorf’s, since they still weren’t making anything for men.
SURPRISING FACTS
I had to get used to wearing a skirt! The first time, I didn’t layer pants under and sat in an Uber. That AC vent was blowing on me, and I was like, “Oh shit, this is awesome.” And then these shorts I have on make so much noise with the bells. Everyone knows when I’m coming.
ON COMMUNITY
Chopova is for people who defy societal norms and have an eye for beautiful things. I love seeing others in it— we can talk and connect over it. I know you appreciate style, even if we come from different backgrounds.
from left: Donté wears RICK OWENS; Michael and Fiona wear RICK OWENS
RICK OWENS
Instagram: @rickowensonline
rickowens.eu
DONTE MCGUINE – Stylist
A CHANCE DISCOVERY
I used to live in DC, and I’d pass by a Vidal Sassoon every day on my way to work. A guy who worked there was so avant-garde-looking, so I had to ask him. It turns out he was always in Rick Owens. I was like, wow, I would love to wear that brand.
SHADY BUSINESS
My first piece was a pair of sunglasses that were $300 or $400, what I could afford. I’d just moved to New York and only wore black because I thought that was the thing to do, so I’d wear those with a poor man’s version of Rick Owens from a boutique called Oak.
IN AND OUT
During my second year in New York, I sold my first major Rick piece. I was a party girl running out of money, so I started selling things to make some cash. I had to start my collection all over again and now I have 60 pieces—with an emphasis on runway looks that are flowy and dramatic. I want to start an archive, so none of this will ever go on the resale market. I miss the ones that are gone and the memories I made wearing them. Never again.
FIONA LUO – Publicist
LOVE CONNECTION
In 2018, I bought my first Rick Owens piece and went to Instagram for styling inspiration. One account, @rickonmen, featured Michael. I thought he seemed cool, so I followed him. He followed me back and we started talking. We now live together in Brooklyn.
FAVORITE PIECE
The Sphinx tunic [FW15], which holds sentimental meaning to me since it was a birthday present from Michael.
THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY
Anything from the Walrus collection [SS17]—it’s one of my favorites. I’m working on getting something.
MICHAEL SMITH – Data Scientist
THE GATEWAY ACCESSORY
I dressed really preppy in college, but one of my friends showed me the Geobasket sneakers. Initially I hated them, but something chipped away at me over the next six months and I had to get them.
ADD IT UP
Between Fiona and me, we easily have over 200 pieces.
ONE SEASON ONLY
My favorite piece is what I’m wearing today, the Orchid coat from the fall/winter 2016 [Mastodon] runway. Usually they reissue pieces, but this one was only available then.
from left: Yenni wears RICK OWENS; from left: Sylwia and Emily wear ECKHAUS LATTA
this page and opposite: Camilla and Jesse wear ECKHAUS LATTA
ECKHAUS LATTA
Instagram: @eckhaus_latta
eckhauslatta.com
JESSE HUDNUTT – Commercial Consultant
DAY-ONE FAN
Mike [Eckhaus], Zoe [Latta], and I were friends before they started the brand—Zoe and I met while working at Opening Ceremony. It was that time in your twenties when seeing friends work on cool projects was so excit- ing. I remember their first show—it was DIY, yet it caught the attention of some of us starting our fashion careers.
A CLOSE NETWORK
We’ve been connected through work circles, then social circles. I went to Zoe’s wedding in 2019. Mike and I hang out all the time. Camilla [right] and I live in the same neighborhood. It’s built into the ethos of the brand—we’re a part of a community of creative people who celebrate that type of storytelling.
EVERYDAY CLOTHES THAT INSPIRE
They do such a good job of creating distinctive, wearable pieces. There’s something to be said about supporting designers who approach their work from an independent way of thinking. I probably have about 30 or 40 pieces.
CAMILLA DETERRE – Interior designer
GENUINE LOVE
I’ve known Mike and Zoe for a long time, and they’re very real people. They understand what we want to wear and are true to themselves in this industry. I was naked in their handbag ads, with the bag between my legs, and they made me feel so comfortable.
LOST BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
My first piece was in a car repossessed in Los Angeles. It was a brown blazer with flowers on it. I think I now have around 20 pieces. They all have some sentimental value to me.
ON WHAT MAKES ECKHAUS LATTA SPECIAL
They’ve made a name for themselves, especially in New York and Los Angeles. We’re like-minded but not alike—that’s the cool part and the point of it all.
Elaine wears ISSEY MIYAKE; opposite, from left: Aviva and Arianna wear ISSEY MIYAKE
ISSEY MIYAKE
Instagram: @isseymiyakeofficial
isseymiyake.com
AVIVA BRAUN – Psychotherapist
ON DISCOVERY
I grew up in New York City and I remember seeing the brand’s ads with Martha Graham when I was 10. I also would go to [the department store] Takashimaya with my mom when there was an exhibit or trunk show. It stuck in my mind when I began to develop my style.
FAST FRIENDS
In 2017, I went into the old store on Prince Street and was looking for a black skirt, and Arianna was working at the store. I was her client but then we bonded over Japanese eBay and Buyee. That’s how our friendship began and then it became something that had nothing to do with the brand. We started hanging out, whether it was over lunch, texting, or getting our nails done.
SHE’S A RAINBOW
I found this beautiful rainbow turtleneck and I stayed up until two or three in the morning to bid on it via Japanese eBay. At the last minute I was able to swoop in and get it. I wore it every day in grad school. It was only right to wear it today.
ARIANNA CHO – Partner of Sake Bar Asoko, New York
THE POWER OF PERSISTENCE
I studied fashion at the New School [in New York] and discovered Issey Miyake. I went down a wormhole and I knew I had to work for them, so I applied for an internship in wholesale. I was their poster girl, wearing it all the time.
CREATIVE STORAGE
My apartment is me, my husband, and our third roommate—my closet. I own nearly 100 pieces from the brand. All of my Pleats Please pieces, and only those, go into my couch. I place them in bins and the end of the sofa lifts up so I can put them there. They’re separated into skirts, dresses, etc. The mainline and other styles are crammed in everywhere. I have an Excel sheet with everything organized in PivotTables.
SLIDING INTO ARIANNA’S DMS
People will ask me in my DMs to identify their pieces. I try to recreate that same sense of education and community when I sell pieces from my personal collection. I will take a picture of the runway image and then write a little note so [the buyers] can learn and be excited to be on this Issey Miyake journey with me.
this page: Anisha wears CHLOE; opposite, from left: Choe and Aurora wear CHLOE
CHLOÉ
Instagram: @chloe
chloe.com
CHLOE WISE – Artist
ART FOR THE ARTIST
I was drawn to Chemena [Kamali’s] vision and the way she plays with what I find to almost be art and historical references. It’s Victorian, Romantic, and almost pre-Raphaelite, crisscrossing the 1980s and the 1840s. I love long, flowing hair, and this almost tragic, girlie beauty can be both tongue-in-cheek and funny or dark and tragic.
ON HER FAVORITE LOOK
I’ve always been the queen of sleeves. I love a big, poofy, dramatic sleeve, so I immediately knew I loved the new Chloé. Last season, I went to the show and dinner in Paris and I wore the most amazing sheer, olive, ruffly creation that felt very painterly.
WISE WORDS
The Chloé woman is me, babe. It’s Chloé for Chloe by Chloé. I don’t know what to tell you.
AURORA JAMES – Founder and creative director of Brother Vellies and founder of the Fifteen Percent Pledge
THOUGHTFUL STYLE
A core tenet of who I am is primarily adapted from my mother, so I wear a lot of vintage. I’ve also always looked at fashion through a sociopolitical lens—what are the cultural references? Where are the materials sourced from? What is the shape saying about how we relate to society and culture right now? Chloé is a brand that has always been thoughtful in that way, and Chemena has brought effortlessness to the collection that I love so much.
THROW AND GO
Chemena is one of the only people who could get me in denim again. I would wear anything in that collection. It feels so natural to just throw it on and go. I have many jobs, so getting dressed can’t be my fifth job. Her work is intuitive and makes me feel beautiful while being true to myself.
ON COLLECTING
There’s a proverb—‘Until the lion tells the story, the hunter will always be the hero.’ It means we’re responsible for telling these stories. For that reason, I have a big Chloé archive. I believe designers are artists and I collect the brand like I collect art. I probably have over 50 pieces.
this page from left: Sophie and Lisa wear SCHIAPARELLI; opposite page: Rebecca wears SCHIAPARELLI
SCHIAPARELLI
Instagram: @schiaparelli
schiaparelli.com
LISA CHAMBERS – Luxury style advisor
AN EYE FOR TALENT
I started my collection with a little eye handbag and became hooked. It was so playful and you feel a sense of history because the brand is so historic. Now I have around 40 pieces, counting accessories and clothes.
FINDING FRIENDS
I met Rebecca at a fashion event—shocker!—and we bonded over Schiaparelli. But even at the shows you find camaraderie easily. You could be wearing the same thing as someone else and it’s exciting and never like,“Oh, no!”
CRAZIEST SHARED MOMENT
Speaking of pieces, a woman contacted me from Pennsylvania looking for a brooch that was sold out. The maison wasn’t bringing it back and she reached out to see if I would sell it. At first I said no, but because it was her first piece, I decided to give it to her at the price I paid. She was so grateful. It speaks to the power of our community.
REBECCA VANYO – Independent producer
TODAY’S LOOK
I was walking through Place Vendôme [in Paris] during couture week in June 2022 and saw people in Schiaparelli, which intrigued me. So I called, made an appointment, and bought my first outfit, which is what I’m wearing today. Daniel Roseberry came up behind me, tapped me on the shoulder, and told me how much he loved it.
AN ENVIABLE ARCHIVE
There’s a Schiaparelli room in my home with racks and pieces stored in a museum-like style of preservation. Some are worn, others have never been. I have close to 100 pieces of ready-to-wear, five bags, and prob- ably around 75 pieces of jewelry. Next is my first couture piece.
NO QUESTIONS ASKED
So these gold glasses I wore today are not mine—a woman named Julie Sandler in the community, whom I’ve never met, loaned them to me. One of my friends mentioned she knew someone who had a pair, so she made a call, and in two days I had them. What a kind soul!
Photographer CARLOS RUIZ
Hair PETER MATTELIANO
Makeup KEIKO HIRAMOTO
Fashion Editor and Text DIANA TSUI
Talent AVIVA BRAUN, LISA CHAMBERS, ARIANNA CHO, CAMILLA DETERRE, ALEXANDER-JULIAN GIBBSON, ALLISON HILL, JESSE HUDNUTT, AURORA JAMES, MANDY LEE, FIONA LUO, DONTE MCGUINE, MICHAEL SMITH, REBECCA VANYO, AND CHLOE WISE
Models SYLWIA KUTA, EMILY MILLER, ELAINE PALACIO, ANISHA SANDHU, YENNI SCHWAN, and SOPHIE SKARUPA
Photographer’s assistant MATT MARCHESE
Fashion assistant LISA LE
Hair assistant RYAN LOONEY
Makeup assistant YUMI NAGASHIMA
Taken from 10 Magazine USA Issue 04 – MUSIC, TALENT, CREATIVE – on newsstands now. Order your copy here.
