Jimmy Lion and WHiT revealed collections at Seaport Studios on a rainy NYC evening. An enormous Christmas tree glowed in the center of the Seaport area, but it was a chilly night. The rain began to fall, and we were inclined to go into Seaport Studios, which looked positively warm and inviting, with blond wood tones and soft lights spilling into the streets.
Jimmy Lion was conceived by two business students, who were looking to enter the fashion business. They wanted to start small, and socks felt right. They work with a Spanish designer who dreams up collection after collection, with fantastic patterns and prints. For the spring/summer collection, the theme revolves around the tropics, perhaps predictably, but they’re done with such a balance of kitsch and taste, they feel perfectly refreshing. Wearing a pair of reindeer-dotted Jimmy Lion socks right now, they’re extremely comfortable and look subtle. Jimmy Lion works with small factories abroad (the founders are both from Spain) and collaborates with designers to turn out a product that looks great and is well made.
Whitney Pozgay of WHiT has an interesting approach, given her theater background. Her clothes are practical but conceptual, her resort collection is a disjointed mix of silk and satin, carpet-like wool and fleece, as well as sandpapery suits and nearly- I Love New York-esque cheetah print jumpsuits. All of this reads as a fashion student turning out whatever is on her mind, with the fabrics she just happened to have lying around the studio. In no way is this necessarily a bad thing, as the results are useful and intriguing.
Perched on the corner of Seaport Studios will host WHiT and Jimmy Lion in the concept store at South Street Seaport for the next 6 weeks, along with other intriguing contemporary brands. The shop also has work on view by Shantell Martin and a coffeeshop, Casa Caffeina to sip from.
Seaport Studios: 19 Fulton St, New York, NY 10038; http://www.seaportstudios.com
Jimmy Lion: http://www.jimmylion.com
WHiT: http://whit-ny.com