Austin’s innagural fashion week hosted a slew of designers and artists to showcase their talents at boutiques and venues throughout the city - but none so impressive as LA’s contemporary cool Corey Lynn Calter. Calter is a Philly girl at heart, as well as an FIT alum who found herself on the west coast and “threw a lot of spaghetti at the wall” while creating her namesake line. Austin Fashion Week housed Calter at 2100 South Lamar (former home of Moxie), where she was able to create a whimsical setting with local Austin artists for her three day pop up shop. Just because Austin Fashion Week has come to a close doesn’t mean you can’t get CLC anywhere else in Austin - she’s carried at By George, Girl Next Door, and C. Jane. And, as I was lucky enough to sit down with Calter in the midst of the shop setup, you can get even more of a glimpse of her honest design sense from the interview below…
As an east coast girl, what made you base your line on the west coast?
I moved from New York to San Francisco after a personal tragedy. I wasn’t running away from it, I just thought it was a good idea to leave. I ended up working for the San Francisco Opera - in costuming. Then I made corsets out of my kitchen that I sold to Henri Bendel, it was a pretty good business for being out of my kitchen.
San Francisco was a little slow for me - New York to San Francisco was a tricky adjustment. I had always thought I’d move back east after San Francisco, but I ended up moving to LA - where I met my husband, started my business, had kids, a house.
Has your personal style and design aesthetic changed since switching coasts?
I’m still a girl who wears a lot of black, I like cream a lot more now, I find myself wearing a lot of white. I didn’t have my business in New York so I’m not sure if it would have changed the way I approach it. Costuming at the San Francisco Opera definitely changed the way I design - I approach it now from a very storybook place. What’s this girl doing? Where would she wear this? I tend to think of her in theatrics.
Your current collection is heavy in print - specifically ethnic - what are some of your favorite foreign destinations for inspiration?
I just had my second child - so I havent done a tremendous amount of traveling beyond London, New York, Paris - and the Jersey Shore, (she giggles) which you’d be surprised at how much inspiration I get from it. A lot of times it’s based on what I think a place is like. I did a whole collection based on Capri once, but I’ve never been there, so I have no idea what it’s like. But - I do think people wear a lot of aqua and bright sun yellow - so again, it’s like an imaginary approach, a lot of imagination.
Have you always wanted your own line, or was it a gradual realization?
I really didn’t think anyone would have a need to hire me, I didn’t know how to approach getting a job in the industry. I think it was a very organic procession for me. I learned a lot by just throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what stuck. So, now I’ve been doing this for 9 years and a lot more spaghetti sticks - but, I dont know - I think it just happened organically, who knows if it was the right thing to do.
A lot of what I got at fashion companies, was that it didnt happen fast enough for me. I didn’t want to do what amounted to intern work for the rest of my life, or however long it took me to be creative in a position. I was obsessively creative at that age, I had to create things all the time. I used to sew every outfit in my kitchen that I would wear out that night.
What kind of advice, if any, do you have for any budding Austin designers?
I think you just know if it’s right for you, or if it’s not right for you. Some people just shouldn’t have their own businesses - not because they’re not good at it, but because sometimes it’s not the right fit for everyone. Having a business is hard, I deal with an enormous amount of B.S. every day - from HR to customer service. Not to be callice, but designing is about 20% on a good day of what I do - and that’s probably more than a lot of designers out there. You know what’s right for you - and I think you should always say yes. Get the orders and then worry about how to produce it. Trust me, if you get an $80,000 order from Bendel’s, someone will finance it. The hardest thing is to get people to understand and buy your designs.
Shop Corey Lynn Calter online
