San Francisco Chronicle, "Designed for Success"
Sylvia Ruben, Chronicle Fashion Editor | Sunday, March 25, 2007 |read full article >>
Working out of a large, sun-filled studio in Oakland's historic Cotton Mill Studios, the friends are at that phase of their lives when life is all work and very little play. Verrières works at the studio full time; Sako, 27, has a part-time waitressing job when she's not at the studio. They finance their line with part-time jobs as ballet costume designers.
Confident they have chosen the right path, the two have ambitious goals. Focusing on cocktail and evening wear, they have a clear vision. Silhouettes are slim, with sexy ruching. They like sheer or stretchy fabrics, a hint of ruffle, a fluttery sleeve, a garland of ruched flowers on the shoulders or sleeves. They like a neutral palette of grays, taupe, olive, ivory, midnight blue and black. For designers so new to the game, they are extremely focused. And extremely confident.
"We have dreams,'' Verrières says. "Really big dreams.''
"We want to be at least 10 times bigger than we are now; we want to be as big as Nicole Miller, or someone like that.''
