The Fashion Formula by Collina Strada

When I met Hillary in person at the New York Fashion Week, we had already recorded this interview from Paris. In the meantime, she has certainly been keeping busy. After attending her flawless show, a select group was invited to her flagship store, which she had actually been renovating herself — adding Collina Strada-branded moldings to the wall, while preparing for the show — a task that already demands all of a person’s energy. Hillary, a self-proclaimed workaholic, is the epitome of a fashion lover. And if fashion is her life — personally and professionally — that very love for it is both driven by her ability to play with its codes and to never take herself too seriously. Because, you see, fashion is a formula: an endless stream of creativity, a wealth of experience, a sharp understanding of what sells, and a perfectly measured dose of humor. That’s the secret behind Collina Strada, the quintessential independent New York brand.

What does your life look like these days?

Right now, we are re-opening the flagship store and working to get the collection ready for Fashion Week, and I’m ill! So, we are very busy, and days go by as follows: waking-up at 7am and working until 11pm every night.

That’s tough!

I’m making dresses as we speak. I handle everything from emails to securing the finances by making sure the sponsors are happy. For fifteen years, I have handled a business as an independent designer without any financial backups. Basically, half of my day is spent working on collabs with my publicist to ensure that I’m creating all the right assets for the things I’ve contractually agreed to. And then, of course, you must find time to design, to be on the phone with stylists, make-up artists, casting directors, art directors...

Do you still find pleasure in working so much?

I really love my job, I do, I’m a workaholic. What I think is hard is when people are too focused on fashion and dismiss the work. Critics might say "I don’t like this dress" with no real argument and without knowing what sells. Well, this dress represents 6 months of work from someone and their entire team. We didn't create it for just any reason. Fashion is a formula, right? You make what sells, commercially. You make what the brand image is about, and you make what speaks to your costumer.It is a formula and a puzzle to get to these runway looks. I walk a fine line between fashion and art; it is the way I feel comfortable with, and I love that part of the job. I love that I’m able to make the weirdest "shit" possible and that people like it. But I do see the industry through the eyes of my peers, and so many brands have to shut down right now. This is sad to watch. I feel deeply for those who have to walkaway, because when you dedicate your entire life to fashion, it becomes your whole world.

Is your entire social life about fashion?

The people that walk in my shows are my friends and that is how I get to hang out with them. My best friend comes to the studio three times a week after work, that’s how we spend time together. She does not even text; she just comes. And of course, she’s at all my shows as one of the brand’s muses. Many people are involved, this is a community. There is no space for competition. It is a beautiful thing to be able to form relationships and friendships amid all the work.

Fashion is a full time job: you’re going to talk about it, see it, experience it through the images that come to us constantly, on the bus stops, on Instagram.

I’m always working, responding to emails, I even still handle customer service on our website. There's no job in this business that I don’t do, and nothing I consider myself too good for. Except rolling racks, but that’s because I always get injured...

You call your brand a platform, using irony and self-deprecation — do you still find time to reflect on it?

Of course, I do some things for myself, but fashion is life, and life is fashion — if you choose it to be. Anyone at that level in a brand knows it. Even the world’s top fashion designers still sit at lunch scrolling through their brand’s Instagram.

Is being a control freak necessary to succeed in this business?

Total control freak! When I work on a dress, I know exactly what is finished and what isn’t. If you are not in control of every element of your brand, then the brand is not your vision.

How do you know when to stop, when a garment is finished?

I always know when it’s done, I don’t over-fuss.I’m very good with decisions and with making them fast. Things need to get done efficiently. A gown is an equation: can it be reproduced? What patterns do we have to simplify in order to be able to produce more of them? A lot of design elements determine whether a piece can be replicated to align with the business.So, yes, I can say that I’m a very decisive person. If I weren't, I would not be able to do this job. But I honestly love it. I get to take my dog to work everyday, and it brings me joy.

Hi there! Are you a materials and textiles nerd? Sustainability adds a whole new level of obsession.

Honestly, sustainability is the toughest part of the business. It takes time to do things right. Right now, we're making jackets from men's old overcoats— it's 80 times harder, literally. You'll find me cutting T-shirts at night to send to production because the factories refuse to do it.

How do you collaborate with factories, given they often need patterns that are easy to make and replicate?

I have two factories that are exclusively dedicated to us. That's how I do it!

They are fully committed to your needs, ensuring they can fully align with your vision. That’s the only way to work together and to have them adapt to your views?

Working with the same people for nearly a decade has been a huge help. They understand my approach and Collina Strada's essence. We use specific techniques and own the machinery to stream line production. One factory handles the most complex pieces, while the other focuses on simpler, commercial items like five-pocket pants. It's a great working relationship

You feature a diverse range of people and body types in your shows. Is that a deliberate choice to embrace inclusivity, or does it simply reflect what feels natural to you?

I know people notice it, but at this point, it’s simply part of the brand’s DNA, so I don’t really think twice about it. I see fashion returning to its old-school casting practices, but I want to be part of the shift that leads the industry forward by doing better.

Your designs are voluntarily disturbing. How do they come to you?

I make clothes that I would want to wear —Collina Strada is very much me.

Even your dog...

As a female designer, I feel that if I wouldn’t wear something, how could I expect to sell it to the industry?

Many male designers tend to dress in a very basic manner, often in black. I don’t really understand why...

I don’t understand how someone can wear the same clothes for 8 to 10 years, even the same shoes. It's a Steve Jobs kind of uniform — something to avoid putting thought into. It's like they think making clothes for women has nothing to do with them. Rick Owens is the opposite; his uniform is unique to him. Some people eat the same thing daily to avoid decision fatigue, but as a female designer, Prada always wears something from her own show. She wears her designs and understands the women who will wear them. I create what feels missing, something others might want to buy. I have to sell clothes to support my team — capitalism kicks in eventually. And sustainability complicates things further; I need to balance creativity with reality.Thankfully, we’re quite good at that.

What do you think of the fashion industry in New York right now?

I think there is a bit more hope than there used to be, I see a lot of emerging talents. When I started it was very hard to be a newcomer if you were not Proenza (Schouler). It took me years to be where I needed to be. I feel like the industry is a bit more welcoming now.

Is it, though?

Yes, I think that if you have real talent, things are never closed, but it does take time. And it should take time. There was a moment when only 25-year-old artistic directors were valued, but I think that’s too young. You don't know enough at that age. How can you run a multi-million-dollar brand without even understanding the basics of retail?

Being hype is cool, but experience is what makes something sustainable in the long run.

I'm proud of what my team and I have achieved— goals I never even imagined. For example, being at the Met for the fourth time is insane. They buy a piece every season, and I never thought I’d be worthy of that. These moments make me feel like I'm doing something meaningful. We also published a book with Rizzoli about the brand’s last ten years, I Care A Lotta, I Wear Collina Strada.

To survive the fashion jungle, you need to do something significant.

We're at our best financially, which not many can say right now. It's because I'm strategic — I can sense when things start slowing down and take action, making calls and reflecting on what I can do to keep the lights on.

It’s like a chess board, isn’t it? What do you like doing in your free time?

I like to sit in nature. I grew up riding horses, always outside.

It is hard in this industry to disconnect our private lives and our jobs. I end up thinking about fashion all the time.

Yes, same! My personal life is within the brand; the people I work with are my best friends.

You create fashion images that carry a powerful visual message, as fashion is everywhere. Your work is bold, sometimes unsettling. How do you approach the unique soft power that fashion holds?

The first campaign we did for UGG had naked girls in it. It was the first time we actually had a budget to make something: we worked so hard that day. Thank God all the models were my friends, they were upside down in the sand. The imagery was very powerful, and it was amazing to see those billboards with shoes emerging from the ground. I think it is hilarious, but a lot of mid-west UGG followers asked: “Why are these girls naked? Why do you have to sexualize women?” First of all, this was the least sexualized portrayal of nudity in women, especially when compared to some brands, which often use naked women to sell high heels.

Are you an ironic person?

I do enjoy poking fun at the humor behind fashion. It's both absurd and insane, but we love it, right? That’s the whole point. Fashion is a crazy circus, but I guess I’m drawn to the circus. That’s why I like to play around on the runway and make light of what a show can be — it’s funny. You really shouldn’t take yourself too seriously in this industry; if you do, you’ll burn out. We all need a little humor.

Fashion can seem snobbish from the outside, but in reality, people can express their personalities through it or even use fashion as a costume.

Exactly, that’s why my campaigns are always humorous — they’re like a dream come true.I even went to Colombia with my dog to photograph miniature ponies that looked like him. SometimesI dream about fashion, and I even have nightmares where the clothes disappear, and I’m left sending models down the runway with duct tape... But somehow it works, and everyone’s like, “Yay!”

You’d manage to turn things around, I’m sure of it.

It's like dreaming of a car without brakes —except without the clothes. A good dream now is seeing the collection with a friend, picking out all the pieces we love. I see the amazing designs — the silhouette, colors, prints — everything. Then I wakeup and try to remember it all!