It’s not always easy to be the new girl on the block, but Karolyn Pho isn’t phased. After her second runway show on the New York Fashion Week calendar, the emerging designer chimes in on career-changing editors and the fashion house she’s dying to take over.
theFashionSpot: What inspired you this season?
Karolyn Pho: Med-art deco architecture in South Florida really inspired the color palette. The story was inspired by the lifestyle of a vagabond. The nomadic nature of traipsing from place to place has such an aloof and charming energy that I really wanted the Karolyn Pho woman to embody this season.
tFS: What’s your greatest challenge as a young designer?
KP: As a young designer, I’m always trying to find ways to elevate my work to parallel with my well-seasoned contemporaries.
tFS: Which editor has really supported you from the beginning?
KP: Alyssa Shapiro of BlackBook has been an incredible friend and huge supporter of my collection since day one. Mayte Allende of WWD has also been instrumental as she gave me my first WWD cover.
tFS: If you could design for any big fashion house, which would it be and why?
KP: Maison Martin Margiela would be the fashion house. Their work is everything I try to embody in my design theory. It’s well-constructed, thought-provoking, clean, and there’s a humor and lightheartedness about it.
tFS: Who are your fashion friends?
KP: Stylist Leah Adicoff, Style Editor Alyssa Shapiro and model Ryan James Smith to name a few.
tFS: Tell us one thing we don’t know about you.
KP: I wash my hair once a week!
