Panacea
Panacea is a young contemporary designer collection made byhellip;well, young designers.
The line’s unique and trendy pieces are designed by recent graduates from local design schools, including Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, Brooks College and California Design College.
Designing for the line affords budding designers a chance to be creative and earn a living at the same time, said Panacea’s executive director, Barbara Encinias, who heads up the company’s recruitment and operations.
“This is the kind of job that fills in the gap after students graduate,” she said. “It allows them to be creative and learn firsthand how the business works, and it also reassures them that they’re not going to forget how to use those creative techniques they learned in school.”
Before joining Panacea, Encinias was director of West Coast manufacturing for William B. Clothing, and before that, she managed Bebe’s downtown Los Angeles studio.
(Fashion is a family business for Encinias, whose husband Mark Encinias is a co-owner of the BCN Showroom in the Gerry Building. See story here.)
Working out of a design lab in downtown, the Panacea designers merchandise their own pieces, which are produced by Los Angeles-area contractors. Eventually they will be expected to produce their own textile designs.
For Spring 2003, the 50-piece collection offers contemporary designs that use Italian fabrics for a novelty feel. A sleeveless jersey top with macrame insets, short-sleeve jersey top with side eyelets laced with organza ribbon, twill skirt with iridescent dye treatment and side pleats, nouveau-style palazzo pant made from a rayon fiber blend, and novelty washed-twill pant with side gathering are just a few pieces in the collection. Deliveries begin Jan. 30.
The privately held company is hoping to attract business from specialty stores and better boutiques. Price points range from $35 to $75; revenues for 2003 are projected at $500,000, said Encinias.
Profitability is only one of Encinias’ goals. “We’re hoping this opportunity to work in a productive environment will help [the students] learn the reality of designing and cutting swatches for a living,” said Encinias. —Claudia Figueroa
