Curly-V: Fun, Fearless Fashion
Carlitos Velasquez, a.k.a. Curly-V, just wants to have fun hellip; with clothes. “Clothes are so much fun. It’s fun to get dressed,” the designer said. “I want clothes to feel like they’re fun and kind of funny,” he explained.
Velasquez, who spent a year working as a post-production assistant for Jeremy Scott, channels his mentor’s attitude into his clothes. “[Jeremy] always said, ’Clothes should have a sense of humor,’” he explained. Prior to working with Scott, Velasquez said, he didn’t know that there was an audience for that aesthetic. “People love it, and I think [they] are so bummed out about the recession that they look for things to make them a little bit happy,” he said. “If you see a T-shirt that makes you giggle a little bit, that’s cool. So that’s what I want to do.”
Velasquez received his training at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, where he majored in fashion design. Prior to working with Scott, he worked as a studio assistant for photographer David LaChapelle. He takes an artistic approach when designing his collection. “I think your clothes should be your art,” Velasquez said. The collection, which launched in October 2010, incorporates his artwork, and many of the pieces are handcrafted. Recently, Velasquez debuted his Fall collection with an installation at Concept Los Angeles Fashion Week. Key pieces include dresses, jackets and leggings made from lace, velvet, cotton and mesh. Wholesale prices range from $50 to $125.
Inspiration this season, Velasquez said, came from owls. “I go with what I’m feeling,” he explained. “I love owls, and I kept seeing owls everywhere. I’m a big believer in signs.” White vinyl abstract feather shapes and claws were appliqueacute;d onto dresses, and rows of feathers were hand-cut from fabric and applied to leggings. Other pieces, such as a cream lace dress with flirty ruffled sleeves and a Mongolian fur jacket, were decorated with owl faces. Next season, Velasquez said, he plans to turn up the fun factor even more for his trend-setting customer. “It’s always the hip girl. It’s the girl who’s not afraid to be a little out of the norm,” he said. “It’s for trendsetters, really; those are the people I want to dress.”
For more information, call (323) 344-7828 or email curly@curlyv.com.—N. Jayne Seward
