California Apparel News

Oscar Utierrè made his Los Angeles debut with his mysterious, theatrical Ophelia line from his self-named emerging designer label, Oscar Utierrè, earlier this year.

This month, he is on track to take off on another venture as creative director for WantMyLook, a Los Angeles–based label owned by entrepreneur Payam Pedram, who is chief executive officer of the label. Lilly Ghalichi, who starred on the reality show “Shahs of Sunset,” is a partner and co-owner.

WantMyLook mixes red-carpet styles with price tags under $100. The label was intended to be glamorous yet affordable. Ghalichi said the label was looking for a designer who had a unique background—one who takes inspiration from both red-carpet looks and the fashion underground. “His trendsetting vision and edgy creativity is directly in line with the essence of the brand,” Ghalichi said of Utierrè.

On Sept. 14, WantMyLook introduces its Spring/Summer ’16 collection at New York Fashion Week. The line is the label’s first NYFW collection directed by Utierrè.

The 25-piece line will feature sheer fabrics detailed with lace. Also available are trench coats and tops with see-through slits, which Utierrè said can be worn as shirts or jackets.

During the Sept. 14 event, the line also is introducing collaborations with Etienne Ortega, a celebrity hair stylist and make-up artist, as well as with model Janice Joostema.

On March 2016, the designer plans on shifting to his Oscar Utierrè line by introducing a wedding-dress collection and perhaps a menswear line.

If all this sounds like a lot of work, one of his first supporters in Los Angeles believes that the busy Utierrè has the right stuff to design for two labels.

Marianne Cotan, who produces events for emerging fashion designers under the name GGeisha, had Utierrè make his Los Angeles Fashion Week presentation of his Ophelia line at her traveling night club, Dripped. The event took place March 19 at Lot 613, located on a gritty street on the edge of downtown Los Angeles.

Cotan said that Utierrè was one of the only young and emerging designers she has met who had a clear idea about what he wanted to do with his vision and was more than just talk. “A lot of people have ideas, but to fabricate and produce a line is another challenge,” she said.

Utierrè’s Ophelia line was inspired by the tragic young woman in Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet.” The 20-look show at Dripped featured form-fitting chiffon skirts and dresses that mixed contemporary cut-out panels and some Tudor-era silhouettes.

Ophelia was one of the first fully formed fashion statements from Utierrè, who grew up in Denver but earned a degree in fashion design from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. “I was expecting to be the next Alexander McQueen,” Utierrè said of the influential British designer.

But by the time he graduated in 2013, Utierrè believed that fashion had changed. The great majority of people only wear couture pieces to weddings and special events. “Balenciaga and Givenchy—they’re taking streetwear and making it luxury. That is the couture of today,” he said.

However, there are always people who support couture and actively seek out emerging designers. After his Ophelia show, Utierrè sold most of the line’s pieces. Three pieces were made for each style, and retail price points ranged from $1,500 to $5,000.

After the applause at his Ophelia runway show, the designer understood the payoff for his line of creative work. “All of the stress goes away at that moment,” he said. “You want it to be perfect. You don’t sleep. … It’s like you accomplished a big project. It’s one of the best feelings. Then you go straight into the next project.”