You’ve lived and studied in a few different places—San Francisco, Florence, London, New York. How have those environments shaped your approach to clothing?
San Francisco, where I was born and raised, could be considered a skate mecca. I used to skateboard as a kid in the 90’s but gave it up to focus on basketball in high school. I started working in a local sneaker store when I was 16 and throughout college. It’s a very diverse city, a melting pot of cultures and ethnicities. San Francisco, while not that well known for being a fashion city, is still home to Levi’s, Gap and Old Navy. So, while growing up in “alternative” sports and then mainstream sports, what I wore was generally casual and/or athletic performance oriented clothing.
Florence, Italy is where I first formally studied fashion. It is a small walkable city with a deep history in fashion; Gucci, Ferragamo, and Pucci headquarters are located there. It also boasts a large number of designer stores because the city is such a huge tourist attraction. Florence is historically known for its arts and architecture and is considered the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance.
All of this had an immense impact on me. The beauty of the city alone sparked my interest in travel and seeing the world. Also, it was while attending the design school that I was first exposed to Daiki Sazuki’s work. It was via some fashion magazine (don’t remember the name but there was a Woolrich Woolen Mills looks in it, can’t remember if it was advertising or a spread.)At that time Daiki was Woolrich’s Woolen Mills Creative Director, and I instantly fell in love with his work not even knowing it was Daiki.
London is renowned for its tailoring and is one of the major fashion capitals. I was fortunate to be working basically on Savile Row – an area traditionally known for the finest hand-made tailoring. I was also very close to the original Dover Street Market about a 10 minute walk from my office so I was able to see a wide range of designer’s products from around the world curated by Rei Kawakubo. I also lived pretty close to Garbstore and it was there that I was first exposed to Engineered Garments and I was blown away.
New York is another very diverse fashion capital. I moved to New York because of this and also for the opportunity to work at Engineered Garments, which had become my favorite brand based in the US.
I’m pretty sure that everyone reading this is familiar with, the legendary Japanese brand creating clothing locally in New York’s garment district with interesting utilitarian vintage references and extreme attention to detail. While working at EG, I was able to view and experience the clothing design and manufacturing process from start to finish. This time period represented my most informative years of learning the craft and business.
I think each city has given me something unique and diverse in shaping my aesthetic and approach to clothing.
What first pulled you into making clothes, and what’s kept you going since launching s.k. manor hill?
I was always interested in fashion design but was a little fearful to pursue a career in it. It wasn’t until my last semester of college that I studied abroad in Florence, Italy and I took all fashion classes. I enjoyed going to class so much and learning about fashion that when I was explaining my elation to a friend back home I actually burst into tears of joy, having an epiphany that fashion design was what I was supposed to do. I ended up staying another semester to secure a fashion design certificate.
Once I made the first step and committed to it, the passion that was initially ignited in Florence and then fed by my development in London and New York is what has kept me going.
You’ve worked with Engineered Garments and now you’re doing a pop-up with Nepenthes. What have those connections meant for you and the brand?
My interactions with Engineered Garments has meant a lot to me. EG is my foundation where I learned the fundamentals of clothing production and acquired the knowledge of what was necessary to create/maintain a clothing brand. I value my relationship with Daiki Sazuki and consider him my most significant career mentor. I have maintained my relationship with EG since leaving and have continued to receive support from Daiki and his team, being able to secure insight and knowledge as I develop as a designer, as well as opportunities that support my brand and its growth. I consider all such support as a real blessing. Two years after starting s.k. manor hill, this ongoing relationship resulted in a pop up at Nepenthes NY for my SS17 collection.
What’s your process like when starting a new collection—do you start with a specific reference point, a mood, or something else?
In a sense, there isn’t a definitive starting point because the process never stops. I’m constantly looking into the future, constantly collecting inspiration for pieces, fabrics, and design elements. If you were to press me to identify a starting point, it would be selecting or creating the pieces I want to include for each category (outwear, tops, bottoms, etc.) and then selecting the fabrics and color scheme for the collection.
The SS25 collection is inspired by the Italian coast. What drew you to that setting, and how did it guide the direction of the pieces?
I fell in love with Italy as soon as I touched down there in 2009 for school. So recently – right before the pandemic hit – I vowed to myself that I would spend at least 21 days a year there (not consecutive), exploring its many regions, usually coastal.
At this point in my life, I’m trying to figure out how to actually move my business there. After showing my SS24 collection in Paris, I visited the Italian Riviera which became the inspiration for the SS25 collection. What drew me to that particular area of Italy was the setting – I love the ocean/sea, and I had viewed enough images of Portofino – in particular the image below showing two big houses, one yellow and one pink built on a cliff over the water – that moved it as a destination to the top of my travel bucket list, I always wanted to swim there. During my travel research, I found out about San Fruttuoso, a tiny beach village with a church only accessible by boat or via a couple hiking trails from Portofino and Camogli. So the actual Inspiration for the collection was called “from Portofino to San Fruttuoso”.
It guided my creation of the collection as I imagined clothing that I felt would be perfect to wear in that location (at that time of year).
You’ve always emphasized natural materials and domestic production. Why is that important to you, and how do you keep it sustainable?
Natural materials are generally eco-friendly and are good for the body. Domestic (local) production is eco-friendly and assists in reducing the carbon footprint of my business and allows me to be on site to oversee and manage production efforts.
Efforts to help the planet and body are important to me because it’s about our long term sustenance both in business and person. I feel morally obligated to do what I can to avoid harming the environment and, when possible, contribute to its improvement. I focus the majority of my fabric choices on natural fibers or recycled materials.
You’ve started offering vintage through Brooklyn Manor Studio. How do you see that side of the project connecting to your main line?
Most of my work is inspired/informed by vintage clothing. In a sense, vintage clothing was my gateway drug into the world of fashion. The vintage pieces I collect and offer through my studio help me maintain and foster this connection.
What kind of conversations do you have with your customers—what are people responding to these days?
They very, mostly just positive affirmations. love.
What are people responding to these days?
Well, the majority of my produced SS25 collection pieces (over 75%) were styles made of natural fabrics – 100% cotton, cotton/linen blends, and cotton/hemp. In the same collection, my tops were the biggest selling style group, making up over 50% of sales, followed by pants/shorts at a little less than 30%. My knit goods (produced in the UK, Italy and Peru) are a growing component of my sales.
With this pop-up, what are you hoping people take away when they experience the clothes in person?
An expanded awareness and appreciation of quality and comfort of wearing them which is hopefully reinforced by purchasing some to wear and cherish.
You’ve built something steady and distinctive over the years. What’s next for you and for s.k. manor hill?
Increased collaborations like this popup and in component pieces in my collection such as the sunglasses created with Akila, and a trapper hat that I created with Albertus Swanepoel (RIP); and domestic and global expansion of the brand.
