DESIGNER ON THE RISE
A FrontRowMag Q&A with… Erin Kleinberg.
For an emerging label to be featured in Women’s Wear Daily and carried at Barneys New York is impressive enough, but when the designer is a young Canadian whose operations are based in Toronto, the achievements are even more outstanding. We’ve had our eye on Erin Kleinberg for a few years now, ever since she debuted her eponymous t-shirt line at Barneys New York and Intermix in its very first season and her signature embellished Tencel t-shirts appeared on the pages of Flare and Teen Vogue. Kleinberg’s Fall 2010 lookbook recently debuted, featuring New York social Annabelle Dexter-Jones, who was photographed by Isabel Asha Penzlien, so we took the opportunity to catch up with the designer and get the latest scoop on her line of “Semi Couture Tees.”
FrontRowMag.com: What inspired you to start your own fashion label in Toronto? Would you ever relocated to New York, where you’ve worked before?
Erin Kleinberg: It sort of happened by default—I always loved my great grandmother’s vintage scarf collection, and I started making kimono tops out of them five years ago. I ran into Mischa Barton at an H&M in Toronto and we spoke about sending her a few tops and a couple weeks later she was photographed in one! Soon after the capsule collection was picked up by Holt Renfrew and TNT in Canada.Ever since then I have toyed with the idea of developing a line, but it didn’t really happen until I came back from living in NYC in April 2008, and I had a hard time getting a gig because of the recession. I was lucky enough to be picked up for my first season in the United State by Barneys New York and Intermix, which is a dream scenario for any brand. I love living and working in Toronto—my family is here and my mother works with me, so I couldn’t move!
FRM: How has your line evolved from when you first started?
EK: I think the line is growing up and has a new sophistication about it. I am working more and more with new textures and fabric manipulations, rather than embellishments. I have added dresses, skirts, shorts, and sweats, so it is definitely evolving into more of a brand as opposed to a t-shirt line.
FRM: Tell us about your Fall 2010 collection! What was the inspiration?
EK: It all started with my mom’s vintage dusty rose, velvet jewelry case, that she got as a 16th birthday gift. The collection has an eclectic boho/Russian feel this season, but there are also military-inspired elements. Joan of Arc was also an inspiration. I worked with silks and wool blends, and I like the marriage of two uniquely textured fabrics in one garment. I even attempted color—which is huge for me.
FRM: If you could do a celebrity collaboration for Spring 2011, who would your dream collaborator be?
EK: I would die to work with Rachel McAdams. Since it is an all-Canadian made brand, I would love to work with an amazing Canadian talent. Rachel is also super eco-friendly, and a mandate of mine has always been working with green fabrics and cutting down on our carbon footprint. She is so beautiful…a girl can dream! Also, I would kill to work with Tommy Ton on a lookbook, his photography is a huge inspiration for me—to work with him would be so sick!
By Truc Nguyen
