Tor Hopkins: What type of person are you creating clothes for?
Eckhaus Latta: We're really into the diversity of our mystery customer. They're not necessarily of a certain age or gender but more someone who has a strong sense of personal style who would like to incorporate us into their own vocabulary.
TH: Which college did you both attend, and do you feel that your experiences were instrumental in getting you to the position that you are in now?
EL: We attended the Rhode Island School of Design in the rust-belt city of Rhode Island 3 hours north of New York. We both loved our time there. Neither of us studied fashion (Mike, sculpture and Zoe, textiles) so we didn't graduate with a clear idea as to how to make clothes. In the end we think what we took away from our experience there was an ability to solve problems as they arise and to work as hard as we possibly can.
TH: Do many of your friends or peer group sport Eckhaus Latta?
EL: Yes! And it's such a great pleasure to dress them up in our love. Our most recent video really pays homage to that sensation.
TH: Why did you decide to team up with SHOWstudio?
EL: We've always loved what you guys are doing, and have been huge fans of Nick Knight's work for years. Its awesome how multi-faceted it is and how it progresses fashion content for the digital future – the digital now.
TH: Do you think that the type of person accessing and being interested in your garments will change because of this project?
EL: Again, we're not the greatest at customer projections, or rather, we enjoy the mystery of it. We love Londoners and would love to see more of them in our clothes!
TH: Describe your working process. How do you work together? Is Mike good at one thing and Zoe another?
EL: We're both very different. Yes we do almost opposite things within the practice but we do not like disclosing it publicly because in the end of the day, we've both had a great part in the other's process. We used to joke about a song we were writing called 'I'm a little bit OCD, You're a little bit ADD' and how that creates a great business model or working relationship. Our neuroses really balance each other out.
TH: How would you style the piece for SHOWstudio?
EL: It's designed to be worn forwards or backwards. Zoe likes it open in the front (more like a cardigan) whereas Mike likes it the other way around (more like a straight jacket).
TH: What materials did you use to make the garment for SHOWstudio, and why did you choose to use those fabrics?
EL: We knew we wanted to use something warm because we were just in London and we were so cold! Because this is our first collaboration across the pond, we thought it would be particularly important to make an ode to our founding fathers. We used USA manufactured dead stock double face polar fleece made in Lawrence, Massachusetts. The mill has called the colour 'Mouton Nuts'.
TH: Will you do any more videos or performance based presentations?
EL: Always...
TH: Why do you chose to present your collections in this way?
EL: We really enjoy presenting the collections in new contexts and questioning the boundaries of where fashion can exist.
TH: Who would you love to work with in the future?
EL: Rei Kawakubo, Joanna Newsom, Nina Kraviz and Isa Genzken.
TH: What do you see for the future for the brand?
EL: Eckhaus Latta did not emerge out of business plans and strategies but more out of an urgency to actualise our ideas regarding fashion. We're looking forward to seeing what comes and adapting the brand as we grow. In the short term, we're excited to expand the conversation overseas as we're working with a European sales team for the first time this season. We're also planning on moving half of the operation to LA and trying out a bi-costal business.