After living in San Francisco for five years and moving back to New York, designer Katherine Simon found herself yet again never satisfied with much of the designer clothing she saw at retail. She often found herself in NYC’s garment district collaborating with dressmakers to get exactly what she wanted. Friends urged her to try building her own brand. As chance would have it, friend and fellow designer, Gabriella Daher, had also relocated from SF to NY. The two looked at each other soon after and said, “Let’s do this!”
Katherine explained to Gabriella the kinds of pieces she kept going back to in her wardrobe, many her own creations, and a capsule collection took shape very quickly. The two are an unlikely pair with a twenty-year age gap between them but have the same vision: clothing should enhance a woman’s sense of self, not limit it. She should be able to go back to her closet in 5 years and reach for the same pieces, changing it up with accessories, hair, and makeup. Katherine has always been inspired by the French term “se déshabiller”, the art of not looking too “done” and understanding how to simultaneously conceal and reveal.
With the first collection finished and launched in July 2017, they may have accomplished just that.