Lala Talks: Q&A with Christine Rhee of CRHEE

With such a massive amount recycled fashion within the industry today, it is very rare to get a feeling of effervescence when viewing a new designer’s collection for the first time. Christine Rhee of fashion label CRHEE is an Ohio-native and former Mary Ping intern with a strong sensibility of New York design. Christine, 28, has the innate ability to create garments that are clear, concise, straight and to the point, just like a New Yorker. Using the perfect color palette of white, black and grey, Christine shows us that her aesthetic is clean, modern, feminine and most importantly strong. When a tenacious fashionista and a CRHEE piece encounter one another, it is ultimately love at first sight.

L: What brought you to New York?
C: I went to college in New Jersey and I’ve always really loved New York. It’s the opposite of where I grew up. When you don’t have that access to everything, you kind of fantasize what if you could have everything at your fingertips.

L: Who is the CRHEE Woman?
C: I always try to make clothes to make women feel really confident, strong, smart and also really sexy at the same time. The CRHEE woman will always go for cool over “hot.” I remember I was in junior high and I read this interview with Liz Phair, I know its totally dorky, but she had such a big impact on me because they asked her what is the most sexiest thing you find in a guy. And she answered that “an unruly mind could be the sexiest thing that a guy can have” I remember thinking that was the coolest, smartest response. I try to bring that to CRHEE. The woman that wears CRHEE has her own point of view and definitely has a bit of that unruly mind.

L: What does “sexy” mean to you?
C: Right now, its really interesting because before there was an idea that when people use the term “sexy”, you have a very specific aesthetic. That has been around for a long time and a lot of it has to do with a male perspective of what sexy is. I feel like it’s a really great time as fashion is changing a lot, in terms of what makes a woman feel sexy wearing it versus a male idea of what is considered attractive. For a lot of women now, the idea of cool or strong or confident is very sexy. Being cool is hot now.

L: Where do you believe the fashion capital of the world to be?
C: The internet is huge for fashion right now, its huge for influencing. We used to look to a certain city but we can find it all on the internet now.

L: Tell me about your Spring/Summer 2009 Collection.
C: For all my collections, I like to do something that is contradictory in nature. So I always like that feeling of hard and soft at the same time. I was really influenced by the idea of clear crystals, something that is pure and colorless but at the same time, it’s a rock. The movie Gattica, & The Man Who Sold the Earth and 80’s synth-pop [also inspired me]. In the 80s, using a synthesizer as an instrument boomed and people were so excited about the future. There was so much optimism about what the future can hold and that attitude was very inspiring.

L: What influences you most?
C: Music is probably my hugest influence. Whenever I design a collection, I usually wind up making a massive playlist that usually sets the tone of the collection.

L: What is it about fashion and design that appeals to you most?
C: I love being able to tell stories and get messages across without actually saying anything. Its so contradictory in some ways. I love the idea that I might make something that when somebody puts it on it can relay the traits of who they are or what they want to convey, which is really exciting to be apart of.

L: What would you like people to know about you?
C: I’m such a huge fan of fashion. I feel like I’ve been on the sidelines watching for a really long time, so to actually be involved is great. I’m a huge believer that clothes have a reflection on self-identity: how you view yourself, how you want other people to view you. Clothes are very much like a language. I approach design not throwing everything together and saying “cute”, “not cute”. I try to create a message or a story to try to compliment this idea of my ideal consumer.

For more information on CRHEE, log onto www.crhee.com