Reco Chapple was my favorite designer from the 4th season of the television show "The Fashion Show". Reco has his own boutique called 'House of Chapple' in Chattanooga, TN. I am such a big fan of his work. Take a look at a few of his things:
[Pics courtesy of Reco's Facebook page]
Here are some excerpts from a recent interview he did with hot10magazine.com:
How did you become interested in fashion?
It was off and on from childhood through college. My mother is also a designer, so I saw her do things. She taught me how to stitch at an early age. I remember one time, when I was about eight years old, watching “Oprah” and she had a Valentino fashion show. That was my first real brush with fashion, because it caught and kept my attention. Then when I went to college at Tennessee State I was majoring in architecture/engineering but I used to style the guys and girls for pageants at the university. One of my friends wanted to buy a top for $50. I was like that top looks so simple I think I can make it, and I did. She was so excited that she blasted my name all over campus. Everyone wanted me to make them things. Back then I was charging like $35 for a gown, because I didn’t know. That was my first start up in fashion.
Describe your brand:
House of Chapple is a luxury, ready to wear line. It’s very sexy, conservative, classy and timeless. I make sure that I always have that staple piece that accentuates the woman’s body but still can be worn season after season. As far as the lifestyle aspect, I am working on having a flagship store that carries all House of Chapple items – home furnishings, fragrances, books. That’s the long term plan.
Tell us about your experience on Bravo’s “The Fashion Show”.
It was great. I learned a lot about myself as a designer and as a person. I also learned that I can push myself to do more than the average designer. I don’t want to sound cocky, but I didn’t realize how good I was. It put a whole different perspective on where I can take the industry by being down South. We all know that in New York, there are not a lot of brown people. I hate to bring up the subject, because it’s so taboo. But it’s locked out a lot of people in the industry. It’s made me see that I can have a lot more success down South. I’ve learned a lot by researching other designers and preparing for the show. So it taught me a lot.
What advice do you have for up and coming designers?
Stay focused. Create goals and stick to them, don’t let anyone deter you. Stay true to who you are as a designer and as a person. And continue to learn, because in this business you have to reinvent yourself every six months. You have to continue to learn, travel and expose yourself to new things. You have to educate yourself and continue to grow.
Click here for the full intereview. You can find more of his work at Houseofchapple.com
Originally post 10/7/10
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