Designer Catherine Holstein.
Catherine Holstein had no intention of starting a new line after discontinuing her namesake label in 2009. With some coaxing from a handful of close friends, however, the New York-based designer began to develop a plan for a new women’s wear label, Khaite, which she launched in 2016. “I felt the market was missing items that are cherished,” Holstein says. “I have pieces that were collected throughout my life, [and] if I lost them, I would be crushed.”
Nearly three years and more than 150 worldwide stockists later, Khaite is making its Canadian sales-floor debut this fall. “The brand has grown more than we had hoped for since it launched,” says Holstein, who has expanded her core offering of denim and knits to include outerwear, accessories and more formal designs.
A graduate of Parsons School of Design in New York, Holstein worked as senior designer of knitwear at Gap before launching Khaite. She also collaborated with such brands as Maiyet, The Elder Statesman, J. Crew and Vera Wang. “[In my previous jobs], I learned that women across the board, from mass to luxury, had very similar buying patterns,” Holstein says. “Also,” she adds, “quality product is the most important, starting with fabric and yarns.”
Consistency and construction aside, Khaite astutely captures the complexity of being a modern-day woman. “The Khaite woman isn’t afraid of duality: masculine and feminine, strength and softness, structure and fluidity,” Holstein says. “She embodies sensuality and ease and is looking for modern American sportswear pieces that she can wear, but also cherish.”
Denim is integral to the look of Catherine Holstein's Khaite label, and she says her latest collection has 'a subtle western feel.'
Denim is also integral to the Khaite look. “Jeans are the most relatable clothing category in the world for both men and women,” Holstein says. “It is a thread that humans share across the globe – what’s bigger than that?” For fall, Holstein has reissued a flared, patch-pocket jean first introduced in the spring, which ties in seamlessly with the collection’s refined-ranch style. “The Fall 2018 collection has a subtle western feel, but with a chic and polished twist,” Holstein says. The western-inspired statements range from understated (puff-sleeve dresses and banded collar button-ups) to eye-catching, such as an ankle-grazing shirtdress in blue-toned plaid and a double-breasted midi coat in an oversized checkered print.
Holt Renfrew is among the stores that will carry the collection. “[Khaite] services the new-generation modern aesthetic we are building in our stores,” says Joseph Tang, Holt’s fashion director. “It’s clean, luxurious and everything we feel a woman will want to mix and match within her wardrobe.”
Deep down, what women want is something that’s at once nostalgic and contemporary, Holstein says. “Society chases after familiarity, and if a brand can offer that both literally and figuratively, in an innovative light, the result can be very emotional.”
More names to note for Fall 2018
Wes Gordon
Last year, Wes Gordon decided to put his eponymous women’s-wear line on hold to embark on a new challenge: At just 32 years old, the U.S. designer has set out to take legendary fashion house Carolina Herrera into the future. The plan, Gordon recently told Town & Country magazine, is to make the line “a little more Caracas and Cartagena and a little less Carnegie Hill.” Spicing up a brand known for its ladylike sophistication is no small feat, but Gordon’s lively vision was on full display at his debut Resort 2019 presentation for the brand, which shone with youthful floral-print dresses, playful heart details, pleated chiffon and pretty, monochromatic suits. With praise already pouring in and a devoted fan base of celebrities from the Duchess of Sussex to actor and screenwriter Lena Waithe, Gordon’s future at the Herrera helm looks as bright as the brand’s signature floor-length gowns.
Steven Cateron
After more than 10 years at Club Monaco, this fall marks Steven Cateron’s first collection as head of men’s and women’s design. “We’ve worked hard to reinvigorate the product, elevating the collections and streamlining our design to infuse each piece with a sense of purpose and versatility,” he says. In addition to reinterpreting the brand’s vast archive, Cateron is committed to blurring gender lines. “My biggest focus for Fall 2018 was embracing the dual gender component of our brand and reinterpreting Club Monaco’s past to more closely connect the men’s and women’s collections.” Cateron also looks to his home base of Manhattan to shape what’s next. “New York is a city made up of diverse individuals, which is incredibly inspiring. We love seeing how different people interpret trends, how they style themselves, and how they make something old look new again.”
Laurence Li and Chico Wang
Laurence & Chico’s whimsical designs are meant to be admired as much as they are to be worn. "I imagine seeing Laurence & Chico garments and accessories being worn on a daily basis,” says Laurence Li, one half of the design duo behind the brand. "We love seeing the different ways that our customers style our designs – on a date, having drinks with friends or even grocery shopping.” Splitting their time between Vancouver and New York, Li and his partner in work and life, Chico Wang, have five fantastical seasons already under their belts and recently opened a café and accessories shop in Vancouver, with locations in New York and Shanghai on the way. For Fall 2018, they played off airplane pillows to give their statement-making styling a first-class twist. “The Laurence & Chico woman is not afraid to make an entrance when she walks into a room. She is well-travelled and gets bored when she’s not exploring a new city,” the pair said in an e-mail.
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