Darling Designer Spotlight

Hey Darlings, we know it’s a crazy time of year, so we offer you some inspiration. Read on below and get to know independent designer David Chum, and his line Selah D’0r a little bit better. We can’t wait to see what he has in store for us in 2011.

Selah D’or (sell-lah door) is a play on the phrase “cellar door,” a combination of words in the English language once characterized by J.R.R. Tolkien to have an especially beautiful sound. It loosely translates to forever light or true in Hebrew.

Darlings: We know you are a self- taught designer, how did you get into fashion? When did you start your own line: Selah D’or?
David: Fashion has always been there: Disney-inspired fashion drawings as a child, costume design in high school drama. I’m not professionally trained. I actually went to school for a Fine Arts degree. Even then I would incorporate hand-made costumes and jewelry into my artwork. After I graduated I exhibited all over and finally got to a point where I just found myself bored, tired, and unmotivated with my artwork. I’ve always toyed with the idea of starting my own line. It was in 2008 when I finally decided it was time to move on, bought some pattern drafting textbooks and started to teach myself how to cut, drape, and draft. I launched Selah D’or with my Fall/Winter 2009 collection.

Darlings: What inspires your designs?
David: The work is primarily the same from season to season, the specifics just change according to where my interests are at the time. Some collections have very specific inspirations: long lists of retro periods, plants and animals, mythology, movies, etc. Sometimes I just design according to an idea or feeling I want to convey. Regardless of all of this, each design is always built off of the body. The female form and it’s interaction and harmony with the materials is always the basis.

My woman, the Selah D’or woman, isn’t a creature of habit. Her only habit is to look beautiful. Each season/collection is an expression of a different facet of her femininity. She’s always relevant. She’s flashy, but not gaudy. She’s edgy, but she’s elegant. She’s sexy, but not vulgar. She’s the sum of opposites….so many opposites. Her style, her beauty and grace exist in the gray area between these opposites…between this tension. She is the woman all eyes turn to when she walks into a room. It’s very powerful to have that. Beauty is power.

Darlings:: If your studio walls could talk what would they say?
David: David works too much. He puts his sweat, blood, and tears into this, literally. He works in chaos and we wish he would organize and clean up already.

Darlings:: To this point what is the most important lesson you have learned that helps you maintain your business and collection?

David: Do whatever it takes. Keep on going. Even when you feel like you just can’t go anymore. It’s also okay to say “No.” Not every opportunity presented to you is a good fit for your business, for your brand. It’s important to recognize and maintain your label’s identity. Also, it’s good to always be prepared for the unexpected, whether that unexpected thing is negative or positive.

Darlings: How do you market yourself and your label?
David: Word of mouth is a powerful thing. When I first launched I participated in so many random runway shows. It really got the buzz going. The internet and social media is also an amazing, and free, tool.

Darlings: Does your community feel like a supportive locale for emerging designers?
David: Boston has a small, but vibrant fashion scene. It is very supportive of all of it’s emerging designers, but I feel it’s still trying to find it’s way and place in the industry. In the past the focus wasn’t on the business side of fashion. Shows and events usually served as entertainment and ego candy. Whereas in New York, your show is an investment in your business. It’s there to market your new work to the retailers and press. There’s a shift happening right now where the community is realizing that we are businesses and our goal is to thrive.

Darlings: Do you have any current fashion obsessions?
David: Victorian hair mourning jewelry. They used to take the hair of the deceased and create pins and pendants. These were meant for the mourner to wear.  Sometimes the hair is braided and manipulated into intricate designs. I think they’re so beautiful and really fascinating. I don’t own any, yet, but plan on starting a collection.

Darlings: Any upcoming events you are getting ready for? Fill us in!
David: I’m just getting my AW11 collection together for a show this March. I’ll also be showing this collection at one of Marilyn Riseman’s private luncheons, most likely a non-traditional format. It’s difficult to produce a quality runway show that doesn’t end up looking like a cheap imitation of New York’s shows when you’re working with a small budget.

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