Designer Spotlight: Fashion Designer Stacy Igel of Boy Meets Girl

STACY IGEL, FASHION DESIGNER

Fashion designer Stacy Igel is an inspiration to all young women! With hard work and determination, she reached for the stars and built a successful brand from scratch called Boy Meets Girl USA! She recognized that there was a need for contemporary clothing with a wearable, but edgy feel! From college girls to hip celebs, she is targeting the confident, proactive woman who likes to laugh and not take herself too seriously. It is all that...chic, whimsical and comfy.  Her classic sweatshirt hoodie with the boy and girl silhouette is my fave! You can rock it in many ways, dress it up or down!

Stacy tells the story behind her stylish brand. "The first time I met my husband’s parents was for dinner at their apartment. While they were giving me the tour, I noticed a picture frame containing silhouettes of their three children from when they were younger. My parents had a similar picture of my sister and I from when we were about the same age. I thought about us and how we still both had these young, playful, carefree versions of ourselves inside of us and I knew right then and there my brand would be called Boy Meets Girl® and that I’d use our silhouettes for the logo. The logo driven product came first and we have been growing the collection organically from there."

You probably have noticed her clothing on shows such as Beverly Hills 90210, Gossip Girl, American Next Top Model, Vampire Diaries and even the girls on the Bachelor!  Major celebs have been sporting her clothes like Anne Hathaway, Jennifer Love Hewitt,  Eva Mendes, Krysten Ritter and Rosario Dawson!

See images of actresses Jennifer Love Hewitt and Krysten Ritter below wearing Boy Meets Girl sweatshirt hoodie and jacket:



I am so excited to reveal my interview with Stacy Igel as she is on the cutting edge of fashion! So, read on and learn more about Stacy Igel's innovative style, and what fuels her creative process.. She also takes us behind the scenes of her office that is solely made out of cardboard!! Cool design, a must see!!

Interview with Stacy Igel, Boy Meets Girl:

Who and what are your ultimate muses in fashion, music, art and/or architecture that have shaped your collections and career?

I draw inspiration from a variety of eclectic influences: vintage clothing, the vibrant New York art and music scenes, Hollywood glamourati,etc. As far as business mentors/role models goes, there’s Ellie Tahari, Zandra Rhodes and Elsa Klensch, all of whom I’ve worked for and all of whom were hard workers in their own right even after they’d “made it.”  That was an eye opener for me. I was smart enough to recognize that the hard workers were usually the individuals who got the big opportunities in life.  They were also the ones who were prepared to capitalize on those opportunities. Stylistically, I’m going to give you my holy trinity of influences.  First, Coco Chanel, who famously said “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”  I agree. I think that’s why I am so happy working as hard as I do.  Second, Kate Moss.  Of course she’s a beautiful and confident woman, but what I love about her is the way she effortlessly transitions from eclectic vintage to high fashion.  She never looks like she’s trying to put an outfit together – everything looks like it just naturally belongs on her body.  Third, Patti Smith.  She’s stayed true to her edgy stylishness since the 70s.  She’s unflappable.


See some images from the collection:

Go to the Boy Meets Girl's Website to see the rest of the collection!

Take us behind the design and your artistic vision for the 2012 Spring/Summer collection. What inspired these garments? Is there a story? What fueled your creative process?

My first tradeshow was scheduled for September 11th and by the time the show resurfaced later that Fall, I had completely redesigned the line based on this intense desire to place “Americana” at it’s heart. Our customer is the quintessential All-American girl… someone who is a dreamer; someone with spirit. I’m proud to be an American and I’m proud of the brand’s roots, along with our history of local sourcing and production. Like so many of us, I will never forget that day and how it shaped my life and career. The “Americana” inspired collection for Spring 2012 line, featured reconstructed vintage pieces from a decade of Boy Meets Girl® by Stacy Igel And a select group from the collection are available for purchase from the Boy Meets Girl® “Buy Now, Wear Now” promotion that went live during the presentation on www.boymeetsgirlusa.com.



How inspiring to work in an office that is made all out of cardboard! Very eco-friendly! Take us behind the design.

The best way to see how this all came together is here in my web series Behind the Seams(TM). You can check out how my office all transformed.
CLICK: VIDEO OF OFFICE TRANFORMATION

Stacy has a strong interest in organic fabrics and recycling, so in collaboration with Cathy Henszey from Design Cycle, her office design was constructed mainly out of cardboard. Each cardboard piece was assembled without any glue or nails. Uh-mazing! Cardboard furniture such as desks, bookshelves, bulletin boards, dividers, work stations, chairs, couches,and even her brand of a boy and girl silhouette is created in an innovative way by inserting colored paper wishes into the cardboard corrugated holes. I love how this wall is interactive, and is her ultimate branding message. To top it all off, she creates pillows out of her  sweatshirt hoodies by stuffing them with recyclable foam! Very cool! (See pics below)  

I love how this is a bit out of the ordinary and is so good for the environment. Awesome to see fashion designers adopting eco-friendly ideas into their everyday working experience! Very innovative! Love it!

WISH WALL WITH CARDBOARD DESK

LOUNGE WITH CARDBOARD FURNITURE AND PALM TREE

WORKSTATIONS BEHIND SCREENED WALL

STORAGE

DESK WITH BULLETIN BOARD MADE OUT OF TUBULAR CARDBOARD

CARDBOARD VASES

Can you describe some of the unique design details in your space that reflect your fun, fresh and flirty clothes? 

I love that everyday someone comes to my office whether it be a celebrity/buyer/editor/stylists/etc they get to create their own wish in the WISH WALL and fill the wall with color and new designs. Everyday my guests are amazed by the wall and are so excited to make a wish. The colorful wall to me is the essence of Boy Meets Girl(R). The clothes are fresh, innovative, flirty and the Boy Meets Girl(R) girl has fun and does not take life too seriously.

WISH WALL

SAMMI HANRATTY making a wish in the Boy Meets Girl (R) wish wall, the day before her NYC Premiere

I love this interactive wall. It has such a great positive vibe!

Is the interior of your home an embodiment of the Boy Meets Girl signature style: eclectic, edgy, comfortable, girly or is the interior of your home entirely different from your fashion lines?

Yes my home does embody the Boy Meets Girl signature style. I am actually in the midst of moving into my new home that I recently bought with my husband. So I have taken photos of elements of my current home that will be coming with me into my new home. I am sooo excited for my move! Promise to share more once I am all moved in in Sept/Oct 2012.

IMAGES FROM MY HOME NOW

Here are some pictures that give you insight into my mood for my new home. I am focusing on my walk in closet I am building. Here are some inspiration photos:

ANY WOMAN'S DREAM!

MIRROR,MIRROR on the wall!

LOVE VINTAGE!!

                                       

Your ‘Behind the Seams’ web series is inspiring as you take us behind-the-scenes and show us how passionate and hard you work in the fashion industry. What is your ultimate goal for your brand and strategy for success?

I think, in many ways, Boy Meets Girl® is still an emerging brand with a lot of room for growth.  I always tell my team we have only scratched the surface and we have 99% more to go J. I do believe I have mastered the product quality and the pricing strategy for my brand and have defined who the Boy Meets Girl® girl is.  To that end, I’ve just partnered with Kathy Savitt and Lockerz.com, which is the undisputed leader in rewarded social commerce online. Lockerz will be Boy Meets Girl® exclusive e-commerce retailer and I think they will help us tremendously from an exposure and distribution standpoint, as well as from a product development, refinement and metrics perspective.  The metrics side of things is really exciting for us.  I know this partnership with Lockerz will revolutionize the concept of fast fashion and transform retail.

I am also growing the brand in new categories which is definitely a big part of the brand strategy ie; watches, accessories, legwear, sleepwear, and the list goes on J

On top of all the new category growth I am launching Boy Meets Girl® University in University brick and mortar stores across the country this September 2012! We have only just begun and I am excited to take this to many levels. Learn more HERE. 

And last I am looking to expand internationally in a much bigger way …Boy Meets London Girl, Boy Meets Tokyo Girl, Boy Meets Korea Girl, ….

Thank you Stacy for an amzing interview!

I look foward to seeing your brand grow and grow and grow!