Style Week:

David Chum | Selah D’or

Rhode Island connection: Grew up in Fall River, Mass.
Design focus: “I mainly design women’s wear: cocktail dresses, sportswear, evening wear.”
Aesthetic: “Simplicity, clarity, structure; hard lines and shapes against soft draping.”
Inspiration: “Nature, movies, books, art, my stylish friends….”
StyleWeek: “I’m presenting my Spring/Summer 2010 collection and debuting my Fall/Winter 2010 collection. SS10 is slightly futur-istic and extremely sculptural, inspired by insects and flowers. FW10 explores black as a color.”
Celebrity you’d love to design for: “I’d love to design for
Lady Gaga, Rihanna or Daphne Guinness.”
Designer you most admire: “I admire Alexander McQueen and Alber Elbaz for Lanvin.”

Jonathan Joseph Peters

Rhode Island connection: Born in Woonsocket, “bred in Providence.”
Design focus: “Women’s wear. Mostly cocktail, special occasion, bespoke or polished separates.”
Aesthetic: “I love creating movement and architecture. I also am fascinated with textile manipulation and augmentation.”
Inspiration: “Everywhere: nature, color, fabric, emotion.”
StyleWeek: “Expect romance, dark whimsy, unique styling.”
Claim-to-fame moment: Competed in season seven of “Project Runway” on Lifetime.
Celebrity you’d love to dress: “Meryl Streep or Rachel McAdams.”
Designer you most admire: “I am consistently in awe of Viktor and Rolf.”

Jess Abernethy

Rhode Island connection: “I came here to be closer to my family.”
Design focus: “I make women’s ready-to-wear; things that I would like to wear.”
Aesthetic: “My designs are very clean and sleek. I like to think of them as more classic than trendy.”
Inspiration: “I get my inspiration from almost everywhere. Old movies, nature, art, people on the street.”
Claim-to-fame moment: “I don’t know if I really have a ‘claim-to-fame’ yet. I’ve shown my work in Tokyo, which was really cool. The metal sculptor Gillian Christy wears a lot of my clothing; everything I make fits her perfectly.”
Designer you most admire: “There are so many designers I admire, but I think I’d have to say Marc Jacobs.”

David Yoo  | AnD

Rhode Island connection: Graduated from RISD this year.
Design focus: “Contemporary men’s and women’s fashion.”
Aesthetic: “Traditional tailoring and adding new subtle twists.”
Inspiration: “Old portraits from the 1890s. The mood it sets.
The photos also tell you a story about the person and what they do every day of their lives.”
StyleWeek: “People can expect to see clothes that make you look twice and make you think.”
Celebrity you’d love to design for: “(Yves Saint Laurent head designer) Stefano Pilati.”
Designer you most admire: “Woo Young Mi.