House of 950. L-R: Alice Spies, Lauren Haut, Eric Holbreich, and Julien Charrier.
On Saturday, February 11th the House of 950 gave an innovative presentation at the Cue Art Foundation gallery in New York during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. The House of 950 consists of a group of artists, three of which are designers: Eric Holbreich, Alice Spies and Lauren Haut, who attended Academy of Art University, and Julien Charrier. This wasn’t your typical runway show – instead, you were invited into the House of 950 as a guest.
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The gallery was set up into different rooms of a house. In each staged room, the models interacted with the space, each other and the guests. The collection was interchangeable, very androgynous and inspired by American sportswear. Most pieces could be worn multiple ways, depending on the wearer.
For this presentation, the House also collaborated with jewelry designer Hairy Sock by Ruta Kiskyte, and artist Alphonse Van Woerkom whose work was printed on the House of 950 shirts.
All Photos Courtesy of Stephanie A. Smith.
We chatted with Eric Holbreich to learn a bit more about the House of 950.
What was your inspiration behind your recent collection?
Austere comfort became the tagline of our brand and this season’s collection. We wanted everything to be pristine, perfectly in place; but, at the same time incredibly comfortable and inviting.
How did you come up with the idea for the presentation?
The presentation was a presentation of the brand itself. We are the “House”, so we created an environment that felt home-like. We didn’t want to create a separation between the viewer and the model like in a normal catwalk. We wanted to create an environment where it seemed as if you were being invited into our home.
What is the House of 950’s ultimate goal?
We want to continue what we are doing. We don’t want to create an unreachable goal, we want to see where the company is going to take us. We are open to any opportunities that may come our way. We don’t want to have a preconceived notion of what we should be doing, more just a general path.
How has graduating from Academy of Art Univeristy helped you as a designer?
We learned every skill we need: sewing, cutting, draping, pattern making. We feel comfortable being able to express our ideas with everything we learned. We learned that we don’t need to fit some idea of what a designer needs to be. We can just be ourselves and be honest. People can feel that in the clothing.
What is your advice for someone who wants to be a designer?
Have courage, swallow your pride, and be honest.
Can’t wait for our next visit to the House!
Written By: Amanda Michelle Foschia. Read more from Amanda on her blog MannequinSF.
