Dig In Magazine Interview with New York City
Fashion Designer, Amber Patton

Amber Patton is a fashion designer based out of New York City. Her fashions are created with the real, dynamic woman in mind, who is seeking more value for her money, is smart, busy, successful, active, sexy, confident and fun-loving. She finds inspiration from her memories, vintage fashion, and the interesting people all around New York City. The inspiration for her new collection is of a young woman who travels the world, and is charmed by the beauty of Asia. Memories of San Francisco, where she used to live in Nob Hill, right above Chinatown all helped in creating the mood for her collection. One of Patton's dresses was just worn by Paula Patton on E Network's "Chelsea Lately Show." And Patton will be showcasing her new collection at New York Fashion Week in September 2011.

Dig In Magazine: Where are you based?

Amber Patton: I live and work in NYC.

DIM: Tell us how your career as a designer got started?

AP: It has been coming on for a lifetime. All the roads I've taken have prepared me for this career - I learned to sew at home as a child - the women in my family made master quilts and crocheted table linens, and we made some clothes too. I have been a makeup artist, a model, a retail manager, an art student, an athlete, a jeweler, an international flight attendant, and an entrepreneur. Then, I married an astute businessman and had children. I'm ready for anything these days! But the defining moment was when my husband and two sons surprised me on Mother's Day of last year with the most amazing gifts: They gave me a complete, comprehensive collection of fashion manuals. Of course it was my husband's doing, he pieced it all together in his head and visualized it, though we'd really never discussed the idea outright. Picture two toddler boys, just in from a trip to the book store - so excited just to be carrying the books one by one, across the room, and placing them on my lap, like "here, Mama!" That said it all. It was a sincere endorsement. Since they believed I could do this, I figured I might as well try. I don't know when I would have had the courage to get up on my own and say "Ok! Time for me to go out and be a fashion designer once and for all." I had been feeling a bit depressed and lost back then - as only a new mother and housewife can really understand. I hadn't worked for four years and I was looking for something more. But I was turned on after that day. I whipped up my first collection and named it the "Three King's Collection" inspired by my husband and my two little boys - and then I sold it! Sometimes this doesn't even feel like work. I think that's a good sign!

DIM: How were you first introduced to fashion?

AP: For me, it all started when I was a small girl down South, when my conservative Christian mother let me watch "Style with Elsa Klench" on CNN... I was entranced. And then I began to notice the fashionable women at church every Sunday. My family is Southern American, from Texas and Tennessee - "the Bible belt." We really used to get dolled up for church every week. Easter Sunday was THE fashion show: you were expected to dress beautifully, with a dress, stockings, shoes, gloves, hat, purse and shawl - the whole thing turned out in pastel colors. I have worn heels since the fifth grade - I was a size 9 by then so there were only women's shoes to wear! My mother's friend Lois was the most stylish woman I ever knew. She was tall and whip thin, makeup always done-and she wore sleek skirt suits with corseted waistcoats over blouses with pouf sleeves and dainty hats with feathers and bows. It reminds me of what I see in Dior haute couture today. My memories of stylish Southern women inspire me all the time. I even named a dress after Lois.

DIM: How would you describe your fashion?

AP: Classic with an edge, elegant, continental, relaxed, sporty and very feminine.

DIM: Who are you designing for/who is your target audience?

AP: I design for a very real, dynamic, woman. She's all grown up - she has a career, she has money. She's smart. She's busy, successful, active, sexy, confident and fun-loving. She's the kind of woman who has so much going on in her life that she needs clothes that don't take too much thought - with her lifestyle, she needs a wardrobe she can depend on. She wants to be comfortable and look elegant at the same time. She's a boss - she has a regular need to look professional. In the daytime, she's wearing flats or even clothes she's borrowed from her man. At night, she'll wear the same outfit with killer heels and lipstick. I design clothes around the woman. My lady gets noticed no matter what she wears - but it is my aim to dress her every day with staple pieces she can't live without.

DIM: What is your design process from idea to fruition of a piece of clothing?

AP: The inspiration comes from anywhere - a flower, a photograph, a passage in a book- but then it has to be sketched, draped, patterned, cut, sewn, tested and finished.

DIM: What types of textiles do you use?

AP: I love silk. That's my number one fabric. But I use cotton, wools and synthetics too.

DIM: How do you choose the colors for your collection? And is it based on the season you are designing for?

AP: Choosing new colors is a way to make same things feel new and unexpected. If a color feels new and unexpected, chances are, I will try it because I like that feeling. Since I design clothes based on fit and function, they are not super trendy or experimental, so it is the use of color that makes things fresh or even coincidentally "on trend". I especially choose more color in print fabrics. The season does not necessarily dictate the color choices. It's more about my mood.

DIM: What moves you most in life right now?

AP: My children move me most. Everything is beginning for them - they are living in a world of wonder. They want to see, touch, smell, taste and know everything! Their appetite for life is insatiable. They rise early and they never really want to go to bed, even when they're tired. And they are who they are - when they try new things, they quickly decide what they like and what they don't like. I'm always trying to get into their heads and figure out how to know them better. And they grow so fast it's amazing - they wake up taller in the morning and every day they say something they've never said before. Always on to the next thing - that's them! As my mind archives the sensory images of my world - the images of children are the most precious because nothing stays forever.

DIM: What in your life inspires your collections?

AP: Memories inspire me. I love vintage fashion. Also plants and animals and beautiful people inspire me. New York City is one of the best cities in the world to watch people, it's a collage of culture and ethnicities. I am always looking at everything around me, taking things in. The clothes come from all of that.

DIM: What is your strategy for breaking into the New York fashion industry?

AP: My strategy is this: First, be confident and tech saavy enough to embark on this journey! It's a jungle out there! It's not enough to just go to school. You need lots of real life experience and computer skills too - before you break into the industry on your own.

Second, spin your web of contacts, and that will take some real business and social skills. Handshakes and sincere introductions go far. The garment district in NYC is a grid of family run businesses and people are from everywhere in the world, speaking different languages all over the place! I speak two languages, but I wish I could speak four! That would be helpful in this industry. I'll be studying more languages soon. It shows respect for others. It would be amazing if I could learn to speak Chinese and Hebrew along with my English and Spanish!

Thirdly, it's only after you have your renderings, patterns and materials that you can start construction. Somebody has got to do the ground work! It is imperative to get your hustle on! We say it all the time, that we ought to document this process. People have no idea how this business works! I know how to navigate the streets better than most and I get a surprising number of things done in a day. You have to pull your supplies together from a thousand sources and running errands efficiently is a skill you need. Being a "gopher" for a big company like Vera Wang or Ralph Lauren is a good chance to see how it works. I got my experience in other places but I definitely paid my dues.

Last thing I'll say is this: once you have your stuff together, work like crazy to make a beautiful, desirable product that you believe in. Finally, you have got to show it off and talk to people about it, and sell it. Be open to suggestions of buyers you respect. Know your competition and your prices and study the market. Know who you want to sell it to! This business is not easy, and it's not for the very young or the faint of heart. People will always be critical, and many are shallow and jealous and prejudiced and ugly in the world of fashion. Find the good energy. Focus on what's good.

DIM: Where will you be showing your new collection?

AP: Right now, I'm hoping to show it at NYC fashion week, though that will take some more work! We're stepping up to the plate this September.

DIM: What was your inspiration behind your new collection?

AP: The inspiration for the new collection is of a young woman who travels the world, and is charmed by the beauty of Asia. Memories of San Francisco, where I used to live in Nob Hill, right above Chinatown, helped to create the mood.

DIM: Where can people find your fashion? What boutiques is your clothing being sold in?

AP: There is a beautiful boutique called McMullen, in Piedmont, California, and the clothes are sold there. You can also find the clothes at CPW, Pachute and Georgia in NYC. We're just getting started!

DIM: What television shows has your fashion designs been feature on?

AP: Actually, one of my dresses was just worn by Paula Patton on E Network's "Chelsea Lately Show."

DIM: What is on the agenda for the rest of the year?

AP: We are working very hard on the next collection. I can't see beyond that right now. It will be ready this summer! Stay tuned!

DIM: Any new projects you can tell us about?

AP: Well, people keep asking me when I'll be making accessories and jewelry, so we're starting to map that out. To me, that's a very exciting idea.