Is NYC: Redux
what inspired you to start is nyc: redux?
the redux side of the brand was one that i started a little over 2 years ago while i was at beacon’s working as a buyer. i wanted something that would allow me a bit more freedom creatively to spit out ideas without worrying about a full collection or true continuity. i had just purchased a vivienne westwood corset when i saw that the trend was really blowing up, and at the time, the diy movement was just starting to gain speed again. i also realized that i was starting to see a lot of iterations of corsets being produced, but not many for anyone over a certain size, and none of them were “true corsets” (ones that reduced the waist, boosted the chest, and had boning). i knew with my training at school and beyond that, i would be able to create comfy corsets (i used the westwood as inspiration) for everyone with a wide size range while being able to keep things sustainable by buying thrifted and vintage t-shirts from work and online sellers. it took me about a year to finalize the patterns to my liking. i decided to not waste any more time (because i would find a way to) and launched june of 2019.
how did you come up with your brand name?
i knew when i decided to start my own line that i wanted to have something simple and resolute - that i wanted my brand to somehow acknowledge the journey that it took (it’s taking) me to get to where i am now/ where i want to be. when i started thinking of all the descriptors for what i wanted the brand to be, trying to think of a name, i started to feel overwhelmed. i remember thinking one day that the brand would just have to be my name and that “it is what it is”, and thinking “oh? why not just ‘is’?” the most definitive word in the english language - unfussy, confident, and honest. all feelings that i wanted my brand and the people who wear my pieces to embody. added the “nyc” on the end so i could file for the llc, and that was it!
what is your favorite part of designing?
i’m naturally a very, uh, particular person. i like to plan and i like to problem solve and i’m definitely a perfectionist. i really love how fashion design, in a lot of ways, encourages that out of me without much penalty. it’s product design and needs to be practical and functional, you have to think about cost-effectiveness and the ability to create pieces, but you also have to think about desirability and markets and visuals. i wouldn’t say it’s completely self-serving, though. i really love creating custom pieces the most and seeing/hearing someone who genuinely likes and feels great in something i was able to make for them! maybe that is self-serving in a way, but being able to create a garment for someone that they love in a way that’s really natural to me is something i’ve always loved to do. it’s relaxing in the most stressful way possible, but also the most fun i could possibly have.
who is your muse?
my friends! my friends kim and cailin and the friends that i made while at beacon’s (zuri @zoobiana, jessenia @d00ki3_, cassidy @magic_adjacent, and sooo many others there) all continue to inspire me! they’re all so damn driven and fashionable and wonderful, they inspire me every day, honestly. i wouldn’t have ever had the nerve to do any of this without them as supporters and muses (and models and sounding boards and shoulders to cry on lol)
follow: @isnyc.redux
shop: is-nyc.com/REDUX