Christine Alcalay//KIWI + fig.
Brooklyn-based fashion designer and boutique owner Christine Alcalay explains why the fashion industry is in her blood, how her Vietnamese identity informs her designs, and why you’ll never find her wearing all black.
Hi Christine! Tell us a bit about yourself.
My family and I came to NYC from Vietnam when I was three years old. We lived in Flushing, Queens when we first arrived, but I spent most of my childhood growing up in Jamaica, Queens. My dream was always to live in Manhattan and work in fashion, so I went to The High School of Fashion Industries and then to University at Parsons. I spent a year studying in Paris (where I fell in love with my soul mate) and then returned to New York to continue my studies while working in the fashion industry. Brooklyn has been my home base for the past 17 years, and it is where I have opened up two shops, KIWI, a women’s boutique and fig., my men’s boutique. The studio/workspace for my namesake collection, Christine Alcalay, is located behind fig., and is the heart of the three businesses. From the back studio, I dream up a world where clothing, neighborhood and design meet.
How did you become a clothing designer?
When we came from Vietnam, my family did everything they could in order to make ends meet. My mother worked in garment factory and, as a result, I grew up in clothing factories and around independent designers who were trying to make their visions happen. The fashion industry and its way of life is imbedded in the thread of my being. Sometimes, it almost feels like I didn’t choose design and clothing, but it somehow chose me. I’ve worked for many small designers who are no longer around, assisted my mom in all of her sewing and pattern making projects, interned at Christian Lacroix in Paris and also worked retail in numerous designer shops on Madison Avenue. The combination of working from such a young age in fashion and the experience and knowledge I took away from super high end shops taught me a lot about what I didn’t know about design. It prepared me for the grit of the industry, customer service and the apparel world as a whole.
Christine Alcalay’s women’s store, KIWI, is located in Park Slope. Her men’s store, fig., is right next door.
Tell me about Christine Alcalay the brand – where the brand started, and how you now see it. When did you launch the brand, and why? When did you open KIWI and fig.?
Christine Alcalay started when I opened KIWI in 2002, but on a very small scale. I would design and make garments and sell them in the store. As the stores grew, I designed coats and dresses that were custom made and required many hours. I loved it, but it became impossible to keep up with. Each pattern was custom drafted for the client, cut and then sewn. After many years, I decided to stop and reevaluate my design strategy. Christine Alcalay, the collection, didn’t fully emerge as a RTW collection until 2015 when I had the space for the studio and the staff required for KIWI and also my new men’s shop fig. Since then, it has grown organically with specialty boutiques carrying the line internationally. There is a large representation of Christine Alcalay in KIWI accompanied by over 100 other brands and designers.
Who is the kind of woman who wears Christine Alcalay?
The Christine Alcalay woman ranges in age from her 20’s through 60’s and is a self-starter, dynamic, ambitious, creative and glass ceiling breaker in her field. The clothes I design evoke power, strength, and a healthy dose of femininity, designed to make women feel their best self. The Christine Alcalay woman has a great sense of who she is, comfortable in her skin and always wants to present her best self.
What’s your personal approach to style?
I LOVE color and mixing patterns and playing with shapes. The contrast of ideals and styles is something that I truly enjoy. When I was a kid, I would pick out the “ugliest” thing and try to style it in a way that was fun and inventive. This sense of fun in mixing clothing came from the rules of what you should wear and love, mixing them and bringing new life to something that seems ordinary. My closet consists of shapes that are billowy and feminine, but I also have a nice collection of more boyish shapes that I like to layer up. I like to dress my mood and you’ll NEVER see me in all black.
What’s exciting you right now? In fashion, jewelry, or anything?
The way women dress really excites me, especially the removal of rules, trends and expectations. The freedom that we have to makes choices of where we buy our clothes, how we wear it, and what we are trying to communicate, is limitless in our time. That freedom and creativity excites me the most.
When you dress models in the clothing you make, do you style them like yourself, or do they wear completely different kinds of jewelry? How does the style of Christine Alcalay the brand differ from the woman?
It’s really hard to design a collection and then style it for shoots. I always ask for help with styling because the different ways women wear my clothes is what gives them life. My personal style is in the styling of the shoot, but I try to also tap into the future Christine Alcalay and the evolution of who I am and, as a result, the evolution of my woman. As I design, I always think about who I want to become and envision what that might look like. Eventually, Christine Alcalay the designer does meet up with Christine Alcalay, the woman, but it takes a little time. I design future collections for the future of who I am. My designs only get better through the years because I only become more sure of who I am and at the end of the day, it’s about how comfortable you are in your own skin.
Who are some of the most exciting jewelry companies that you’ve brought in to sell at Kiwi?
I’ve had so many jewelry designers through the years who eventually become my friends. Jewelry that make a statement, are handmade and locally made are my obsession.
My favorite ring is a XIAO WANG diamond ring that my husband gave me one Christmas. It never comes off my finger. I never knew I could love a piece of jewelry so much but it is perfect because it looks as if it was made for me.
I’m also currently obsessed with Jane D’arensbourg jewelry. I love that her pieces are handmade of glass and look good with EVERYTHING. The shapes are organic, transparent and some of the coolest and unconventional jewelry I’ve seen.
And what about men and jewelry? Do you carry any accessories in your men’s shop, fig.?
Men’s jewelry is great! We sell some bracelets, watches and cufflinks for men. Men’s have less of a selection for jewelry but I get very excited about our vintage cufflink collection that serve as great heirloom presents.
The last time you had to really dress up - at a wedding or party, or something similar - what did you wear, and how did you style it?
I love to dress up. This is what I live for. I’ll find any reason to put on as many Christine Alcalay pieces as possible. Just a couple of weeks ago, when I was in Paris for market I put on one of my knit wrap dress, layered it with a houndstooth vest, a shell colored blazer, short lavender socks with off white booties, threw on some statement earrings, topped it with my leopard print fedora and I felt like a million dollars. It sounds crazy but it really was an amazing outfit.
You mentioned that you had your ears pierced at 2 weeks of age as a child growing up in Vietnam, which also influenced you to pierce your daughters’ ears early on. What other cultural traditions do you bring to how you wear jewelry or how you dress?
A lot of my style comes from growing up in a Vietnamese household, listening to Vietnamese music and watching the women in my family wear traditional “ao dai” for special occasions. I’ve carried on the tradition of always wearing and designing with the level of elegance and sophistication that my female role models had. You’ll find that the layering of clothes, love of color and simple yet statement accessories and jewelry similar to the way women in Vietnam.
Thank you so much Christine!
