FIVE MINUTES WITH… SALLY LAPOINTE

Headshot photo credit Ned Rosen (2016)

CT: Sally, congratulations on another beautiful show. Can you tell me more about your collection and inspiration for this season?

SLP: Thank you very much! Yes, this season was inspired by the comic book East of West, a Science Fiction western set in a dystopian America. I wanted the collection to reflect the mood of the books, which was a mix of traditional and modern. It was an exploration of color and material. 

Sally LaPointe’s Spring 2019 collection

CT: How do you and the team forecast and plan for the season ahead?


SLP: We plan very far in advance. Being a small team, it is what we have found works for us. I’m not a last-minute kind of designer, I don’t operate on stress. We start each season about 6 months out. I am actually working on Fall 2019 right now so that should tell you something! I feel lucky for the team I have, they keep me on track.

CT: How important is a show location / set design to tell your story?

SLP: I think it’s everything. I love the drama and the 360 experience you get with a show. I love scouting new places to show, and working with my production team Dizon Inc to bring the collection to life with the set.

CT: In what way would you describe the SLP girl?

SLP: Cool, easy and luxe.

CT: Where is the most offbeat place you have found inspiration?


SLP: Great question! I find inspiration in a lot of different places, I would say one of my favorites was about how Lillian Bassman discarded decades’ worth of unprocessed film only to be found years later and developed. I did a whole collection inspired by this.

Sally LaPointe’s Spring 2019 collection

CT: How did you start in the fashion industry and where did you study?

SLP:I started in the fashion industry knowing nothing, and no-one. I graduated from RISD with my best friend Sarah Adelson and moved to NYC. We both got jobs working corporate for a few years before we decided to just go ahead and start our label. It was a lot of trial and error, but we feel proud that we are 100% self-taught and have built a company organically with a strong team around us.

CT: Since you started out, how do you think the culture of fashion has changed?


SLP: The culture of fashion has changed so much since I started. If I’m honest, it feels a bit political at times, which distracts from the core of fashion which is beautiful product, raw talent, and having something meaningful to say.

CT: What is next for the brand?


SLP: We have so many new things happening with the brand! We have some great new partnerships coming soon, we have launched a capsule e-commerce collection on our website, so there are some major things shifting right now which is very exciting to me.

CT: What words of advice would you give to young designers today?


SLP: You have to somehow listen to everyone, but change for no one, you have to be yourself, and take the blows like a champion.

Sally LaPointe’s Spring 2019 collection