Hello, friends! I'm Stephanie. I began designing clothing at age nine when my life's ambition was to style the Spice Girls. Raised in Washington Township, New Jersey, I moved to New York in 2005 to study fashion design at The Fashion Institute of Technology. My junior year, I attended the Politecnico di Milano in Milan, Italy where I specialized in knitwear. I graduated from FIT in 2009 and have been working in the fashion industry since.

My Story

This project was borne of a broken heart, a fragment of a t-shirt and a belief in divine timing.

I met a man and knew instantly that he would play an important role in my life. We didn't start dating right away but a series of serendipitous events reconnected us. We decided to cut apart a t-shirt that we won at a Valentine's Day screening of Kubrick's Lolita. The last time I saw him, he gave me my portion- that recognizable red title font. When things ended, I knew that creating something with this memento would be the best way to close out that chapter of my life, not realizing at the time that it would open a new one. Ever fascinated by retro youth culture, and struck by the similarities between varsity script and the explicit "L" of what would become my focal appliqué, I decided to make a varsity jacket. 

I fell in love with this creative process. The immersion into the text. Uncovering and dissecting the themes. Rendering them into hidden messages inside the jacket's design; secrets that could only be decoded by those in-the-know who were curious enough to seek them out (if you know, you know…). And it was an excuse to reread my favorite novel! This was the perfect project and I intended to expand upon it. I had just begun conceptualizing the next jacket when by another twist of fate I met Tavi Gevinson, Editor in chief of Rookie Mag, on a subway platform. This set a new ball in motion. She posted a photo of my shoes on Instagram, I offered to make her a Book Jacket and here we are!

Each element of these custom Book Jackets is carefully considered. I do meticulous research throughout the reading, design and construction process to give the jackets a depth and history all their own. With an interest in sustainability and a love of nostalgia, I am inclined to work with what already exists- I source vintage garments and jewelry in the market and from my personal collection to deconstruct and repurpose as textiles and accessories. This is integral to the formulation of these one-of-a-kind garments. No two jackets will ever be alike. There's meaning behind everything, from the collar to the cuffs and all the details in between. And like any good novel, they have their messages but are begging for your interpretation.   

Welcome, Misanthropes... God save.