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064
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The creative
partnership of MJ
Diehl and Roman
Milisic, known as House
of Diehl (HoD), is
committed to producing
statement-making
fashion design and
multimedia experiences.
Their revolutionary
work transcends the
boundaries between
fashion, art, music, and
performance. House
of Diehl has exhibited
and performed their
renowned, live, instant
fashion shows for
thousands of people
around the world:
with Sonic Youth and
Rem Koolhaas at the
Greenspace Festival
in Spain; David
LaChapelle and Gwen
Stefani on her Rich Girl
video; alongside Elton
John, Liza Minelli, and
Versace at the Lifeball,
among others. They’ve
been nominated for
numerous design
awards, winning the
Triumph International
Fashion Award 2004-
2005. House of Diehl
is also the inventor of
Style Battling™, which
has once again brought
the fashion world to its
feet.
MJ Diehl, Roman Milisic/House of Diehl
www.houseofdiehl.com
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© Mimi Cabell
635
C
OMMUNICATION. Communication is everything. You not only need to be in
complete control of your message, but you must be able to communicate it in a
language that speaks to your audience. If your clothes could talk, would they
mumble? Or are they the stand-up-and-take-notice shout-out to the world?
631 INSPIRATION. There’s nothing
more dangerous than playing it safe.
Everything’s been done–overdone.
There’s probably a stadium-sized hole in
the ozone from another designer creating
another little black dress. Get over it. HoD
champions innovation over imitation,
so we focus on process–an area ripe for
innovation. Instant Couture™ and Style
Battling™ are just two examples of our
completely innovative design process,
which has transformed the way people
think about, produce, and experience
fashion.
632 T
RADITIONAL MANUFACTURING VS.
EXPERIMENTATION. Decide if you want to be
an innovator, or an assimilator. Now more
than ever, there’s nothing to be gained for
a young designer assimilating to what’s
out there. Everything’s been done. In fact,
I see fashion entering its own “oil crisis.”
With 30 looks in 40 fashion shows in 12
fashion weeks twice a year that’s nearly
30,000 looks being produced annually.
Every combination of every standard
theme–Grecian-Punk-Tudor-Preppie-
Boho-Mod–has been worked over ad
in nitum.
633 I
NDIVIDUALITY VS. GROUP BELONGING.
We consider them interlinked. House
of Diehl uses fashion as a vehicle for a
larger social agenda: individual identity,
cross-cultural communication, and
community. We strive to engage and
edify the individual, while amplifying the
voice of the greater community of which
he/she is a part–local action that fuels a
global reaction. Our continued mission is
to create fashion that not only expresses
a community, but generates one. We
encourage you to be an individual, in a
group of individuals.
634 B
RAND VA L U E S . The personal
resurrection of the makeover. The
transcendence of fame. The fantasy
of fashion. The integrity of art. The
empowerment of authorship. The thrill of
the spectacle. The satisfaction of the need
to be heard, to be seen, to be loved–all
around the world. We all want it all: HoD
delivers it.
210 1,000 Ideas by 100 Fashion Designers
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© John Gettings
© John Gettings
© John C. Liau
© John Gettings
636 ADVICE. In a dream world, you’ve
got six months to transform a beautiful
bolt of silk into another little black
dress. In the real world, your deadlines,
resources, and budgets are tighter than
Shrek in a Speedo. Be resourceful. Be
relevant. Be willing and able to do
anything, at any time, to further your
work. And, most importantly, care…care
about the environment, care about your
client, care about starving kids somewhere,
but make your work a “contribution”
to society, and society will make a
contribution to you.
637 W
ORKPLACE. Our workplace is a
former strip club in downtown New York,
now a full oor loft in which we work and
live with our daughter. We live next door
to Mariah Carey. It is part home, part
showroom, part studio. There is a pink
Jacuzzi installed by Wyclef Jean, the
previous tenant, a Mae West lips couch,
and a giant banana painted on the wall.
The mannequins are display mannequins
donated by Henri Bendel, but they simply
give form to the real design work that takes
place in our heads.
638 STREET FASHION VS. FASHION
DESIGNER. Relevant fashion comes from
the street trends. A good designer–one
that actually instigates trends–is part
soothsayer and part social analyst. He or
she is acutely aware of what’s going on in
society and culture–not just today, but
20, 30, 40, 100 years in the past. That’s
because all fashion is an updated past look,
reinterpreted for the modern world–fashion
design is collagist art. In order for a
collection to be embraced by the public–to
speak for the public–it must be able to
predict the future feelings of the public.
639 G
OOD HABITS. Do your research.
Ask to get paid upfront, or on delivery.
Saves a lot of headache down the line.
640 M
ATERIALS. One of our primary
fashion techniques is to break down and
recreate clothing found at thrift stores
or garage sales, to reuse their wonderful
details and beautiful fabrics to make new,
one-of-a-kind couture pieces–with no eco
footprint. (It’s also cheaper than buying
the at fabrics and unique notions!)
© John Gettings
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641 INSPIRATION. My collections always
revolve around the “red line.”
642 MATERIALS. I choose fabrics
depending on their ability to convey the
feelings I want to express. I buy them
in France, Italy, England, China, and
Japan. I never say “never” because mixes
of materials and fabrics change with the
times.
643 B
RAND VA L U E S . Monique Collignon
promises creativity, quality, and
exclusivity.
644 C
OMMUNICATION. Our label is young,
glamorous, feminine, high level, and a little
bold.
645
T
RADITIONAL MANUFACTURING
VS. EXPERIMENTATION.
Experimenting and having good
knowledge of tradition will take
you to a higher level. If you are
traditional and never experiment,
then, in my opinion, you are only
making clothes.
212 1,000 Ideas by 100 Fashion Designers
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Monique Collignon 213
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646 EVOLUTION. You’re only as good as
your last collection.
647 STYLE. Every so often I stay with
the most feminine, wearable, and detailed
pieces, and I change the materials.
648 A
DVICE. Be yourself.
649 G
OOD HABITS. Be centered,
persevere, perfect your patterns, have an
overall vision, and communicate well.
650 S
ALES. Sales = wearability + price.
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