Proenza Schouler

The Label
This modern luxury label offers an edgy, youthful take on upscale dressing. The design team of Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough—self-proclaimed “dorks”—has only been in business since 2002, but they’ve already enjoyed numerous hit collections, and a rep as one of fashion’s most talked about labels. The duo met in design school, worked with Michael Kors and Marc Jacobs respectively, then partnered on their graduation project; the rest is history. It helps that their talent matches their hype, and that their collections showcase their skillful detailing. Some of the line’s most current pieces, sleek and minimal silhouettes with a soulful cheekiness, are redolent of the mod-ness of Courrèges, (a black-and-white cashmere mini-dress), or Paco Rabanne (a chain mail tank.)

The Look
Young and sporty, with a somewhat mod nod to cheeky sixties pop fashion icons. Tailored coats in lush menswear pattern prints, thin pencil skirts, color-blocked chiffon evening gowns cinched with satin belts, and sleek minimal silhouettes that mostly come in dark neutrals like bronze, battleship gray and military green.

The Designer
Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough met in 1999, while in design school at Parsons. They partnered up for their thesis project, calling it by their mothers’ maiden names, Proenza Schouler, and a collection was born. Hernandez, who hails from Cuban Miami, originally pondered becoming a doctor, while McCollough, from suburban New Jersey, was intent on blowing glass. Luckily, they found each other: The design duo were presented with the CFDA’s Perry Ellis Award for new talent in 2003 and have shown to critical acclaim with each subsequent season.
Defining Looks

Proenza Schouler Website