Get to Know Rosie Assoulin, Best Emerging Designer Nominee for the tFS Style Awards 2014

Rosie Assoulin burst onto the fashion scene with a bang in 2013 with her signature plays on volume. Undeniably gifted, Assoulin made her official debut for Resort 2014 and was quickly covered by a slew of major publications, given prominent floor space in influential boutiques like Kirna Zabete and spotted on the red carpet. While the designer has been sewing and experimenting with fashion since her early teenage years and interned for big-name brands like Oscar de la Renta and Lanvin, it took years of encouragement for her to get over her fears of debuting her own line — and we’re ecstatic that she did.

Assoulin’s Aesthetic

Modern with ethnic and old-school haute couture-inspired undertones, Assoulin’s clean-lined designs are often dramatic without ever being vulgar. One could easily think of her as the de la Renta for a younger, more fashion-forward, but equally refined set.

In Her Own Words

• Assoulin was “terrified” about starting her own brand and her anxiety hasn’t ceased; she has, however, found a coping mechanism. “I found that if you can bring yourself to just focus on the next 24 hours then you can make yourself make those scary decisions. I feel like I’m in Gulliver’s Travels.”
• She may be best known for her eveningwear, but comfort is always top of mind for the designer. “I can’t be the girl with the Mary Poppins bag, and whip out a three-course meal of clothing – different outfits for every part of the day. I can’t do that,” she told The New Potato. “I’ve gotta get dressed in whatever I can wear. If I could, if I was that glamorous, who knows how I’d be different, but comfort is a really big thing for me. I really think about comfort. I really think about what I want to be wearing for more than an hour or two and having a good time in.”
• Joan Rivers made fun of the Assoulin gown that Michelle Dockery wore to the Emmys and the designer couldn’t be more proud. “Joan Rivers made fun of it, and that was her last show, so it was a very big deal for us,” she told us. “We got a joke from Joan, it’s the best thing that happened to us! Joan’s going to be missed, but we’re glad we got to have that moment.”

Fun Facts

• The designer’s entire collection is made in New York. In fact, she lives just two blocks away from one of her patternmakers, so she’ll often pop in with her son.
• Assoulin was named one of Forbes’ 30 under 30.
• She is a nominee for the Woolmark Prize 2014/2015.
• Lily Aldridge wore one of the designer’s creations to this year’s amfAR New York Gala.
• Assoulin grew up in Brooklyn.
• When she isn’t designing, Assoulin channels her creative energy into cooking.
• Her mother-in-law is jewelry designer Roxanne Assoulin.
  
  

Don’t forget to Vote for your favorites in this year’s tFS Style Awards!