The Boy Wonders of Fashion

Utilitarian chic, tactile yet romantic… Proenza Schouler is a New York based womenswear and accessories brand founded in 2002 by designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez. This dynamic duo met while studying atParson’s School of Design, collaborating on their senior thesis, which would eventually become their first collection as Proenza Schouler. Named after the designers’ mothers’ maiden names, the collection was bought in its entirety by Barneys New York. Since then, Proenza Schouler has grown in popularity due to the brand’s fusion of craftsmanship and attention to detail with a sense of refined ease. Their ispiration drawn from contemporary art and youth culture is combined with an emphasis on tailoring and the use of custom developed fabrics.

I had been familiar with the brand, but I truly fell in love with Proenza Schouler after watching the fashion documentary Seamless where the duo were awarded with the inaugural CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund award in 2004.  The emerging brand was established as a leading talent in the industry. Three years later, Proenza Schouler was honored with the 2007 CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year award.