New York Amsterdam News
March 15, 2006

Seam Collective: Fashion's future picks

by Renee Minus White

On a cold Saturday afternoon, three young new designers introduced their collections for their new company, Seam Collective. In the 6th floor studio at 598 Broadway, designers K.D. Isaacs, Minyoung Shin and Elizabeth Rynish all had one thing in common. Their clothes were young, diverse, feminine, well-tailored and trendy.

The idea for Seam Collective, which is an alliance of entrepreneurs formed in February 2005 by these three friends, was inspired by Christo Vladimiro Javacheff and Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon's Central Park exhibit of "The Gates." "They wanted to make something happen, and they just did it, all by themselves. They raised the money to give this wonderful gift to the city of New York. The beautiful orange fabric shining in the winter afternoon sun made us realize how you can really achieve anything if you just put your mind to it," said Elizabeth.

Seam Collective's dream is for the everyday woman to express herself through distinct choices of fashion. "Not only can one designer not dress every woman, but no woman can be dressed by one designer alone," quips Elizabeth.

Today's woman has every choice at her fingertips. The strict rules of fashion have been out for some time. Whether in trousers or miniskirts or full-length dresses, today's woman can dictate her own style for every occasion. "That's why it is so important to bring boutique shopping back to the American public," says Minyoung. "American women need more choices than what is available at their suburban mall or local outlet center."

Seam Collective opens with the line of Elizabeth Rynish. Each garment combines her original and innovative prints. Influenced by Venice, Italy, with 1960 and 1970 silhouettes, her clothes are cut on the bias. Pretty patterned knit tops and easy skirts are refreshing. A zipper dress with zippy treatments in front and back is interesting. There are some A-shaped skirts. However, her shirt dresses hit the mark. For every day, they look very comfortable, giving women an easy, one-piece dressing option.

K.D. Isaacs shows the most variety of the three designers. The music in her segment was from a newly released CD by Finotee. "Celebrate," one of Finotee's root-styled original songs, had folks tapping their feet and bouncing during K.D.'s presentation. Inspired by her Jamaican background, K.D. Isaacs featured sexy crocheted swimwear, hip-fitting trousers and two-toned sleeveless tops. She favored colors like mango, turquoise, orange and cream. The best dress in the entire show was K.D.'s guayabera shirt dress with back-pleated detail. She designs for women who are seeking to remind themselves of what's outside of their urban dwelling or just looking to make a statement. A calypso dance dress closed the show.

Minyoung Shin, a 10-year fashion industry veteran, presents a fine collection of high-fashion black evening gowns. For busy women on the go, Shin's styles were enhanced with strings of jewels that tie up the loose ends of her pleated chiffon dresses. Her looks are easy, elegant and timeless. Shin believes fashion should be without standards: "There should be no limits to what one can create."

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