MADE in NEW YORK

As they celebrate the 10TH ANNIVERSARIES of their namesake brands, three NEW YORK designers-LAQUAN SMITH, ROSIE ASSOULIN, and ADAM LIPPES-discuss the HIGHS and HEARTACHES of staying in fashion

- LAQUAN SMITH, ROSIE ASSOULIN, and ADAM LIPPES

In the "bigger is better" landscape that is New York, owning and running a successful independent fashion brand is not for the faint of heart. Over the past decade, many beloved and highly praised labels have come and gone, along with the luxury retailers that stocked them. And that's before we even get to the impact of the pandemic, which brought into question the very role that fashion plays in our lives.

Despite all of these challenges, the New York designers LaQuan Smith, Rosie Assoulin, and Adam Lippes are celebrating their namesake brands' 10th anniversaries this year. The clothes they make carry distinct points of view: If broken down to just one word per label, Smith's designs could be described as sexy, Lippes's refined, and Assoulin's artful. But all three have remained true to their aesthetics, cultivated devoted followings, and, most impressively, managed to weather the harsh economic storms of the past few years to continue doing what they love.

Smith, Lippes, and Assoulin recently convened to discuss the significance of making it to a decade in business, the importance of tenacity and resilience, and what it means to survive and thrive in an industry where hype and longevity are often at odds.