Designers

Richard Chai

Fashion Designer

New York City

31 December 1969

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Richard Chai

Richard Chai is an American fashion designer. Richard Chai was born in Westchester County, New York, USA, in 1974. He is of Korean parentage. He was raised in a very artistic family. His mother, who was an artist, took her children to museums, the opera, and other places where they could be influenced by art. 


Chai began his career in fashion at an early age with a prestigious internship at Geoffrey Beene as an undergraduate at Parsons School of Design. Upon graduation from Parsons in 1996, Chai continued his studies at the Lisaa School in Paris, during which time he worked as a sketcher at Lanvin. 

Returning to New York one year later, Chai immediately embarked on his practical experience as an assistant designer at Armani Exchange. He then joined Donna Karan as a designer for the DKNY and D collections.

From 1998 to 2001, Chai was the Design Director for the Marc Jacobs’ men’s and women’s collections and the launch of the Marc by Marc Jacobs men’s line. In September 2001, Chai was appointed Creative Design Director of all TSE brands, including men’s, women’s and TSE Say, marking the first time in the company’s history that a single person oversaw all brands. 

Through his experiences at some of the world’s most influential fashion houses, Chai developed a keen eye for detail, a reverence for architectural design elements, and a strong belief in the importance and value of the construction of clothes. After two years at Tse, Richard Chai established his own company in 2004.

In 2005 he was nominated for the Fashion Group International Rising Star Award. In 2006 Chai won the Samsung Fashion & Design Fund award for emerging Korean designers. In 2007 he became a member of the CFDA.

Womenswear

During New York Fashion Week in September 2004, Chai launched his Spring 2005 women’s wear collection in a formal runway presentation. His well-received debut was a study in understated, yet sophisticated elegance and established his aesthetic sensibility and penchant for clean lines and classic craftsmanship.

Spring 2005

In September 2009, the designer debuted a new contemporary-priced women’s collection called Richard Chai – LOVE for Spring 2010. Considered the female counterpart to his menswear label LOVE parallels his men’s line both in its accessible price and in its aesthetic of uniform-inspired classics refined with a modern, downtown sensibility, and a touch of whimsy.



Spring 2010

Menswear

 officially launched in June 2008 for Spring 2009, Richard Chai launched his eponymous menswear collection with a presentation during Paris Fashion Week. As with his womenswear, Chai takes an architectural approach with his menswear. Design signatures such as arced seams, intriguing fabric treatments and eclectic color palettes lend a distinctly modern flair while keeping in tune with the classic heritage of old world tailoring and craftsmanship. 



In June 2010, Richard Chai was named Swarovski Menswear Designer of the Year at the 2010 CFDA Fashion Awards. 

Other awards / Milestones:


-Winner of the 2005 Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation Award 
-Selected as a 2008 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Awards finalist for womenswear
-Named one of six finalists in GQ’s s third annual “Best New Men’s Designers in America” and was featured in a spread in the magazine’s February issue.

Text Courtesy: MBFashionWeek.com,  FashionModelDirectory.com

Below Richard Chai Collection
 

Photos