Vital stats:
- Rachelle Socol
- 35 Years old
- Grew-up in Miami; now lives in Fort Greene, Brooklyn
- Director of Accessories, Theory
Shelly's World:
You come from a retail family (your dad is CEO of Barneys) and yet your background includes work with Elie Wiesel and the National Organization for Women. How did you choose your career path?
Yes, I come from a retail family and fashion was a constant topic in the house. However, there were many other discussions around art, politics and social issues. Actually, I worked for The Elie Wiesel Foundation and National Organization for Women before I got into fashion. It’s only in the last 4 years that I started to work in the business.
When I was younger I never thought I would go into fashion – maybe in some way I rejected it and wanted to pave a different course for myself. That did not mean I didn’t love clothes. I could never get away from that. Just look in my closet.
It was a series of events and changes that led me into it. After living in Israel for 8 years and studying fine arts at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, I started to seriously play around with the idea. It seemed a great way to not only be creative but to work in something I instinctively was good at.
Since you do have social causes in your background, does that imply you weren't a mean girl in high school?
Not a chance. Actually I could sometimes be the victim of a mean girl’s wrath.
Your education includes a degree in fine arts. Was there something about accessories that drew you to them specifically?
Beyond just loving them! When I first started working at Theory I was responsible for seasonal presentations to the design team. This included color direction, upcoming trends, mood, and key pieces. In addition, I was also working on the development of new product categories, including shoes, handbags, belts, and small leather goods. Designing accessories was a natural course for me coming from a sculpture background. Most of my artwork dealt with fashion in someway or another; if it was a seven-foot dress made from pink sandpaper or a bloated dress made from bubble wrap.
Shoes and handbags have a sculpture element to them which made it easy for me to transform that thought process into designing accessories. I was also lucky to have had Pina Ferlisi, now Executive VP and Creative Director at the Gap, as my boss. She has an open minded way of approaching design, especially accessories.
Do you have an enormous collection of shoes and handbags?
Let’s just say that when I moved in with my boyfriend, Gustavo, he had to move his office out of the second room and buy a new apartment, so that I could have a big enough closet.
Given that you do work in the field, is there pressure on you to have the latest, trendiest items?
Trendiest item? I am not that concerned. That does not mean that I don’t change eight times before I leave the house, a habit I can’t seem to shake.
How did you end up working at Theory?
Actually, I found the position on hotjobs.com. Knowing that my background was slightly unconventional as far as design goes, I knew it might be a challenge to get the job. I happened to be lucky one way or another. I was also fortunate to have interviewed with Pina, who liked my background and believed that I could bring something interesting to the table with my different experiences and education.
Did you already wear a lot of Theory yourself? What’s the key to the brand’s success?
I do wear some pieces of Theory, but my clothes are pretty eclectic. I mix it up a lot. I always thought it was a great concept. The brand’s success is definitely based on the fact that women want to feel comfortable and sexy and Theory clothes offer just that. The design is clean, luxurious, and chic.
Accessories are a new venture for Theory. How do they fit in to the picture? Do men have an accessories line as well?
At this time we have a very limited distribution. We are only selling the accessories at our Theory stores in the USA, in Japan and at Barneys. The accessories are a great extension to the overall brand. They can create an entire Theory lifestyle. Theory accessories for men will happen with time – however first you have to get the product right and then expand.
How do people shop for accessories? Impulse buy? Afterthought? Or do people have an idea of what they want when they go out?
It’s both impulse and afterthought. It used to be that women would buy one basic bag for each season. However, accessories have become so hot that women are buying accessories for all different occasions – holiday, evening, work, weekend, and travel.
Accessories offer a way to frequently update your wardrobe without buying new clothes. Companies have to focus on building a collection that meets the needs of a modern woman on the move. Accessories not only have to be practical but unique – creating “the” bag of the moment. Every girl is looking for that next hot accessory and that hot accessory changes very fast. A loyal following is what every company wants. Theory has that with its clothes and now wants to build the same with its accessory line.
What's your typical day like? How much creativity is involved? Do you design for the collection, or oversee others?
I am really lucky because I get to be creative almost every day, not only designing but building the department from the bottom up. I don’t only get to work with the accessory designers but I also interact with the various departments in the company from the ready- to-wear designers, to production, to PR, and with our factories abroad. A typical day includes working on the designs for this collection, both shoes and all leather goods, research for the upcoming season, checking in with production, and working on the business plan and growth of the department. I am responsible for overall design direction, overseeing and coordinating the accessories collection.
How do you know when a piece will work for the line?
Sometimes it’s just a feeling and other instances you have to be patient and keep working the design through until its right. I have learned that sometimes a particular design that you believe in might not work for the present season but may have relevance later.
How much traveling do you do? Are the trips visits to the factory, shops, shows?
I travel around 6-8 times a year to Italy, Paris, and London. Usually my trips include the leather shows, sourcing and trend research, working at our factories, and meeting with our outside designers.
The brand is headquartered here. How important is NYC in the fashion scene these days? How does it compare to say, Paris, Milan or Tokyo?
I think that each of these places has its own thing going on. Sometimes one place is hotter than the next – or people deem it as so– but they constantly influence one another. They need one-another.
Have you tried watching any of the fashion reality shows like America's Next Top Model or Project Runway?
I don’t watch that much TV. Yet, one of the designers in my department is obsessed so I get daily updates even without asking.
How conscious are you of what people are wearing around you? Any favorite people-watching locales?
Very!!!! I have a staring complex. I can actually get quite transfixed when walking the streets. I have been known for running into cars or other people on the street while checking out what the person next to me is wearing or carrying.
I don’t really read a lot of trend reports. My inspiration is from the street. In particular I love to walk the streets of Manhattan. I would say that I spend most of my time downtown, but actually I am pretty influenced by the different looks in all the neighborhoods from uptown to Brooklyn.
As for other places that influence me, I really love to people watch in Israel, not necessarily for fashion though. People-watching is something I do best no matter where I am. Sit me at a café anywhere in the world, and I can spend hours if not days checking out the scene. I get mesmerized.
What's something everyone should have in their closet?
Jeans.
Ten things to know about Shelly:
What's the best thing you've ever purchased/salvaged off the street?
My cat Lucy. I found her in the market in Jerusalem.
Which city establishment sees more of your paycheck than you do?
Any store that sells Jeans.
Gotham Mad Lib: When the __________ (noun) makes me feel ___________ (adverb), I like to _____________ (verb). (Strict adherence to "Madlib" rules is not required.)
When the alarm clock rings in the morning, I like to jump out of bed, turn on the coffee, hop into the shower, pick out my clothes and run out of the house to work. NOT!!!
Personality Problem Solving: Would you consider your personality more hysterical or more obsessive, and have you changed since living in New York; has "New York" become a part of you?
I would have to say quite obsessive. Yes, NYC makes me more obsessive. I seem to be locked in the matrix sometimes moving way too fast. Unfortunately.
NYC Confessional: Do you have a local guilty pleasure?
Getting as many massages as possible. I like this joint on Orchard -– you can just walk in. Makes it convenient after work and before a dinner date.
When you just need to get away from it all, where is your favorite place in NYC to be alone, relish in solitude and find your earthly happiness? (We promise not to intrude.)
Fort Greene Park, Brooklyn, reading the Sunday Times and watching Gustavo play soccer.
What's one thing you've done (or regularly do) in NYC that you could not have conceived doing anywhere else?
Walking down the block to Fort Greene Park to dance to live music on Sunday afternoons in the summer. Then catching a flick later that night at BAM. It does not get better than that.
Assuming that you're generally respectful of your fellow citizens, was there ever a time when you had to absolutely unleash your inner asshole to get satisfaction?
They say at work I am like a dog with a bone. I guess when I want something that I believe in, I don’t stop at anything. But of course in a nice way.
Describe that low-low moment when you thought you just might have to leave NYC for good.
Everyday that I am on the subway sandwiched between everyone’s morning breath.
Besides more square footage, what luxury would you most like to have in your apartment?
More artwork.
For more information about Theory clothes and accessories, visit their web site at www.theory.com.
-- Interview by Lily Oei and Aaron Dobbs
