Photo by Desiree
When I stepped off the escalator at Neiman Marcus Scottsdale to see Rubin Singer’s Spring 2014 line, I was instantly taken aback. His work was breath-taking at first glance and even more mesmerizing as I got closer. Each one of his pieces balances feminine detail with strong silhouettes and shaping. It’s no surprise that he has dressed some of the most powerful women in Hollywood, such as Heidi Klum, Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, Lea Michele and countless others. I sat down with Singer to get acquainted with his beliefs as a designer and discover the story behind the line.
Q: What was the main aesthetic for your spring line?
A: “It was inspired by the dynastic queens of Ancient Egypt, and it came about because I was working on Beyoncé’s tour. She wanted me to do this whole queen concept for the opening of her show, and I was really interested in figuring out creative ways of doing a queen rather than the Marie Antoinette story. So I started researching Queen of the Night, Queen Amidala, and ultimately I came up with all the great rulers of Ancient Egypt. I did one piece for the show and ultimately I got stuck in Egypt conceptually, and that’s how the whole inspiration came about.”
Q: You have become such a successful designer at such a young age. Is there any advice you have to give our young collegiate readers that may be hoping to have the same level of success?
A: “The most important thing is to have an inordinate amount of tenacity, belief in your own point of view, because everyone has their own opinion. In this field, everyone has an opinion of who you are and who you’re supposed to be. So, never lose your sense of direction and who you are as a creative. Ultimately, the most important thing is to know who your audience is, who your customer is, and to always keep that in mind. Who is she, where is she going, what is she doing?”
Q: What was it like designing for some of the biggest names in Hollywood?
A: “It’s pretty much the same as designing for anyone else, there are just a lot more time constraints and pressure to impress. Usually they need a dress yesterday and you have to wait around for hours and all that stuff. But other than that it’s like any other client, you have to make them happy.”
Q: I’ve heard that you make your own fabrics. Is this something you find important to your line?
A: “Incredibly, because when you develop your own textiles they become your own. So many times you can become fascinated with a print or fabric and then someone else uses it. It’s not your own and it doesn’t look like you had any integrity with your design or the other designer didn’t have any integrity in their design. So it is very important to maintain your own textiles so they are truly yours.”
Q: Are there any upcoming trends for spring that you did incorporate into your line?
A: “You see, I don’t really follow trends, I set them. It’s always after the fact that I hear about what the trends are and usually I’m pretty much on point. There are a lot of metallics for spring, a lot of blues, a lot of pale pinks. Evening separates are becoming very important as are day separates.”
By: Desiree Pharias