Our Exclusive Interview with Adam Lippes
Lippes started out in the fashion industry on a quest for beautiful basics. That search took more than six months and resulted in Adam and his team developing their own fabric, a bespoke washing process, and a refined-if-not-perfect fit for t-shirts. The result is anything but basic.
BOYT: You studied psychology at Cornell and art history and architecture at American University in Paris. Why the switch to fashion?
Adam Lippes: I always wanted to be a fashion designer; it just wasn’t something that was encouraged by my family. When I moved to Paris to study art and architecture, I was around so much fashion and so many designers and knew that this was something I could do. When I moved back to New York, I thought, I need to start somewhere, so I got a job working at Ralph Lauren assisting the head of merchandising for the flagship stores. As fate would have it, after about eight months, she left and went to Oscar de La Renta and took me with her. At that point, Oscar was really reinventing his brand – again – and I was really able to grow up there. Oscar took me under his wing and allowed me to apprentice in an old-school way. And so I like to say, “I went to the University of De la Renta”.
BOYT: How would you define the style the ADAM line exemplifies?
Adam Lippes: Refined and easy. I think those are two very key words that we use. I am definitely an American sportswear designer. By that I mean that I like to design pieces that a woman can wear, that she can mix and match and have fun with, and that take her into this really sort of casual lifestyle. But we do it in a very refined way.
BOYT: If you could choose one celebrity to represent ADAM, who would that be and why?
Adam Lippes: Cate Blanchett. She’s simply so refined and has such an ease. You really get a feeling that she is in clothes that she’s chosen, that reflect her style, and she just has a real elegance to her.
BOYT: Who is your favorite designer and why? Does it influence your designs?
Adam Lippes: Of course I have to give a lot to Oscar de la Renta. I always really love what Ralph Lauren has done on a business side. It’s just extraordinary. It’s extraordinary that you can walk into a Ralph Lauren store and come out looking good without making any mistakes. I am very confident in Ralph Lauren.
BOYT: What is most challenging about your work now?
Adam Lippes: We’re growing really fast and there is a lot of opportunity. We’re really trying to focus on what we’re doing and doing it well. We are focused on who our customer is and strive to not get distracted. It’s a challenge, but it’s really important to focus, focus, focus.
BOYT: What is exciting in fashion now?
Adam Lippes: I think fashion is really undergoing a shift in style, which of course it often does. I think women’s fashion is coming back to a softer, more feminine way of dressing, which is very much what I do. And I like that. Enough with the black tights and Uggs! I am not a trend forecaster, but I think Mrs. Obama has something to do with it. People are spending a bit more time getting dressed. I think we see that with both men and women.
BOYT: What are your plans for the future? Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Adam Lippes: We have three stores now; we’re opening another this summer. I think we’re looking to open a lot more stores. Free-standing retail is an important part of who we are, and as an American sportswear designer, I am interested in starting a lifestyle brand. That doesn’t mean making a bunch of product that bears your name. It’s really trying to show a lifestyle. If you walk into our store, it’s really like walking into someone’s home, a lifestyle. Everything we do is to that end, to further that lifestyle growth.
BOYT: What are some of your favorite fashion websites, magazines and stores?
Adam Lippes: So many of the websites today are about people on the street. I love to experience this sort of fast fashion. Certainly, I love the great magazines and great editors – what they do is so extraordinary. From Grace Codington on down. Each editor really gives it a different point of view. I’m not going to name any favorites – they’re all very supportive.
BOYT: What's a style tip that every woman can use?
Adam Lippes: I think there is a really simple rule that I use when I put together my looks – If you’re fancy on the bottom, don’t be fancy on the top, or vice versa.
BOYT: What key piece of advice you can give us for dressing this summer?
Adam Lippes: Long skirts or easy long dresses with flats really make a chic look, day or night. It has a sense of ease.
BOYT: What advice would you give your 20-year-old self?
Adam Lippes: I maybe would have opened my eyes a little more at Oscar. I thought I knew everything. He was very inclusive. Sometimes I’d like to go back for a refresher course.
BOYT: Tell us one thing that might surprise our readers.
Adam Lippes: Fashion is not really my whole life. I have a farm upstate. There is a lot more to life than just fashion. I think a lot of people get caught up in just fashion and it’s really not what I do.
About Adam Lippes