Le'Talk: Roe Wolfe co-owner Romeny Chan

by Jahna Peloquin

Two of the Twin Cities better-known makeup artists, Romeny Chan and Ashley Kilcher, have joined forces on a new endeavor: Roe Wolfe. The boutique, which opened its doors last week in St. Paul suburb Mendota Heights, sells a well-edited mix of women's clothing, accessories, cosmetics and fragrances from on-the-cusp luxury brands like Aryn K., Matiko Footwear, and BECCA Cosmetics. We chatted with Chan about how the two went from makeup artists to store owners, their collaboration with internationally-renowned knitwear designer Kevin Kramp, and why they opened up shop in the 'burbs.

l'étoile: You and Ashley are both longtime Twin Cities makeup artists. Is this the end of your work in makeup artistry? Romeny Chan: The end? Oh, no! We see this as being a catalyst to our career. Not only are we expanding our realm of expertise in the industry, we are branching into a whole new audience. In fact, our staff is composed of two other make-up artists. We have brought in the full Becca Cosmetics line so we are now working as a team offering services to not only our everyday customers but as free-lancers. We have a lot of plans for Roe Wolfe and staff. We see a lot of partnerships ahead. What inspired your foray into retail? Ashley and I have been freelancing for the last eight years or so, and often times side by side. We have always entertained the idea of a partnership but it wasn't until last spring that we approached the idea of a different business endeavor all together. As it turns out, we both have always wanted a boutique. Since we both have styled in the past and a mutual love for high-end contemporary fashion. It was a perfect combination of image consulting - make-up and styling. It is a bit ambitious, but we didn't want to stop there. We are big supporters of local artisans, so it only made sense that much of the decor are hand made and can be bought right off the floor. I also have an olfactory obsession, hence the atelier lines of fragrances. Why Mendota Heights? We don't typically see this level of fashion in the 'burbs. Our first thoughts were to bring this kind of boutique to St Paul. That was when Mendota Heights caught our attention. With it only being 20 minutes away from Minneapolis, it's perfectly tucked in-between Hudson and St Paul. Our location is perfect stop for those traveling to the cities for high-end shopping. I wouldn't say the caliber of service and clothing we are offering is far off from what some suburbs want or need. There is a strong intent and ambition on our part to provide this astute area a luxurious experience they are craving. Tell us about your space. RW is about 700 square feet with weathered floors and antlers all decorated about. We have bowls and pottery all made by local artisans, fixtures are also custom made by an artisan that specializes in making furniture out of old window frames! So, you can imagine, the rustic ambiance we provide, but with a very polished and contemporary feel. What kind of price points can customers expect? Our price points (currently for our soft opening) are $60 to $150+ tops and we carry denim lines that are $150+. We have already ordered for Holiday and Spring with lines such as Love Sam and Winter Kate! On that note, our average price point will be $100+ once the core collections hit the floor. Kevin Kramp had yet to be sold in any Twin Cities stores until you started carrying him. How did you go about getting in touch with Kevin to sell his line? Ashley first worked with Kevin Kramp on Voltage 2010 when she was leading as key artist. From there, their professional careers continued to cross paths as she worked alongside him on other fashion shows. Weeks before Roe Wolfe opened her doors, the seed was planted that we wanted to carry his pieces. When I met him we discussed design and textiles. The conversation immersed itself in how well crafted pieces are a translation of harmony between color, texture and form. Roe Wolfe is honored to be exclusively showcasing Kramp's pieces. We've come up with a luxurious line that represents us yet doesn't compromise his intuition and vision as the designer. Both Kevin Kramp and I were able to work out a very unique collection for the RW that will grace our floors for Holiday. Though limited (we are bringing around six large circle scarves, with a price point at $225+), it will give RW customers a taste of designer luxe, right from Mpls. We are very excited about this and so supportive of Kevin. Roe Wolfe is located at 750 Main Street in Mendota Heights, 651-330-4434. Check out Roe Wolfe on Tumblr, Facebook and Twitter. Look for an online shop to come.

MNfashion Week in review: Emma Berg & Kevin Kramp

Though MNfashion's 2011 Fashion Week calendar is overflowing with events, Emma Berg and Kevin Kramp's joint runway presentation managed to create constant buzz. Held in the MNfashion Atrium in the Grainbelt Building, the show was straightforward and gimmick-free.

Berg presented "Tragicomedy," a collection focused on 2010, an mournful year politically, socially and environmentally. Touching on events such as the passing of Proposition 8, the BP oil spill, and the earthquake that gutted Haiti, Berg's thoughtful collection cataloged and reflected these events with a sense of dark irony.

The show opened with a pair of ivory palazzo pants and matching blouse in watery silk. The graceful neckline and delicate sleeves clashed with a garish red smile sequined across the front of the blouse. It was beautifully vulgar, something the late Alexander McQueen probably would have loved.

A red t-shirt blouse re-worked the classic British World War II poster, replacing "Keep Calm and Carry On" with "It Gets Better." Despite the potential for cheesiness, the look worked. It felt modern and relevant.

An ivory shell with a sequined drops of black oil was paired with cropped wide-leg pants with a beautifully dyed band of bluish black just above the hem. Photographs do not due this look justice. The dyed pant legs appeared again on a pair of ivory silk overalls. The allusion to the plight of Mexican migrant workers in the Southwestern United States was made clear with an appliqué of the eagle crest from the Mexican flag. Compared to the rest of the collection, the look felt heavy handed.

Halfway through the presentation, a gown of fluttery white layers with bloody red strips of silk received a burst of applause. The design was sophisticated and feminine, but the unexpected streaks of red are what elevated it to a higher level.

A black cocktail dress and a funereal full-length gown served as chic mourning wear. They weren't as edgy as some of the other looks, but they were emotional pieces, well-designed and constructed.

An outstanding red lace number felt like a finale look. Though it incorporated elements frequently seen on the runways of Marc Jacobs and Christian Dior, it didn't feel derivative. It could easily be worn down a runway in New York or Paris Fashion Week.

The overt sweetness of the ruffled ivory and cream finale dress veered into Erin Fetherston territory. A tiered dress paired with Louis Vuitton-esque bunny ears and lacy leggings ended the show on a welcome note of optimism, but its unapologetic girlishness and naivite distanced it from the rest of the collection. I would have liked to see a more gradual transition from pessimism to optimism in the narrative.

As the line of runway models took their final lap, the thoughtfulness and skill of the collection hit home. It was a rousing success. Berg took her bow in one of her own designs and her excitement was palpable as she giggled down the runway while the audience stood and cheered.

Kevin Kramp has been making the rounds at Paris Fashion Week and was recently featured in Vogue Italia, so it's a privilege to catch the designer's work in Minneapolis. He opened his presentation with a pair of his signature dropped crotch knit trousers that were surprisingly wearable considering the avant garde nature of the designer's work.

Open weave sleeveless sweaters made several appearances. Seeing the intricacies of the knit displayed on bare skin gave audience members further back a chance to better appreciate the intricacies of the design.

Kramp included several looks for women (though much of his work is unisex), much to the audience's delight. The baggy shapes paired with angled baseball caps created a look was feminine, but tough. Almost street-wise.

The elaborate finale look was painstakingly intricate. Several complicated patterns wove together effortlessly. The piece was, without question, a work of art. Audience members craned their necks to catch every loop and stitch, but there was so much to appreciate that it was impossible to catch all of the details.

Not one to shy away from a good time, Kramp wheeled out onto the runway in one of his own creations. As he half-pedaled half-walked on his little bicycle, he gave out exuberant high fives and handshakes to audience members lucky enough to score a front row seat. Fashion is often serious to the point of self-parody, so it's always refreshing to see a successful designer who is clearly having fun.

Voltage Designer Spotlight: Kevin Kramp

By Juleana Enright

Voltage designer Kevin Kramp just may be the King Midas of knitwear. His eye-popping designs -- designs that l'etoile fashion editor Jahna Peloquin once called “Missoni meets Henrik Vibskov” -- combine unique structures with luxurious fibers, intricate jacquard patterns and colorful textiles. A designer never content with the classic elements of apparel, Kramp’s Voltage collection features a stunning use of yarns, angora, cotton blends and textured silks in refreshingly new shapes. His innovative style and unique techniques have caught the attention of the global fashion industry, garnering him attention in international publications and trend reports. Some of his pieces can even be found in select boutiques in London and Paris! Très chic! Kevin's long list of fashion triumphs range from being a recipient of a Jerome Grant for Fiber Artists to winning a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship to Brazil as well as being a finalist in the L’Oreal Professionnel: 100 Years of Colour competition and the NuLook t-shirt design contest -- just to name a mere few. Color us majorly impressed! Having returned to Minnesota after studying design in New York and London, Kramp recently took up residence as the Men’s Knitwear and Collection Designer for the upscale label St. Croix Collections. We can’t wait to see what tricks he has up his Italian yarn-knitted sleeves for Voltage!

We recently caught up with the eloquent designer who dished on his “outed” addiction to knitwear, a whirlwind of future projects, and how – like a blind Cinderella – he accidentally met the Creative Director for Dior.

Photo by Stephanie Colgan for Voltage: Fashion Amplified

l'étoile: Your conceptual menswear collection is really pushing the envelope when it comes to silhouettes, shape, even texture. It's almost MC Hammer meets nomad warrior. Where did the inspiration for this style come from? And how did you end up focusing on knitwear?

Kevin: My God what doesn't inspire me?...The natural world. Men. Food. Colour. The possibility of creating that one brief moment when someone is taken aback by beauty.

I wouldn’t say that I design within a particular ‘style’. I simply pursue beauty in my life, draw a great deal, canvas a wide range of yarns and materials that in and of themselves must speak beauty; imagine an inspiring character for these beautiful things, create something beautiful for him, and then choose the best ideas from this process. I do not research or reference pre-existing fashions, garments or trends for my own designs. Clothing is the most uninspiring source of inspiration for more clothing. Not to mention hideously unoriginal.

Despite the overwhelmingly obvious signs throughout my life, it took me years to realize that I was keen on knitting…I always run to the knit sections first in retail stores, I react most strongly to knitwear in designer collections, I am by nature a crafty materials-oriented designer, I relax when I touch yarn and knittable materials, and I unsuccessfully attempted to join local knit groups or programs for years. I began at St. Martins in the Menswear program and with every project continuously designed knit pieces, without having a clue of how to construct them. With much, much trepidation and secret panic, I switched over to the Knitwear course, and it has been the most fabulous move of my career thus far. I am a knitwear designer, there is absolutely no question. I can’t stop the ideas, they compete for room in my head at all times. Ask me to design a woven tailored jacket, and I can sit for two hours without any ideas and utterly devoid of inspiration. Ask me to design a new knit piece, and I ideate brilliantly for endless hours!

Photo of past work courtesy of KevinKramp.com

l'étoile: You've brushed shoulders with some pretty exciting creatives in both the fashion and art world including Victoria Beckham, the folks at Paper Magazine, fashion designer Clare Tough and Italian artist, Massimo Pulini. What has been your most memorable experience in the global fashion industry?

Kevin: Ok, I’ll indulge you with a gossipy story on this one. Once upon a time I was very young, very fresh, and very naive in New York City while at Paper Magazine, and one night I attended an exclusive and chic fashion party. At one point in the evening, my friend happened to introduce me to an average-looking, shy, and excruciatingly awkward French man who had been taking very obvious interest in me all night from across the room. We shook hands, spoke a bit, he had nothing to say and so I was uninspired, and we went off on our separate ways.

Literally, LITERALLY, the next morning I am riding the subway to work, and a fellow rider across from me is reading the New York Times Art/Style section. And there, on the back page, is a huge portrait photo of the French man I had met the night before, absolutely staring at me in quiet victory from across the subway carriage. It was Hedi Slimane, the newly appointed Creative Director for Dior Homme. The biggest thing in men’s fashion in years and years and years and years. And I had had utterly no idea.

Fast forward nearly ten years later in London, just last year, and I am walking down an empty little side street in soho. And of all people, and places, and moments, who happens to turn the corner walking towards me in the opposite direction, but Hedi. I stopped, said hello and we shook hands again after a decade. He was still very shy, this time more harried and stressed. Naturally he had no memory whatsoever of who I was. And as I am no longer as fresh and beautiful as I once was, he had absolutely no lingering interest. He walked away very quickly.

I think that lost moment ten years ago was that one random, lucky chance I had at being the Belle of the Ball for a moment in New York, of being whisked off to see crazy things and big people and showy events, all for having done nothing. But I didn’t recognize it, and I didn’t take it, I wasn’t ready. Of course, it all would have been very superficial and not lasted, but it would have changed my life in very significant ways. I do not necessarily regret what could have been…but I do simply wonder.

Photo by Stacy Schwartz / Voltage Media & Buyers preview

l'étoile: What's on your plate after Voltage? And can you dish a bit on your new job?

Kevin: I have some great projects coming up! The Jerome Foundation, via the MN Textile Center, has awarded me a fiber artist project grant to realize and present a Fall 2010 Men’s Knitwear collection. This will include a six-week static exhibition at the Textile Center gallery in September-October and possibly a live presentation. New features on my work are coming out this spring in international fashion publications in France, Italy, New York and Canada. As always, some performers and musicians wear my garments to one-off events in London and New York, so keep your eye out for a singing man swimming in colourful knit, haha!

My job is great though I don’t know how dishy it is! I am Men’s Knitwear and Collection Designer for St. Croix Collections, a luxury men’s sportswear label now celebrating its 50th year this year. I am one of three designers responsible for the design of all knitwear, wovens, trousers and denim, leathers and outerwear, and hosiery. We travel six weeks a year to Paris, Milan, New York and Las Vegas for trade shows and trend research. The most cuckoo exciting part of it is that we are a total vertical operation, meaning all manufacture takes place on site, including all industrial knitting, laundry and finishing, cutting, sewing, piecing and hand finishing, inspection, shipping, and of course design. I went through our entire production process myself to construct one knitwear garment! I can design a knit stitch idea on paper in the morning, and that afternoon the actual sample is on my desk for review. It’s bonkers! And fantastic.

Photo of past work courtesy of KevinKramp.com

l'étoile: What advice do you have for up-and-coming local designers to advance in the fashion community and get noticed?

Kevin: Live your life. Pursue joy. Smile and say hello to the beautiful stranger in the street who is too shy to do so first. There is no ‘will be given’; there is only ‘take.’ Be visionary, inventive, brave and intelligent. Above all, focus your energies on very, very good work. Abundant enthusiasm for mediocre work is unacceptable, idiotic, and far too common.

l'étoile: Describe the kind of film you could see your Voltage collection featured in. What kind of motif do you think it would embody?

Kevin: An epic and operatic nihilist tragedy as envisioned by the love child of Pier Paolo Pasolini, Federico Fellini and Tim Burton, with extraordinarily beautiful men of all ages trudging through the monotonous and discouraging landscape of life.


To visit Kevin Kramp's website click HERE

For more info on Voltage: Fashion Amplified and to purchase tickets to the April 16th event at First Avenue click HERE