SCV: All your scarves are printed silk. Have you considered other materials?
SL: Yes, I might. That’s definitely on my mind. I’ll still use silks, but maybe different silk blends.
SCV: Who is your typical customer?
SL: Women like us. Women who are younger, women who are older. Any woman who appreciates an accessory. It’s a multifunctional accessory. It goes across the board and it’s hard to pinpoint, but someone who’s definitely fashionable and wants to have this extra piece of something that makes a staple in her wardrobe. For me, scarves were always like a staple. A scarf is like a bag to me.
SCV: Your scarves are very different than the kind you see worn by the Williamsburg hipster set. Was that a conscious decision?
SL: Absolutely. I wanted to be more of a designer looking item, more designed, more intricate looking than more of a hipsterish look. I want my scarves to be collectable, passed from generation to generation like other scarves that I have from high end designers… I want something a woman would buy, and then pass it on to her daughter, granddaughter, niece, whatever.
SCV: Where does your inspiration come from?
SL: For this collection I wanted to do something that was soft and hard at the same time. So softness of silk, and hardness of hardware was the inspiration of this collection [Many of the scarves feature trompe l’oeil chains and studs]. And a little bit of a music edge, a hard music edge as well.
SCV: Do you follow trends closely or do you try to stay away from that?
SL: I definitely follow the trends and I see what I love, what I don’t love. What I like. Something that makes me go “Wow!”, something that makes me go “Ok, whatever…” but I try to stay to my vision.
SCV: I ask because I noticed that many of your scarves use the trompe l’oeil effect that is so popular right now.
SL: I think I’ve been in the industry for so long by now that [deciding to use trope l’oeil] is kind of like a feeling. This is what I want to do, this is what my eye gravitates to. There are a lot of beautiful things out there, and I intentionally didn’t do anything pink, I intentionally didn’t have any flowers in my collection, because I wanted to do something different but still wearable. Something that’s associated with me. If I would just do another flower thing I would be like a lot of other people.
To view and purchase Sabina Les’s unique silk designs, visit www.sabinales.com. In support of Fashion’s Night Out, all purchases made on September 10 will be 30% off with the code FNONY.
