Gilt Groupe To Revive Yoko Devereaux This Fall
About a year ago we were sad to bring you news of the demise of Yoko Devereaux, the Williamsburg-based menswear line we cherished for a decade. Now we're excited to tell you Yoko D is back! Gilt Groupe will exclusively distribute the downtown-meets-uptown line with a revival starting this fall. We caught up with Yoko Devereaux founder and creative maven Andy Salzer to ask about the new line.
You've been consulting since last year's demise of Yoko Devereaux – even held a funeral in it's honor at the Box. How did your new deal with Gilt come about? Were they looking to dig up Ms. Deveraux's coffin?
Rewind a year. Everybody was getting laid off, businesses were closing left and right: people were generally freaked out with a capital 'F'. Putting Yoko Devereaux in the ground was the best thing that could have happened to me. I had a full year off – the first year in 10 years. And over the last year, Gilt became one of my consulting clients. Inevitably, the question was asked: "Why did Yoko Devereaux have to die?" And really, she didn't "have" to go away. I just needed a break – an adult size Yoko Devereaux time out.
Will this project include new and traditional Yoko D pieces? What mood are you striking with new items?
This project will start with a combination of both. After 10 years, there are definitely some items that people have been asking for over and over again. Design for new items are going to a darker place because Yoko Devereaux comes from a darker place (she's technically a zombie at this point). But, clearly, darkness with a sense of humor.
You are known for your collaborative work with various companies and creative folks, how did you collaborate on Gilt with this new partnership?
With so many companies copying Gilt's business model, this is a type of designer collaboration that will be around for awhile. Gilt has effectively changed the way we interact with fashion (both from a designer *and* a customer perspective). I have to admit that the original creative and development process for design has always felt so slow: design a year in advance, show 6 months in advance, sell 6 months in advance, then wait for the goods to hit stores. It's a very beautiful process, but the market actually moves at a different pace and has for awhile. Gilt understands the importance of moving quickly and strategically but not compromising quality or integrity. So, with that said, they've been a total pleasure to work with from the beginning.
Any new retail location potentials? What of the old store?
For now, Yoko Devereaux is exclusively available at Gilt. And the Yoko Devereaux store in Williamsburg? Have you been by? It's still vacant and covered in graffiti. It looks really cool, actually.
Will you do a runway show this fall?
There will be a party in conjunction with the launch at Gilt. I'll keep you posted…
When and where will the new line be available? We can't wait to see it!
End of August / Early September exclusively at Gilt!
