theFashionSpot: What inspired WHIT’s Spring 2015 collection?
Whitney Pozgay: I was influenced by the girl movement of the 90s, and I was feeling nostalgic for my teen years when I was creating in my bedroom. Everything felt so fresh and new. There was this juxtaposition that existed for teenage girls. You wanted to be girly and tough. You wanted to be older yet you loved being young. All the artists we worked with this season have that same energy. The prints are innocent yet sophisticated.
tFS: What were you like as a teenager?
WP: I was really into Sassy and Nirvana. I was into Riot grrrl and Kathleen Hanna [of Bikini Kill]. The shirt I’m wearing today says “Girls To The Front.” It’s my Kathleen Hanna shout-out. I thought I was very tough and cool, but I was still into the girly things.
tFS: What was the one item you wore almost every day?
WP: I was the kid with the lunchbox purse.
tFS: What’s your number one girl power song?
WP: All the Bikini Kill stuff. I don’t know if it’s really girl power, but I’m obsessed with The Breeders’ “Cannonball.”
tFS: What do you throw on when you want to feel strong?
WP: I love a loud print. You can wear something that’s easy and loose yet it still makes a big statement. That way you’re not sacrificing anything by trying to wear, like, a bodycon dress.
tFS: What female do you admire in the industry today?
WP: When I started WHIT, there weren’t that many new female designers. Now there are so many; girls are having a moment. One of my favorites is Yara Flinn from Nomia. She has a beautiful mind, but she’s also so sweet. We started around the same time, and I’m so in awe of her.
tFS: What’s the last badass thing you did?
WP: Does today count? I haven’t slept in two months, so the fact that I’m awake right now is pretty badass.
