Fall 2015 Fashion Week Interview with Wes Gordon

Wes Gordon may have been a baby in the 90s, but he can conjure up minimalism like nobody’s business. Need proof? Take a peek at his Fall 2015 collection, previewed this morning in front of a crowd that included model Jessica Hart, Lauren Santo Domingo and even Anna Wintour. After the show, we ran backstage for a brief chitchat with our favorite Southern gentleman.

theFashionSpot: We just ran into your mother. She looks like Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy.

Wes Gordon: I’m going to tell her you said that. She’s been to every single one of my shows.

tFS: Do you ever make her one-of-a-kind pieces?

WG: No, we don’t do that anymore. We only have one patternmaker, so she picks from the collection.

tFS: Some designers are out on the front lines, going to a lot of parties and marketing themselves as the face of the brand, but you like to stay behind the scenes. Is that a part of your personality or a strategic business move?

WG: I’m a Cancer, so I’m a homebody. And I work a lot. When I’m not working, I just like to be with a few friends or at home with my dog. I’m very low-key.

tFS: Anna Wintour came to your show for the first time. Were you freaking out?

WG: It was crazy! She came backstage, and she was here by 9:54 a.m. for the 10 a.m. show. It was so sweet of her.

tFS: You’ve been involved in the CFDA/Vogue Fund competition twice. What have you learned from Anna Wintour?

WG: The CFDA/Vogue Fund is an incredible learning opportunity. It’s all about presenting a focused, clean message of who you are, but at the same time, taking risks and pushing yourself. That’s really what I tried to do with this collection.

tFS: You’ve been a longtime proponent of trunk shows, even when they fell off the radar in the last couple years. Why are they important to you?

WG: It’s the most important aspect of what I do. I’ve learned more about the business of making clothes from doing trunk shows than any other experience. You actually stand there and sell the product. If you don’t talk to your clients, and gain that knowledge, you’re blind. When I go to a trunk show, and a woman tries on a pair of trousers, I get to see if she uses the pockets and what she wants to wear with it. I get firsthand knowledge of how she lives her life. Otherwise, you end up with this fake idea of what’s happening in the world and you think everyone’s walking around in duchess satin and taffeta.

tFS: What’s your most memorable trunk show moment?

WG: I love when women get to try the clothes. I don’t care if she buys them. I just like playing dress up.

Images: Imaxtree