Bright Young Things

Toasting the Furla Talent Hub's first anniversary at the New Museum
Thursday, October 30, 2008

(NEW YORK) The view from the seventh floor of the New Museum was stunning, but inside, there were plenty of lovely things to see as well. At Furla's first anniversary celebration of the Furla Talent Hub, a program honoring young designers with the opportunity to design pieces for the Italian fashion house, the designers and their wares were on display. The lucky young things this year? Courtney Crawford, Nicole Brundage, Max Kibardin, and Maricó. The hosts of the evening, Lindsay Price and Kelly Rutherford, mingled and greeted the designers, Furla execs, and guests like Camille Guaty.

"When there are new designers, I'm always interested. Ever since I started Lipstick Jungle, I began doing quite a lot of research in the fashion world," said Price, who plays a fashion designer on the show. "I'm always excited for the newer designers because they're so incredibly open and raw and fresh. I see them as inspiration for my character."  She named Chris Benz, Christopher Bailey, Justin Giunta and Elise Øverland as the ones she's keeping an eye on.

"Furla has always been very careful about supporting young people," said Michele Furlanetto, the company's president. "These are our designers, and we love them so much because we see the passion that they put in it." Crawford, who's already had success with his namesake line at stores like Saks and Intermix, described his aesthetic succinctly: "Sexy. Unapologetically sexy." Kibardin explained his collection as being inspired by Georgia O'Keefe, saying, "I like classics--working with classics and putting them in a modern way."

"I like Furla because it's a family-owned company," said Rutherford between dances with her husband. "The grandsons run the company. I think it's something like 80 years old, established in 1927. It's one of the few companies that's still that way." But while Rutherford respected the company for its long history, partygoer Richie Rich had a few characteristic words of wisdom for the young designers out there: "Shake it up! Use some color--use a little more pizzazz!"
EMILY GYBEN