NEW YORK — The boxes of samples had just arrived on the morning of Sept. 1 — a good thing, since showtime for Generra was only 10 days away.
In the showroom, salesgirls clicked away on their computers and a receptionist answered the phone. Construction workers built offices for the president, Stacey DiPersia, and her sales team. DiPersia and Pina Ferlisi, the brand’s new creative director, hung samples on racks and picked out pieces for their runway debut, which is set for 5 p.m. today at the Milk Penthouse here.
In addition to being Generra’s first runway show during New York Fashion Week, it is also Ferlisi’s first collection with the company. She started in March and immediately began working on the pieces that will be shown today.
“In general, I am always inspired by stylish girls about town,” Ferlisi said. “But this particular collection is about effortless chic dressing and beautiful Sixties film stars.”
Ferlisi said that she chose to join Generra because it made sense with her background. She is a seasoned designer, most recently senior vice president of Gap’s adult product development and design. She left that company in October after the brand had several disappointing seasons. Before Gap, she was a designer at Theory, and prior to that, creative director at Marc by Marc Jacobs, where she was the designer behind the 2000 launch.
Generra seems like a match for Ferlisi, as she is clearly in her element. Her office is neat and organized, with inspirational photos hung on a board and sketches pinned up in a perfect line. She said she loves designing the casual but chic clothes for which Generra has become known.
“There really aren’t many accessible fashion collections out there,” she said. “And that’s what I really love about Generra.”
For spring, the line includes an array of supersoft cotton T-shirts, perfect for layering. There are also vintage-inspired gray and white printed tunic dresses, washed leather jackets, sweat shorts and tank tops. Each piece has great attention to detail, like the pockets in a cotton dress that can barely be seen unless being used. The spring season will also bring a new product category to Generra — handbags.
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The bag collection, although small for the first season with only about five styles, includes a satchel and one-shoulder wrap bag all done in a soft leather. This bag collection also represents something bigger for Generra, which, DiPersia said, will have more product categories to come.
“We are defining our customer with this collection, which is really the reason we are doing a show,” Ferlisi said. “The idea is to end up with a full lifestyle of products — the head-to-toe look.”
Ferlisi said she plans to design shoes and sunglasses next.
DiPersia declined to give sales volume, although Generra is sold at 600 upscale specialty stores such as Barneys New York, Scoop, Intermix, Ron Herman, Colette in Paris and Matches in London. It also is available at Bloomingdale’s flagship in Manhattan. DiPersia said there are no plans to alter the distribution strategy. The spring line wholesales from $27 to $300.