NEW YORK — “You can start pressing my name into that CFDA Award now,” Sean “P. Diddy” Combs said Wednesday. And he was talking about women’s.
In an exclusive interview at the Sean John headquarters here, Combs confirmed that Jenny La Fata has been hired as vice president of design for Sean John women’s apparel, succeeding Max Wilson, who resigned.
“We’re going to press forward till I get that one for women’s,” he continued, alluding to his triumph in June when he won the Menswear Designer of the Year award at the Council of Fashion Designers of America Fashion Awards.
The appointment of La Fata kicks the launch of the women’s collection into full force. With the first women’s collection set to be in stores for holiday 2005 (“God willing,” Combs added), he likened the launch to a “cultural movement” rather than the debut of a collection.
“There’s not a lot of people who I’m going to entrust one of the most anticipated launches in a long time to,” Combs said, seated next to La Fata in his second-floor showroom. “You have to have a creative fit and when you find that, it’s a great day —and there’s a lot of stress released.”
La Fata, Combs said, epitomizes the Sean John woman. “Look at her,” he said. “She’s sporty, street and sexy.”
“The Sean John woman really thinks the paparazzi is out to take her picture at every moment when she’s walking down the street. Even if she doesn’t have the platinum record out, she believes the paparazzi wants her picture and she dresses for it,” Combs said. “She’s got to combine street and sophistication — and that’s an art.”
La Fata said she incorporates a fashion stylist’s mentality into her designs, which will include everything from denim to fur coats.
“I like to mix it up,” she said. “I love Puff and I love his style. The Sean John girl is running around town, catching a plane to Miami and running off to Cipriani’s for lunch. It’s really about urban glamour.”
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La Fata was, until a week ago, the creative director at La Rok, a contemporary line owned by Koral Industries. Prior to La Rok, she worked as women’s design director for Polo Jeans Co. and held design posts at Jill Stuart, Katayone Adeli, and Daryl K. Her first official day at Sean John will be Monday.
Combs said that, though the collection will hang in the contemporary section of department stores, it will have a designer feel. “It’s from the designer perspective,” he said. “You can’t really put a label on it. It’s just the fly-est sh– out there.” The collection will be sold at department stores and specialty boutiques.
Sean John’s men’s collection launched in 1998 and has since grown into a $450 million retail business, and while women’s apparel was always a major goal for the company, Combs admitted there was no rush to enter the category.
“You don’t get too many chances with women,” he said. “I feel like now we have the right infrastructure to launch, and I’ve learned a lot from doing men’s and I’m prepared now to deal with it separately. If you come out with something just to make money off of it, that’s just how it’s going to feel. But now the time has come to make history.”
In September 2003, Ron Burkle’s Yucaipa Cos. made a $100 million equity investment in the Sean John business, with the aim of turning it into a global, billion-dollar brand. The infusion of capital was intended to expand Sean John’s wholesale and retail operations domestically and abroad.
Combs said the designs in the holiday collection are his visions translated by Wilson, who resigned last week to tend to his father’s ailing health. “Holiday is just an introduction to the line,” he said. “You’ll see the growth from season to season. We understand how a line grows. Right now, we’re in the infantile stage, but we’re going to get better.”
La Fata will begin designing the spring collection with Combs.
While Combs declined to give details, he said a fashion show will “definitely” take place. “If you think the men’s show was sexy, wait till you see this,” he said. “I love women. Get on the wait list now.”
The collection will be what Combs calls a “true lifestyle brand.”
“I know you’ve heard that before, but this will really be for today’s woman,” he continued.
The collection includes denim, retailing from $125 to $165; dresses retailing from $195 to $494; tops from $35 for a printed T-shirt to $295 for a jewel-studded top; skirts retailing from $95 to $295, and outerwear ranging from $195 to $695.
“Dresses will be a very important part of this collection, considering [Combs’] love for women,” said Wendy Chivian, senior vice president of Sean John women’s apparel. “Outerwear is going to be phenomenal, too. This line is going to become international very quickly.”
To hear Combs and La Fata retell the story of how they met is akin to two star-crossed lovers. “It was fate,” Combs said.
The two met years ago when Combs began interviewing candidates to work on the women’s collection. After six interviews with La Fata, Combs went on to hire Wilson from Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. (“A legend who could teach me,” Combs said of Wilson), and La Fata went on to become creative director at La Rok.
When it became clear that Wilson was going to resign, Combs started “shopping around” for a replacement, he said.
“I kept seeing these styles around, and it was always La Rok,” Combs said. “So I was, like, ‘find out who does this.’”
“All I heard was, ‘Get me La Rok, get me La Rok,’” said Chivian.
“It just feels like it was meant to be all along,” La Fata said, smiling.