A Fashion Star is Born: Kara Laricks
Written by Kristen Irby

Kristen Irby, Men’s Fashion Editor of ASTONISH Magazine, meets with Kara Laricks, the first winner of NBC’s latest reality competition series “Fashion Star” at H&M’s flagship store in New York City to discuss style, success, and her next bold steps into the future.

Photo Courtesy of H&M

Tuesday night, after a compelling premiere season, Elle MacPherson (who looks amazing as ever) announced the first winner of NBC’s popular reality series, “Fashion Star,” in which 14 designers were challenged to create capsule collections for three of America’s largest retailers. The challengers were mentored by Nicole Richie, John Varvatos and Jessica Simpson, who would critique the final presentation of the designer’s garments before they turned around to face the featured buyers from Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and H&M, who would ultimately, hopefully, make a bid on their designs. There is potential for everyone to be a winner but only one designer was chosen to be America’s first Fashion Star.

Former fourth grade teacher, audacious risk-taker, avant-gardist, androgynista, style maven, Tilda Swinton’s daughter from another planet, ethereal fashion fairy, and the latest woman to be added to the list of American millionaires, Kara Larick swiftly persevered from underdog to stratospheric success as she was named the first Fashion Star on the popular series. With her signature collar stand plus tie detail, her menswear-inspired tailoring for women (evocative of characteristic textures and structures of 1950’s menswear), her advanced technical skills in garment construction and a design aesthetic heavily influenced by cutting-edge Japanese style, Kara Laricks has realized a vision of her future in fashion.

Photograph by Ayo Jackson

One of the greatest challenges of the competition was for the 14 emerging designers to create garments that not only fit into the distinct needs of each retailers' target consumer but to also maintain a singular voice and sensibility that would set them apart from their challengers. The competition is slightly less about self-expression, but rather a balance of business-minded design along with a clear, consumer-oriented focus.

Here’s what Kara had to say about her experiences leading up to becoming America’s first FASHION STAR!

KRISTEN: In episode 1 of fashion star you took a monumental risk by showing your collar stand plus tie accessory. You found yourself in the bottom two, facing elimination from the competition. What was going on in your mind prior to be called into safety?

Photograph by Ayo Jackson

KARA:  I have to be honest with you. This was the first season of the show. That was the first elimination of the season and the producers were still working out how they were going to say who was going home and I started doing the math in my head thinking, ‘We have 14 designers here and I know its only a 10 episode show, and I’m thinking I’m going home on this first one along with Nick,’ who was rude to Jessica.  I’m like, they’re just going to get rid of us both on this first one just to get the numbers down. So I stood there and I remember I had a dress with a bow on the front and I could see the bow. My chest was heaving and I thought this is it…

(Her body shifts into a deep contraction like that of a Martha Graham dancer)

KRISTEN: Your bow was crunking?

KARA: That’s exactly what happened…I thought this is it! I’ve taken this risk and this is it… I’ve done all I can!

KRISTEN: Fast forward, a $6 million contract later, how does it feel to have your garments being sold at 3 of America’s largest and most popular retailers?

Photograph by Ayo Jackson

KARA: Indescribable. For so long I’ve made my accessories one by one. Sold them one by one, took the money to buy fabric and start all over again. So to have these incredible retailers responsible for production and distribution of all of these beautiful clothes, my body just feels like, “ahhhhhhhhhggghhhhh.”    

(Once again her body shifts into a contracted, contemporary dance pose)

KRISTEN: You’re going crazy inside?

KARA: Yeah! Yeah it’s unreal. I’ve tried for so long to put my vision out there and haven’t had the resources, haven’t been able to afford to do it so for me - this is literally a vision come true, come to reality.

KRISTEN: What events in your life have led you to this moment?

“I actually bid against Saks a couple of times for her,” said Nicole Christie, the Fashion Star featured buyer from H&M. “I think I bid for her in Week 2. It was the dress with a tie detail. I think they ended up making it in plaid but since the beginning when I met Kara…I knew her talent! I love the menswear and tailoring aesthetic in her design. She knows exactly who she is and is able to sew, design and tailor on a very high level so I knew that we would be in bidding wars early on. I knew that we’d be buying her. So, of course, I wanted to win the bids but also when there was a decision to bid higher or not it was always based on our overall strategy.” Photo Courtesy of H&M.

KARA: Every single one. I would love to say to those who people are considering a career change or to those people who have a secret passion they’d love to pursue, there’s nothing more empowering [than pursuing your passion] and that everything you’re doing right now is going to help you when you get there.

Photograph by Ayo Jackson

KRISTEN: Okay! Sidebar. I’d like to tell you that if there is ever a casting for Tilda Swinton’s daughter, you should go. Tilda Swinton is your mother from another planet.

KARA: I love her! I’ve never been more flattered. I love that Tilda is a woman who always stands apart in a crowd. At the award shows, you see dress after dress after dress and here comes Tilda. She always stands out. Even if she’s in a dress, she wears something that stands alone and that’s what fashion and style mean to me. It’s something unique, that stands alone, that stands apart.

KRISTEN: Terron Schaefer, the featured buyer from Saks Fifth Avenue, said that you “delivered his aesthetic.” How would you decribe your design aesthetic?

Photograph by Ayo Jackson

KARA: My design aesthetic is kind of a modern day Annie Hall meets Japanese street style.  I had to be very careful on the show to appeal to the audience that was watching the show. I wanted to deliver to the customers who were watching. However, give me my freedom and I’d love to design a very, very masculine meets feminine, very sharp. You see this on the show, but I’d like to take it to extremes, that masculine meets feminine, unisex, androgyny. That’s what I look for! That’s what I like to see.

KRISTEN: Speak to American men on standing out and being unique…

KARA: Well, first of all, my American men… I adore you… I love all my boys. I love all of my boys on Facebook and Twitter, they’re so cute, they’re like, “menswear, meanswear, menswear!” I’m like, ‘Honey I’m getting there but I’m goin’ one step at a time and I’m not gonna forget about you because I love you too…’

KRISTEN: THANK YOU…

KARA: But yes I love to see that boy walking down the street rocking a drop crotch pant, rocking a slouchy tank with a cool bag, a boy who has an ease with a hat or an ease with a bunch of things on his wrist. It just takes a little bit to have that avant-garde edges that says I care about how I look. I want to portray a certain type of vibe. I just respect that. I honor that uniqueness.

KRISTEN: I love a drop crotch pant.

KARA: I know! I can see that! You’re my brother from another mother! Death to the skinny jean!!

Photograph by Ayo Jackson

KRISTEN: In the 1970’s the late fashion designer rudi gernrich predicted that androgyny woud be the style de rigueur of the future. He once proclaimed that “the men will become women and the women will become men.” How do you feel about that as it relates to your design work?

KARA: That gives me the chills!! I love it! I love the notion of having models walk down my runway in gorgeous minimalistic colors with avant-garde cuts and you’re not necessarily sure if I it’s a man or a woman coming down that runway but they are looking stellar, looking unique… that is a dream for me.

KRISTEN: What do you envision for yourself over the course of the next five years now that you’ve won this competition?

KARA: My dream has always been to show my own collection. I would love to do that! But I’ve learned through this show that the American consumer is looking for affordable fashion and something unique, and it’s been thrilling to watch an H&M style sell out or a Macy’s style sell out. That’s been very thrilling! And there’s a part of me that wants to give people what they want. But I also feel comfortable designing for Saks Fifth Avenue. It’ll be interesting how this plays out in the next few months on what comes up and what decisions I make in terms of being a business woman as well.

KRISTEN: What have you learned about yourself?

KARA: I’’m on the right track. Born this way. As long as you stick to your gut and design for who you are, you can’t go wrong.