ShopFlick

Stacia

Stacy Johnson

SF: What does your brand stand for?

SJ: Stacia epitomizes the California beach lifestyle with its light-weight knits perfect for layering and in vibrant colors inspired by nature. Each knit is easy to wear, whether it’s thrown over a bathing suit or just putting on a sleek little dress and feeling put-together. Each space-dyed sweater and dress is in a one-of-kind pattern created by this old-school dyeing technique to give each garment its unique look.

SF: What is the inspiration/What’s new this season?

SJ: The Spring/Summer ‘09 collection is comprised of 4 groups, each with their own inspiration. Our first Spring group, in our signature bamboo yarn, was inspired by Palm Springs in the 50’s and 60’s with colors inspired by mid-century architects and what a woman might be wearing poolside in this desert oasis. Group two is called Cameo and the colors and silhouettes are more feminine and structured with braiding details, delicate ruching, and a 1950’s Mad Men inspired Spring coat. Group three is called Bird of Paradise and the colors are super vibrant and reminiscent of a tropical rain forest with matte/shine detailing. And finally for Summer, we have the Seascape group in a cotton/seacell (seaweed-based yarn) with sun-bleached colors and sportier detailing for lazy days at the beach.

SF: Who are your customers?

SJ: My customer ranges from teenagers to 20-something to working moms to grandmothers. There’s no age barrier at Stacia. My comfortable, wearable knits are favored by women who are on the go, but still want to look put-together and at ease.

SF: What items are people responding to most?

SJ: We always do well with our signature hoodie and beach tunics, always updated and in new vibrant colors each season. Our customers are loving our eco-friendly yarns in bamboo, bamboo/cotton, and cotton/seaweed. They always respond to our super-soft fabrics, it’s washable quality, and our vibrant spacedye palettes. We’ve also introduced some solids with space dyed trim so stores can merchandise back to their spacedye knits.

SF: Are any celebs wearing your pieces?

SJ: Some fans of Stacia knits include Hilary Duff, Mandy Moore, Jennifer Gardner, Shannen Doherty, Cara Buono, and Kristen Bell.

How did you get started in the industry?

SJ: After graduating from Parsons School of Design, I worked for Calvin Klein, J.Crew, and Cynthia Rowley. In 1998 I opened my own boutique, Stacia New York, on Brooklyn’s Smith Street where I developed my full-on collection of pants, dresses, skirts, and sweaters in an attached studio and sold directly to my customer. I launched my online store in 1999 and have been selling online ever since (www.shopstacia.com). After having my first child in 2004, I re-assessed and moved to Santa Monica. I chose a niche product line, knitwear, to launch my wholesale business. Knitwear had always been the best-selling category in my shop so I decided to focus on sweaters. By accident, I developed this space-dye technique and t-shirt weight yarn, which was perfect for my new California beach lifestyle.

SF: What is your must-have item?

SJ: For Fall, a cowl-neck sweater in a textured bamboo knit will look great with a skinny pant or a pencil skirt. A cozy sweater coat (we did one in merino wool this season) that looks great over jeans. A light-weight bamboo/cotton cocoon that you can wrap yourself up in. And any of my beach hoodies – they’re the perfect throw-on to make this working mom feel comfortable but still look chic.

SF: What are you wearing right now?

SJ: Level 99 wide-leg jeans, a Stacia bamboo knit top, bronze Cynthia Vincent sandals, and my favorite gold Hawaiian ‘maile’ leaf necklace that belonged to my Mom.

SF: Is there anything else you would like to share with the Shopflick community?

SJ: All of my designs can be viewed and purchased on my web site at www.shopstacia.com. I also write a ‘designer’s diary’ blog too, www.fashionflock.blogspot.com, that keeps my customers up to date on my design process, my inspiration, and my fashion observations.