Richard Chai

A New York native, Korean-American Richard Chai began his career in fashion at an early age with a prestigious internship at Geoffrey Beene while an undergraduate at Parsons School of Design. Upon graduation, Chai continued his studies at the Lissa School in Paris, where he also worked as a sketcher at Lanvin. While working at some of the industry’s top fashion houses, including Donna Karan and Marc Jacobs, Chai developed a strong design philosophy with an emphasis on the importance of construction and attention to detail. In September 2001, the designer was appointed Creative Design Director of all TSE brands, including men's, women's and ... Read Full Story

I have to say I was pretty underwhelmed by this collection. It’s true there were some amazing pieces, but the overall show was meh. Many of the looks were frumpy and seemingly thrown together. I’m all for layering, but when the pieces accentuate each other. The layering in this show mitigated the qualities of each piece rather than highlighted them. Furthermore, the collection is rather un-feminine. Even the dresses were accessorized down, hiding the inherent femininity dresses possess. Check out the photos below and see what you think. Themes from the Richard Chai Fall 2009 Show broad shoulders wide-leg trousers draping fur jewel tones ... Read Full Story

Richard Chai nicknamed as the 'boy wonder'' of the New York fashion scene showed his first collection during the 2004 New York Fashion Week and he didn't disappoint no one. After working with top designers like Marc Jacobs; there he created the Marc by Marc Jacobs line, Donna Karan and revamped TSE's haggard look as Creative Director. He decided it was time to create a line that bore his name. In his own words, 'Pure. Intelligent. Refined' is what to expect from Richard Chai Fall 2008. I admire Richard Chai's sophisticated designs and the fusion of modern designs with old-world details. Saks.com has select ... Read Full Story

Posted by Adam Z. | Filed under 2009 preview , News , Pro-Keds , Richard Chai , Sneakers , accesories After its use in New York’s Fashion Week , the Pro Keds Zipper Highs from Richard Chai’s collection really took off and its obvious to see why. The 4 color ways of the high all have their own special characteristics from materials to design and practicality. The black leather high with the white midsole and of course the zipper are our favorites. They can be worn with anything. The Pro Keds are really coming back hard and the sky is the limit for the ... Read Full Story

Keds are one of those classics that fall under the "if it isn't broken, don't fix it" category, but then again that's how we felt about Converse and look at the world of good John Varvatos did for them. Richard Chai has designed a special collection of Keds after contacting them to use their shoes for his show. The high and low tops feature zippers in the place of laces (quick and easy, right?). They're designed for boys, but we'll have no problem shopping in the men's department come January when they're released. Chai will also be debuting his new lower-priced contemporary line, called ... Read Full Story