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One To Watch
Aug 30, 2001/ FWD/ --- There are a few things that Sara James would like you to know: First, the brand
is made of Swedish born Sara Lundgren and new Jersey native James Urinyi, and not one woman named "Sara James."
Second, their clothes are not for teenage hipsters, but rather for women aged 25 and up. And third, they're
not interested in achieving cult status - they want mass.
"We're definitely not boutique designers," says Urinyi, who has a degree in business and finance from
New York University. "We design for marketing - we are intelligent enough to realize that clothes should
be accessible," he adds, "and we want our designs to be enjoyed by a lot of women. We want to appeal on
a global level."
"Sara having come from Europe and me, an American having lived in Paris and Berlin, we feel that we
have both [American and European]aesthetics and we definitely have an understanding of both markets."
However, the duo's clothes aren't accessible - yet. Since starting their label a year and a half ago after
meeting at the Fashion Institute of Technology, Lundgren and Urinyi managed to stage their first show in
February without ever having sold a single item before. "A lot of designers go through the same routine
of waiting a few seasons before doing a collection and maybe open their own store but we feel our clothes
need to be seen and we want to share our work with the industry," Urinyi explains.
And so far, their plan is working: their February collection thoroughly impressed industry insiders, and
Lundgren, 25, and Urinyi, 30, hope to woo an even bigger audience this time around. They've also managed
to find a private financial backer, someone "who's integrated into the media business," according to Urinyi.
The company is also already in talks for an "aggressive licensing program" for fragrances and accessories
and jewelry have also been added to the line up.
Their work this season consists of items like smoking/tuxedo pants and skirts with menswear details,
evocative of the pair's last collection where variations on the tux and sharply tailored leather items
created quite a buzz.
But for Spring 2002 the duo has added a touch of glam, with pale pink corsets and silk pussycat blouses
that accentuate a woman's curves. The color palette is simple: black and white and delicate sand hues.
"We wanted to capture the feel of sand dunes, tides and the fluidity of the sea," Urinyi says about the
collection's inspiration. "It's also what our company is about," he adds, "a woman who is independent but
is still desiring and trying to fulfill."
"Well, I guess a lot of our designs are based on me," says Lundgren, who studied fashion in Florence
prior to coming to New York, eliciting an "I wish I were the Sara James woman," comment from Urinyi.
Dressed in black tuxedo pants of her own design and a black top, Lundgren bounces up and down on the sofa
when asked if she can think of a celebrity who captures the Sara James spirit. "Yes, yes, yes! We would
love to dress Debbie Harry," she exclaims, pointing out the window of their small Chelsea atelier in
the direction of the songstress's nearby apartment.
The duo would also like to get their hands on Bjork. "She's such an amazing singer, actress and a
really strong woman - and Scandinavian, too," Lundgren says with a wink.
But more immediately, they want to persuade another Scandinavian beauty, model Vicki Andren, to slip into
their designs. "She did our show last season - but that was before she became so big," Urinyi says. "She's
exactly the kind of model we want and she really liked our clothes, so we're hoping we can get her again."
"We're not nervous at all, we actually thrive on the craziness," Lundgren says just 10 days before the
beginning of New York fashion week. "It's a beautiful thing, the few minutes when you're presenting the
clothes - we can't wait."
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