BBC Audio Desert Island Discs Donna Ockenden, midwife.txt
'We want newness, we want transformation' US fashion star Christopher John Rogers on fighting against 'quiet luxury'.txt
'We want newness,blaze 365 we want transformation': US fashion star Christopher John Rogers on fighting against 'quiet luxury'Skip to contentBritish Broadcasting CorporationRegisterSign InHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListTo the Ends of The Earth EarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcast CategoriesRadioAudio FAQsVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewsletters'We want newness, we want transformation': US fashion star Christopher John Rogers on fighting against 'quiet luxury'13 February 2025ShareSaveFaran KrentcilShareSaveSerenity Strull/ BBCThe new star of US fashion Christopher John Rogers' bold designs are worn by the likes of Zendaya and Gigi Hadid. Backstage at his New York Fashion Week show, he talks style, hierarchies – and clothes as a "tool for hope".Connecting the dots between New York fashion's past and future might start with some actual dots. They are the size of a bottle bottom and the colour of Skittles sweets – orange, lime, cherry, grape – and hug the edges of jackets, dresses and corsets. Anne Hathaway has worn the dots. Zendaya has worn the dots. Gigi Hadid has worn the dots. At the 2024 Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, the dots were beamed into the homes of 23.6 million Americans, sported by the theatre star Cole Escola as they rode a giant flamingo float through Times Square.Christopher John RogersThe US designer has just showcased his latest collection at New York Fashion Week (Credit: Christopher John Rogers)The can't-miss-it motif was designed by 32-year-old Christopher John Rogers, a US fashion designer who counts style icon Diane von Furstenberg as a mentor, and Louisiana as his home state. A graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design, Rogers is fast becoming a new figurehead of US style, thanks to his unique embrace of colour combined with a strong command of tailored, built-to-last elegance.By making Italian wool trousers in a shimmering rose gold, and cocktail frocks in a bold cartoon red, Rogers and his longtime business partner Christina Ripley are staging a silk-and-merino assault on "quiet luxury", the de-facto fashion uniform of muted beige cashmere coats and boxy anonymous black handbags made popular by the fictional titans on TV's Succession and by edgy, understated New York labels like The Row and Khaite. I'm trying to flatten some hierarchies with my designs – how can we help more people feel like they belong, but also like it's okay to stand out? – Christopher John Rogers"I'm trying to flatten some hierarchies with my designs," says Rogers backstage at his New York Fashion Week show. Vogue's longtimeleader Anna Wintour and the actress Keke Palmer sit front row – a sign of their commitment to the designer, considering the show was held in a former fish factory in Brooklyn's industrial, and remote, Navy Yard. "How can we help more people feel like they belong, but also like it's okay to stand out? American fashion right now is in a state of flux," the designer tells the BBC. "We want newness; we want transformation. But we have to be willing to try some fresh approaches. We have to make people excited to get dressed again, to use clothes as a tool for hope… Even if you're just wearing them to go down the street for coffee." Getty ImagesDesigner Christopher John Rogers and actress Sarah Pidgeon attend the 2024 Met Gala (Credit: Getty Images)Rogers's bold but precise jackets and dresses have made the designer a standout seller at agenda-setting boutiques and platforms like Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus and Net-a-Porter. They have also made the rising fashion star something of an anomaly: along with contemporaries like Sergio Hudson and Brother Vellies' Aurora James, Rogers is one of just a handful of black US fashion designers sold at major luxury retailers. "In a way, I hate that I have to talk about it," Rogers says. "I mean, I'm honoured to have the responsibility and opportunity of being a black designer right now. But the fact that we, as an industry, are still dealing with that lack of representation is tough sometimes. For me personally, it means that I feel this pressure to be 'perfect'. But I'm human! I'm not perfect! And I'm on a journey right now of figuring out where pressure ends and excitement begins." To explore that tension, Rogers calls his new collection "Exhale", and doubles down on his ethos of jolting black party frocks and brown Wall Street suiting with pops of lilac, rosemary green and flamingo pink. "Some people are never gonna get it," Rogers shrugs. "But the stores, and certainly the fans, are seeing that a lot of people are." 'Strong, joyful, accessible'Rogers's success began seven years ago, when the designer released his first eponymous collection from a tiny Chinatown studio in Manhattan. At first, he waited tables to afford the luxury fabric needed for his 25 looks, but he was quickly hired by the US designer Rosie Assoulin, then by British designer Jonathan Saunders and Von Furstenberg herself. "I really credit my success with extremely hard work, like insanely hard work," he laughs. "But also, I truly believe that being a nice person and a kind person is the only way to work in fashion. Taking the ego out of it and realising that teamwork is the only way to go, that's why we're winning right now." Rogers's candy-coloured knitwear and spangled sweater dresses became favourites for stars like Gwyneth Paltrow and RihannaHe means that literally. In 2019, Rogers won the prestigious CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund Award, which infused his nascent label with $400,000; in 2021, he beat established industry icons like Marc Jacobs and Gabriela Hearst to the CFDA's Womenswear Designer of the Year award, and nabbed a prestigious LVMH Prize nomination from the luxury conglomerate in Paris, too.Getty ImagesJodie Turner-Smith is among the stars who have worn Rogers's creations on the red carpet (Credit: Getty Images)But industry accolades are only half the fashion puzzle: getting people to buy your stuff is the real goal. On that front, Rogers is making brisk business, too, thanks to his understanding of hybrid-office style norms. During the height of the pandemic, Rogers's candy-coloured knitwear and spangled sweater dresses became pose-from-home favourites for stars like Gwyneth Paltrow and Rihanna. Last October, he did his first collaboration with J Crew, including 40 pieces for adults and eight for children. In both his main collection and his high street range, he offers extended sizing to include as many potential shoppers as he can.The Changing RoomThe Changing Room is a column from the BBC that spotlights the fashion and style innovators on the frontlines of a progressive evolution."Everyone wants an exciting dress that's actually built to fit their body," says Nikki Ogunnaike, the editor-in-chief of Marie Claire who has featured Rogers's designs in the magazine, as well as her shopping newsletter Self Checkout. Ogunnaike says Rogers's "surprising" success is actually a nod to American shoppers who don't live in New York or Los Angeles, where US fashion generally plays most of its gambits. "We haven't really had a black American fashion designer who comes from the American South, and who uses that culture to shape his point of view in such a strong, joyful, accessible way," she tells the BBC. Rogers's most obvious reinterpretation of a Southern American motif – a plaid fuchsia dress with a bell-shaped silhouette that looks like a reclaimed, re-trained hoop skirt – is now part of the permanent collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.Getty ImagesRogers's award-winning designs have been praised for their elegance, boldness and accessibility (Credit: Getty Images)"What he's doing with the strong, vibrant, almost defiant colours and the more formal, dressed-up silhouettes is really important from a cultural perspective," says Ogunnaike. "But that only matters because we actually want to wear the clothes. They're so fun. So many people look great in them, and wear them in their own way. He wants you to have a great time in your life. He gets it!"Keke Palmer, the actress who sat on the front row at Rogers's catwalk show in a white peplum gown and blue feathered coat by the designer, agrees. "It's glamorous!" she exclaims of her red carpet look as flashbulbs popped off around her. "And current. He's now." --If you liked this story, sign up for The Essential List newsletter – a handpicked selection of features, videos and can't-miss news, delivered to your inbox twice a week.For more Culture stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.The Changing RoomFashionLuxuryFeaturesWatchWhat your clothes reveal about youProfessor Richard Thompson Ford explores what our clothes reveal about us and our society.10 Nov 2023StyleThe modern obsession of sneaker collectingHow a practical sports shoe made the leap to become a highly desirable fashion item.12 Apr 2023FashionHow an 'erotic' body part inspires a legendary designerWhat exactly inspires the haute couture designer and self-confessed cobbler, Manolo Blahnik?4 Mar 2022FashionHow carbon has gone out of fashionIt’s 2045 and we’re now living in a net zero society. This is the story of how we did it.24 Feb 2022FashionThe beauty guru with no arms or legsHannah had all four limbs amputated at two years old to save her life after contracting meningitis.24 Feb 2022FashionThe ancient skill that could make you moneyIn a world of ‘fast fashion’ and a throwaway culture, what lessons can history teach us?24 Feb 2022FashionWhy ‘Made in Italy’ has such appealThe Italian leather handbag has been a style icon for decades, and shows no signs of going away.24 Feb 2022FashionThe dark side to the 'perfect dress'Does a dress really have the power to transform the way people see us?24 Feb 2022FashionThe success of Slavic locksUkraine’s luxurious fake hair industry shows that no price is too high for the ultimate beauty accessory.24 Feb 2022FashionThe country that changes your faceKorea invented the K-beauty regimen, now it’s perfecting the art of semi-permanent skin make-up.24 Feb 2022FashionThe fashion trends that just won't dieWhy fashion styles repeat themselves.24 Feb 2022FashionCould mixed reality transform the catwalk?A mixed reality fashion show including computer animated skulls, tigers and lightning has taken place.24 Feb 2022FashionThe Danish denim brand challenging mindsetsHow a Copenhagen womenswear label is tackling sustainability and diversity.23 Feb 2022FashionAre these the most iconic fashion items ever?A look at the influence of some of the most iconic items in fashion.23 Feb 2022FashionLiving art: Meet Japan's ethereal fashion iconMinori reinvented a Japanese street fashion style that has a global following.23 Feb 2022FashionWall Street awaits key labor market data - 4 Sep 2025Jim Thorne from Wellington-Altus Private Wealth says markets will look at the quality of this months data.13 hrs agoOpening BellInvestors reassured about inflation impact - 10 Sep 2025Greg Halter says inflation, combined with employment data, may lead the Fed to cut interest rates next week.16 hrs agoOpening BellWhy we need to wake up to what's making us sickTim reveals the shocking impact ultra-processed foods have on our healthcare system and overall health.17 hrs agoBBC Maestro - Tim SpectorMeet the micro-organisms living inside youGet a comprehensive understanding of the gut microbiome, the many species, and the vital roles they play.17 hrs agoBBC Maestro - Tim SpectorWhy we need to learn to love our bugsTim explains how modern habits have cut the diversity of bugs in our diet and offers five tips to fix it.17 hrs agoBBC Maestro - Tim SpectorMore from the BBC19 hrs agoSamantha Cameron's fashion label Cefinn to shutThe womenswear brand says higher costs and tough trading conditions have taken their toll.19 hrs ago21 hrs agoThe controversial sweet that fuels NorwegiansKnown as 'the trip chocolate', Kvikk Lunsj has fuelled outdoor adventures for generations. So, what makes this chocolate so controversial?21 hrs ago22 hrs agoHow women's pockets became so controversialWhy do men's clothes have so many pockets, and women's so few? For centuries, the humble pocket has been a flashpoint in the gender divide of fashion. Is that finally set to change?22 hrs ago23 hrs agoEarth has now passed peak farmland. What's next?The world's use of farmland has peaked, bringing the chance to turn over more space to nature. How far could the trend go?23 hrs ago2 days ago'Buy less and choose well,' says fashion chiefThe leader of Manchester Fashion Week urges people to buy less clothes and make them last.2 days agoBritish Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherBBC ShopBritBoxBBC in other languagesFollow BBC on:Terms of UseAbout the BBCPrivacy PolicyCookiesAccessibility HelpContact the BBCAdvertise with usDo not share or sell my infoBBC.com Help & FAQsContent IndexCopyright 2025 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.
