Daily Front Row

2012 February 1

Ecco Domani Uncorks New Talent, Over Toast

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Titania Inglis, Alexa Galler of Eighteenth, Daphne Correll of CorrellCorrell, Jason Alkire of Haus Alkire, Julie Haus of Haus Alkire, Vera Correll of CorrellCorrell, Sunhee Hwang, Tim Coppens,
Patrick McMullan View Gallery

(NEW YORK) Breakfast of champions was the theme of the morning, evidently, as the Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation winners celebrated their achievements bright and early over crispy croissants and coffee, with a glorious Central Park South views in the backdrop. And champions they are, as these emerging designers—Titania Inglis, Alexa Galler of Eighteenth, Daphne and Vera Correll of CorrellCorrell, Jason Alkire and Julie Haus of Haus Alkire, Sunhee Hwang, Tim Coppens, and Sara Beltran—joined the ranks of famous alumni including Zac Posen, Derek Lam, Alexander Wang, and Peter Som. The early (and/or heavily caffeinating) crowd sat sipping tea and feasting on a breakfast spread in the beautiful Museum of Arts and Design's Robert resto, in a room brimming with palpable excitement and talent.

Inglis, an arbiter of "dark, minimal and androgynous" designs, divulged her own recipe power-packed breakfast of choice: a yogurt smoothie with frozen mangos and berries, along with a hot cup of Darjeeling Mariage Frères tea. Sounds delish! The young star is gearing up for her first fashion week at which she will be putting on a moving presentation. Meanwhile, German born twins Vera and Daphne Correll, of Correll Correll, stay true to their roots on a typical morning with muesli and “always a good cup of coffee!” 

The pair behind Haus Alkire hits up oatmeal raisin Cliff power bar and Cheerios. But forget the a.m. fuel for a moment: onto the young designers' aesthetics. Haus Alkire is all about the versatile via the reversible with the duo's "charming" look, explained Haus. “There's a clean, structural simplicity. You can almost wear all of our garments inside out!” We'll take three, please. Coppens aims for a “sophisticated, distilled, and tailored” aesthetic, which is exactly how he likes his first meal of the day—java and oats!

Onto the judging process. How, exactly, does one whittle away a pool of over 200 applicants to unearth fashion’s freshest crop? Longtime Ecco Domani judge Julie Gilhart quests for a certain vibe: “the real talent in the designer is kind of who they are and the energy that they hold.” And the energy in the room today was pretty magnetic! The Ecco Domani mantra, “here’s tomorrow," bears echoing for this talented set of 2012 winners. Bonne chance at NYFW and beyond!
ALEX HOGENDORF