THE STYLE DIALOGUES

 

The "GRAI" label, designed and created by Maya Yogev, owns the DNA of what I denote an intelligent, edgy (but not too edgy), comfortable (let's not underestimate this parameter), affordable brand. Designing very unique leather jackets is where she really shines, each creation owns a mysterious detail that differentiates this brand from others. Maya worked in Paris with the eponymous Rick Owens and one definitely can detect his style influence on her work. The brand is still very much a boutique one and is not easy to find as the distribution is very limited. As l love discovering and sharing "under the radar" brands with a strong point of view and formidable sense of style, I met Maya at her Los Angeles studio with the intention of unearthing her story.

 

Maya Popkin : Brief history of your journey into the world of fashion 

Maya Yogev : I studied at Otis College of Art and Design and after countless sleepless nights I earned my BFA and took off to Paris.  I spent nearly two years there and decided it was time to come back home for a new adventure.  I worked briefly for my dear friend Jasmine Shokrian and then moved on to work for and later collaborate with Darren Romanelli of Dr. Romanelli.  Not even a year went by and I was “forced” by my loved ones to start something on my own and here I am now.

 

M Popkin : Fashion is a very intricate and powerful language. We tell stories that take the form of clothing and accessories. Before two people exchange a single word many assumptions are made solely based upon our interpretation of the other. This interpretation (this IMAGE) is given life by their fashion choices, the accessories that they don and their body language. 

What image do you aspire to convey in your designs?

M Yogev : She is a bit mysterious with a quiet and peaceful soul that you can sense just by being around her.  She is creative, an artist of some sort, she is never too loud or ostentatious but has a magnetic attraction that leaves people wanting to know more and get tangled in her life.

 

M Popkin : You worked with one of my favorite designers, Rick Owens , in Paris. In what way did that experience affect your design aesthetic?

M Yogev : Rick was my greatest teacher. I have always been drawn to a similar aesthetic so in that sense I think I am just perfecting something I have always loved and I was lucky to be taught by the master.

 

M Popkin : Do you have a constant muse or does your source of inspiration change with every collection? 

M Yogev : I don’t necessarily have a muse but my inspirations come from my personal experiences, the changes I’ve gone through and am going through in my own life…sometimes it comes from a dream or a childhood memory and sometimes it is a fantasy I have created that turns into the story. 

M Popkin: Yes, it is all bout storytelling, afterall. 

 

M Popkin : If you could collaborate with another living artist on a collection who would you choose and why.

M Yogev : My father Yechiel (Eli) Yogev who we have just discovered is an architectural genius and my other half Gregory Robinson who is developing and will soon unveil a series of gravity defying furniture.

 

M Popkin : Do you feel like we are living in an exciting period in fashion? I ask this because historically some of the most intriguing fashion, art and music movements emanated from chaotic and challenging socioeconomic periods. 

M Yogev : Fashion has always been exciting to me at any given time period and the present situation challenges us further having to cater to the buyers and our customers preference and needs whilst still satisfying our own creative desires.

 

M Popkin : What advice would you give to those who are about to embark upon a career on the fashion world? 

M Yogev : Don’t take your cat to work cause you wont get any work done.

 

M Popkin :  The most ubiquitous mistake fashion designers make in their early collections is…………………

M Yogev : Not realizing that this is an actual business.  Its not just about making beautiful clothes and being creative, there is so much more that is equally as important as the fun stuff and one should always be prepared to do EVERY single job and task as those whom you hire.

 

M Popkin : What would be your next brand extension to the GRAI collection? 

M Yogev :  It’s a surprise…

 

M Popkin : Three people whose sense of style you have mad respect for and why.

M Yogev : Dafne Balatsos, Panos Yiapanis, and the l’il one funky Chloe Robinson.