Designer Christy Lynn Lee’s art background is the foundation of her luxury label.
Christy Lynn Lee truly was “that girl”: The little girl from Chicago who dreamed of being a fashion designer and worked to make it happen. Lee was always entrenched in fine arts, drawing and painting from a young age, and earned her degree in fashion design from Rhode Island School of Design. Upon graduating in 2006, she moved to New York and started the well-known hustle: interning and waiting tables until she landed that coveted first job.
For Lee, it was the role of assistant designer at Nanette Lepore. Lee went on to become a designer at Catherine Malandrino and Elie Tahari, developing her talent while simultaneously learning the many facets of fashion business. Ultimately, a move to Houston to live closer to her now husband led Lee to take that entrepreneurial first step and start her eponymous fashion house. The timeless, feminine and often print-centered brand is now sold in roughly 100 luxury and specialty retailers across the country, including Tootsies in Buckhead. Lee recently hosted a dinner at Le Bilboquet to celebrate her latest collection, and we were struck with the designer’s poise, creative vision and drive as she talked about her journey in the fashion world.
You always dreamed of being a fashion designer, but was it to have your own line?
Not at all! My game plan was to be a designer for a major fashion house, and I was living my dream. I wanted to work for a designer I loved, and Nanette and Catherine were truly that. It wasn’t until I moved to Houston and was detached from my former career that I began to think of starting my own brand.
There is so much versatility in your designs, and that’s not typical from a young, small brand.
I worked in collections for big designers for 13 years, so I was trained to design a full collection. Even though that is very hard to balance as a small business starting out, that’s who I am as a designer: I am able to envision and create the entire wardrobe for the woman. That’s where I flourish, and that’s what has resonated with our customers from the beginning.
What fuels your creativity?
Everything. I feel like I was born in this world to be an artist. I can go to the grocery store and feel inspired. I see the world through creative eyes. Everything ties back to art.
And the prints in your collections speak to your artistic background.
I grew up drawing and painting, but my little sister, who is also an artist and also studied fashion, and whom I hired two years after I launched my brand, is a truly incredible artist. So the floral prints we used when we first launched were hand-painted by her. She would draw things that we would then turn into fabrics and send to the factory to make garments. We did that for two and a half years, but we were growing so quickly that I had to start commissioning other artists. Our foundation is based on artistry.
What do you still want to conquer as a designer and brand founder?
There’s so much because I want to do everything! I launched my capsule collection with the Houston Texans team a few months ago, and I never thought I’d design pieces inspired by sports and sold in actual stadiums, so I want to always be ready for the amazing opportunities that come my way. I also want to design shoes. Women need shoes!
CHRISTY LYNN
christylynn.com
@christylynncollection
