DEREK LAM + eBay Debuts Today

By Nandini D'Souza
February 16, 2011

Derek Lam + eBay

DEREK Lam + eBay Black Cotton Poplin Black Tie Evening Dress, Dahlia Silk Poplin Tee Shirt Dress, Multi Color Floral Print Georgette Boho Halter Dress

Sometimes, fashion can seem less like a choice and more like a dictatorship—if you want to look current, you must wear trendy midi-length skirts this season; you must love the '70s style this spring; you must embrace severe silhouettes going forward. For spring 2011, top fashion designer Derek Lam and eBay want to make fashion trends a democracy. They’re taking it to the people, quite literally.

This morning at Lincoln Center, the epicenter of New York Fashion Week 2011, Derek Lam unveiled his 16-piece spring DEREK LAM + eBay collection. It was a tightly edited lineup of 16 colorful dresses reflecting fashion designer Derek Lam’s knack for creating all-American sportswear.

Top Fashion Designer Derek Lam (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)

But here’s the rub—fashion magazine editors, Derek Lam fans, and eBay auction devotees get to vote on which five final dresses will be available for purchase on May 10, 2011. Voting ends February 28, and the winning Derek Lam dress designs will be announced on March 1. Each of the 16 new summer fashion trends are presented in a little film vignette so that voters can get a 360 degree sense of how the dress actually moves.

This is, no doubt, new territory for designer Derek Lam, who’s known for his luxurious take on classic ready-to-wear and his work as Tod’s creative director. To let the people pick-and-choose what summer fashion trend stays or goes? To then produce those looks in two months? A lesser fashion designer would shudder to think.

Not Derek Lam, a self-proclaimed digital junkie. The Inside Source caught up with Lam right after he presented DEREK LAM + eBay to the 2011 New York Fashion Week crowd.

DEREK LAM + eBay, the complete collection

Previous Next

DEREK LAM + eBay Dahlia Cotton Poplin Sun Dress
DEREK LAM + eBay Black Cotton Poplin Black Tie Evening Dress
DEREK LAM + eBay Black Cotton Poplin Shift Dress with Peplum Back
DEREK LAM + eBay Black Cotton Poplin Shirt Dress with Peplum Back
DEREK LAM + eBay Black Silk Poplin Tee Shirt Dress
DEREK LAM + eBay Dahlia Silk Poplin Tee Shirt Dress
DEREK LAM + eBay Deep Blue Cotton Poplin Shirt Dress with Gathered Hem
DEREK LAM + eBay Deep Blue Cotton Poplin Sun Dress
DEREK LAM + eBay Deep Blue Silk Poplin Tee Shirt Dress
DEREK LAM + eBay Indigo Denim Shift Dress with Peplum Back
DEREK LAM + eBay Indigo Denim Shirt Dress with Peplum Back
DEREK LAM + eBay Indigo Denim Sun Dress
DEREK LAM + eBay Multi Color Floral Print Georgette Boho Halter Dress
DEREK LAM + eBay Multi Color Floral Print Georgette Chemise Dress
DEREK LAM + eBay White Cotton Poplin Black Tie Evening Dress
DEREK LAM + eBay White Cotton Poplin Shirt Dress with Peplum Back

The Inside Source: What inspired the summer fashion collaboration with eBay?

Derek Lam: I was talking to my CEO, my partner, Jan [Jan-Hendrik Schlottmann], saying that I really want to do a new project that encompasses all this new digital technology. I’m a digital junkie. I do my research, my shopping, everything on my iPad. So it really came from that. I had my criteria: I want this to be a really accessible collection; I want it to be an opportunity to communicate directly with the consumer and I wanted that back and forth. I didn’t want to just put something out there and say ‘take it or leave it.’ Because this feels modern; this feels now.

The Inside Source: The whole voting aspect and turning this around in such a quick time is new…

Derek Lam: No one could have even thought of doing this five years ago. What’s so compelling about eBay was the audience… that opportunity to get that amazing audience to participate with me to choose the five out of 16 dresses they love and then to produce it in season! You don’t have to wait six months. It gets shipped in May, just in time for your summer wardrobe. I didn’t make it easy to vote because I love all of them. I really want honest good feedback and to go from there.

The Inside Source: Tell us about the DEREK LAM + eBay collection.

Derek Lam: Right now, long is such an important look. Especially in the summer. Long is such a refreshing thing. What’s amazing is that printed dress [the Multi Color Floral Print Georgette Boho Halter Dress] is polyester georgette, so my dream is that a girl wears that to a picnic or the beach during the day. She gets home, throws it in her washing machine, takes it back out and goes out at night.

The Inside Source: The silhouettes of the Derek Lam dresses are so flattering…

Derek Lam: The fabrication and accessibility—that’s really important to me. I’m not just repeating myself. I’m trying out new things.

The Inside Source: Are you an eBay fan? Have you ever gotten into an online auction bidding war with someone?

Derek Lam: No, I always “buy now.” I look for men’s clothing, out of production sneakers…. I go online and look for everything. I live in SoHo, I’m not going to deal with the crowds. I’m going to sit on my couch and enjoy the experience of shopping.

The Inside Source: As a top fashion designer, is it scary to think that people buy without trying on or feeling your clothes?

Derek Lam: I don’t think so. It’s doing something new. That’s why this collaboration with eBay is great. We built it so that you get great color, the fabrics are easy to understand, the silhouettes are feminine and special and they really work in a woman’s life… I think. We shall see.

The Inside Source: What have you learned from this fashion collaboration with eBay?

Derek Lam: I have asked for so many elements to be added to this project—the narrative, the film, the direct communication with the audience, the editors’ vote—it’s kind of like everything I’ve asked for can happen! It’s an open book to fill with possibilities. That’s what I’ve learned. If you have an idea, try it out.

The Inside Source: Are you rooting for a certain summer fashion to win the vote? Maybe talking it up to your friends….

Derek Lam: No, I’m waiting for that last day when we get all the votes and the tallying is done. I want to be surprised.

Tags: