Jerome C. Rousseau holding his beautiful Medusa shoe from his Spring 2009 collection.
New York Fashion Week Fall 2009 gets underway next week, but yesterday I had a chance to get a sneak peak at the Fall 2009 shoe collection of Jerome C. Rousseau, a Los Angeles-based French-Canadian designer I met last September at the Spring shows.
Jerome is engaging and charming and yet, serious and focused at the same time. I have been a little under the weather this week - and it's freezing outside - so take it from me that he was worth the trek I made to Soho House to get a peak at his new collection which will be in stores in the fall. His Spring 2009 collection is now available in stores like Fred Segal Feet and it will be in Barneys by the end of the month.
A strappy suede look from Jerome C. Rousseau's Fall 2009 collection.
Nichelle Gainer: I loved the Spring 2009 collection, especially the Medusa. What was your inspiration for your Fall 2009 collection?
Jerome C. Rousseau: Do you know Kate Bush? The British singer?
Nichelle: Yes.
Jerome: I loved how she mixed Victoriana with an edgy late 70s romance. That's sort of how I see her. She was wearing all of these textures and patterns and that inspiration really shows up in the collection. I was also really inspired by Elli et Jacno, a French electro-pop band from the seventies.
Nichelle: How long have you been designing shoes?
Jerome: Just over ten years and I've had my own collection for nearly three years.
A shot I took of Jerome's Spring 2009 collection last September at New York Fashion Week.
Nichelle: Your Spring 2009 collection is sold at Fred Segal Feet in Los Angeles, Harvey Nichols in Dubai, Hong Kong and Riyadh) and will be available at Barneys (in-store only) by the end of the month. Do you have plans for your own store soon?
Jerome: A Jerome boutique would be great eventually but I'm a designer, and I am very passionate about what I'm doing.
Nichelle: Do you design clothes or will you do other accessories?
Jerome: No, just shoes. It is important to me to be a good designer and I love what I do.
Jerome with a few disco inspired boots from his Spring 2009 collection.
Nichelle: How do you measure success?
Jerome: Being happy with my collection and getting people excited and interested in my work. When things go well, it's better of course, but success is also working with people you respect and admire.
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