Honeysuckle
On a recent shoot for Britney Spears’ “Boy” music video at a Holmby Hills mansion next door to Playboy tycoon Hugh Hefner’s digs, Cynthia Freund, the Los Angeles-based stylist-cum-designer fit right in with the crowd. She worked her way around the set, not once being fazed by the presence of A-list Hollywood celebrities such as Mike Myers.
Last year,she created Honeysuckle, a women’s line that lies somewhere between rock fashion and young contemporary apparel. The 25-piece collection features deep V-neck blouses with flair arms and lace-up backs, pin-striped pants with exposed seams and silk lining and a cotton/polyester knit top with side-tie briefs.
“It’s kind of a tribute to music,” said Freund, who added that she was going for a “beach girl goes to Hollywood” look for the collection.
Freund, who gets steady gigs working as costume designer on music videos by Papa Roach, Creed and Janet Jackson, said her day job as a stylist and her clothing collection have a reciprocal relationship—both support each other.
“Having my designs in music videos helps advertise my collection, and, in turn, having my own collection gives me something to offer on the job,” said Freund.
After spending a few months shopping it around, she landed a few specialty boutique accounts that helped place her name on the designer map. Since then, the company’s accounts have tripled from 6 to 18 stores.
And Freund runs a penny-wise operation, conducting her business out of her Hollywood apartment instead of renting a design room and production space, and shares her personal space with her collections. She spent $5,000 of her own money to get her business off the ground, and, with quick hits in fashion mags such as Lucky, it’s finally starting to pay off.
“Having a startup company requires a lot of work before you can establish yourself,” explained Freund. “The challenge is having to constantly reinvent yourself each season and continue to hold retailers’ interest.”
Those changes have already been in the works for a while now, said Karen Zambos, store manager at Tracey Ross boutique in Los Angeles.
Zambos said customers at her Los Angeles boutique quickly snatched up Honeysuckle’s sparkling tracksuits and sweater halter tops that come with matching briefs.
With wholesale price points ranging from $35 to $90, the collection is also sold at Lisa Kline, Giselle, Barkley Hope, Habit at the Lab Anti-Mall in Costa Mesa, Calif. and Priorities in Fashion at Fashion Island in Newport Beach.
Freund is also planning to launch a line of stretch-gabardine shirts for men for fall.
Honeysuckle is at Brian Wilson Showroom at the California Market Center, suite B-513. For more information, call (213) 629-2201. —Claudia Figueroa
