Designer Yara Flinn

As Yara Flinn, the creative force behind womenswear label Nomia, hops on her bike and speeds away from her Brooklyn studio, she epitomizes a uniquely New York breed of female designer, as well as a uniquely American woman. Independent yet approachable, and simultaneously competitive, feminine, athletic and sexy—with a quiet strength that makes her slightly unpredictable, she is the woman celebrated in The Met Costume Institute’s American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity. Without divulging too much, she’s also the woman who can drink you under the table while charming the bartender with a wink.

Yara’s functional, feminine approach to fashion recalls an innovative New York design tradition dating back to the early 20th-century fashions of Claire McCardell, the acclaimed creator of the “American Look.” Rejecting the formality and restrictions of French couture, McCardell championed practical sportswear for women, introducing iconic looks like the Monastic and Popover, dress styles you may not know by name but see every day. Yara’s pared-down designs take a similar no-nonsense approach. Marrying a background in fine art with a couple years at the Fondazione Prada, she launched her label in 2007 with a four-piece collection and a mission to create simple, flattering silhouettes in familiar fabrics. It is the unexpected details and layered influences that classify them as Nomia. Scouring the Metropolitan Museum of Art, medieval fairs and even basketball games, Yara culls inspirations that will infuse her clothing with subtle nuances that elevate it beyond ordinary.

In the past year, Yara has come into her own, both in terms of design confidence and execution. Her athletic-inspired Spring 2011 collection, presented during New York Fashion Week, involved advanced draping, an imposing sculpture and an ingenious jewelry collaboration with London-based designer Maria Francesca Pepe.

Erin Dixon: So, what was your first artistic medium?

Yara Flinn: I always loved drawing. I have a really distinct memory of, when I was seven or so, drawing my mom in her work outfits, like her skirt suits. From 12 to college, I was about art, painting, sculpture… I kind of wanted to be an art teacher. Sometimes I think I still will [be].

Erin: And then you went to Oberlin [College] and you studied….

Yara: I studied art. Since it was a liberal arts college, I also did sociology, which I was really interested in, and astronomy and geology. I think it’s really important when you’re in fashion or art to make sure you keep a broad spectrum of interests.

Erin: Who are some of the people you admire who do that?

Yara: Alexander McQueen took dress to almost a costume level with supernatural influences. Helmut Lang is doing art now. That kind of crossover is pretty natural to me, that people who do fashion would also be interested in art…and the other way around.

Erin: And when was your crossover?

Yara: In college. My friend was really into fashion and he wanted to put on a runway show, so I did these handsewn t-shirty things, which are completely different than what I do now. Also, I always loved making “happenings.” So when I had my senior art show, I also decided to put on a fashion show, which was more these weird one-off handsewen dresses. It was at night and there was this amazing auditorium that had a wavy white marble façade, we’re talking like 40-feet high, so I projected a video of models walking. They were walking live at the same time I was projecting it on the wall. But I still didn’t think I wanted to do mass-produced fashion at that point. [I didn’t know] until I went to Prada and wasn’t really sure what I was doing with my life.

Erin: And at Prada you were….

Yara: At the Fondazione Prada [it] was mostly events, but we were in the Prada office so I was surrounded by [fashion]. It was nice to see the pieces up close, because it’s one thing to see things on the runway and it’s another to feel the weight of the fabric and see how the prints are digitally blurred and all these super interesting details that are very, very artistic. When they closed the New York office, I had a little bit of time to think, ‘Ok, I’m going to start working on clothes again.’ I had an idea for very basic, wearable linen and silk pieces. Always linen… Linen is what started it.

Erin: So tell me about your first collection.

Yara: It was literally three or four dresses. I made a collection because my friend wore a dress to a meeting at Barneys and they asked who the designer was. She said that I had a collection, so then I had to do it. I had no idea what I was doing; I didn’t know how to make patterns yet. That all kind of caught up with me, so I learned production. I also took patternmaking at FIT. I finally feel like I am at a point where I really want to show everyone what I am doing. Whereas before, I couldn’t not take the opportunity, but…

Erin: And aesthetically, from that first collection, what has evolved and what has stayed the same?

Yara: The simplicity and modernity have stayed the same, and the femininity, but it was a little bit younger because [then] I was 22 or 23. My main concern with Nomia is to make sure that it does justice to the woman and makes her look and feel beautiful and confident. I don’t want [the pieces] to overshadow the personality. I like that they can blend in a little bit sometimes, or that they can be styled in a different way.

Erin: How much of the collection reflects you?

Yara: Well, I wear cut-off jeans shorts every day, so…. Actually, the more I’ve become involved in fashion, the more I’ve kind of made this uniform for myself. Otherwise I end up making whatever I want to wear, which is great, but you want to make sure you focus on the collection. I tend to—from season to season—fluctuate between a hyper-feminine and little more masculine look.

Fall [2010] was super body-conscious, very overtly sexy with lots of cutouts, but spring’s sportier with a kind of loose, causal sexiness. There’s too much “body” going around. It’s nice to leave a little bit to the imagination, and it’s nice to work with volume because people can change the way they wear it.

Looks from Fall 2010

Erin: I know sometimes you go back to Brazil [where your mother is from]. Do you think that the attention on the body there plays into your design at all?

Yara: It might…very subconsciously. I find fashion in Brazil to be very different. Brazil’s fashion is just, “It’s really hot.” You’re kind of limited to what you can wear, though color comes into it more. I’m trying to bring color back for spring. It’s a risk when you design for people living in New York.

Erin: In that vein, as a young designer in New York, what are some of the challenges or advantages to working in here? How is the design community?

Yara: The community is amazing. I love all of the other designers. It’s all about helping each other out. [There is] a lot of networking, handing off resources and trades. The challenge is that people really tend to dress… Well, it’s generally good style—it can just get boring because everyone goes for it because it’s easy and everyone looks good in it.

Erin: And as far as tradition in New York and the whole fashion hierarchy and cycle, how do find navigating that as a young designer? What has been surprising coming in completely green?

Yara: It’s crazy. The Garment District itself is such a hideous place, but it really wouldn’t be possible to have my clothes produced anywhere else. I wouldn’t be able to meet the minimum for China, and there’s something to be said about being able to stop in at any stage in the process and say, ‘Oh this is working; this isn’t working.’ That’s really valuable. The factories I use are doing a lot of other really good, more established designers, like Thakoon and Rag & Bone, so there’s a high level of quality. Though there are definitely bad factories and you always have to stay on top of them. People think that when you’re a designer, you design, but designing is actually like 10% of what I do. There are so many other things that go into it.

Erin: In the past we’ve talked about expanding the line, maybe doing shoes. What is your dream for Nomia?

Yara: It would be a dream if I could just design and make patterns and not have to worry about production. What I want for Christmas… But, you know, it’s really hard to imagine because I feel like I’m at this moment where it needs to go somewhere. I’m still building up the line and awareness of it, but I’d like [it] to be sustainable. I really just want to keep growing the pieces. Every season I add a few more styles. This season I’m trying to do like 30 pieces, which is a lot for me. I’m more into collaborations right now. I’m talking with someone about shoes, but I’d go crazy if I personally started designing shoes. If I have an idea one day and it’s like, “This is the perfect shoe. I have to make it!” Or sunglasses, and I love scents. It’s about making sure that you are always getting new ideas and you’re always inspired.

Erin: I know we’ve also talked about, when you are in the developing stage of a collection, you visit a whole bunch of different places, like the Met….

Yara: We’ve talked about my illustrious basketball career, too (laughs). There are just certain things that you are attracted to and I think it’s interesting to explore them in a very different manner. Right now, I’m obsessed with the World Cup, in an unhealthy way, actually. I love sports. I LOVE them. I’m into making that be feminine, but letting the style be sort of tough—a little bit rumpled. But I’m not going to make basketball jerseys. You still have to make it fashion and something women want to wear. Sometimes I want to go see things, but if it’s not pertinent to what I’m doing, I’d rather not confuse myself. When I was doing armor last season, it totally made sense for me to go to The Armory. But right now, if I looked at that, which I love, it would confuse me… Watching sports right now, it’s like, ‘Oh, I like the way that brace looks or what if you tried to make that into a guard in some strange way?’

Erin: Like shin guards…

Looks from Spring 2011

Yara: Right! But I’ve got to be careful because [it can’t be] too literal. I’m about emulating that feeling. What kind of material can I use that’s not exactly like a heavy sports mesh but that will drape in a certain way, like a heavy silk georgette or silk crêpe. It’s nice to make t-shirts and jerseys out of [fabric] that is really unpredictable, that’s different than what people are used to.

Erin: In that way, your collections always draw on a feminine/masculine duality. Is that something that you consciously go back to?

Yara: Well, I’m obsessed with balance. It’s not like I say, “Oh, I made something sexy, now I need to make something boyish,” but it just happens. I wear shorts and tank tops and t-shirts, but if I’m going to wear a dress, it’s going to be this kind of dress—very sexy but kind of powerful sexy and just interesting overall. I just really want to make sure that things have an extra level of thought to them. I take a decent amount of time thinking about all the decisions that go into it…the fabric, the design… I think about all these things for probably too long (laughs). It’s about proportions and a certain balance, like contrapunto. I’m kind of a tomboy, but I also like to be a little girly.

Erin: Within fashion, you’ve done some styling and modeling; what about designing do you prefer?

Yara: The satisfaction you first get when you say, “I thought of this idea in my head, I drew it, I made it into a pattern and it’s now a dress.” It’s just magical every time. Sometimes it’s disappointing; sometimes it’s great. The experience is always new. If I didn’t learn more each season, I’m sure I’d get bored, but I’m still learning and I’m still getting more familiar with the way fabrics work in different ways. A dress will change completely if you cut it in one fabric versus another.

I’m trying to let myself go a little more. I used to hold back a lot, thinking, ‘Is this going to sell? Are people going to like this? Is it pretty?’ The thing is, the craziest things I made were the things people loved, but no one would buy. You have to have that balance. If I made a collection of completely sellable things, no one would actually be interested in it. You just have to realize that there are some pieces you’re going to have one sample of and that’s it. You have to make a few pieces that are the driving concept of the collection and then you do interpretations of that, and in that way you do a collection that is for everyone. A lot of big design houses will have runway collections and then what you see in the stores is a completely different interpretation of it. I don’t really have the resources to do that, but that’s a challenge that I really enjoy, having to work with a little bit less.

Erin: I know an issue a lot of independent designers have, who are obsessed with quality, is their price point. How do you arrive at your price point?

Yara: Pricing is such a strange thing because sunglasses make money, perfume makes money, even shoes…but clothing is where you lose the most money because it takes a lot of time to produce. It takes a lot of actual fabric and production costs. So it means I have to look a little bit harder for fabrics that are really interesting, just not insanely expensive. One of the things I feel lucky about is that I have a good understanding of fabric, a natural understanding of what looks nice. For example, I can’t do Duchess satin. That would cost way too much and it also wouldn’t make sense because it’s so formal. So you think, I like white silk that flows a little bit and I like movement, and luckily that’s within my range.

Erin: You discussing the fabric in that way brings me back to an interesting fashion paradox: a man designing for women versus a woman designing for women. What is the main difference?

Yara: Obviously I will be more likely to wear some of my own pieces, so you know what feels right on your skin and what doesn’t, or what will be too transparent to wear, the really practical things. Clothing is an art and fashion is an art, but ultimately it has to be worn. If I can make one of those pieces that people keep coming back to in their wardrobe, that’s amazing. I don’t want to make boring things; I just want to make well-made things that are wearable. There are certain parts of your body you wouldn’t really want to expose.

Erin: And you like to expose parts that aren’t generally exposed.

Yara: I love shoulders. They’re definitely my favorite part of a woman, or a man. I love sport-cut things, like racerbacks. When you show more shoulder, it’s stronger and kind of sleek. And I like the middle of the back, something weird that no one else would really think of. I try to keep it varied because, honestly, stomachs… Not a good look.

Erin: Unless you’re 16 and it’s 1995.

Yara: Totally (laughs), baby tees.

Erin: Do you think that it’s been to your advantage to have studied art, and then taken classes in fashion?

Yara: Definitely. I have this devil’s advocate personality, so I think that if I were in fashion school and had studied fashion, I would get a little bit fed up with the projects. I like making things that have an actual purpose. I really liked that when I took patternmaking classes it was just, like, these 40-year-old Russian ladies. It was actually the most class for my money that I’ve ever gotten. We had homework. You’d have to interpret a sketch and make a dress. Our final was to make a pattern out of a dress. I loved how challenging it was. It wasn’t about being a designer; it was about learning the tools and what you do with the tools is what makes you a designer. It took me a long time to even call myself a designer. I’m still getting comfortable with the term… It’s more like, “I make clothes.” I’m also glad that I did it a little bit later in life.

Erin: Your scope just changes, you learn to work…

Yara: Yeah, and I’m still learning. I need to be open-minded and take criticism, and that’s something I do to this day.

Erin: Is there someone—a group of people—you are able to go to for their opinion, whose opinion you really respect?

Yara: I go to my mom a lot….and my whole family. My dad’s a professor of economics, so whenever we talk about things, he likes to make analogies between what he does and what I do. It makes me realize that fashion is a business like any other business and you’re dealing with the same constraints and limitations of any other business. You’re making a product and people are paying for it, or not. The question of when someone sees a $600 dress or a $400 dress and the difference in their decision making process… Those are some of the things you need to think about.

Erin: There’s your sociology background.

Yara: Yes! Actually in high school we had to do this thesis and mine was about the sociology of fashion. Basically I was interested in how people dressed and presented themselves. I would take pictures of people and have them fill out a survey and ask them about their musical tastes and background and things like that. Obviously I had a focus group of my friends so it was a little biased, but one of the things that I realized is that a lot of decisions you make, or don’t make, regarding fashion are decisions. Your decision to not be fashionable is a decision. When people say, “I don’t care about what I wear,” that’s impossible. You can actively not care, but that’s still caring about it in some way. So whenever I think about my “girl,” I think about that. I think about how she wants to express herself to the world.

Erin: Well put. So what energy are you putting forward for spring?

Yara: The energy is sporty, a swagger. There’s a swagger in basketball. The thing I’ve always loved about basketball is the way you act. The way you act when you score—that kind of confidence. The way you handle the ball… Those are interesting mannerisms that I am interpreting visually.

Looks from Spring 2011