Proenza Schouler designers Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough speak about casting Ella Emhoff for their Autumn/Winter 2021 Ready-To-Wear collection.
Lazaro explains, "In a lot of ways for us, having Ella be in the show was perfect for us because she represents this idea of a new beginning, a whole new chapter in American life, in American culture. It's a beginning of something new and fresh and optimistic and joyful.
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He says they wanted the clothes to feel fresh, new and "devoid of stuff and excess". And adds, they both had an immediate connection with Ella.
In agreement, Jack says, "When we started throwing clothes on her she just kind of looks great in everything. We just tried a bunch of different things on set, kind of figured out what works best on her and it all happened very organically."
"To us, she's more than a model," adds Lazaro, "I think the models that are interesting to us these days are not just faces, they're faces that stand for something, that mean something and she's emblematic of this new generation of models and women, of fashion."
Lazaro says models have to stand for something, "they have to have meaning, you can't just be a beautiful girl standing there".
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