Problem solver is a label designer Rachel Comey proudly wears.

“We really think about what our woman is going through, and really pay a lot of attention to the life experiences of our customers,” she said at a preview of the collection. “We have so much feedback from our store, that goes down to the fiber, like what kind of weight of cotton and the performance of the fabrics.”

There’s an intimacy to what she creates, down to her reason to come to the runway. Her show notes explained she just wanted to “hang out” with friends and muses, inviting them to an intimate runway in a quant New York alley behind her now-expanded showroom in NoHo. The spring collection is about contradictions in color combo and fabrications. Think wool with technical fabrics; pink tissue-thin jersey, stacked in layers over a floaty bubble skirt — each glided down the runway on a cast of models that she instructed to do their own hair and makeup, giving it a bit of a lived-in personal touch. 

When asked what her bestsellers are, she spoke about how they change from season to season; her customers just look for pieces that fit every category. Think silky flowing trenchcoats, cascading slipdresses, cocooning outerwear and accessories to offer a bit of pragmatism for a busy life, such as suede duffel bags and minimal kitten heels.

“The woman’s life is complicated, many things going on, and we try to get into the different scenarios of the diverse types of age or body or other lifestyle and design to them,” she said.

The road of an independent designer is filled with pitfalls, but season after season Comey meets her customers where they are. Considering the diverse type of women who attended the show, many wearing her clothes, Comey‘s story continues to resonate.