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March 2, 2008 12:40 pm
The multitasking Milla Jovovich and her friend of more than a decade, Carmen Hawk, figured out early on that their creative collaboration was a good thing: The first collection they designed as Jovovich-Hawk was snapped up by Fred Segal and sold out within days. Five seasons later, the girls have hopped on Target’s GO program, in which established fashion folk replicate their favorite pieces for the retail giant, which then sells them at discount prices—never more than $40. The line hits stores today. Here, Jovovich tell us a little bit about her and Hawk’s aesthetic, and what it was like to combine forces with Target.
As successful models, you’ve both spent your fair share of time in the fashion world. What tips or experiences in your pre-designer careers helped you develop your own fashion line?
Traveling around the world, being immersed in the fashion and art worlds, our many friends in the music industry—we both have been inspired by how people express themselves in different ways, which has fueled our creativity. Drawing, painting, making music and films, styling our own photo shoots, and being friends with other designers also helped mold our eclectic understanding of what we think looks interesting.
What were some of the challenges of working on a lower-priced line for a mega-brand like Target?
Surprisingly, working with Target was a huge relief from the everyday challenges we face in creating our own collection. Target has so many fabrics to choose from, and a built-in art department that can pretty much make any print that we like, instantaneously! And because they work on such a mass scale, it was very easy for them to use really high-end fabrications without having the super-expensive price tag that often accompanies that type of production.
Were you eager to tap into that market?
It’s so exciting that we can give people such quality clothing for a low price! That has been one of our greatest challenges as designers so far, because a lot of the women we want to dress are not able to buy many of our pieces.
Tell me about the Jovovich-Hawk woman. What does she look like, what does she like to do? Is she very different than the woman you designed the Target line for?
The Jovovich-Hawk woman is young, creative, and strong. She’s a career woman with a great sense of humor, is smart and sensitive, unique and interesting, intelligent and unforgettable. We feel that is exactly who the Target woman is as well, since we shop at Target!
Did you learn any lessons or have any revelations about your own label while working on the Target line?
Definitely. Working with Target made us understand things about our own company that we can improve on a technical, business level. It gave us an education on merchandising our line, to make it more concise and understandable for people outside the fashion industry.
Both of your business cards are pretty full now: designers, actresses, mothers, models. What’s next for Jovovich-Hawk?
We would love to branch out into a full lifestyle company, including accessories, baby clothes, maybe even home stuff! We feel that the Jovovich-Hawk experience should be all-encompassing, because it’s so interesting and really expresses a way of life that we would love for other people to have access to.
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