Ramy Brook has an exciting new ad campaign, denim line, and grand plans for world domination. The DAILY caught up with designer Ramy Sharp to learn more about her universe!
Sebastian Faena photographed Cami Morrone for your new campaign. How did it come together?
We love Sebastian. He’s incredibly talented, and he did an amazing job with our Martha Hunt ads. He understands my vision. When we were finishing up with Martha, who had a year-long contract, he suggested we use Cami Morrone. I really trust him, so we met with her, and I thought she was adorable and perfect. They also had a special connection — they’re both from Argentina, and they speak to each other in Spanish, so she truly understands his vision and he gets her to be comfortable in front of the camera and pose a certain way that I don’t know if anyone else could. She is beautiful and smart. For me, it’s not just about the [model’s] physical look — it’s about the all-encompassing woman. That’s why I like to meet with these women who are going to represent the brand for a year because they have to be an extension of exactly what I’m looking for.
What was the vibe of the photo shoot?
We used a beautiful townhouse as our set, and we used multiple locations inside — by a fireplace, by a window, by a cool staircase — and we also shot on a plain background. Sebastian really got Cami to move, and she had a very sexy, beautiful look with every single piece she put on her body. It was a fun vibe! Sebastian had his music playing, and everybody was happy.
What inspired your recent holiday collection?
We were recently inspired by Gustav Klimt and the Art Nouveau era. His use of decorative and ornate style and rich jewel colors of gold and copper influenced our holiday collection. We also developed great styles to wear to work based on the menswear trend.
What can we expect for Fall 2019?
We have really pretty fall colors, some exciting prints, and some great novelty pieces that are a little bit different than what we’ve done in the past. Our whole collection is really evolving with fabrics, and we’re going into new categories, and going deeper into some of the categories that we’re known for. We’re also launching our denim line this fall, so that’s new for us.
Ramy Brook
Tell us more!
I love denim, so I always wanted to add denim to our line to create a full Ramy Brook look. The denim that we’re adding really complements our whole collection. It also has a little bit of novelty to it — sequins, interesting colors, fabrics, and feels. And the fit is going to be amazing!
Why is denim important to the Ramy Brook woman? How does it fit into her life?
She’s always multitasking, so a lot of her clothes take her from day to night. You don’t always have to be dressed up all day to go into the night, and vice versa. And denim, especially the right denim, can really do that for you. A cool pair of jeans that fit well and make you feel really good, paired with a cool top and maybe a jacket, is really right for the Ramy Brook woman. When she wakes up in the morning, she gets dressed, and this outfit will take her all through her day and night. We do have different rises — low, mid, and with long and cropped lengths. I personally love a low-rise jean, and there’s not a lot of that out there, so you’ll see some low-rise denim in this collection.
It seems like low-rise is making a comeback!
Yes! I think it’s a flattering shape on the body.
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- Ramy Brook
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- Ramy Brook
You recently launched a shop-in-shop at Bloomingdale’s. What’s it like being part of such an iconic New York department store?
It’s a dream come true. Bloomingdale’s on 59th Street has always been a place where I like to go shopping.
I go there a lot with my daughter on the weekends. We shop the contemporary floor and then we always get yogurt. Bloomingdale’s has been renovating the whole store. When they were doing the plans for the second floor, they approached us with the idea of a shop-in-shop, and they were great to work with. My sister-in-law is a contractor, so she built it for us. Now, we have a 400-square-foot space, and it’s doing amazing.
Where can we buy Ramy Brook these days?
Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s, and Shopbop. We’re also carried in more than 250 boutiques around the country. Our boutique business has really grown significantly. Our footprint in the department stores has also grown significantly. So where we may have started with one rack, now we have multiple racks, our name on the wall, signage…really strong partnerships. We just started to go into Canada, and we’re exploring going international. I’ve visited a lot of great places in Europe, but I think the first place we would look into is in London, and then possibly Australia.
Ramy Brook
Why do you think those two markets in particular are strong places to start?
In London, there are so many great department stores that carry contemporary brands, and I think we could do well there. Paris would be interesting, too. And there are a lot of Australian designers I admire, and when I look at some of the brands over there, it seems like the perfect place for Ramy Brook to be in business.
Have you ever been to Australia?
I haven’t. A good friend of mine is from Australia, and she’s always connecting me with different friends of hers. But I would love to go! Maybe next Christmas. I feel like we need a lot of time to go, because it’s a long trip.
Do you have any big trips coming up?
Generally, we go out to the Hamptons for the summer. Last year, we also went away to Greece. I haven’t gotten there yet; I need to plan our spring break first. Hopefully, we’ll be somewhere nice and warm!
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