In this age of superstar designers, where Marc Jacobs’ marriage receives as much press as his spring collection and Karl Lagerfeld’s face is as recognizable as the Chanel logo, finding a young designer as genuinely committed to the craft as Katie Ermilio is like finding a Birkin bag on sale. As the fourth generation of her family’s fashion legacy—which began with her great-grandfather and boasts the design of President Eisenhower’s bomber jacket, the famous green Agusta Golf Tournament's Masters jacket, and Grace Kelly’s personal clothier - Ermilio is keenly aware that there is more at stake in entering the family business than a spot in Bryant park.
While Ermilio describes her venture into fashion design as unplanned, it’s hard not to think it was fated. As a young girl, she spent her free time at her father’s Philadelphia atelier, quietly observing as suits were designed, constructed, and fitted to his stylish clientele. Having been immersed in the business her entire life, she reflects, “I was designing long before I knew I was designing, from creating outfits for my paper dolls to making my prom gown.” Because it was so natural to her, Ermilio never realized her favorite pastime was actually a great talent.
The turning point happened accidentally, when she decided to bring one of her many dress sketches to life to wear to an internship interview. Ermilio’s father, not wanting the beautiful frock to go to waste after the interview, hung her design in the window of his shop. To her surprise, clients tried to buy the dress. Ermilio “never imagined that one dress could have launched a career,” but the demand for her designs snowballed, and soon she was coming home from college at NYU every weekend to meet with a growing roster of clients. Shortly after, she made the difficult decision to leave her editorial internship at Teen Vogue—the career path she had planned while studying journalism—and took “a leap of faith” by officially founding her own label.
Katie Ermilio garments are, in a word, lovely. They embody an elegance and poise well beyond Ermilio’s twenty four years and recall a bygone era in which pretty Philadelphia socialites married St. Paul boys on lavish country estates. Soft fabrics full of movement and dimension contrast with strongly tailored lines—the vestigial of the informal menswear training from her father. Ermilio brushes off the couture stereotype of opulent gowns, preferring to label her designs as “everyday couture”—custom fitted pieces that are easy to wear around and live in. Her designs are ethereal and exude comfortable elegance. Flouncy chiffon skirts and delicately gyrating silk pants reflect her awareness of “the way the garment will look on a real woman’s body, and how it will be actualized in the round.” A woman’s need for clothes to both flatter and function is not lost on Ermilio, who credits her attunement to her clients to one-on-one couture sessions.
The recent expansion of the Katie Ermilio line into the world of ready-to-wear has thrilled the designer, who is anxious to tackle this “different animal” and reach a larger audience. For her upcoming Fall 2010 collection, she has narrowed hundreds of sketches down to a handful of special pieces with themes in oxblood, ivory, olive, and navies. Stand-outs include chiffon and tool dresses paired with military inspired jackets.
In the year since Ermilio founded her label, she has exceeded all initial expectations while continuing to “grow the brand in the most respectful way possible.” Her success has blossomed organically, supply expanding to meet the demand from the onset—it was clients’ insistence that convinced her to pursue design full-time. The fashion that Ermilio grew up around, and that has come to define her family’s legacy, is reflected in both her timeless clothes and perceptive business outlook: “I am conscious that while I am taking the name in a new direction and breathing new life into it, it is still part of an amazing history, and I want to do right by it.” By all measures, she is doing just that.
Note: Prices range from $500 for tops to $4,500 for dresses. For ordering information, please visit the website.
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