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MercuryNews.com | 10/29/2006 | Haute Heatherette

MercuryNews.com | 10/29/2006 | Haute Heatherette
Dwayne Jenkings  |  by www.mercurynews.com. All rights reserved. 3.01 | 19:14

Richie Rich, left, and Trever Rains became famous for designing for the likes of Paris Hilton.

Richie Rich and Traver Rains have always been part of the ``in crowd.''
Just ask the outrageous New York-based design duo behind Heatherette about any number of their ``best friends.

''
There's Patricia Field, celebrity stylist, who jump-started their careers nearly seven years ago when she approached them to design the now famous sparkly ``Carrie'' T-shirt for Sarah Jessica Parker's character in ``Sex and the City.''
There's Pamela Anderson, who called the boys for a last-minute custom wedding mini-dress days before her nuptials to musician Kid Rock in Saint-Tropez last July.
And there's old pal Paris Hilton, who has partied with them since their nightly club-hopping days; she has since become their ``muse'' and unofficial Heatherette poster girl who regularly shows up on the catwalk modeling their sequined, feathered, Swarovski crystal-encrusted gowns during New York fashion weeks.


But for years, the duo's designs never got produced for the young women who wanted to buy them.
``We work with celebrities so much that fans were gravitating toward us by seeing our clothes on Alicia Keys and Gwen Stefani,'' says Rich, who grew up in Campbell and graduated from San Jose's Del Mar High School in the late '80s. ``These kids were all like, `Where can we get these clothes?

' And we were like, `You can't!' It wasn't like, `You can't because we're being snotty.' It's you can't because, well, we never really intended to be fashion designers.

''
A lot has changed for Rich and Rains since their era as ``professional'' partyers. The duo was in town for Macy's Passport gala in San Francisco late last month, promoting their new juniors clothing line for young women -- their first commercial collection for a major department store. Most of the juniors collection retails for less than $100, while their main collection typically ranges from $350 to $1,200.


The two men, who took time out to chat backstage before the fashion show, exude that downtown party vibe you might expect from Heatherette, the brand. Rich, who says he's a ``cartoon who doesn't believe in age'' and refuses to give his, punctuates his thoughts with a high-pitched giggle. He wears a tweed newsboy cap slightly askew, a purple shirt with a glitter Heatherette logo across the chest and skinny striped pants.


Rains, 29, sports his trademark cowboy hat, blazer, jeans and oodles of gold chains. They often finish each other's sentences.
``The Heatherette aesthetic comes through in our crazy fashion shows and custom pieces for our celebrity clients,'' says Rains, a former cowboy and Montana native.

``But we've always loved it when the normal girls would come in and put on the crazy dresses we did for the runway and have a total blast. That's been the real challenge -- and the heart of what Heatherette's about. Taking all those ideas and putting them into jeans and T-shirts.

''
``Right, right,'' Rich adds. ``It's like trying to bottle up the essence of the spirit of fun. Heatherette girls -- and guys -- have that sparkle in their eyes.

They're looking for something a little bit different.''
That spirit emanates especially throughout their off-beat runway shows, which often feature Rich on roller skates and Amanda Lepore, their other muse and a famous New York transsexual who models in all their shows, performing saucy antics.
Heatherette got its unlikely start when Rich and Rains met in New York through a mutual friend and they began designing T-shirts as a hobby.


A buyer for Field spotted Rains in one of his own leather tops at a party and ordered 20 for Field's New York boutique on the spot. Celebrity buzz and media hype followed, and before they knew it, they had a brand based on ``totally unwearable, one-of-a-kind dresses'' customized for their newfound, Hollywood A-list friends, Rich says.
Although they sold T-shirts and other casual wear in limited numbers at specialty boutiques since their launch in 1999, it wasn't until their 2004 partnership with investors the Weisfeld Group, which also owns urban label FUBU, that they were able to create a salable collection with real distribution.


``It's more of a responsibility now,'' says Rich, who works with Rains out of their design studio on the 66th floor of the Empire State Building. ``We have this whole team of kids who are patternmakers and designers. It's not purely selfish like it used to be.

It's not putting Paris up on the runway and having a laugh and a giggle. It's about what that girl is going to show up in in high school. I don't want her to look like a clown.

I want her to feel good and be celebrated.''
Rich and Rains have captured the same playful spirit of their runway collections in more affordable -- and wearable -- versions for Macy's.
``They have a great sensibility, they go to a lot of clubs and events with young people, and they understand what the younger customer wants,'' says Shawn Lambertsen-Forbes, fashion director for Macy's West young contemporary and accessories divisions.

``Girls have been reading about them for years, but until now only celebs could wear their stuff. They're just happy that now they can wear the same top that Paris Hilton has on.''
Many pieces evoke roller-girl-meets-country-club-chick, such as a $39 fitted hot-pink polo shirt, modeled by the Hilton sisters during New York fashion week, and a $49 tiered denim miniskirt.

The hottest-selling items are the Heatherette logo gear, such as graphic T-shirts and tanks that cost between $29 to $39, and sweaters and jeans that cost between $59 and $89, says Lambertsen-Forbes. A new outerwear collection, priced between $125 and $149, will arrive in stores in the coming weeks.
Already the Heatherette boys are hard at work coming up with new ideas for the launch of accessories, fragrance, kids, home and men.

But they haven't forgotten about their roots -- designing on-the-fly for their unpredictable yet loyal celebrity friends.
``We're always absorbing pop culture, whether it's music, art or traveling,'' says Rains, who like Rich, is a self-taught fashionista. ``But working with celebrities is one of those things that's really inspiring, because they're at the forefront of all the trends.

They feel the pressure to be there before everybody else, so when you work with them, it's like they need it -- yesterday!''
``It's such a dream come true to launch at Macy's,'' Rich adds. ``I never thought it would happen.

At the same time we don't want to lose the spirit of where Heatherette came from. It's cool to be all over the spectrum of fashion.''
Trademark design: Over-the-top, one-of-a-kind, custom-order dresses for socialites and celebrities; bright, colorful, doodad-covered separates for young women.


Celebrity clients: Pamela Anderson, Paris Hilton, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Pink, Jessica Simpson, Beyonce.
Little-known facts: They can sing.

They recorded a pop album and released a few singles in Japan in 1999. Rich was a nationally ranked ice skater who trained with Kristi Yamaguchi and performed with the Ice Capades.
Rich's San Jose roots: Rich, who graduated from Del Mar High School in San Jose, says his design aesthetic partly comes from his ``club kid'' roots dating back to his partying days in San Jose.

His favorite Bay Area hot spots were the Cactus Club in downtown San Jose and One Step Beyond, a former alternative and punk/rock venue, in Santa Clara.
``One Step Beyond is where I first got my taste of the glitter, the going-out club life, and meeting kids from all walks who dressed differently,'' says Rich, whose father worked as a sports editor at the Mercury News before he died, and whose mother lives in Los Gatos. ``The goth scene was really hot then, and seeing the bands and that side of life opened up my world.

''
On creating their name: ``It's a girl who lives in San Francisco,'' says Rich. ``She used to go around the nightclubs and dress really fun. She came up to me one time, she had such a lively spirit, and she'd call my house non-stop.

My roommate would answer and be like `Who's Heather?' He started calling me and all my friends Heather. It's also from the '80s movie `Heathers,' which I love.

It's kind of like this fan club cult joke. We were all in my apartment drinking red wine and listening to `Warm Leatherette' one night and we're like `Heatherette! Heatherette!

Warm Leatherette!' It just sounded great.

Read more on by www.mercurynews.com. All rights reserved.
Keywords: New York, San Jose, Paris Hilton, High School, Lambertsen Forbes, Pamela Anderson, Step Beyond, Del Mar High, Mar High School, San Francisco
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