Whitney Pozgay of WHIT is a member of the CFDA Incubator whose distinct style caught our eye because she was able to seamlessly balance feminine whims with tomboy sensibilities. Her line is fresh, modern, and makes good use of patterns and prints while still remaining polished.
Pozgay graduated from The University of Texas in Austin with a degree in theatre, concentrating in costume design. After a final semester at the Sorbonne, she moved to New York in the fall of 2003 where she began her career at Kate Spade New York, while honing her skills at Parsons and the Fashion Institute of Technology. In 2007, Whitney became lead women's wear designer at Steven Alan. In 2009, she launched her own line WHIT with partners Zonda Sochorow, Zach Cooper and Parker Argote.
Pozgay was kind enough to take time out of her busy schedule to answer some questions for The Fashion Grid. Check out her great interview below, including images from her Spring 2013 collection. This is one line you definitely want to shop.
Q: Your spring 2013 collection was absolutely beautiful and you mentioned that one of the main themes was "decompressing." Can you elaborate on that and your trip to St. Lucia? What specifically inspired your choice of prints and cuts for this collection? Which piece was your personal favorite?
A: I grew up spending a lot of time outdoors hiking, swimming and laying in the sun, but since we have lived in New York we spend a lot of time inside and are constantly latched to our computers and phones. Our honeymoon was the first time in a long while that we had completely unplugged. It reminded me of how important that is to do occasionally and to allow yourself to truly relax. It was a mental deep breath of fresh air that was much needed. We swam, hiked, baked in the sun and drank plenty of rum. When we came back home, I tried to hold onto that vibe as long as I could. I wanted the collection to capture that return to nature and a relaxed mood, but still in clean, sharp, city appropriate shapes. My favorite is the long canopy print skirt.
Q: Where do you get most of your inspiration from for each collection? What are you drawn to in fashion and in your own personal style?
A: It is funny, the more I am inspired in my work, the less I think about what I personally am going to wear. I definitely have a uniform that luckily always exist in the collection. I love a stripped shirt and that pairs with almost everything. Stripes are my favorite neutral and I love mixing with prints. I also love a big statement necklace, so I like to keep the line clean of embellishments that might fight your own accessories I find inspiration everywhere. It usually starts with a mood for me. For spring I was hungry for bright colors and tropical prints. It made sense to use what we had seen on our honeymoon to fill that urge. I love vintage textiles and mid century design. There are always touches of those two in every collection.
Q: How has the CFDA Incubator program helped you both as a designer and as a business person? Are there specific lessons you have learned while going through the program that you think have really helped you either improve your design skills or your understanding on how to develop a brand and grow a business?
A: The CFDA has been amazingly supportive and the Incubator program has been a great experience. The mentorship has been helpful in providing outside perspective. For example, we have always had strong print and novelty fabrics, but one of the mentors pointed out that we were missing bright solids to pair back to them. Our Spring collection is the strongest and the most well merchandised season we have made and that is definitely in part from what we have learned here.
Q: What is the best part about working under the CFDA Incubator umbrella?
A: The best part is the network of seasoned professionals willing to give young brands like us advice, but it is also nice to be part of such a great group of designers all working to get over the same hurdles.
Q: What personal and business advice would you give to people who are launching their own clothing line or who are thinking of becoming a fashion designer?
A: I think it is important to work for someone else for a while first to really learn the business. Mainly, you HAVE to be prepared to work your tail off. When you are starting a company, you are filling a lot of roles all at once. It is a tough business with loads of competition. You have to be prepared to lose your free time, sleep, and maybe a little sanity, but if you love it, like I do, it is still worth it. I also think that it is really important to be careful not to listen to every opinion that comes your way. You have to hold strong to your aesthetic and vision. If you are a designer, you are your brand and should trust your instincts.
To learn more about WHIT and view past collections and scope out local retailers, click here. To check out WHIT and the other CFDA Incubatees in the W Hotels partnership video, click here.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012 
