We walked into Mriya, (the first Ukrainian art gallery space in New York), to view Chuks Collins’ latest fashion clothing designer collection. Were we ever in for a surprise! As per usual, there was an artful display of models arranged in the center of the show space dressed in his latest designs, but the room was buzzing about Chuks’ venture into the home sector. Home was arranged in the room’s 4 corners. We later learned that the collection was the debut of a two-year licensing deal with Lush Décor. According to an article that ran in WWD a month before NYFW, the first-year retail volume for the Chuks Collins home collection is anticipated to hit $1 million. The official launch will be in April on Amazon, the retail gorilla that carries successful home designer brands such as Vera Wang and Juicy Couture, to name just a few. We spoke briefly with one of the designer’s friends, who we were led to believe was an investor, but we couldn’t either confirm or deny that. Nor did we gain clarity on pricing for the home collection that consisted of duvets, shams, sheets & throw pillows.
The presentation show format was ideal for us to be able to grab a moment with Chuks to ask him about his home and clothing collections. Chuks cited mushrooms as a point of inspiration, as they played an important role in his recovery from lung cancer. In addition to chemotherapy, the designer turned to mushrooms as part of his ayurvedic approach to beating cancer. As an homage to the healing mushrooms, the home collection’s first drop will be the “Mycelium Whispers” grouping. (NIS labs have found that mycelium-centered products increase innate immune cells and are also key in activating the white blood cells that help to regulate a balanced immune response.)
Chuks explained that he views the home category as a multi-dimensional space that has 3 components:
1. Home as the earth
2. Home as where you lay your head
3. Clothing one wears as a shield
As for the home goods we saw, there was a staged bedroom set in soothing Greige Mushroom tones. Other offerings included pillows, shams and curtains in soft tones with botanical prints. Of note was a design that looked like a pretty spider web that was also present in some semi sheer tops shown in the same armoire. We’re looking forward to the first drop in April on Amazon. Stay tuned.
-Vivian Kelly ( @thefashionhistorian )
Visit Chuks Collins: www.chukscollins.com
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