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PlushNylon Magazine recently had the pleasure to speak with New York’s own, Leon Greene, of Leon Greene New York. The designer was kind enough to share a few minutes with us as he took a break from creating his new collection.
PNM: How would you describe your design style?
LG: My design style is classic, sexy and modern.
PNM: What are the signature staples of a Leon Greene garment?
LG: I do trousers and black turtlenecks, but I don’t think I really have a staple yet.
PNM: Well you work with lycra, you work with stretch fabrics. You don’t think that’s something that’s a staple in the way that you know how to cut and drape stretch fabric to fit a woman’s body with it being elegant without necessarily looking stretched and cheap?
LG:Umm, yeah, but I don’t know if I would always have a piece of that in the collection. But maybe. You know what I mean? Feels to me, like I’m just starting out my collection, so I’ll have to do about ten then look back and say “ok, these are my staples.”
PNM: Complete this sentence: The woman who wears Leon Greene is …
LG: Strong, confident, feminine and intelligent. She’s a modern woman, but very feminine. A lady. She knows who she is and my pieces are simple enough that she can take them and do “her” with them.
PNM: Where does your inspiration come from? LG: Umm, I have to think about that for a minute. For me it’s more about dressing a woman more than a fantastic dress. It’s about her lifestyle. I guess it’s a kind of woman that I think about.
PNM: Do you sketch your designs before creating them, or is it all mental? 
LG: It always was mental, but now that I’m getting older, I have to write things down because I may forget. I might or I’m afraid that I will. Even though with the last collection, I didn’t sketch. I just wrote everything down.
PNM: So instead of drawing, you’ll just right details?
LG: Yes, I’ll write that I want to use such & such fabric with such & such details in a trouser this wide, etc.. I’ll know what it is when I read it because it’s all still there because I try to group it all.
PNM: In the past, celebrities, singers, models, aristocrats, etc. have worn your garments. At the 42nd NAACP Images Awards in Los Angeles a few months ago, you dressed Miss Black USA, Osas Ighodaro, and your dress made countless “Best Dress” lists, being one of the top three along side Halle Berry and Kerry Washington. What did that acknowledgement mean to you?
LG: It was really great. A great feeling. It was shocking the next day when I found out about it because other people knew about it before I did. I thought it was wild for something so simple because it was a simple dress for me. It was a good dress, but it was a simple dress. It was shocking to me.
PNM: In a big city full of designers, what makes you unique? What’s your specialty? Your niche?
LG: Well, because my things are modern, but American first; they’re modern, sexy, and kind of upscale; made of quality with different fabrications…that’s what I’m bringing.
PNM: You say that you’re just starting your collection, but…
LG: …but, I’ve been doing it for years. I’ve been doing a lot of different things. So now it’s coming full circle and I’m coming from another place. It’s focused and now I know exactly what I’m doing. Everything that I’ve done has been different, but I’ve always learned something. Now it’s all coming together.
PNM: If you were approached to be on a reality show for designers, would you do it? Why or why not?
LG: I would do it for the fun of it.
PNM: Tell us about your current collection.
LG: Fall 2012. It’s a twist on fabrics in feminine shapes. I’m playing with fabrics in unexpected ways. I’m playing around with the idea of a bustle. I think the idea of using fabrics in different ways is a modern idea. If I were to sum it up, it would be real wearable, quality clothes that woman can wear for the next 10-20 years.
PNM: Do you plan to show your line during New York Fashion Week?
LG: I do. That’s why I’m working on this collection now. I’m looking to bring it in a big way.
PNM: Where do you hope to see Leon Greene New York in the next 3-5 years?
LG: In major cities.
PNM: It can be available immediately in the Atlanta area now, right? That would be the first stop off city from New York, right?
LG: Yes, definitely.
PNM: Thank you so much for speaking with us, and congratulations on your new line.
LG: Thank you.
To see more fashions from Leon Greene New York, please visit www.LeonGreene.com. Special thanks to Benoit Cornet of Tenrock Photo NYC for the majority of the images featured here. Benoit is a New York City photographer specializing in fashion, commercial, promotions and more. You can see more of his work at www.TenrockPhoto.com or you can email him at Ben@TenrockPhoto.com.
Additional featured photos by Arnold Gadson, Keith Major, Frederique Porter and TS Harrington. Makeup and hair for Benoit Cornet images courtesy of TamaraMakeupArtistry.com. __________________________________________________________________
Tamara Figueroa is a Beauty & Fashion Contributor for PLUSHNYLON Magazine. She is also a New York City based makeup artist specializing in advertising, beauty, editorial and television. Her work can be seen at www.TamaraMakeupArtistry.com
