Q & A: Slow and Steady Wins the Race

I have a few good friends tying the knot soon, and I've quickly become accustomed to the fact that wedding dresses are expensive, sometimes unnecessarily so. With that said, when I heard that one of my favorite labels was working on their next project, a one hundred dollar wedding dress, I wanted to know more. I've been a huge fan of Slow and Steady Wins the Race for quite some time now; their conceptual and witty, yet highly fashionable collections provide both wearable pieces, as well as a reflection on clothing as a whole. So, when I had a chance to meet the force behind the label, I couldn't help but pose a few questions, and Slow and Steady Wins the Race was nice enough to respond. Warning: we're not just talking about wedding gowns here.
S.B.: S.S.W.T.R. is such a great concept. It's much more than just a collection of clothing, shoes and accessories. What was your main impetus or inspiration behind starting the line?
S.S.W.T.R.: Thank you. It started as a series of thoughts that had been incubating in my head since college. I wanted to communicate certain ideas using a certain visual clothing vocabulary and create a challenge of developing things out of limitations. Economic eloquence.
S.B.: You've done a number of different 'diaries.' Do you have a personal favorite?
S.S.W.T.R.: Nº19 LUXE
S.B.: If I'm right, you only produce one-hundred copies of each style? Why such limited production?
S.S.W.T.R.: That was the original framework, but due to high demand, it has been increased to one thousand. Every style is still available since the work in its entirety functions as a living archive.
S.B.: I hear that your next project is a one hundred dollar wedding dress. This is brilliant. Is it true? And if so, can you elaborate? Why a wedding dress?
S.S.W.T.R.:Yes, I'm exploring the history of the wedding dress and what it signifies—a very emotional exploration, and I want to incorporate that very same feeling in the design. But it's also about upending expectations: The reason a wedding dress costs what it usually does is that it's supposed to be the "ultimate" dress. The wedding is traditionally the most important day in a woman's life, and the dress is supposed to be the most glamorous piece of that day. So how would a one hundred dollar wedding dress affect that equation? And what associations would it bring to the table?
S.B.: When you aren't wearing S.S.W.R., who else are you wearing? Any favorite designers?
S.S.W.T.R.: I have a lot of traditional boys clothing, But I do love original Helmut Lang, Pierre Cardin, And Alaia.
S.B.: What's next for S.S.W.R. Any other plans or collaborations in the works? If so, do tell.
S.S.W.T.R.: 1) Nº20 RAINWEAR collection with Stand-up Comedy In Portland.
2) Guest designing a capsule Collection for Urban Outfitters.
3) And new top secret collections for FW09 and SP10.
Slow and Steady Wins the race is available to purchase on their website, as well as online at Stand-up Comedy.

Q & A: Slow and Steady Wins the Race