At a pre-fall appointment in her busy showroom Ulla Johnson reported that Beyoncé was photographed wearing a pair of her suede over-the-knee boots last month. It’s a little sign of the big ambitions powering Johnson’s brand. Beyond plans to open stores at a more regular cadence, Johnson is also pushing into new price categories, for special occasion dresses for example, but without leaving behind the customer base she’s built over 25 years in business.
“What’s been very exciting for us is our continued evolution towards more refined materials and elegant silhouettes,” she said. “We can occupy the sort of white space where we can do these incredibly beautiful, super-considered silhouettes in the finest Italian fabrics, and still offer them in the $1,000 to $2,000 range, which is not really available,” with designer fashion becoming so out of reach.
Among those super-considered pieces: an antique linen dress inset with arabesques of crocheted lace modeled on an antique tablecloth she found on a trip to Portofino; a dressy top and skirt set in silk chiffon jacquard printed with a scarf motif (they come in multiple colorways but the yellow is most striking); and a black dress with lively gold fringe that would be the talk of a summer wedding. Rather than actual raffia, which can feel like sandpaper, she used a faux version for a dress with a graphic black design treatment. A jacket in the same material and graphic motif was paired back to slouchy cargos in an abstract animal print.
Keeping the long-time customers who come to her for more everyday pieces in mind, she trimmed easy-wearing compact knit dresses with crochet too, and made others with eyelet cut-outs. And her denim offering keeps growing; the novelty this season coming from a versatile double-breasted short-sleeved shacket that she showed with high-waisted flares.
