One Minute with … Libertine Designer Johnson Hartig

The Libertine Spring 2015 show was fun. That’s it, in a word — fun. It was bright, it was rock, it made you laugh and smile. The models were clearly having a great time — at the finale, they ran out with GoPros and iPhones and took photos of the editors. (How do we like it for once?)

We’ve long been fans of designer Johnson Hartig — he reworks pieces and concepts to create clothes that anyone, from Brooklyn to the UES, can wear. That’s quite a feat. This collection was more personal for him and as such, almost didn’t come together. We spoke with him backstage after the show.

theFashionSpot: This was one of the funnest shows we’ve seen all week. We needed something bright!

Johnson Hartig: Well, that’s our job here at Libertine.

tFS: It had a lot of soul to it, a lot of rock ’n’ roll. What was your inspiration?

JH: All of that. Soul and rock ’n’ roll. Everything going on. I’m having problems with my mother’s health, it’s a lot to deal with. So, it was a tough collection for me.

Photo: IMAXTREE

tFS: It was very personal.

JH: Very personal, yeah. And I was just saying I just cobbled it together. There were days it just didn’t seem like it was going to happen. Up until a month ago. Touch wood it did come together.

tFS: But obviously it did, and it was personal, beautiful and felt like a reflection of you when you were younger.

JH: Yeah. It’s all there.

Photo: IMAXTREE

tFS: Last time we spoke, you were doing a jewelry collection.

JH: I still do that jewelry, there’s a lot going on!

images: IMAXtree