Latest news with #CFDA
Elle
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Elle
Designer Meruert Tolegen's Creative Process Is All About Instinct
Every item on this page was chosen by an ELLE editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. In 2019, Meruert Tolegen was working as a scientific researcher, with plans to head to medical school, when her career took a hard pivot. With no formal training in fashion design, Tolegen—who was born in Kazakhstan and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area —turned away from the path she was on and moved in an entirely different direction, culminating in being named a semifinalist for the 2025 LVMH Prize. The career change was 'very accidental,' says Tolegen, who now lives in New York City. After giving birth to her daughter in 2017, she started a curated online children's store as a fun way to spend her time while she was away from research. 'It was just a creative outlet for me,' she said. She started to incorporate her own designs, which featured balloon-like dresses with Peter Pan collars, ruffled bloomers, and more, and it wasn't long before they developed a cult following on social media. Eventually, many of the mothers shopping for their children were asking for designs that they could wear themselves. After creating women's pieces that felt more elaborate than her children's designs, Tolegen opted to sell her womenswear as a separate brand, using her first name and her maternal grandfather's last name. 'I had no experience at all,' she says. 'So I opened up the CFDA book online, where you have all of the seamstresses. I picked a name in knitwear that looked familiar to me because I speak Russian.' As it turned out, the man she reached out to had worked with Oscar de la Renta, and he pointed her in the direction of other collaborators. She also posted on Instagram, which led a cousin to refer her to another industry expert, and the rest, as they say, is history. 'I always wanted to do something like [fashion],' she says. 'I just never had the courage to really well, here I am now.' With every season, Tolegen looks to improve in her new profession. 'It's still a learning process for me, and I think it always will be,' she says. 'I'm always trying to understand how I can make something better, what I can do to make something that is very solid.' With her fall 2025 collection, the designer debuted sculptural, chunky knitwear; voluminous dresses with pannier skirts; and head-turning shearling. The goal was to lean into her artistic side. 'I just let [that] take over,' she says. 'I don't want to let myself worry about the other parts.' A version of this story appears in the Summer 2025 issue of ELLE. GET THE LATEST ISSUE OF ELLE
Fashion Network
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fashion Network
Eyewear brand Elisa Johnson expands into jewelry
Her name is known worldwide. Elisa Johnson, daughter of legendary basketball player Magic Johnson, and sister to reality star EJ Johnson, is now trying to make a name for herself through her eponymous sunglasses brand. A student at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), Johnson launched her sunglasses brand in 2021 and designed the first models herself, including the Jane frame, which would become her best-seller a few months later. With investment from her father, Magic Johnson, the Elisa Johnson sunglass brand first launched with a timeless and one-of-a-kind eyewear collection that fuses classic, street, and luxury styles. 'Before my dad agreed to invest – he told me 'no' at first – I was selling my personal handbags and such to have the cache to produce samples. Yes, I had a different level of support than most, but I still wanted to demonstrate that I could make things shake on my own," said Johnson in an interview with CFDA. The young woman, now 30 years old, who confides having suffered from chronic anxiety, faced with the media pressure weighing on her family, recognizes having 'taken the extra step to pursue an education and obtain a degree in a field that I was truly interested in because I didn't just want your to be another famous person's daughter who came out with some arbitrary line or something.' Four years after launching her brand, Johnson now works with a small team and produces her collections in Hong Kong. In addition to the 200 styles she offers, she notably collaborated last year with model Lori Harvey on a capsule collection. At a Los Angeles event on June 10, Johnson presented a new development for her brand with the launch of her first jewelry line at the Grove shopping center in Los Angeles. Her father shared the news on his Instagram account: "I am so incredibly proud of my beautiful daughter. She just launched Elisa Johnson jewelry, available now." 'Designed with intention, this eight-piece earring collection is a study in contrast where simplicity meets statement,' said Johnson, on her website. 'Inspired by the symbols and rhythm of astrology, the pieces carry subtle references to the stars while staying grounded in modern minimalism.' Positioned as an affordable brand, Elisa Johnson's earring line offers prices ranging from $87 to $140. This is similar to its low-priced sunglasses line, which ranges from $87 to $130. While the brand does not currently have its own stores, it is distributed through several department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and Kith, and is available online through Shopbop, Revolve, and Dissh. One showroom is also open for fittings in Los Angeles.
Fashion Network
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fashion Network
Eyewear brand Elisa Johnson expands into jewelry
Her name is known worldwide. Elisa Johnson, daughter of legendary basketball player Magic Johnson, and sister to reality star EJ Johnson, is now trying to make a name for herself through her eponymous sunglasses brand. A student at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), Johnson launched her sunglasses brand in 2021 and designed the first models herself, including the Jane frame, which would become her best-seller a few months later. With investment from her father, Magic Johnson, the Elisa Johnson sunglass brand first launched with a timeless and one-of-a-kind eyewear collection that fuses classic, street, and luxury styles. 'Before my dad agreed to invest – he told me 'no' at first – I was selling my personal handbags and such to have the cache to produce samples. Yes, I had a different level of support than most, but I still wanted to demonstrate that I could make things shake on my own," said Johnson in an interview with CFDA. The young woman, now 30 years old, who confides having suffered from chronic anxiety, faced with the media pressure weighing on her family, recognizes having 'taken the extra step to pursue an education and obtain a degree in a field that I was truly interested in because I didn't just want your to be another famous person's daughter who came out with some arbitrary line or something.' Four years after launching her brand, Johnson now works with a small team and produces her collections in Hong Kong. In addition to the 200 styles she offers, she notably collaborated last year with model Lori Harvey on a capsule collection. At a Los Angeles event on June 10, Johnson presented a new development for her brand with the launch of her first jewelry line at the Grove shopping center in Los Angeles. Her father shared the news on his Instagram account: "I am so incredibly proud of my beautiful daughter. She just launched Elisa Johnson jewelry, available now." 'Designed with intention, this eight-piece earring collection is a study in contrast where simplicity meets statement,' said Johnson, on her website. 'Inspired by the symbols and rhythm of astrology, the pieces carry subtle references to the stars while staying grounded in modern minimalism.' Positioned as an affordable brand, Elisa Johnson's earring line offers prices ranging from $87 to $140. This is similar to its low-priced sunglasses line, which ranges from $87 to $130. While the brand does not currently have its own stores, it is distributed through several department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and Kith, and is available online through Shopbop, Revolve, and Dissh. One showroom is also open for fittings in Los Angeles.
Fashion Network
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fashion Network
Eyewear brand Elisa Johnson expands into jewelry
Her name is known worldwide. Elisa Johnson, daughter of legendary basketball player Magic Johnson, and sister to reality star EJ Johnson, is now trying to make a name for herself through her eponymous sunglasses brand. A student at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), Johnson launched her sunglasses brand in 2021 and designed the first models herself, including the Jane frame, which would become her best-seller a few months later. With investment from her father, Magic Johnson, the Elisa Johnson sunglass brand first launched with a timeless and one-of-a-kind eyewear collection that fuses classic, street, and luxury styles. 'Before my dad agreed to invest – he told me 'no' at first – I was selling my personal handbags and such to have the cache to produce samples. Yes, I had a different level of support than most, but I still wanted to demonstrate that I could make things shake on my own," said Johnson in an interview with CFDA. The young woman, now 30 years old, who confides having suffered from chronic anxiety, faced with the media pressure weighing on her family, recognizes having 'taken the extra step to pursue an education and obtain a degree in a field that I was truly interested in because I didn't just want your to be another famous person's daughter who came out with some arbitrary line or something.' Four years after launching her brand, Johnson now works with a small team and produces her collections in Hong Kong. In addition to the 200 styles she offers, she notably collaborated last year with model Lori Harvey on a capsule collection. At a Los Angeles event on June 10, Johnson presented a new development for her brand with the launch of her first jewelry line at the Grove shopping center in Los Angeles. Her father shared the news on his Instagram account: "I am so incredibly proud of my beautiful daughter. She just launched Elisa Johnson jewelry, available now." 'Designed with intention, this eight-piece earring collection is a study in contrast where simplicity meets statement,' said Johnson, on her website. 'Inspired by the symbols and rhythm of astrology, the pieces carry subtle references to the stars while staying grounded in modern minimalism.' Positioned as an affordable brand, Elisa Johnson's earring line offers prices ranging from $87 to $140. This is similar to its low-priced sunglasses line, which ranges from $87 to $130. While the brand does not currently have its own stores, it is distributed through several department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and Kith, and is available online through Shopbop, Revolve, and Dissh. One showroom is also open for fittings in Los Angeles.
Fashion Network
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fashion Network
Eyewear brand Elisa Johnson expands into jewelry
Her name is known worldwide. Elisa Johnson, daughter of legendary basketball player Magic Johnson, and sister to reality star EJ Johnson, is now trying to make a name for herself through her eponymous sunglasses brand. A student at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), Johnson launched her sunglasses brand in 2021 and designed the first models herself, including the Jane frame, which would become her best-seller a few months later. With investment from her father, Magic Johnson, the Elisa Johnson sunglass brand first launched with a timeless and one-of-a-kind eyewear collection that fuses classic, street, and luxury styles. 'Before my dad agreed to invest – he told me 'no' at first – I was selling my personal handbags and such to have the cache to produce samples. Yes, I had a different level of support than most, but I still wanted to demonstrate that I could make things shake on my own," said Johnson in an interview with CFDA. The young woman, now 30 years old, who confides having suffered from chronic anxiety, faced with the media pressure weighing on her family, recognizes having 'taken the extra step to pursue an education and obtain a degree in a field that I was truly interested in because I didn't just want your to be another famous person's daughter who came out with some arbitrary line or something.' Four years after launching her brand, Johnson now works with a small team and produces her collections in Hong Kong. In addition to the 200 styles she offers, she notably collaborated last year with model Lori Harvey on a capsule collection. At a Los Angeles event on June 10, Johnson presented a new development for her brand with the launch of her first jewelry line at the Grove shopping center in Los Angeles. Her father shared the news on his Instagram account: "I am so incredibly proud of my beautiful daughter. She just launched Elisa Johnson jewelry, available now." 'Designed with intention, this eight-piece earring collection is a study in contrast where simplicity meets statement,' said Johnson, on her website. 'Inspired by the symbols and rhythm of astrology, the pieces carry subtle references to the stars while staying grounded in modern minimalism.' Positioned as an affordable brand, Elisa Johnson's earring line offers prices ranging from $87 to $140. This is similar to its low-priced sunglasses line, which ranges from $87 to $130. While the brand does not currently have its own stores, it is distributed through several department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and Kith, and is available online through Shopbop, Revolve, and Dissh. One showroom is also open for fittings in Los Angeles.
