Photo: Courtesy of Retrofête
Watch the full conversation between Ohad Seroya and Staff Writer Brooke Frischer on The Fashionista Network.
Ohad Seroya’s first foray into the fashion world began in a traditional sense: working retail.
At 16 years old, he landed an opportunity to work in a local Diesel store in Tel Aviv — an experience he recalled with fondness to Fashionista’s Brooke Frischer during a recent live chat on The Fashionista Network (watch it here!), having helped reveal his passion for product and styling.
For the designer, “it wasn’t just a job,” he explained: It was during his time at Diesel that Seroya got hands-on experience learning about proportions, buying, visual merchandising, wholesale and numerous other facets of the industry that most wait well into fashion school to tap into.
“Even today, when we design Retrofête, we really think about how [our customer] is that girl,” Seroya said. “She’s at that party. She goes on this vacation. So [my early career retail experience] really helped me to shape myself as a designer for the long run… I think it’s one of the most important experiences for me, personally, as a designer. ‘Til today, I talk about it, and I believe these retail experiences helped shape me as the designer I am.”
Eventually, Seroya would lean into his penchant for design — though as he told it, his motivation for designing his own clothes came from wanting to “look cool”. He took every opportunity to look fashion-forward, so much so that Diesel store customers would ask where he got his clothes. Seroya continued building his career alongside his husband, Aviad Klin, which eventually led to the creation of Retrofête in 2018.
“I think the beauty of Retrofête and what me and my husband are doing is that it’s a really long timeline,” he shared. “You know, many other designers also come to me asking about ‘How did you create the brand?’ Retrofête is not just a brand, it’s a story. It’s a beautiful story in which my husband and I moved 10 years ago with big dreams and nothing in our pockets.”
The two started with a showroom and working in brand consulting. Later on, Seroya was given the opportunity to design collections for private labels. As the couple gained further experience in the industry from a production perspective, Klin husband pitched the idea of launching their own brand.
“I didn’t want to do it in the beginning, to be completely honest,” Seroya said. “But I got the trust and the belief, and we got really lucky with all the experience learning. And I think, even today, we’re learning how to get better. Every season, [we’re learning] how to elevate the brand, how to listen to the client, how to open a new category, how to create new stuff [and] how to excite the consumer. It’s like a learning curve every day.”
Photo: Courtesy of Retrofête
Since launching, Retrofête has garnered a loyal following and become widely recognized for its sexy, glamorous, statement-making pieces worn by A-list celebrities including Taylor Swift, Heidi Klum, Paris Hilton and Selena Gomez, among many more. It isn’t the only brand Seroya oversees: In 2020, at the peak of the pandemic, he saw an opportunity to launch Ser.o.ya, a more casual, slightly younger-leaning counterpart to Retrofête. While the brands are separate, Seroya designs with the same girl in mind, with her wearing SER.O.YA during the day and Retrofête at night.
“Retrofête is ‘welcome the party’ [but] it’s also about the feeling,” Seroya explained. “It doesn’t only have to be in a party as a place filled with music, but for people when they’re getting married, when they have a birthday, when they want to go on a first date… It’s a brand that celebrates the most epic moments of your life.”
The duo translated the joyous, party-infused aesthetic translated into Retrofête’s New York Fashion Week runway debut this past September. While Seroya remembered the experience as an emotional one — filled with a lot of stress, tears and sleepless nights — he ultimately came out of the ordeal energized and excited for the next show. Like everything else throughout his career, he acknowledged the months leading up to it were a continuous learning curve, but he advises any brand who’s thinking about putting on a runway to take the leap and do it.
With 2023 near its end and attention shifting to the new year, Seroya predicts minimalism is here to stay, but “elevated sexy” is set to reign supreme.
“Everyone is changing to clean and classic with a small twist,” Seroya said. “I think this is where the market is going. We’re a party brand, and we will try to bring this in our own way, but you can see also in Retrofête a small shift of more minimalist. I still think there ‘ opportunity in going out [apparel], but there will be a change in the direction… I think people are looking for more ‘tranquilo,’ but still very elevated.”
This conversation was hosted on “The Fashionista Network” powered by interactive media platform Fireside, where viewers get the chance to participate and speak directly with industry figures. Learn more about “The Fashionista Network” here.
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Source: Fashionista.com