DALLAS, Oct 22, 2001 (Updated Dec 8, 2008) / FW/ — A graduate of Parsons School of Design in New York, Cynthia Steffe is part of the new generation designers at New York’s garment district. Women’s Wear Daily has hailed her as part of the “New Majors.”

 

Cynthia Steffe on the runway Spring 2007 New York
Cynthia Steffe on the runway Spring 2007 New York

As a student at Parsons, Cynthia Steffe received the Student Designer of the Year Award and the Donna Karan Golden Thimble Award. She launched her own label in 1989 with her husband Rick Roberts after working at Donna Karan and Anne Klein.

Catering to the youth market of mid-teens to twenty-something, Cynthia Steffe became synonymous with contemporary chic. She became a leader in the upscale women’s wear market, the brand becoming known for exquisite basics in sumptuous colors and fabrics, as well as stunning, even whimsical, statement pieces. The look is fresh, polished, and luxurious – always with a youthful bent.

Recognized as one of America’s leading contemporary fashion lines, CYNTHIA STEFFE has been featured in the pages of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, InStyle, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Allure and many other magazines, and has graced the cover of WWD numerous times.

In early 2008, Cynthia Steffe stepped down as Creative Director of her fashion house and British designer Shaun Kearney took the helm and was named Executive Vice President of Design and Creative Director.

Shaun Kearney
Shaun Kearney

In that time, he has fully embraced the brand’s signatures: modern femininity, special details, and rich, luxurious fabrics. Trained in New York and London, Kearney previously held major design positions at Kenneth Cole New York, Donna Karan, MaxMara, Laundry by Shelli Segal and Randolph Duke.

“It’s really about looking at the DNA of the brand and giving the consumer what she wants: novelty details, fabric dimension, and a fun, modern sensibility,” says Kearney. “It’s not about age, it’s a state of mind, and a very youthful one, too. Our customer needs to feel emotionally connected to the clothes.”

Celebrity fans of the Cynthia Steffe brand include Anne Hathaway, Leighton Meester, Miley Cyrus, Jessica Simpson, Hillary Duff, Jessica Biel, Sophia Bush, Drew Barrymore and Debra Messing, each of whom embodies the innovative, youthful spirit of the clothes, and many of which attend the twice-yearly fashion show at New York Fashion Week.

The collection is available in fine department and specialty stores worldwide, as well as online with luxury department stores Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom.

[MARI DAVIS]

Cynthia Steffe photo by Giovanni Pucci

Shaun Kearney photo courtesy of Cynthia Steffe

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