Issue link: https://www.balharbourdigital.com/i/86796
One day about a decade ago, Flora Gill and Alexa Adams, school chums [OHNE TITEL] from Parsons The New School for Design, sat down and showed each other their sketches over bubble tea, and just like that, a business was born. "It's nice to have someone you trust to work with. We're both collaborative people," says Adams of their decision to form Ohne Titel—German for "without title." "Alexis has a tailoring background, and I have a textile background, so we inspire each other," Gill adds. The duo is known for their inventive knitwear and strong graphic patterns—their aim, they say, is to create a silhouette with textiles and techniques, something to suit the iconic women they imagine as their customers—people like the wildly eclectic nonogeniarn Iris Apfel and the Iranian artist Shirin Neshat. Their inspirations are as far-flung as the women they idolize: they cite a 1968 Soviet film called TheColor of Pomegranatesfor its use of tones and texture. Their references may be arcane, but they have all four feet on the ground when it comes to building their company. (In Adams' case, the feet are today clad in a pair of extraordinary feathery sandals from their own line). Sunglasses launch next spring, and they say they'd love to do menswear and swimsuits. Whatever they embark upon, Gill insists, "There's a timeless appeal to the pieces that's part of their value. Fashion is really about individuality." But they're still green enough to almost swoon when they see a stranger wearing one of their designs: "It's like your children out in the world!" Adams exclaims. 52 BAL HARBOUR "IT'S NICE TO HAVE SOMEONE YOU TRUST TO WORK WITH. WE'RE BOTH COLLABORATIVE PEOPLE." PHOTO BY DARREN HALL