It was Rock Fashion Week in Los Angeles on Friday night and I was sipping my cocktail atop the palatial rooftop bar and runway of The Petersen Automotive Museum. The next show was about to begin; a casual, cool brand that has recently expanded into sleeker outerwear, accessories and a new kids line, called Boy Meets Girl. With the success of their comfy hoodies and sexy active/loungewear, BMG’s signature silhouette has appeared in Gossip Girl, Vampire Diaries, Sex & the City, America’s Next Top Model and The City, as well as celebrity closets like Eva Mendes, Taylor Momsen and Lindsey Lohan’s. As the show would prove, fun dominates the Spring 2010 line and impresses that we don’t have to sacrifice comfort in our clothes to feel comfort in our own skin. I caught up with founder and creative director Stacy M. Igel to talk about her inspiration for the new collection and her design mantra, a call for “couture comfort.”
WM: You cite female musicians, DJs, pop and rock artists as your muses for the Spring 2010 collection, how did you incorporate this inspiration into your designs and the overall feel of the show?
SMI: I always listen to music while designing. These particular artists have such passion, fearlessness and personality – I tried to feed off that and bring some of that to my line. I think the edgy individualism of my tees, jackets and vests this season are totally inspired by these talented ladies. I think it was pretty clear that these pieces were original, totally new creations that were coming down the runway. Similarly, I spent a lot of time on the pace and personality of the music in the show and I think it really paid off. The girls walking the show were so psyched to walk – they owned that runway. I turned away some beautiful models during casting because I wanted a certain type of girl to walk my show. Clothes are about attitude and personality and I think we said a lot about the BOY MEETS GIRL® persona in this show.
WM: What outfit were you most excited to send down the runway Friday night?
SMI: The first outfit of the night. My first BOY MEETS GIRL® trench coat (check out the power BMG belt – Wonderwoman!) paired with my favorite tights of the season that Steve Madden hosiery sponsored, thank you Steve M.
WM: What message does this line have that may be different from the collections you’ve done in past seasons?
SMI: I think we’re (myself as a designer and my brand are) coming into our own. I’ve really begun to develop a voice that I’m proud of for my brand. I want my clothes to be both edgy and wearable. I think I’ve accomplished that this season and you can see that from the runway.
WM: What does “couture comfort” mean to you and your brand?
SMI: It is my design mantra. I don’t design for the runway, I design for real people. Sexy yet wearable, stylish yet wearable. I don’t want the BMG customer to take themselves too seriously – I want the customer to have fun wearing BMG and feel confident.
WM: You include as a part of your mantra a commitment to “ethical fashion”, why is it important to you to use eco-friendly materials and sustainable manufacturing practices?
SMI: I believe strongly in leaving this world in a better condition than how I found it. That’s important to me and my family. Fashion has provided me with a platform to do good in a number of ways, the most visible of which is to produce my line in an ethical, environmentally friendly way. Slowly, this is becoming an issue consumers care about. Hopefully, consumers will begin to really put pressure on manufactures of all shapes and sizes to produce their lines this way. Time will tell.
WM: You look to the dynamic and ever-changing scenes of New York and Los Angeles for inspiration, what is it about these two cities that fuel your design aesthetic?
SMI: Life in both of these cities is so energizing. The people are driven to succeed and that’s intoxicating to me. Life is not a dress rehearsal, right? LA is filled with creative people who seem so alive. I mean they’re always on. New York is similar, but the energy is coming from a more cerebral, business-oriented place. Talk about always on – I leave the office after midnight most nights and the city is still buzzing. So my clothes reflect that energy. They are loud, bright and colorful. They almost look as if you might electrocute yourself by simply touching them – watch out guys! I like that. 
WM: Finally, where would you like to expand the BOY MEETS GIRL brand next? What direction would you like to see explored?
MSI: I basically want to expand the core business here in the US and abroad. That said, I did start a kids line which is exclusively sold at Bloomingdales. I am also interested in growing our existing outerwear and accessories businesses because I think we’ve only scratched the service in these areas.
If you would like to learn more about Boy Meets Girl, visit www.boymeetsgirlusa.com