As the self-proclaimed “curator of cool,” Ron Robinson, trendsetter and beauty-buyer extraordinaire, has been satiating L.A.’s product fiends for the past 25 years by introducing the under-moisturized and scent-seeking masses to brands like Kiehl’s, the House of Creed, and L’Artisan Parfumeur long before they became household names. It’s no surprise, then, that his in-house fragrance line, Apothia Los Angeles (that’s shorthand for “apothecary + utopia,” BTW), is a favorite with everyone who visits his Apothia boutique at Fred Segal. For those of you who don’t just want to spritz on essences of fig, clean linen, or geranium but want to bathe in them—literally—you’re in luck: Robinson just released Apothia Hand & Body, a line of eight new hand and body washes that are paraben- and sulfate-free—not to mention an exercise in total luxury. Looks like he’s done it again.—Celia Ellenberg

Photo: Courtesy of Apothia

On a recent trip to Duane Reade, I was stopped in my tracks by what seemed like some kind of beauty mirage. There, taking up prime real estate at the end of the skincare aisle, was a bounty of creams, face washes, lip balms, and body butters from niche natural companies typically found in health food stores—not the sort of products I associate with a mass-market pharmacy. While the New York metro-area drugstore has stocked Burt’s Bees for a while now, DR recently upped the ante with offerings from J.R. Watkins, Alba Organics, and Befine, the vegan skincare line that you could literally eat, if you were in the habit of consuming soap (to each her own). Most surprising to see, though, was the cult Israeli Dead Sea line, Ahava, which is typically hard to find stateside, let alone at your neighborhood pharmacy. The mere presence of the brand suggests a new “aspirational” stocking approach—to which I say kudos: Being able to buy toothpaste and specialty products in the same trip is a huge bonus. Fingers crossed DR buyers stumble upon Jo Malone next.—Celia Ellenberg

Photo: Courtesy of Ahava

The multitasking Milla Jovovich and her friend of more than a decade, Carmen Hawk, figured out early on that their creative collaboration was a good thing: The first collection they designed as Jovovich-Hawk was snapped up by Fred Segal and sold out within days. Five seasons later, the girls have hopped on Target’s GO program, in which established fashion folk replicate their favorite pieces for the retail giant, which then sells them at discount prices—never more than $40. The line hits stores today. Here, Jovovich tell us a little bit about her and Hawk’s aesthetic, and what it was like to combine forces with Target.

As successful models, you’ve both spent your fair share of time in the fashion world. What tips or experiences in your pre-designer careers helped you develop your own fashion line?

Traveling around the world, being immersed in the fashion and art worlds, our many friends in the music industry—we both have been inspired by how people express themselves in different ways, which has fueled our creativity. Drawing, painting, making music and films, styling our own photo shoots, and being friends with other designers also helped mold our eclectic understanding of what we think looks interesting.

What were some of the challenges of working on a lower-priced line for a mega-brand like Target?

Surprisingly, working with Target was a huge relief from the everyday challenges we face in creating our own collection. Target has so many fabrics to choose from, and a built-in art department that can pretty much make any print that we like, instantaneously! And because they work on such a mass scale, it was very easy for them to use really high-end fabrications without having the super-expensive price tag that often accompanies that type of production.

Were you eager to tap into that market?

It’s so exciting that we can give people such quality clothing for a low price! That has been one of our greatest challenges as designers so far, because a lot of the women we want to dress are not able to buy many of our pieces.

Tell me about the Jovovich-Hawk woman. What does she look like, what does she like to do? Is she very different than the woman you designed the Target line for?

The Jovovich-Hawk woman is young, creative, and strong. She’s a career woman with a great sense of humor, is smart and sensitive, unique and interesting, intelligent and unforgettable. We feel that is exactly who the Target woman is as well, since we shop at Target!

Did you learn any lessons or have any revelations about your own label while working on the Target line?

Definitely. Working with Target made us understand things about our own company that we can improve on a technical, business level. It gave us an education on merchandising our line, to make it more concise and understandable for people outside the fashion industry.

Both of your business cards are pretty full now: designers, actresses, mothers, models. What’s next for Jovovich-Hawk?

We would love to branch out into a full lifestyle company, including accessories, baby clothes, maybe even home stuff! We feel that the Jovovich-Hawk experience should be all-encompassing, because it’s so interesting and really expresses a way of life that we would love for other people to have access to.—Derek Blasberg

Photo: John Parra/WireImage.com

Whether or not you count yourself one of Daryl Kerrigan’s obsessed fans, there’s no denying that the scion of East Village chic possesses that elusive thing, a readily identifiable look. You can conjure it up instantly—a streetwise, punk-spirited elegance so uncomplicated it can come off as accidental. Except it’s not. Kerrigan has always been relentlessly precise in her work, whether refining the cut of the boot-leg pants that made her name in the nineties, or getting the exactly washed-out-enough finish right on a piece of silk destined for one of her signature bias-cut dresses. Since the turn of the millennium, when rapid expansion of the Daryl K and K-189 lines almost simultaneously made Kerrigan into a fashion star and imploded her business, everything about Kerrigan’s brand has changed, and nothing has. You won’t find any boot-leg pants at the Bond Street headquarters she reopened a few years ago; neither will you find a designer hatching plans for mass-market domination. But the look remains. As the first season of Kerrigan’s new diffusion line, Kerrigan, hits shelves, the designer talked to Style.com about doing more with less and her antidotes to hopelessness.

Obviously, this isn’t the first time you’ve designed a diffusion range. Was there something you missed about K-189 that inspired you to launch Kerrigan now?

I’ve always been a girl who likes to mix casual pieces into my wardrobe, and when I was doing K-189, I had an outlet for things like jeans, hoodies, worn-out tees. But Daryl K, the primary line, those collections are really about high-end fabrics, working with really beautiful silks and wools and materials with special finishes, and I’ve found that it’s hard to incorporate those sportier pieces into Daryl K without sacrificing some of that line’s integrity.

But Kerrigan comprises more than just tees and hoodies…

Well, the other reason I wanted to launch Kerrigan is that I get a fair amount of price resistance to my clothes. I think maybe that’s partly because I make daywear, and I like clothes to have a certain simplicity; on the rack, that stuff doesn’t read like it ought to be expensive. Like I said, it’s about the fabric, the cut. But I also believe that part of the resistance has to do with my customer, and I mean that in the best way—my girl has never been, you know, the billionaire’s daughter. She’s got some grit to her, the arty girl who’s doing her own thing, working her way up. I wanted to make pieces that girl could afford.

The debut collection is quite small, only 25 pieces or so. Are you planning to expand?

We might expand the line a bit, but to be honest, I like that it’s small. I find I’m asking myself a lot of questions about the environment lately, on a daily basis, in fact, and it seems like the easiest way to be more green is just, you know, to make less. Buy less; throw away less. There’s so much talk out there about local, organic, what have you; it’s all very confusing. I mean, I read this article in The New Yorker the other day about how it’s basically impossible to guess any item’s carbon footprint, even if you’re using solid logic. Apples from New Zealand are greener for me to buy than apples from upstate New York; how is that possible? But it’s true. Anyway, it really seems like the answer is just to limit yourself to what’s essential.

Are you hoping to make the line more sustainable?

Getting the line on its feet, I feel like I struggle enough with maintaining quality control. The lower the price point, the harder it is to make things that last. And making clothes that last, that seems like another easy way of being green. You ought to be able to wear things for a while. I’d be happy to learn more about it, sustainable production and all that, but then, all this global-warming stuff, at the end of the day it can just make me feel hopeless. That’s when I switch the channel to celebrity news.

And that actually makes you feel more hopeful, not less?

Good point. Mainly it’s a distraction—they are entertaining, those crazy celebrities. I’ve never been a big tabloid person, but every so often I just can’t help myself. But in general, I do try to stay on the hopeful side of things—for my son, who’s nine and a worrier, if for no other reason. Wearing pink right now, that cheers me up. I feel like people always associate me and my line with dark colors, gray and black and all that, but right now, I just want to wear pink all the time.—Maya Singer

Photo: Courtesy of Kerrigan

Shoe designer Julia Lundsten, who was born into a family of architects, calls her creations “furniture for the feet.” While that sounds a bit clunky, like walking around with a end table attached to your foot, Lundsten’s shoes are anything but—just ask Manolo Blahnik, who called them “exquisite, divine, and perfect.” He’s not all talk either: The shoe master bestowed his eponymous award on the young Finn two years running, in 2002 and 2003. Since then, Lundsten has collaborated with New York designer Mary Ping, creating footwear for her Fall ‘06 runway show, and snatched up Design Forum Finland’s Young Designer of the Year prize in 2007. Lundsten’s London-based line runs roughly from £195 to £250 (about $380 to $490), but her lower-priced collection for Faith Shoes, with prices running between £60 and £120 ($118 and $235), will be available next month. See www.finsk.com for styles, and check www.faith.co.uk for the Faith Solo line this spring.—Alison Baenen

Photo: Courtesy of Finsk

For those of us who love designer Araks Yeramyan’s eponymous intimates line, including stars like Sarah Jessica Parker and Chloë Sevigny, the relationship with our underthings is about to get even healthier—Araks’ new Organics line will arrive at Barneys this week. The collection includes eight silhouettes, from delicate bras and breezy shorts to an adorable romper, all of which are made from organic cotton that Yeramyan spent years sourcing. “I love color, and have been searching for a source of luxurious organic fabrics that don’t just come in the usual boring ‘earthy’ tones,” she says. “There’s a much better selection now than in the past. I look forward to incorporating organic fabrics into my ready-to-wear collections as well.” The line ranges in price from $60 to $165, and the packaging is the most earth-friendly we’ve seen—there is none.—Kat Thomsen

Photo: Nicola Kast

Going green, while worthy, responsible, and admirable, isn’t always aesthetically pleasing. So we were thrilled to come across Clark’s Botanicals, a brand-new skincare line that combines botanical ingredients and a homeopathic philosophy with gorgeous green—literally AND figuratively speaking—packaging. “I never understood why there had to be trade-offs: If it’s botanical, make sure it smells like cardboard or throw it in a drab bottle. Not my cup of tea,” says Francesco Clark, who developed the line with his father, a doctor trained in homeopathic medicine, after a diving accident in 2002 left him paralyzed. The damage to Clark’s central nervous system kept him from sweating, which led to chronic breakouts. When neither over-the-counter products nor Western medication were able to heal his skin, he decided to create his own all-natural line. “Clark’s Botanicals is based around the idea of rebalancing skin and making it look the healthiest it can be,” he says. All of the products contain jasmine absolute, an extract that rebalances skin and boosts collagen production. And they’re all paraben-free. The kudos are starting to pour in: Not only is Madonna a fan, but Clark recently won a Rising Star award from the Fashion Group International. And he’s got still more up his sleeve—though he’s not giving out the details just yet, a Clark’s Botanicals facial will be on the menu at a new spa that’s launching soon in New York. Clark’s Botanicals is available at Henri Bendel, C.O. Bigelow, Studio at Fred Segal, and www.clarksbotanicals.com.—Nancy MacDonell

Photo: Nicola Kast

Third anniversaries aren’t typically imbued with the kind of gravity often attached to gold and silver milestones, but Hayden-Harnett’s Toni Hacker and Ben Harnett, who started their line on April Fool’s Day three years ago, are seriously happy to be designing right now. “I’m surprised we’re still here!” a smiling Hacker admitted at last night’s cocktail celebration at their Garment District showroom. Fans of the husband-and-wife team’s handbags, accessories, and clothing are less surprised by the duo’s relative longevity, and their Fall 2008 collection is already a big hit. Particularly swoon-worthy: their color-block totes, clutches, and shoulder bags. “It’s totally a throwback to the eighties,” Hacker explained. “You’ve got Memphis art school, super-saturated pastels, minimal hardware, and an emphasis on color.” Harnett, who conceded that his wife was really “the creative genius” behind the line, is understandably proud of their collaboration. His favorite piece? The Laura black-and-metallic reversible tote. “It’s a great combination of ideas and functionality,” Harnett noted. “All in all, I think this is our strongest collection yet.”—Sarah Fones

Photo: Courtesy of Hayden-Harnett

Charlotte Ronson was joined by family and friends for dinner at the new Dakota Bridge at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in L.A. last night to celebrate her Fall ‘08 collection. In what has become a seasonal West Coast jaunt, Ronson, clad in an aqua button-front jumper with cutout detailing from her summer line, was busy catching up her young Hollywood clientele (among them, Nicole Richie and Lindsay Lohan, who was wearing a short-sleeved black-and-white print top from the line). But for a designer known primarily for cutesy rompers and feminine cotton separates, the new collection is taking a decidedly more grown-up tone. “As I grow up, the collections keep evolving, becoming more sophisticated,” she said, pointing out her abundant use of black in the Fall pieces. “It’s fun to watch them growing as I grow.”—Alexis Brunswick

Photo: Jean Baptiste Lacroix/WireImage

A career in denim was pretty much inevitable for Chloe Lonsdale. Her father, Tony Lonsdale, founded the Jean Machine, a line of boutiques that introduced fashionable dungarees to the British public; her godfather, Tony O’Gorman, started Made in Heaven, a leading U.K. denim label in the 1970’s; and her mother, Chekkie Maskell, was a Made in Heaven model (in fact, that’s how she met her husband). “Growing up, my parents were always in jeans,” Lonsdale recalls. “I thought everyone dressed that way.” Three and a half years ago,
she decided the time was right to get back into the family business and revive Made in Heaven. Now known as MiH, the line concentrates on vintage styles like the Marrakesh, a slightly high-waisted, kick-flare cut that’s
based on a pair Lonsdale’s mother favored in the seventies. For fall, Lonsdale’s gone one step further with an homage to her mother’s signature look called the Marrakesh Patchwork, a limited-edition iteration that
re-creates an actual pair of her mother’s denims, “right down to the stars she had appliquéd on them.” “I don’t want the line to be a total reproduction of seventies styles,” Lonsdale continues. “Even when we take
things from our archives, we update the cuts and make sure that the details aren’t too dated. It’s got to be about what girls want today.”—Nancy MacDonell