Presenting: Jonathan Cohen

I have had the good fortune to be in contact with an exciting new designer, Jonathan Cohen.  When I mentioned him as a designer to look for at Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week Spring '11 in this post, he wrote me an email, inviting me to his show. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend, but it was a great pleasure to speak with Jonathan. Today, he sent me pictures of his collection and I was impressed.

Jonathan's fashion pedigree derives a lot of influence from Mexican culture. He was raised in San Diego, CA by Mexican parents. The bright colors and designs in Mexico City can be seen in his clothing. He gained fashion experience by interning with Oscar de la Renta, Doo-Ri Chung and Ashleigh Verrier. He also freelanced for renowned fashion stylist Patricia Field. The collections he has created on his own are beautiful, wearable, and colorful. Imagine them as a cocktail of Mexican inspired designs, a dash of Matthew Williamson's hippie aesthetic, a touch of Jean Paul Gaultier's 80's fashions, the streamlined silhouettes of Hervé Léger, and a surprising garnish of Hawaiian tropics thrown in for good measure.

I think this was a very strong start for this young designer, and I am excited to see what he has in store for the fall. It is rare that I come across a collection that I think is both wearable and artistically inspired (it's usually one or the other, for me). In my personal wardrobe, I am not shy of color, and I would die for that cobalt blue shark fin sleeve coat. I thought his collection was youthful and fresh. Even WWD had good things to say! View Jonathan Cohen's previous collection here.