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Bruce: Profile of the Designers Nicole Noselli and Daphne Guttierrez by Damion Matthews Nicole Noselli and Daphne Guttierrez may be the most peculiar designers in American fashion. For in an industry where the goal is to see how many times you can get your name in print, or in how many magazines you can get your picture published, or on how many backsides you can have your name stitched, these two have made a point of keeping their identities practically hidden. Designing under the label Bruce for approximately four years, Nicole and Daphne have carefully been crafting a company they hope will give them more staying power than star power. They've decided not to take the customary bow at the end of their shows; they don't have their own names on the label (when asked about the top-secret meaning of "Bruce", Daphne's simple response was "a man"); and they don't even want photographs of themselves shown to the public (after much pushing and pulling, Look On-Line was unable to get them to change their minds, so you'll have to guess at what they look like. They assure me that they are not hideous.) Throughout my one hour conversation with the two designers, they stressed that their interest was in the clothes they designed, not in publicizing themselves; but from the looks of things, Daphne and Nicole are headed for fashion fame whether they like it or not. In the January, 1999 issue of American Vogue Katherine Betts called them "The stars of the new downtown-designer lot," and cited their "elegant fitted leather jackets and sexy sheaths" as standouts from their spring '99 collection. Their fall collection will be carried in the United States, London and Japan. In New York it can be found at Linda Dresner on Park Avenue and Kirna Zabete, a store to be opening soon in Soho. Further evidence that Bruce is headed for the big league is that it's sales and publicity is being represented by Greg Mills. Besides being president of Isaac Mizrahi during that company's formative years, Mills was also an important figure at Perry Ellis, Stephen Sprouse and Isabel Toledo, where he met Nicole, who was then an intern. Rising stars though they may be, for the moment Nicole and Daphne, who both turned 28 in May, are just two hard-working women trying to make it in a very difficult business. They share an apartment, which also happens to be their company's headquarters. They're cramped, but are investing their money in the company rather than in getting separate places. |