The Designer Who’s Defined our Daily Uniform
Somsack Sikhounmoung on The Art of Collecting and The Importance of Seeking Inspo Beyond Our Phones (Hint: Pick up a Book!)
Somsack Sikhounmoung may have established our daily uniform from the 2010s until now, but he’s a strong advocate for everyone to start looking like an individual again. As a former accessories designer and head designer of womenswear at J. Crew, the creative director of Madewell and now the creative director of Alex Mill, Sikhounmoung has been behind the most ubiquitous denim styles and go-to workwear of the last decade and a half. The Toronto native designed those statement necklaces we all loved and wore (and layered under our shirt collars) during peak J. Crew days, a tenure that lasted for 16 years and helped establish the 2010’s dress code of classic jeans, ankle boots and a tailored blazer which we all wore to work, then happy hour for years. Today, he considers early 90s inspo, utilitarian dressing and a return to individual cool, as codes when creating collections for Alex Mill.
Here, he shares his early days getting into the industry, individual style and his dream of opening a store housing his extensive collection of vintage fashion and objects.
I love your photos from 90s New York Fashion Week on your newsletter, Somstack. What were some additional influences in your youth that inspired you to want to work in fashion?
My grandma and mom were seamstresses, so I was always around construction of clothing. Also, watching the Miss Universe pageant growing up showed me the transformative power of getting dressed up. Of course, early issues of Vogue, 90s Vogues. I was always a big day dreamer who wanted to be anywhere but where I was; the opposite of where I was! I was always drawing and creating things and loved to enter other worlds.
Tell us about your tenure at J Crew during its peak era.
I started at J Crew doing accessories. I was designing socks during the Jenna Lyons era. She asked me to pick and I picked socks because there was no womenswear role available and that’s what I was trained to do. It was cool to get that kind of ownership. They were really willing to let you steer your own path. Then I started designing accessories, then I was the head of accessories. Mickey (Drexler) came in 2002 and just unlocked a new level for J. Crew. making it major.
From 2012 to 2015, I was at Madewell. That was fun, because it was a rebrand and we were redefining who the woman was. When Jenna left J. Crew, I went back to head up womens. In January of 2018 Mickey called asking what I was up to and said, “Would you ever want to meet with my son Alex?” Alex Mill started in 2012 and added womens in 2019 relaunching a new website and new assortment. The company is much smaller, which is amazing and also harder in some ways. I wouldn’t change it for the world.
You are such an all around creative person, what aside from designing do you love to do as a creative outlet?
I got into ceramics post-Covid. It was amazing doing something new with new people. It was like therapy for the week and spending 3-4 hours when I’m not on my phone and my hands are occupied. My Substack came up about year ago, after we had a meeting with Becky Malinsky who is like the Substack queen. I said, what is Substack? And then started one shortly after. So much of what we do with Alex Mill, we try to make as personal as possible. My newsletter gives me opportunities to tell stories I may have, things I’ve seen, trips like wandering around Paris with no plans.
There is a lot of inspiring personal style out there, but I’d also argue that we’re all starting to look the same. How do we return to true personal style and start seeing some less contrived looks?
I think there is a huge opportunity for individuality to come back and huge opportunity to move away from Instagram and Pinterest and really do your research and find new things. BOOKS?! I know, it sounds revolutionary. I have thousands of books that I haven’t opened in years because I’ve been too busy scrolling Instagram! I love the idea of finding something inspiring in a book. And I love the thrill of the hunt. I used to go to the New York Public Library and go through clippings and photos.
What would you love to still accomplish?
I want to get (Alex Mill) out there as much as possible but still make it feel small. Also, how do I make this hoarder tendency I have, make money? I love collecting clothes, coats, books, and old magazines. I have way too many lamps for one apartment! A shop of some sort to house and sell these collections would be so cool. I would love to travel and create this world. I love the hunt. The hunter and prey. For instance, I love Isaac Mizrahi’s old stuff and there was a patchwork coat I’d seen for years on a past runway. Recently, a friend was selling his whole Isaac archive and he had the patchwork coat. Isaac never made it for production. Stella Tennant wore it on the runway. Now I finally have it!
Love Somsack! And Alex Mill! This was such a fun read.
A very creative and talented person dedicated to his craft! Very nice article! 😍