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Who plays what role in the team?


Ange: —almost telepathic.










How would you describe threeASFOUR's signature?


What do those enhanced energies and flows look like, aesthetically?


This season, how did you interpret construction?











Adi: We design for ourselves! (laughing)

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Gabi: But it's true, actually. You have to love and approve of something before you give it up. First yourself, then everyone else.

You must know there is a very particular woman who would wear—

Adi: —artists, people who are into and appreciate art, visionaries...people who know have that instinct and know what they want and who they are.

Ange: Intellectual people, usually. Women with an `eye' who want to shine—who aren't afraid to shine and look outstanding. Our private clients, who are all very loyal, they are like this. They see what we're doing and they appreciate it.

Gabi: They make up almost 60% of our revenue each season, these private clients. We wish there were more of these ladies around.

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Ange: More Daphne Guinnesses in this world!

Adi: That would be nice in a lot of ways, yes.

I have to admit, I love your clothing, but I'm not sure I would wear it...

Ange: We read that in your blog, why is that?

I guess I'm afraid of looking like the girl who's trying too hard, or wanting to be the center of attention.

Ange: With your fashion self-esteem, you have to start slowly and build it up. For you, for your image, and for the people around you. It doesn't happen overnight, but I do believe if you love something, you should wear it.

Gabi: People can tell when someone is wearing clothing for attention or to make a statement and when they're wearing it because they love it. It is more obvious than you think.

That's good advice. Baby steps. Speaking of wearability, is it as important to you as the creativity behind the design?

Gabi: Of course. Yes, definitely. We have 10 years of experience, so we know now you can't not think about wearability and stay in business.

Ange: Taken as pieces, our designs are actually very wearable. Well...not all of them are as wearable as others, but I think people see our show, which is a show, and mistake the performance, the theater of all of that—

Adi: —like this (points to her black skinny jeans), these are threeASFOUR. They are very everyday. Very simple and not so, you know, dramatic. I mean, the construction is there, you see, there is only one seam, no side seams, but if feels and looks very normal.

And I see there are some pieces on the rack right there that weren't in your show that look more wearable for everyday—

Ange: We have some pieces every season, a lower-priced part of the collection, that is all very wearable. There's a hoodie, and a few tops, it's all something anyone could wear.

Gabi: And it still is very beautiful, the gold print makes it stand out, the lines of it—even on the hoodie (stands up and shows me its curvilinear seam), it's still very threeASFOUR.

Adi: I wish more people knew just how wearable we are. We all wear our clothing almost every day, and we don't do the whole, super dressed up dramatic look every day. We have days when we just want to be comfortable, like today in jeans and a sweater, and we can do still do that in our clothing. Anybody could, really.

Especially since the economic downturn, a lot of designers have compromised creativity to be more retail-friendly. You haven't done that—will you eventually?

Gabi: We don't believe in that kind of compromise. We feel like, we do this out of love, and we love our customers—we aren't going to compromise what they love about us, because then we are not being authentic, and our clothes wouldn't be authentic.

Adi: You grow, of course, and then you...I wouldn't call it compromise, but you get better and finer, you begin to have a desire to reach more people. We've hit that point, I think, and so now, we're working on a t-shirt and some bags and things for, you know, the people who may not know us yet or haven't been able to afford us.

Ange: There are restrictions and rules on these simpler designs, which, for us, makes it much harder, creatively. But we want to make clothes for our friends—our male, non-gay friends—who just want to be able to wear threeASFOUR but something simpler and uncomplicated.

When and where will these pieces be available?

Adi: We're still in the planning phase of all of this, but we are right now thinking maybe four or so exclusive pieces, available online in very limited numbers.

Gabi: This is not a t-shirt line, just something we're experimenting with.

Do you think you'll do another diffusion line like the one you did a few years ago with the GAP?

Gabi: I'd love that to happen. Let us know if you have any leads! We're in Barney's in New York, and Collette in Paris, as well as stores in Moscow, Geneva, Tokyo, Dubai, and many other international cities. This is very much a business, you know, and right now, that part is on our minds.

Ange: It's very difficult. We do not go after celebrities to have them wear our clothes—

Adi: —we've tried that. It never works for us. I don't know why. It isn't very natural, maybe. If people like us and like what we're doing, they come to us. It's a more natural relationship that way.

Gabi: It's the same with stockists. We've done campaigns of sales in the past, and it was unsuccessful. Good to try, of course, but now we know what does and doesn't work for us, and that doesn't. What's difficult in this recession, too, is that our conceptual pieces, buyers are not picking them up except for the two or so we send to Collette. Generating money is important, but to do it with honor—not to sell our souls—that is the most important thing. We all agree on that.

To see the full threeASFOUR Fall 2010 collection (as well as collections from previous seasons), click here.

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