They met on the benches of Parsons. Today, it’s been 15 years since Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough founded the brand Proenza Schouler. This name was crafted by the two designers from their mothers’ maiden names. Obviously the past is a huge inspiration for them. To conceive their first bag, these two creative types took inspiration from the panniers that schoolboys wore in New York in the 50s. This playground accessory had everything it took to set their imaginations aflame: something discrete, and with no logo, Proenza Schouler would soon make it a bag for insiders, a sort of chic only recognizable by the initiated. “We create by taking inspiration from our friends or from strangers we run into on the street, mysterious girls that aren’t afraid to experiment, sophisticated but not perfectly coiffed or manicured,” tells Lazaro. Their objective: create an effortless silhouette. This is how the PS1 came to be, a coy nod to French couture of the 50s and the contemporary art of Richard Avedon or Irving Penn. They didn’t even have a plan to begin with; things just fell into place all by themselves.
The PS1 is an instant classic. Its fashion DNA, the precision in its details and finishings, a contemporary purity, a mix of colors and fabrics, it didn’t take much more to bring it up into the ranks of an icon. Accordioned on the sides, the PS1 has a flap that closes with buckles inspired by the 50s. A little bit futurist, a little bit urban and avant-garde, the PS1 responds to the desires of every woman. Released in accordance with every need, every desire, and every preference, each season the PS1 gets decked out in new colors. In numerous sizes: small, medium, large, the PS1 is available in styles ranging from a clutch to a travel bag with totes in between… Neither tacky nor dated, rich nor faux pas, it incarnates the symbol of true downtown luxury. A mixture of complexity and simplicity, the PS1 is the mirror of Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough’s ambivalent aesthetic. “It was supposed to be the anti it-bag. (…) We wanted it to be really anonymous.” And yet, the PS1 is the first satchel with a vintage heart to become as timeless as it has.
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