PARK Magazine

JOHNSON
RECALLS
WHEN KARL
LAGERFELD,
A BIG DEVOTEE
OF THE BRAND,
WALKED INTO
THE STUDIO IN
NEW YORK
AND BOUGHT
EVERY PIECE
AVAILABLE.
“I WOULD SEE
THE WHOLE
CHANEL
CREW COME
THROUGH
WEARING
LIBERTINE!”
Libertine is adored not just by celebrities,
but also other fashion legends. Johnson
recalls when Karl Lagerfeld, a big devotee
of the brand, walked into the studio in
New York and bought every piece available.
“I would see the whole Chanel crew come
through wearing Libertine! Karl invited me
to a gala and gave me a matching high-collar
shirt and people were taking pictures of
us, but I never saw it. That was before smartphones.”
(If anyone has a picture, please let
us know!) There is even a Libertine piece on
view at the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume
Institute, which was purchased by Karl,
though the skull on the back was covered
up with beading due to Karl’s fear of death.
Libertine has certainly come a long way
since Johnson, along with his partner Cindy
Greene, started the anti-fashion fashion
brand in Koreatown 20 years ago. It only
makes sense that to honor this longevity,
the last couple of collections honored some
of the brand’s original ideas, including a lot
of hand silk screening. “It seems really fresh
again after so many years. Bringing back
these designs feels like a super renewed energy
- I feel like every day I’m meeting someone
else who is just discovering the brand
and that energizes me so much. I’m living
in the gratitude of having been provided
with this incredible creativity and curiosity.”
Johnson and his brand might be basking
in their anniversary year, but Libertine lovers
still have a lot of fashion to look forward to. P
ilovelibertine.com