The working wardrobe: Ulla Johnson
As the go-to designer for joyful staples imbued with a modern, feminine sensibility, ULLA JOHNSON has garnered a cult following with her timeless and ultra-wearable pieces. Here, she talks to MEGAN LOGUE about the power of fashion, challenging the idea of what women in business look like, and how she weaves optimism and wanderlust through her creations
Over the past 20 years, Ulla Johnson has turned her eponymous label into both a cult favorite among fashion insiders and a commercial success – a feat most designers could only dream of. And yet, her entry to the industry was entirely atypical. As the Brooklyn-born daughter of two archaeology professors, Johnson grew up in the world of academia; and despite developing an interest in fashion early on – “I was fairly obsessed; I always loved dressing up” – she never entertained the idea of pursuing it as a career, choosing to major in psychology and women’s studies instead. It was after graduation that Johnson’s long-standing fascination with all things sartorial took a more serious turn. “I fell into fashion quickly. I had some friends who owned boutiques in [New York’s] Lower East Side, and when I started my business, they were my first stockists. Barneys picked me up shortly after.”
While this atypical approach has proved to be a phenomenally successful one for Johnson, she’s candid about the challenges that arose as a result. “There were so many roadblocks along the way. I didn’t hone my craft or brand under someone else’s tutelage – most of my lessons were self-taught. And the truth of running a brand is that, yes, of course it’s about creativity, but it’s just as much about business savvy.” Ultimately, though, Johnson considers this initial naivety to be one of her biggest strengths; she eschewed speedy expansion in favor of a more conscious approach – and it paid off. “In the time since I’ve started my brand, a lot of labels have emerged but also disappeared,” says Johnson. “It was a deliberate decision of mine to make sure that the brand wasn’t oversaturated, that it didn’t lose what made it feel special by being available everywhere or growing for the sake of it. I think sometimes brands become so omnipresent that they no longer have a voice.”
Even today, in an increasingly crowded fashion landscape, Johnson’s designs remain distinct. From her fearless approach to color and print to her focus on redefining time-honored craft, her joyful collections are a truly contemporary celebration of femininity. “Empowering women through fashion has always been at the very heart of what I do,” says the designer. “So, while I’ve never really practiced psychology, I have through the fashion lens!” It should come as no surprise, then, that the design-ingénue-turned-fashion-power-player encourages other aspiring entrepreneurs to take a leap into the unknown. “There’s so much fear around trying something new, but I think maybe we should all just feel a bit more liberated to explore and follow our dreams.” These are her career and style secrets…
Be inspired
“Optimism and wanderlust are two things I always try to evoke through my designs. Creatively, each new collection usually begins with a trip. My husband and I were planning on traveling to Japan in March 2020. Of course, that didn’t happen, so instead I accumulated all these incredible Japanese art books about the craft treasures of Okinawa, different printing techniques and silk kimono weaving. In a way, I went on this journey from lockdown, which was complicated but an incredibly fruitful, immersive experience. The gaps in my own closet provide meaningful inspiration, too. Being a female designer is incredibly important to me. As a woman designing for women, I really do live in my work. I know how I want a piece to make me feel, and oftentimes that drives the creative process.”
“My personal style is quite eclectic; I try on clothes like personalities. I reinvent myself every day – for me, that’s the magic of fashion
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Look for light in the dark
“I’ve run into so many challenges during the pandemic. Aside from the team being physically separated, there was also a real crisis with production in the countries we work with, such as Peru, India and Uruguay. It was a logistical nightmare. However, I also feel like many of us have become connected to our cities in new ways, and that is something to be celebrated. Our SS21 show, held in September [2020], was a real highlight for me. It was at Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park – an incredible setting that we would never have been able to utilize under ‘normal’ circumstances; we weren’t even sure we could make it happen until a few weeks beforehand. I had such a connection with everyone, from the models to the creative team, after working together through such a scary moment in history. The show was as much about debuting the new collection as it was an opportunity for us to affirm our belief in each other, the future of fashion and our love of the city. It meant a great deal to me.”
Stop worrying about ‘balance’
“Striking the right work/life balance has been one of my biggest challenges and, honestly, I still haven’t mastered it. Work is always on my mind; even when I’m on vacation with my family, my designer’s eye is always there. On the flipside, my children were in the studio with me from when they were two weeks old. Often, in meetings, I’m side-texting about my daughter’s playdate or a science project my son has due the next day. Throughout the pandemic, the separation between church and state, as it were, has become increasingly difficult. My eldest son actually interned for me throughout the summer; that was a really special experience for us both. Then there’s my daughter Agnes – she’s only eight and she knows how to do a runway rotation. Bringing my children into this brand wasn’t something I’d always dreamt of, but now, I really think Ulla Johnson could be a multi-generational business; something bigger than myself. That would truly be a dream come true.”
“The gaps in my own closet provide meaningful inspiration… As a woman designing for women, I really do live in my work. I know how I want a piece to make me feel, and oftentimes that drives the creative process
”
Disregard dress codes
“My personal style is quite eclectic; I try on clothes like personalities. I reinvent myself every day – for me, that’s the magic of fashion. I’ve never believed in having a ‘uniform’ – I find that very suffocating. I am definitely the first person to pull our samples off the rack and wear them. There’s an element of costume to the way I dress in that I like to play with pieces that might typically be thought of as ‘evening’ or ‘occasion’ and mix them into my daily look. I’ve definitely worn a taffeta dress to the office before – it was so fun and uplifting! I want my designs to make women feel beautiful, powerful and unfettered, while also introducing an element of fantasy. New Yorkers have a reputation for being tough and wearing all-black, but I’ve always found that when I’m mixing volume, colors and prints, people are incredibly friendly and complimentary. Fashion can create a wonderful dialogue between strangers.”
Redefine nine-to-five dressing
“Putting on a great outfit gets me into the right headspace to get some serious work done. However, I don’t take very long to get ready – three minutes maximum. I never felt the need to conform to traditional notions of ‘appropriate’ business attire, even when I was starting out. It was true that, back then, and even now, the number of women in the room decreased as the meeting got more and more high-level. As a female founder, it was really intimidating to me, and I think there is this pressure for a lot of women, especially those working in areas like business and finance, to dull down their look in order to be taken seriously. These days I just turn up the volume on my outfits and dress wilder than ever before, especially in those instances. We need to challenge the idea of what women in business look like; black suits don’t automatically make you more intelligent. The landscape is changing, but it’s still a very male-dominated world.”
“New Yorkers have a reputation for being tough and wearing all-black, but I’ve always found that when I’m mixing volume, colors and prints, people are incredibly friendly and complimentary. Fashion can create a wonderful dialogue between strangers
”
Make time for self-care
“I have tried basically every form of exercise; I’m currently on a Pilates kick, but I’m also into Peloton, running and barre. I work out pretty much every day – it’s part of my sanity ritual. In terms of my beauty routine, for me it’s all about skincare. I don’t have time to put on makeup; in my opinion, the secret to looking good is having hydrated skin and taking care of yourself mentally and physically. I’m a bit of a beauty addict. I love Augustinus Bader’s The Rich Cream – I use it all the time – along with Sisley products, Joanna Vargas’s amazing sheet masks, and Dr. Barbara Sturm’s Glow Drops. If you look after your skin, you really don’t need anything else except lip balm! I see young women doing all this contouring and I just don’t think it looks modern at all. There’s a very twisted attitude towards aging here in the US, and it’s not one that I subscribe to. I don’t necessarily find the feminine ideal to be a 17-year-old girl – sure, they’re beautiful, but embracing every phase of our lives is important.”