2023 Was Spectacular for Khaite and Founder Catherine Holstein. Here's Her New York Story AOC Fashion

Dutch model Ilya Vermeulen is styled by Malina Joseph Gilchrist in Khaite’s [IG] Spring/Summer 2024 collection, lensed by Robin Galiegue [IG]./ Hair by Lucas Wilson; makeup by Cyndie Komarovski

Anne feels better now. Today I learned that besides skewering Pharrell Williams as lacking any design talent, Vanessa Friedman has also critiqued Khaite founder Catherine Holstein as checking all the luxury brand-building boxes except for one.

“What she doesn’t seem to have is originality,” Friedman wrote.

2023 Was Spectacular for Catherine Holstein

Original or not, 2023 was a banner year for Khaite with the brand opening a store in Soho, New York, and a second one in Seoul. Khaite popped into Water Mill, New York — at Holstein’s summer home — to show the pre-Fall collection. [See image above.]

In an amazing sequence Holstein sold another stake in her company to growth equity firm Stripes, after being launched in 2016 by brand incubator Assembled Brands. In 2023, as part of its Stripes presentation, Khaite announced plans to open 10 additional brick and mortar stores in the next five years.

The list goes on.

To Barneys and Step on It

Technically-speaking, Catherine Holstein is a college dropout from Parsons — a common event in the lives of highly-successful people like Steve Jobs.

In a well-written 2006 New York Times headline, ‘To Barneys, and Step on It’, Eric Wilson detailed the life-changing events for the 22-year-old Parson’s student, who had designed six sailor dresses.

Distilled to its essence, Holstein and Khaite is a wonderful New York story, filled with true grit determination and also the power of connections. AOC delights in sharing the details.