In 2021, New York-based multidisciplinary artist Andrea Mary Marshall launched her debut luxury women’s fashion label, Salon 1994, exclusively with Neiman Marcus. Since then, she’s showcased seasonal collections; was named an interim member of the CFDA, and has expanded distribution with spring 2024 set to launch with Net-a-porter in February.
For her latest pre-fall collection, Marshall said she’s continuing to design into her ‘80s Working Girl meets “bold-yet-timeless, strong-yet-sensual, contemporary-yet-timeless,” style with a continued focus on environmentally conscious materials (mostly Loro Piana and Japanese) and manufacturing in the Garment District.
“This collection is called, ‘Lady.’ It’s a smaller collection because it’s still exclusive, but it was inspired by two different things. I love that ’80s vibe of Lady by Robert Mapplethorpe — those amazing photos of Lisa Lyon and the black and white photography. I was also looking at a lot of early ’80s Siouxsie Sioux batcave looks with a little fettish edge, mixed with early Chanel when she was using the wool jersey, which was originally men’s underwear,” Marshall said of pre-fall, which was photographed on Ruby Aldridge.
Highlights came in the form of ‘80s Loro Piana power suiting; draped wool jersey layers with batwing sleeves and tie-details or ultra-cool soft lambskin flange tracksuits; fetish-tinged hourglass blazers with built-in bra cups or a patent leather tube dress with whipstitch details (or tight pants with a fishnet bodysuit), and ‘80s Japanese-inspired trenches. The strongpoint of the collection stemmed from Marshall’s ability to meld the inspirations together into strong, restrained-yet-powerful silhouettes with realistic wearability.
For the year ahead, the designer said she’s excited to launch her upcoming fall collection and open up her resort 2025 collection to other retailers.
“I founded the brand, but it has a life of its own and it goes where it wants to go. This one feels like I’m catching my stride a little bit with what the Salon woman wants and what she wears and what resonates with me,” she said.
