SZA Stylist Dianne Garcia's Nike x Nordstrom Collection Makes Streetwear Sexy
Dianne Garcia is always on the go. Or as her Instagram bio so succinctly puts it, she's "actually working." The Los Angeles-based stylist is the mastermind behind the smooth, understated, and street-rooted style of Compton's golden child, Kendrick Lamar. She's also responsible for SZA's dreamy aesthetic that's equal parts girly and rugged tomboy, and the look of R&B's newest sensation, Ella Mai. So yes, Garcia's plate is full, but that hasn't stopped the fashion wunderkind from delving into an exclusive ready-to-wear collection for Nike x Nordstrom designed with working women in mind.
Launching exclusively on Nordstrom.com and in-store at Nordstrom's Nike boutiques (curated by Nordstrom's vice president of creative projects, Olivia Kim) on November 10, Garcia's Nike x Nordstrom collection echoes the sports brand's sleek, polished, athletic vibe while incorporating her streetwear appeal. The nine-piece range (from $45 to $175) is filled with reworked Nike staples, from compression shorts to oversized jackets, bodysuits, and more, all inspired by Nike's iconic Air Force 1 silhouette. "I’ve always been a sneakers girl," Garcia says. "My first shoes were baby Nikes, and I felt the company has evolved in their sportswear. That’s what I wear all the time, even though clothes change and trends come and go.”
Ahead of the collection's debut, I hopped on the phone with Garcia to discuss what it's like designing her first-ever collection, the fashion trends she wishes would die, and what pieces speak to her clients, Ella Mai and SZA.
Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Ella Mai’s style always looks so effortless, refreshing, never forced. How did you develop their specific styles?
I was fortunate enough to work with artists that have an unconventional way of doing things and those three are quite comfortable with who they are, standing out from what other rappers or singers are wearing. Our personal style and personality, I believe, is what attracted us to one another. They’re also performers and, at the end of the day, they need to feel comfortable. Coming from a streetwear background, I tend to gravitate towards the underdogs, the up-and-coming indie brands. It's a collaborative process so we're always picking out styles that don't look contrived or that everybody is already wearing.
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I think I may be on a monochromatic tip lately. @ellamai for her AMA’s performance.
A post shared by Dianne Garcia (@dianne) on Oct 11, 2018 at 5:08pm PDT
How did your relationship with Nike begin?
As far as my personal relationship with the brand, it started when I was a kid. Nike has always been a preferred brand for me since I was younger. Even though it leaned toward athletic wear, I loved being able to wear something that was functional, comfortable, and still looked cool because that’s basically my personal style.
I started working at a sneaker store, Blends in Los Angeles, during my first year in college and over time, I connected with a lot of people that work at the brand. My mom and sister work at headquarters—even though they don’t do anything fashion-based or anything—so the connection was always there and it's all been leading up to this.
How did Nike and Nordstrom approach you about designing a collection?
They told me they had an opportunity with Nordstrom to do a women’s or unisex collection where I re-design existing styles. I’m a stylist so my job is to remix things; a lot of the stuff that I do is taking stuff that already exists and putting my own twist or the artist's twist on it to match whatever we think is more appealing. The approach that Nike had for the collection was aligned with what I had envisioned. I always find myself looking at designs Nike previously produced and thinking, "Well, if this had a little bit of this added to it or if I could switch up the silhouette to make this a little bigger or smaller, it would be something that women really want to wear." We’re already wearing athletic wear in our daily lives so to add some comfort, function and a stylish aesthetic to it makes it even better.
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What was it like stepping into the design chair for the first time?
As a stylist, you kind of always have that design eye turned on. It was great, really effortless because I collaborated with Nike before to create clothing for my clients and I’ve designed stuff from scratch before. However, I wouldn't describe myself as a designer just yet because with that word comes a real responsibility. There are people who are real designers who went to school and learned their craft. I would love to continue to design stuff but I’m a stylist first.
You play into a few of the current trends in fashion by recreating Nike biker shorts, bodysuits, oversized jacket, etc. Describe the aesthetic you were going for with this.
Everybody is loving bike shorts right now and I own a few pairs from Nike myself, so I saw a pair that was high-waisted and felt that it would be more flattering to women of all shapes and sizes to wear. I was inspired by all the women I talk to, the everyday woman who has jobs, goes to school, has a busy life, and thought what would they want to wear? Athleisure is such a huge trend but what does that look like for the everyday woman who’s always on the go? How would she be comfortable in biker shorts or a bodysuit? So it was a lot of me taking my personal concerns and the feedback of other women to make the silhouettes cooler, better, and easier to wear.
One off the biggest things for me was making sure they merchandise well together. You can pretty much buy everything in that collection and mix-and-match the pieces, it’s basically a complete wardrobe. The bodysuit can go under the bike shorts or the puffer skirt, the jacket can go over everything and the overalls is a piece that can fit every body type. I’m a working woman, all my friends are working women. We don’t want to think too much about our outfits when we wake up because time is of the essence but how can we make this look good? Create an all-black collection that’s really comfortable, really functional, and aesthetically appealing.
What pieces have you been reaching for lately?
Oh, the overalls for sure. It falls on the tomboy, androgynous side and it’s a one piece so it’s comfortable. The overalls also have a nylon shell—so the wind isn't going through it—with padding to give just a little more warmth. Then on the sexier side, I love the bodysuit. I wear bodysuits all the time, especially black or white bodysuits, those are staples in my closet because they’re functional and pair well with anything.
For me, it’s always about juxtaposition. There’s a huge oversized jacket that was made from a men’s 3x jacket and I would wear that with the biker shorts so there’s still this sexy element. You’re not drowning in clothes and you can still feel feminine. I tried to find that balance between comfy, functional, and sexy.
Which styles would SZA and Ella Mai?
Ella Mai is an oversize girl so she’s probably love the bomber jacket. SZA is active so she would love the bike shorts and body suits.
What are some of the trends you're loving and hating right now?
I love that clothes are getting bigger and comfier, the revival of that late 90s, early 2000s aesthetic is coming back. You’re seeing a lot of heavier fabrics, relaxed silhouettes and it’s just comfortable. We don’t need the rhinestone shirts but I appreciate the super distressed denim or even the classic 501 Levi's and oversize hoodies.
I'm waiting for the day skinny jeans die, I’m so over it. The super-stretch denim, I’m over that, too. I just want to see things going back to being simpler. I keep coming back to this word but comfy.