Creatures of the Wind – New York Fashion Week September 2017
Creatures of the Wind was founded in 2008, by Shane Gabier and Christopher Peters. Both are graduates of The School of The Art Institute of Chicago, Department of Fashion Design. Upon graduation, Gabier moved to Antwerp, Belgium, where he worked first for menswear designer Dirk Schonberger, and later worked for womenswear designer Jurgi Persoons. Peters spent two years doing specialty handwork as a studio assistant to the artist and designer Nick Cave. The collection was born in Chicago. In June 2008, the first collection was featured on the cover of WWD, with a feature in W Magazine following shortly after. Barney’s New York picked up a selection from Fall 2010, the first season that the collection was shown in New York City. Spring 2011 marked the first full collection, which was shown in September 2010. Creatures of the Wind has received critical acclaim from international press and media; the collection has been featured in Vogue, Vogue UK, Vogue China, Vogue Japan, Vogue Italia, Vogue India, New York Times, New York Times T Magazine, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Wall Street Journal, Paper, W, Lula, Dazed & Confused, WWD Collections, Chicago Tribune, Marie Claire, Travel & Leisure, Vanity Fair Italia, Grazia Italia, Grazia France, Flaunt, Elle China, among others. In 2013, Creatures of the Wind was named on of WWD’s Top Ten New American Fashion Brands to watch, as well as being listed as one the best up-and-coming labels in Business of Fashion’s BoF 500. In 2011, Gabier and Peters were named runners-up in the CFDA /Vogue Fashion Fund. They were honored as Fashion Group International’s Rising Stars in 2011. They were finalists in the International Woolmark Prize for 2013, and were one of 30 international brands to be shortlisted for the 2014 LVMH Prize. In 2014 they won the CFDA Swarovski Award for Womenswear after previously being nominated in both 2012 and 2013. The collection is driven by concept and narrative; inspiration is drawn from subcultures, mythological themes, and youth culture. Creatures of The Wind regularly collaborate with artists and designers from other disciplines. Past and current collaborators include Tabitha Simmons, Aline Cautis, Pamela Love, Selima Optique, Erickson Beamon, and Matteah Baim. Production and distribution of the collection are primarily in New York City’s Garment District. Footwear is produced in Italy.
