Q & A: Fashion designer Sally LaPointe

By: Alexa Cleary

Photo courtesy of Kenny Kenny

Sally LaPointe is attracting buzz in the fashion industry with her minimalist silhouettes, bold prints, and delicate details. The 26-year-old Marblehead native uses spongy foam, iridescent silks, and ink-splattered fabrics to create designs that are futuristic and feminine all at once — a combination that has caught the eye of fashionistas such as Lady Gaga, who recently wore one of LaPointe’s designs to the Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas in January. Bostonista caught up with the up-and-comer to find out more about her brand.

Bostonista: Did you always want to be a designer?

Sally LaPointe: It was always there. I used to tear out the pages of fashion magazines and hang them all over my bedroom walls. And I definitely wore some pretty ridiculous stuff growing up.

How did you decide to start your own line?

My best friend and I moved to New York after we graduated from RISD [Rhode Island School of Design]. We both worked in the industry for two years and decided we weren’t happy; we wanted to do our own thing. So we started S. Love in 2008. It wasn’t easy: We worked our jobs all day and then came home and worked through the night. It took up all of our time. S. Love didn’t take off, so then came Sally LaPointe.

What was your big break?

Photo courtesy of John Simon Daily

Definitely Gaga. When something like that happens, people just notice you. It creates a lot of buzz, in a good way.

How would you describe your collection?

Modern. Feminine. Aggressive. The concept behind the brand is to merge ideas that may be considered avant-garde with flattering, sexy silhouettes that work for a variety of women. It’s not tailored to meet a design, it’s tailored to a woman’s body. It’s important for a woman to feel like a woman.

What’s up next for you?

Well, I have to nail down Sally LaPointe. I don’t even know if I should be saying this, but I would love to do menswear. I think the line would translate very well.

What item do you want for spring?

That’s hard because I always wear the same thing. Lots of black and leather — not very springy. I always thought a leather T-shirt would be cool.

Do you have any advice for women who may be afraid to experiment with fashion?

The way I put it together isn’t the way you have to put it together. Do it your own way. Maybe that means a pastel cardigan and rubber flip-flops with my black sheath. I’ve seen it, and it works if you make it work. Above all, never be scared — be you.