Stacy Igel is the design force behind brand, Boy Meets Girl®, an urban, edgy, contemporary line launched in October 2001. She believes she gets her entrepreneurial acumen from her mother, who was an entrepreneur. As a Chicago designer who moved to New York City to fulfill her dreams, Stacy envisions bringing what she has learned about designing back to Chicago to help create a fashion community that will rival New York.
I guess you can say that Stacy has been a fashionista since the age of four, when she told her mother she only wanted to wear dresses to nursery school. Stacy remembers telling her mother that someday she was going to move to New York City, and start a fashion line. I think Stacy's mom had clues that Stacy would eventually become a fashion designer, when in pre-K, she had classmates participate in fashion shows in the cafeteria. And, when Stacy would make charm necklace jewelry, which, of course, she sold to her friends in first grade.
Stacy attended school at the University of Wisconsin (triple major in Design/Merchandising/Business). In her junior year, she studied at the American School in London and worked for Zandra Rhodes.
While working as a designer at Izod, Stacy enlisted the help of her roommates in New York City, to help her make tops. Stacy created designs for holiday gifts, birthdays, and special events. They would wear the designs to promote them. Soon, people wanted to know where to buy the designs, and the orders started flowing in. Bergdorf Goodman was one of the first stores to carry her line.
Stacy says she wanted to design a line that speaks to an energetic, edgy, playful young woman, with a confident and care-free spirit. She recalls that one of her very first photo shoots was done at her apartment in New York for a Lucky Magazine article called, “One to Watch.”
The very cool stylings of her dresses, hoodies, jackets and tees go from office to play - seamlessly. Her Boy Meets Girl® black and white Coco Hoodie was worn by Season 8 American Idol contestant, Jackie Tohn.
Boy Meets Girl® is a sexy yet wearable, edgy, yet casually classic contemporary brand. The collection of tops, dresses, sweaters, sweatshirts and sweat pants, jumpers, skirts, outerwear and accessories appeal to a playful, flirty clientele with a confident and carefree spirit. Ms. Igel draws inspiration from a variety of eclectic influences such as vintage clothing, the vibrant New York art and music scenes, and Hollywood’s glamourati.
She advises aspiring designers to work hard and be creative. Stacy says she has made many sacrifices to get her company where it is today. While still working out of her house, she hired a small team to work with her. When she was able to afford her own space (size of a closet) in Union City, New Jersey, she rode a bus everyday with her computer to a rundown building that had no running water (the building has since been condemned). She now has a space in the Garment district complete with track lighting and a working elevator.
Her best advice came from a fortune cookie, which said that good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment. She credits her mentors, Elie Tahari Zandra Rhodes and Elsa Klensch with her hard work ethic. Her favorite designers are Donna Karan, Zandra Rhodes, Elie Tahari, Norma Kamali, and Ralph Lauren.
Stacy’s mission statement is: Think, Say, Do. BELIEVE! Her design mantra is simple: Couture Comfort™ for one and for all. She defines her customers as fun, fresh and flirty, and they don't take themselves too seriously.
Follow Boy Meets Girl®, on Twitter @stacyMigel, @boymeetsgirlusa and on Facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Boy-Meets-Girl, http://www.facebook.com//Stacy-Igel
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/BoyMeetsGirlUSA, at Flicker:
http://www.flickr.com/people/boymeetsgirlusa. Also, www.boymeetsgirlusa.com,
and www.stacyigel.com.
Stacy has been honored for her charity work, and has spoken on panels for the learning Annex, FIT, Parsons and others. She can’t imagine doing anything but what she is doing, and says she is living her dream.
In the future, Stacy would like to open stores and have a larger international presence. Oh yeah, she wants to be on Oprah!
You may purchase Boy Meets Girl® products at Bloomingdale's worldwide, and specialty stores across the country. Prices range from $10-$200.
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