Rachel Scott Is the Busiest Woman at New York Fashion Week

Summary

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Podcast Summary

The Run-Through with Vogue

Episode: Rachel Scott Is the Busiest Woman at New York Fashion Week
Date: February 18, 2026
Hosts: Nicole Phelps (Director, Vogue Runway)

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Episode Overview

This episode features an in-depth conversation between Nicole Phelps and Rachel Scott, founder of Diotima and the new creative director of Proenza Schouler. The discussion covers the whirlwind that was Rachel’s New York Fashion Week—her debut at Proenza Schouler and her own Diotima show—her creative inspirations, reflections on the current state of the fashion industry, and the role of political resistance in design. The episode also explores Rachel’s upbringing in Jamaica, her journey into the industry, her collaborative approach to leadership, and how she manages to balance her two demanding jobs.

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Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Dual Show Challenge at New York Fashion Week

• Rachel’s Experience:

  • Rachel described the week as “the hardest thing I’ve ever done.” (03:37)
  • She poured her soul into both shows, feeling both exhaustion and joy.

• Proenza Schouler Debut:

  • Her mission was to lay the foundation for a new era at Proenza Schouler after the departure of its founders, Jack and Lazaro.
  • Focused on “beginning vocabulary” for the brand and rethinking the Proenza woman to both respect the brand’s legacy and offer her unique perspective.
  • Emphasized subtler materiality and a more nuanced use of color compared to her work at Diotima.
  • “I think the most important thing was thinking about the woman...trying to think how I could bring her forward with me without isolating her, but maybe offering a different perspective.” (04:25)

• Community Support:

  • Fellow designers like Maria Cornejo and Raul Lopez provided emotional, not practical, support.
  • “It can be extremely isolating to be in this position...I appreciate criticism, but it’s also a very emotional process. You bury your soul in these moments.” (06:43)

• Support from Jack and Lazaro:

  • They were encouraging and sent her flowers after the show, though busy with their own work in Paris. (08:17)

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2. The Politically Charged Diotima X Wifredo Lam Collaboration

• The Collaboration:

  • Rachel worked with the estate of Cuban artist Wifredo Lam—something she describes as miraculous due to legal and logistical hurdles. (08:56)
  • The collaboration coincided with Lam’s major retrospective at MoMA.

• Artistic Resonance:

  • “Where Picasso looked at African sculpture and saw cubism, Wifredo looked at the work and saw the people.” (11:13)
  • Lam’s work addressed anti-imperialism and the underrepresented Black Caribbean experience.

• Political Urgency:

  • The collaboration was spurred by “an extremely terrifying political moment in the US...with repressive forces and domination and colonialism and imperialism.” (12:59)
  • Rachel felt the collection was a statement against these forces: “We need to really think about what borders are. We need to think about autonomy of people of the Caribbean...it’s a statement against repressive forces and domination.” (12:59)

• Fashion as Resistance:

  • “If you have any form of platform, you need to use that...every decision is political—there is no such thing as being apolitical.” (14:04)
  • Rachel’s show was seen as one of the week’s few political statements: “You gave New York Fashion Week its backbone.” – Jose Criala Senzuet, Vanity Fair (13:44)

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3. Embracing Craft, Community, and Refugee Artisans

• Working with Refugee Atelier:

  • Rachel collaborated with Rupa Pemmaraju’s nonprofit to employ skilled refugee women for crochet work, expanding beyond her usual Jamaican artisan partnerships. (15:10)
  • “It was really important to work with refugees in this moment...especially as refugees are being accosted.” (15:10)

• Role Models in Political Design:

  • Rachel is inspired by designers like Willy Chavarria, Raul Lopez, Maria Cornejo, and her former boss Rachel Comey—all of whom approach fashion with a sense of social justice and independence. (16:14)

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4. Rachel Scott’s Journey: From Jamaica to New York and Milan

• Early Influences:

  • Raised in Jamaica with parents steeped in creativity—a mother who owned a boutique and a father who was a furniture designer.
  • Early DIY fashion rooted in necessity: “You’d go down to Halfway Tree...go to the fabric shops and figure it out yourself.” (18:20)
  • Inspired by magazines and a belief (fostered by her parents) that creativity was viable, despite cultural pressure towards more traditional careers.

• Vivid High School Looks:

  • Described her teenage wardrobe as “very small,” bright, and handmade—tiny skirts, hot pink, lime green—the “Jamaican context.” (20:26)

• Educational Detour:

  • Attended Colgate for a liberal arts education before pursuing fashion seriously in Milan (Instituto Marangoni).
  • Her true “education” came working at the Milanese brand Costume, after a failed attempt to get into Antwerp’s school (“I didn’t get in, but there’s no way I was going to do that multiple years in a row.”) (22:26)

• First Vogue Experiences:

  • Her high school connection with Grace Coddington landed her a Vogue internship:

    “The best day was at the end of the internship. Grace really wanted to take me on a shoot...I’ll never forget that day.” (25:30)

  • Early lessons: humility and the importance of learning by doing.

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5. Leadership Style and Balancing Dual Creative Director Roles

• Time Management:

  • Rachel splits her week between Proenza Schouler (4 days) and Diotima (3 days), with at least one solo day for creative thinking.
  • “I’ve learned how to invent time.” (26:46)
  • Stresses the importance of supportive teams and her wife’s grounding influence—“who cooks me Jamaican food.” (27:56)

• Gentle Leadership Philosophy:

  • Rejects “the old-school screamers,” favors collaboration and kindness:

    “Everyone that is a part of the process is so important...No creative director anywhere, it’s not their vision alone. It’s a collaborative process...” (28:18)

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6. Creative and Commercial Evolution at Proenza Schouler

• Designing Accessories:

  • Enthusiasm for designing luxury bags—longer process, focus on heritage (“PS1”), and user experience as a “bag lady” herself. (29:37)

• Retail Expansion:

  • Working directly on Proenza’s new store designs for LA and Uptown, seeking to blend the house’s established identity with Rachel’s tactile sensibility. (30:55)

• The Proenza Woman vs. The Diotima Woman:

  • There is overlap, but the Proenza woman is “put together, precise, and formal,” while the Diotima woman leads from a “more emotional and visceral place.” (32:03)
  • Both brands have deep ties to the art world and cultural curation.

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7. Representation, Challenges, and the State of the Industry

• Change in Fashion:

  • On progress for women and minorities: “Not really...it’s gotten even more complicated, especially in the States with tariffs...Saks bankruptcy.” (37:03)
  • “You just have to hold on...you can’t grieve these things—you have to keep your eye on the goal.”

• Advice for Aspiring Designers:

  • “Don’t feel you have to have a brand straight out of school. Those trajectories are wrapped up in ideas of class and privilege...if your path takes 17 years to start a brand, that’s okay.” (38:40)

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8. Life Beyond Fashion: Family, Downtime, and Inspirations

• Unwinding:

  • Rachel and her wife, Sade, relax by playing dominoes, spending time with friends, visiting the beach, and enjoying massages. Rachel treasures alone time for quiet as well. (39:53)

• On Pets and Office Culture:

  • Their puppy, Romeo Gigli (named after the designer), is being trained for the dog-friendly Proenza office. Rachel is “a cat person,” but relented for her partner. (40:38)

• Designer Heroes:

  • Influences include Romeo Gigli, Azzedine Alaïa, Rei Kawakubo, and personal friends like Maria Cornejo and Christopher John Rogers. (41:41)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Rachel on her Proenza debut:

  “It’s almost impossible to achieve everything I’d like to achieve in one collection because it’s a resetting...it’s laying foundations for a new path.” (04:25)

• On collaboration with the estate of Wifredo Lam:

  “I put together a presentation, sent it to them at the end of November...It should not have happened so quickly. It should have taken at least a year, if not a year and a half, even just for the legal.” (08:56)

• On the intersection of politics and fashion:

  “You have to speak through fashion in some way. It doesn’t have to always be so vocal...but every decision is political.” (14:04)

• On the state of representation in fashion:

  “Not really. I haven’t seen any change...as an independent business, it’s gotten even more complicated.” (37:03)

• Encouragement to hopefuls:

  “If your path takes 20 years or 17 years as mine did to start a brand...that’s okay. You learn who you are as you work through.” (38:40)

• On inventing time:

  “I said to somebody the other day that I’ve learned how to invent time.” (26:46)

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Key Timestamps

• 03:37: Rachel describes the intensity of Fashion Week.
• 04:25: Her vision for Proenza Schouler’s new era.
• 06:43: Emotional and community support through the process.
• 08:56: Wifredo Lam collaboration and its significance.
• 12:59: The political message of her Diotima collection.
• 14:04: Rachel’s view on fashion as political tool.
• 15:10: Working with Refugee Atelier and the importance of community.
• 18:20: Rachel’s Jamaican upbringing and early fashion ingenuity.
• 22:26: Education journey – from Colgate to Milan.
• 25:30: Vogue internship with Grace Coddington – formative moments.
• 26:46: Managing two major jobs and “inventing time.”
• 28:18: Collaborative, emotionally intelligent leadership style.
• 29:37: Designing luxury bags for Proenza Schouler.
• 32:03: Comparing the Proenza and Diotima women.
• 37:03: State of the fashion industry regarding representation and business.
• 38:40: Advice for young, diverse designers.
• 39:53: How Rachel and her wife relax.
• 41:41: Designer heroes and influences.

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Conclusion

Rachel Scott’s episode is a vivid, personal journey through the highs and challenges of New York Fashion Week, an honest look at building two distinct brands, and an outspokenly political manifesto about fashion’s role in representing identity and resistance. Rachel’s collaborative leadership, craft-driven practice, and vision for thoughtful, inclusive design offer much for listeners—especially those dreaming of a fashion career that charts its own path.

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Transcript

[Chloe Mel]

I'm Chloe Mel and I am so excited to tell you all about the spring issue of Vogue, my first as head of Editorial content. It is full of so many examples of what Vogue does best. There is a spectacularly romantic cover shoot with Rosalia, A beautiful and moving remembrance of Valentino Garavani by Hamish Bowles the quest for the perfect pillow with a beautiful oil painting illustration inspired by the Simone Rocha Runway show. A tribute to shoes that pack a punch starring some of our favorite staff doges. It's an issue I'm so proud of. I'm so excited for everyone to see it and to touch it and hold it and keep it. And if you're not already a subscriber, this is the moment to join. You can get unlimited [e-mail] springissue Are.

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[Nicole Phelps]

This is the run through. I'm Nicole Phelps. I'm here with Rachel Scott today, the founder of Dima and the new creative director of Prenza Schooler. And I'm so excited to be talking with you.

[Rachel Scott]

I'm excited to talk with you, Nicole. Thanks for having me.

[Nicole Phelps]

We were talking in our editorial meeting before Fashion Week, and we decided you are the busiest woman in New York fashion. How do you feel after two shows in five days?

[Rachel Scott]

I feel really happy. Yeah, I feel really happy and extremely exhausted. But I feel like I just. There was a lot of my soul that I poured out in one week. It was really. It was a very, very intense week. I'd say it's the hardest thing I've ever done.

[Nicole Phelps]

You started the week your Prenza Schooler show, which was your debut there, opened, opened New York Fashion Week, and I was very impressed. And I'm very glad that I went to the showroom to see these clothes up close, the materiality of them, the way the skirt suits were actually knit, all the different treatments that went into the two different denim jackets and jeans. And talk about your mission. You know, it was your opening salvo. What, what did you want to accomplish with this Prenza Schooler show?

[Rachel Scott]

You know, it's hard. It's like, it's almost impossible to achieve everything I'd like to achieve in one collection because it's a resetting and it's laying foundations for a new path because, you know, the brand has been around almost 25 years, but it's almost like a new brand. It has to be, because Jack and Lazar aren't there anymore. And so I think I wanted to find just, I don't know, maybe just beginning vocabulary for what I can do there. I think the most important thing was thinking about the woman. I think that took a lot of just research and meeting with customers and learning about the customer over the entirety of the brand and trying to think how I could bring her forward with me without isolating her, but maybe offering a different perspective. But I'm super textural, and I needed to find a way to bring that through in a subtle way and not Be as maximalist as I am with Diatima, but still have my language of materiality. And I think that my approach to color, you know, they use color in such a bold way, and, you know, there's, like, primary colors and true. It's almost like true colors. They would use red, and it's red, and they'd use green, and it's green. And I think I have a different approach to color. I love color, but it's just. It's a little bit more. There is more. There's a little bit of nuance to the colors that I do choose. And so I wanted to find a way to add my, you know, a little bit of complexity to the color. So. And also just exploring the life of this woman and what the life of a New York woman is like and kind of designing outside of the idea of dressing, specific dressing contexts. So I think it was all these things. I wanted to find, you know, a starting point, and I'm excited to keep building.

[Nicole Phelps]

I was excited to see Maria Cornejo and Veronica Leone of Calvin Klein and Raul Lopez of Loire at the show. And, you know, really, it was. Not officially, but, you know, you haven't done a lot of show shows because at Diotima, for several years, you were doing presentations. So did they give you any advice? Do you go to your fellow designers and ask them for tips as you prepare?

[Rachel Scott]

Not about shows. Maybe I should have done that. No, it's more just. I'm really lucky to have these incredible designers who have paved the way, who just talk to me more about how to preserve your energy and how to hold onto the things you believe in. And I think that a show is a show, and at the end of the day, it's really about it going out into the world and how that exists and also feeling that you say the things that you want to say. So I think, you know, in terms of the show, that it really have advice I'll ask the next time. But I think they were just there to support on the level of friendship. I think it can be extremely isolating to be in this position. And because you work so much and because you're under, you know, everyone is ready to criticize. And I appreciate criticism, and I appreciate, like, feedback, but it's also a very emotional process. You know, it is a business. It's not art in the same way of being creative, but it is, you know, you do bury your soul in these moments. And I think the people that came have all experienced being in this world where you're really in front of everyone's eyes in a way that I haven't. And I think they were there to just support, and that was really nice.

[Nicole Phelps]

What about Jack and Lazaro? Obviously, they are in Paris now working on Loewe. Did they have any feedback from the show, or did you talk to them beforehand?

[Rachel Scott]

I spoke with them a little beforehand, and they said, you know, they were very encouraging, Said, I think Lazaro said, you're gonna smash it. And then after the show, they both sent really lovely, sweet messages and sent me flowers as well, which was really nice. And of course, they're busy preparing for their show, so they couldn't come, but I felt their presence there, so that was really nice.

[Nicole Phelps]

All right. And then four days later, that was Wednesday, and then Sunday morning, you are putting on a Diatima show. It's the second Diatima show you've done, and a very special one because you got to collaborate with estate of an artist who's really important to you. Will you tell us who that is?

[Rachel Scott]

Yeah. I did a collaboration with the estate of Wilfredo Lamb, which I still can't believe, because he is a major 20th century artist. There's a retrospective of his work, the largest US retrospective of his work at the MOMA currently. The fact that they even allowed me to do this, you know, it's very serious work. And, you know, I think that the art world doesn't necessarily think that fashion is as serious as ours is. So it was a risk for them to take, especially because of the timing of it all. I approached the State just on a whim, not knowing about the retrospective in October. And I was met with openness, but curiosity. And I met with Eskilam, Wilfredo's son, who manages, largely manages, the estate with his brothers. And I think we had a really nice connection in meeting. And he said to me, you know, I don't know anything about fashion, so I have no idea what it is that you intended, but. So I can't say yes until I see something, but I'm curious. And so I put together a presentation, sent it to them at the end of November. And he kept saying that he was really impressed with what I did and that he wanted it to happen. And, you know, he wanted it to happen. Galerie Gumrdzinska wants it to happen. And also the MoMA was excited about it happening at the same time as the retrospective, which comes down in April. And so everyone held hands, legal and to push it through. And all of my manufacturers and my collaborators, as we all, Everyone just believed in it, because it should not have happened so quickly. It should have taken at least a year, if not a year and a half even, just for the legal for this to happen. So, yeah, it was a very, very special moment. And I think this also comes at an extremely terrifying political moment in the US with ice, with our president, and also in the region with what's happening with Venezuela and with Cuba, you know, the just reinvigorated pressure on Cuba. And so I just felt like I almost had no choice. This had to be done in this moment.

[Nicole Phelps]

Tell us, for people who don't know Wilfredo Lamb's work, what drew you to it and how, you know, how do you define what he was doing?

[Rachel Scott]

Yeah, so Wilfredo was an artist from Cuba. He passed away in 1982. And he was a contemporary and a friend and collaborator of Pablo Picasso, of Aime Cesaire. So he really came about, or his work kind of developed in the moments of surrealism. He is a modernist. He's a surrealist, but he's more than that. His work is a bit undefinable. He was a painter and also ceramicist near the end of his work, but his work was really grounded. It was anti imperialist. And he spent time in Europe, went back to Cuba during the war, and then ended up settling in Europe at the end. But where Picasso looked at African sculpture and saw Cubism, Wifredo looked at the work and saw the people. And he really found a way to represent, you know, the descendants of African slaves in the Caribbean in a way that they'd never been represented. And the work has a lot of political force, but it's also incredibly, incredibly beautiful work. And it's very layered. He's probably one of the most important artists of the last century. And I think because he's Cuban, I think he doesn't get the recognition that he should. So I'm really happy that the MOMA has this retrospective. And I think because of that, that was maybe the only reason that the state was open to me working with it, because his work deserves more visibility.

[Nicole Phelps]

And so, using these canvases as inspiration for your work, there's this idea that you're imbuing your own clothes with some of that political force. You are sending your own message with the collection. And what is that mess?

[Rachel Scott]

I mean, I. So, number one, we need to really think about what borders are. We need to think about autonomy of people of the Caribbean, people across the world that have been dominated. I think it's a statement against repressive forces and domination and Colonialism and imperialism. That's what it is. It's. We need to. It's just. And what's the most scary is that what we're seeing right now is not new. It's a resurgence of really awful, very, very fascist right wing things that have happened in the past that I thought that we would have all learned from. But the resurgence is stronger than ever, and we have to fight against it.

[Nicole Phelps]

Well, I wrote that it felt like one of New York Fashion Week's rare political statements. And our colleague at Vanity Fair, Jose Criala Senzuet, said that you gave New York Fashion Week its backbone, which, which I really liked. Do you believe that fashion can be a tool for resisting injustice?

[Rachel Scott]

I think it has to be. I think anything that operates in the realm of culture, you just, you have a massive audience and people maybe don't want to engage with politics, but they want to engage with something beautiful or something that they think is escapist because of how scary the politics are. But, but if you have any form of platform, you need to use that. You know, I think it's, especially when it's related to culture. I think culture without. It's. Without any knowledge or, I don't know, any form of referencing to what's happening is, is. Is actually a political statement in itself. I think it's a political statement of ignorance. So you have to, you have to speak through fashion in some way. And it doesn't have to always be so vocal and so loud. It can also be in. In the practices that, you know, you keep as a as. But every decision is political. There is no, you know, there is no such thing as being apolitical. That is a political choice.

[Nicole Phelps]

Well, speaking of practices, for the first time, you worked with an organization called Refugee Atelier, correct? Yes. Can you tell us what that is?

[Rachel Scott]

Yeah, I worked with Refugee Atelier, which is a nonprofit organization organized by Rupa Pemmaraju, and it's based here in New York, and she organizes refugees. All women who are here in New York and have incredible skills and are trying to find their footing. And so I worked with them to do crochet. But they have all different forms of skill sets within garment making. Yeah, I worked with one woman very closely, Jocelyn, who's from Mexico and she's 28. And I find that remarkable because not a lot of young people actually know how to do crochet. So I thought that was really special to work closely with her. And I think it was really important to work with refugees in this moment. Before that, I Had only worked with crochet artisans in Jamaica, which was important to me for that reason as well. But it was nice to be able to expand this practice of making with people here in a moment where refugees are being accosted.

[Nicole Phelps]

Are there role models for you in terms of fellow designers who are doing this kind of. Or any kind of sort of political work?

[Rachel Scott]

Yeah, I mean, I think there are a few of us. You know, Willy, for example, Willy Chavarria, his shows are really, really poetic and beautiful and have a very strong message. I remember the show he did. It was last January, Men's Fashion Week in Paris. I mean, and then he played Bishop Buddy's speech at the end of it. That was a really strong and beautiful and emotional show. I think he thinks about this. I think Raul from Lopez from Loire does this as well. I think that other designers, like Maria, you know, she has. She's very political, and I think she's always stood with an independent voice in this industry and for a long time. And even also Rachel. Rachel Comey, my. My previous boss, I think that she's always worked outside of, you know, the expectations of what you should do as a fashion brand. And I've had some really great role models for this.

[Nicole Phelps]

We're going to take a quick break.

[Critics at Large Host]

If you're looking for some of the sharpest takes around on film and television, I hope you'll tune in to Critics at Large from the New Yorker.

[Nicole Phelps]

So over here, we like talking about what we loved, but also, crucially, what.

[Rachel Scott]

We hated about what we're watching.

[Nicole Phelps]

But even more, we like making sense.

[Rachel Scott]

Of what's happening in the culture right.

[Nicole Phelps]

Now and how we got here.

[Critics at Large Host]

So just join us, okay. As we make our way from Eddington to Moby Dick, from Ted Lasso to the rise in Therapy speech from the Pit to Luigi Mangioni, you have no clue where we're gonna end up.

[Rachel Scott]

It's Critics at Large from the New.

[Quince Brand Representative]

Yorker every Thursday, wherever you get your podcasts.

[Nicole Phelps]

Well, let's go back. You mentioned Jamaica. You're working with Jamaican artisans since the launch of Diatima. You grew up there. And as I understand it, you spent a lot of time in your mom's boutique in Kingston as a child. Is that what sort of triggered your interest in making clothes?

[Rachel Scott]

We argue about this all the time. My mother says it's because of her, and she's probably right. I don't know why I got into fashion. So my father, my mother had a boutique and she sold it recently. My father was a furniture designer, and I Think when I was younger, you know, I'm like such a daddy's girl. So I wanted to do furniture design and interior design. So he got me lots of internships with his friends who were architects or interior designers. When I was, like, I don't know, 13 or 14. And I. I worked in my mother's boutique as well. And I always said to them I would never start my own business because I saw how hard it was for them. But then, you know, Jamaica has a very strong Parsi culture. And so I needed clothes to wear to Parsi. So I started making. Making things to go out. And my mother wasn't the kind. You know, there weren't, like, shops or malls or things like that in Jamaica. So people would often go to Miami and shop. And my mother didn't believe in that. So she'd be like, you know, go down to Halfway Tree, which is this area, downtown Kingston, and go to the fabric shops and figure us out yourself. And so I think she definitely was the one that pushed me into this. And then I kept buying magazines from this one store near my house, and they had Vogues and they had Italian Vogues. And I became very obsessed with that. And at that point, Maybe I was 16, I decided I wanted to do fashion. And so I think it was a combination of the fact that my father was a maker and my mother had, you know, a fun wardrobe herself and had the store. And I think both of them, and just this atmosphere of thinking that creativity was a viable career path. Because in Jamaica, it can be quite traditional. You know, it's. You know, you become a doctor, a lawyer, or a business person. You don't go after art or fashion or things flippant, things like that. So I think both of them really fostered this understanding that you can do something creative. Just do it to the best of your ability and try and be successful.

[Nicole Phelps]

So you're a teenager and you're making your own clothes. Paint a picture of what you looked like in high school.

[Rachel Scott]

It was Jamaica, so you have to keep that in mind. So the clothes were very small. I used to make these skirts, which are really funny, because I guess I do something similar. So I used to make these skirts with a yoke and jersey, like hot pink jersey. So I would have a hip yoke and then a flounce skirt. But, I mean, the skirt was maybe in total 14 inches long or 13 inches long. And then little tops that were. It was that time where you'd those triangle tops and it would lace up the back. So I had Lots of those. And it was always bright colors. It was like hot pink. Really, really hot pink. I think I have a thing for fluorescent colors. Might just be my age or it would be like lime green or whatever it was. But it was always really tiny. And it was always a skirt. Cause it was much easier to make than shorts and a little top of some form.

[Nicole Phelps]

And then you went to college at Colgate? I went to Colgate in the middle of ice. New York State. Wow, what a transition.

[Rachel Scott]

Really big transition. I wanted to, you know, even though I knew I wanted to be a designer, I really wanted to get as full of an education as possible. Because I knew this was an opportunity to get to study. And I got the scholarship and you know, it was kind of like wherever gave me the biggest scholarship. That was where I was going to go. I really wanted to go to nyu. I had this really, this grand idea that I was gonna live in New York. But I got into Colgate with a great scholarship and it was a really good education. They didn't have a fashion program, obviously. It's a liberal arts school. But I studied French, although I don't really speak French now. And arts, because I wanted that kind of practice and grounding in my work. And I had really great teachers and met my best friend who now still works with me, Shanaylee. And yeah, it was an incredible experience.

[Nicole Phelps]

And before you worked for Rachel Comey, you were in Milan for a time, correct?

[Rachel Scott]

Yeah. So after Colgate, I mean, I was doing summer programs while I was at Colgate to try and build some form of foundation. So I did a summer at fit, nighttime classes at fit and in the daytime I was interning at Vogue Four Times Square. Four Times Square. And then I did a summer at CSM and I interned a bridal designer. After that I really wanted to go to Antwerp. So after I graduated, I went to Antwerp in the summer with Sinead. We were going to study together and took the entrance exam, which is a really intense multiple day exam where you do life drawing, you do a little project. And while I was there, I was talking with some of the other people that were taking the exam and they told me like, oh, this is my second year hair. This is my fifth year hair. Trying to get in and hopefully I make it this year. And I didn't get in, but there was no way I was gonna be able to do that multiple years in a row. So I didn't get in saiplight in Marangoni, Instituto Marangoni and got into the. There was a course that they had that was like a. It's not quite postgraduate, but it was like if you'd had some kind of undergraduate education, a one year intensive course, and it was in English, even though it was in Milan, it was in English because it was too short of a course to, you know, learn Italian and then do that as well. And then after that one year program, I got an internship at costume. And my boss, I think only because I spoke English, because my boss at the time was from Denmark and she spoke a little Italian, but she also felt more comfortable speaking in English. So she hired me as her intern and then her assistant. And that was really where I feel like that was really. My education was at costume. And so I was there for a few years and had to leave because of immigration after a few years. So. Yeah.

[Nicole Phelps]

Well, we have to backtrack just for a minute to find out about this Vogue internship, which, to be honest, I did not know about. What is a fond memory from that time or a learning that you took away?

[Rachel Scott]

Well, the only reason I got the internship was because. And this is really funny because I haven't reached out to her because I'm like, shy. But a family friend of mine in Jamaica was good friends. He passed away a couple years ago. Was good friends with Grace Coddington. And so when I was in high school, he kept saying, you know, if you want to do fashion, you have to meet Grace. And I was like, grace. Like Grace Coddington. And so he reached out to her and she gave me an internship. And I was working under. I think it was Esther Park, I think was her name. I was an intern for her.

[Quince Brand Representative]

And.

[Rachel Scott]

But I was mostly in the. You know, this was 2000, I think, so, you know, pre. It just was another time. So most of what I did was just. Was just describe clothes from the closet for returns, I guess. So I just. That was really nice to speak about clothes in language and learn. I learned so much.

[Nicole Phelps]

Then you get to see so many clothes in the boat.

[Rachel Scott]

So many. I mean, it was insane.

[Nicole Phelps]

The best clothes.

[Rachel Scott]

It was that time with, like, that Prada collection with the brooches, you know, that was incredible. But I was terrified the whole time. I was so scared. And, you know, I'm from Jamaica. I didn't have, like, designer clothes, you know, and I had H. I was wearing H and M, you know, and I was a little bit. I was very shy and. But the best day was at the end of the internship. Grace really wanted to take me on a shoot so that I could have that experience. I think it was Steven Meisel that was shooting, and it was like, Raquel Zimmerman. And like, all. It was like, four of the biggest models. And it was somewhere. I want to say it was like a studio. It's in Long Island City or something like that. And I remember, like, the jewelry being dropped off with the security, and my job was just to iron the whole day, and it just was incredible. I just. I'll never forget that day.

[Nicole Phelps]

Well, we always say at Vogue that we have many jobs. We all work very hard, and maybe that was good training for your job. Now you have your jobs. Now you have two. Two very big jobs. Running Diatima, of course, and creative directing. Prenza Schooler. How are you managing to work on both of these things? How does a woman divide her time?

[Rachel Scott]

I said to somebody the other day that I've learned how to invent time.

[Nicole Phelps]

That's a good one.

[Rachel Scott]

You know, I've tried to. Well, I'm very lucky to have someone that helps me with the calendar at Proenza, because otherwise it would be impossible. But I try to keep it somewhat structured. Where I spend the first few days of the week at Proenzo, I will oftentimes go to my studio that's three blocks away after my day and just think about things or deal with anything urgent. And then I'll spend the next three days. So it's like four days and three days. That's seven days a week. Yes. And I'll spend the next three days at Dyatima. And I try to have at least one of those days by myself because I need just time and space to think, because a lot of this role is at Proenza, especially because it's a much bigger company than TMA obviously is meeting. So it's nice to find space for quiet. So I think that's the only way that I've been able to manage. And a very supportive team on both sides and a very supportive wife who cooks me Jamaican food. So when I get home, I have a little bit of grounding.

[Nicole Phelps]

You're CEO at Prenza Schooler. She hired you sort of like an interim position last summer. And she did a piece, an interview with Vogue Business last week, and she said that she was very impressed with your leadership style, that it was really effective, and it was a great fit for the brand. So when you think about your own style at work, how do you sum it up?

[Rachel Scott]

I. I think I come from another. I mean, I grew up in the generation of the old school of fashion where, you know, people would throw Books at you or scream at you or, you know, it was, you know, not healthy. And I think a lot of us who are new now to having their own brands or, you know, but experience that we wanted something different for the. So I think it's important to lead with kindness and I hope that that comes across. But everyone that is a part of the process is so important and everyone is an expert in what they do. Like, I like to spend time with everyone and hear their feedback. I don't like to be a dictator. I don't like to just, you know, it's not just. No one makes anything on their own, like even, you know, no creative director anywhere. It's not their vision alone. It's a collaborative process and it's important to me to hear everyone's opinions and build something together. So maybe that is a difference, but I think it's. I think it's just a generational change in how it's a lead.

[Nicole Phelps]

Yes, I too recall the era of the Screamers, but it was on the editorial side, not the creative directing side. So designing bags is something new that you're doing at Proenza. Tell me what that process has been like.

[Rachel Scott]

I mean, it's really fun. I think I just love to make things so the more I can make, the more fun I have. But I have done a little bit here and there, but never at this level and never, you know, never like luxury leather goods. It's always been more like novelty bags, which are fun, but it's just a different purpose and a different way of making. But it's really great to work with the team and to work with the manufacturers and the product developers that are based in Italy. And it's a lot less. There is a lot of kind of parameters that you have to think about, but I like to think about the end use a lot more. And I'm a woman that carries a bag. I carry many bags because I'm such a bag lady. And so I enjoy thinking about that. And again, I enjoy thinking about materiality and where we can push ideas there. And, you know, the brand Proenza has a heritage of bags, obviously the PS1, and it's really nice to think about what that meant for the brand and how to build that to move forward. It's not something quick, it's something that takes time. It's a much longer process, but there is a foundation there, so I'm excited to delve into that. More.

[Nicole Phelps]

More and other things that are new that are coming up at Proenza is some Retail locations. How. How involved are you going to be in that process in terms of the look and feel of the stores?

[Rachel Scott]

Shir and I are working really closely with the designer, James, on the two new locations, L.A. and Uptown. And there is already a language and, you know, a design concept for. We already have the store, obviously, on Mercer. And so it's an extension of that, but with a bit of maybe the tactility that I am really drawn to. And trying to make the space. They're different spaces, and so they require different use of material and color. And I think trying to make those spaces feel as elevated, but maybe a little bit more intimate will be nice.

[Nicole Phelps]

As you said, a store uptown, a store downtown. And it sort of reminds me of something you were talking about at a preview, which is the way we would talk about the Prenz, a schooler girl, you know, 25 inches years ago, when Jack and Lazaro launched the brand. I think you don't quite relate to that idea anymore. And it's true that the lines between an uptown and downtown are like, they don't really exist. But when you think about the Proenza woman and the Diatima woman, are they the same woman? How do you keep them separate and distinct in your head?

[Rachel Scott]

Yeah, they can be the same woman. They're not always distinct, but not always. I think, you know, there is a formality to the Prowenza woman that I admire, and she's very precise and, you know, and when I think about the actual woman, I think about their careers and their lives. And, you know, there is an overlap. Both brands have a strong relationship to the art world. You know, like Thelma golden came to both shows. Ashley James, curator at Guggenheim, came to both shows. And those are relationships that I think have this crossover. You know, there are art. They're curators, they're studio, you know, museum directors, they're arts advisors. But I think over at Proenza, you know, you also have a lawyer or you have women that are CEOs of businesses. Maybe they're a little bit older. I'm not sure. Not entirely. I think it's not even an age thing. It's just like a seriousness and a. Like a stature in the world that I find very impressive. I think they're both intellectual. I think the Proenza woman is put together, and I think that the Deatima woman leads from a very emotional and visceral place. She's a lot more free. Not free, not in a disparaging way to the Proenza woman, but she's just like she decides how much you see. And the Diyatima woman, everything is out on display. So I think a Proenza woman could be a Diatima woman on a certain day, but not necessarily always.

[Nicole Phelps]

We're going to take a quick break. This week on the political Scene from the New Yorker, Trump's rupture in the world order. Europe caught between two adversarial great powers. That's basically dialing back the clock to not only Pre World War II, but really it's a pre 20th century view of the world. And I would say it's a world of permanent insecurity that we're looking at. Join me, Evan Osnos and my colleagues Jane Mayer and Susan Glasser every Friday on the political scene, available wherever you get your podcasts. You had the first lady of New York City at your show Diatima for two seasons in a row now. And I don't believe she's been to any other New York Fashion Week show. So how did you get Rama to your show?

[Rachel Scott]

I have no idea how, but at the first show, this was obviously before Zoran Mamdani had been elected. I'm a big Zoran fan and voted for him. And when he was during his, his like run up for the, for the elections, I kept seeing, you know, obviously there were articles on her and I saw that she was an artist. Her work is incredible and she's so young and the way she carried herself was just so intriguing. She just is obviously very smart, very talented, very intriguing woman. And so I invited her to the first show. I don't think anyone really, I don't know if anyone else invited to her to a show. I'm sure they do now. And I was really happy that she came and I sat her next to Gabby, Gabriella Karifa Johnson, who is now her stylist, which is amazing.

[Nicole Phelps]

Yeah, Connector.

[Rachel Scott]

Well, I think that was my publicist doing the ceasing chart, but she's a connector. But we invited her again and I didn't have any expectations of her coming, especially because, you know, there's been so many articles on her and her style and lots of people have said some really awful things, but they've always mentioned Deitima because she's been to her show. And I felt kind of bad about that because I don't want to stake any claim to her. You know, she can make any decision she wants, wear whatever she wants. But I'm just appreciative that she came to the first show. So I didn't have Any expectations that she'd come, but I would love her to come, you know. And we found out a couple of days before that. She confirmed and we all shared in the studio and I was so happy she came. Hopefully she'll come again. Hopefully it wasn't, you know, hopefully it was a good experience. But she left with the show notes, it looked like. So that was exciting. I was talking to my wife last night and I. We were saying, I wonder if they had her and Zora and spoke about the show at dinner together.

[Nicole Phelps]

You'll have, you'll have to find out next, next time you see her. So you were on this show a year ago. We had you on with Colleen Allen and Julie Keegles, who are two other women designers who have emerging brands. And at the time, you know, we were talking about how, how hard it is to run an independent label in the 2020s and you talked about the industry being male dominated and conservative. And I wondered, you know, it's a year later, do you see any changes in the industry?

[Rachel Scott]

Not really.

[Nicole Phelps]

Me neither.

[Rachel Scott]

Not really. I haven't seen any change. I mean, yes, there have been some appointments, obviously. Grace Wills Bonner. That's incredible. Especially for a brand like Hermes. I think that's, it's such a perfect place appointment and in the like the belly of the beast, like in France with like such a prestigious brand and house. I'm so happy about that. And obviously there are other debuts season of women designers. We have Meryl Rogge, Mar. Exactly. And there's someone else, Maria Grazia, obviously. Exactly. And so that's exciting. But yeah, we haven't really seen much change. And as an independent business, it's gotten even more complicated, I'd say especially, I mean across industry, but especially in the States with tariffs, obviously with what's happening in global retail, especially in the States, you know, with the Sax global bankruptcy. So it's become much more complicated than it was even last year. But I don't know, it's. You just have to, you just have to hold on and know that things are always up and down. It's a volatile moment in the world and it's, it's a volatile industry and you just have to keep, you know, you can't grieve these things. You kind of just have to keep your eye on the goal.

[Nicole Phelps]

Well, you're not only a woman in a male dominated industry, you're a queer woman, an immigrant. And what advice do you have for young people who are trying to make their way in fashion?

[Rachel Scott]

You don't have to have expectations of yourself that you need to have a brand straight out to school or that your trajectory, you know, that you have to be a young designer or be a young genius. Like, those trajectories are very much wrapped up in ideas of class. And, you know, there's no way, if you don't have a visa that, you know, if you're not from one of these places, that you're going to be able to start a brand straight out of school. Even access to going to these schools is like a. So I think these are things that are all wrapped up in privilege, and no one talks about that. And so you just have to, you know, know what you want and work towards that. And if you're. If Your path takes 20 years or 17 years, as mine did, to start a brand and continues to be a challenge to keep it going, that's okay, you know, and it's also nice because you get an education while you go and you learn who you are as you. As you work through.

[Nicole Phelps]

We've been talking about, you know, the start of your year, which was phenomenally busy, but I want to know more about how you unwind. What do you and your wife, I mean, she's cooking for you. Lucky, lucky you. But, like, what else do you two do to unwind on the rare day that you aren't going to one of your two offices?

[Rachel Scott]

Well, together, we love to play games. We play dominoes. I'm extremely competitive. I don't know, hang out with friends. If we get to go home, we love to do that, and, you know, go to the beach. I'm such a. I'm a total mermaid. I'm meant to be in the water. I'm not meant to be on land. I like to be by myself and have quiet. Tonight we're gonna go and get some massage. I'm so excited. And then when I'm not with Sade, I love to watch films with my friends. So tomorrow, I'm gonna go watch a film with Sophia. On Friday, Shanae, Sophia and I are gonna watch some experimental theaters that are. So. Yeah, I think those things are what keep us going.

[Nicole Phelps]

And you have a new puppy with your wife, Sade, can you tell us about this puppy?

[Rachel Scott]

Yeah. So I'm a cat person. Let's just say that. But my wife is very much a dog person, and she works from home, and she's a very social person, and she's at home by herself a lot. So it was kind of an agreement that we could get a dog. And we decided to get a dog last Valentine's Day and between the Valentine's Day and he's also chocolate brown and just my obsession with fashion, we decided to name him Romeo Gigli, after the famous fashion designer after one of my heroes, Romeo Gigli. And I don't think they're anything alike. But anyway, he's our puppy. We're trying to train him to make him office ready because the Proenza office is very dog friendly. There's quite a few dogs that come in. One of them is like Rue. She's like my assistant. She comes and checks on me. So we're training him towards graduating to becoming a Proenza dog.

[Nicole Phelps]

I was curious to hear that Romeo Gilly is one of your heroes. Why?

[Rachel Scott]

I mean, his use of material and embellishments and just the complexity of his clothes are so beautiful. And I don't know, I think also Ennio Capazza, he used to work for Romeo. So all throughout my training and upbringing, I've always looked to Romeo's.

[Nicole Phelps]

Do you have any other designer heroes?

[Rachel Scott]

Of course. Azzedine Alai. I'm a huge, huge, huge fan. Yeah, he's like my hero, Rei Kawakubo. Another hero of mine, but also friends. Also friends. Maria Cornejo and Raul and Willie and Henry and Christopher John Rogers. I'm like, yeah, I think designers are really brave people. Brave people that take on a lot and give a lot. And I'm a big fan of designers.

[Nicole Phelps]

Well, I am too. And I feel so privileged that I got to talk to you today. Rachel. Thank you.

[Rachel Scott]

Rachel's mine. Thank you, Nicole.

[Nicole Phelps]

Thank you.

[Chloe Mel]

The run through with vogue is produced by chelsea daniel, alex depalma and catherine miller. It's engineered by pran bandy and james yost. It is mixed by mike kutchman.

[New Yorker Radio Hour Host]

You come to the New Yorker Radio Hour for conversations that go deeper with people you really want to hear from, whether it's Bruce Springsteen or Questlove or Olivia Rodriguez Rico Liz Cheney or the godfather of artificial intelligence, Jeffrey Hinton or some of my extraordinarily well informed colleagues at the New Yorker. So join us every week on the New Yorker Radio Hour wherever you listen to podcasts.

[Rachel Scott]

From prx.