All grown up
The prince of prints: David Peck showcases innovative designs in Fashion Houstonrunway show
- David Peck developed several prints for his spring 2013 collection.Photo by © Chinh Phan/CultureMapSNAP.com
- Peck's collection features bold geometric patterns.Photo by Vara Pappas
- Peck says his colletion is aimed at the woman who is looking for quality andaffordable price.Photo by © Chinh Phan/CultureMapSNAP.com
- Peck featured a number of gauzy etheral gowns.Photo by © Chinh Phan/CultureMapSNAP.com
- Peck says his customers love color.Photo by © Chinh Phan/CultureMapSNAP.com
- Peck made origami flowers and photographed them for a print.Photo by © Chinh Phan/CultureMapSNAP.com
- Peck used silk noil, a nubby, low-sheen fabric that resembles cotton and linenin a number of his designs.Photo by © Chinh Phan/CultureMapSNAP.com
- Several looks include a mullet hem - shorter in the front and longer in theback.Photo by © Chinh Phan/CultureMapSNAP.com
- A highlight of Peck's collection is his distinctive fabrics.Photo by © Chinh Phan/CultureMapSNAP.com
- This print came from an 1850s map of Paris.Photo by © Chinh Phan/CultureMapSNAP.com
After a year's hiatus, David Peck returned to the Fashion Houston runway Tuesday night, and it was interesting to see how far he's come in such a relatively short time.
Since presenting his first-ever runway collection at the inaugural Fashion Houston in 2010, Peck has expanded his collection (he showed a whopping 41 looks this time around), added more retailers around the nation (30 this spring alone), and has been the featured attraction at Aspen Fashion Week and at the Tootsies store in Atlanta, where his distinctive CrOp by David Peck collection has developed a following.
"The collection is a little bit bigger, which is great and I think we know better who our customer is," Peck explained after his show.
"The collection is a little bit bigger, which is great and I think we know better who our customer is," Peck explained after his show. "It's the woman who likes to dress well. She looks for quality and affordable price. She likes color. I think we're getting to be well known for tailoring and how things fit."
His collection features bold geometric patterns in bright colors and digital prints, which are a specialty of Peck's. He based the prints on books that inspired him as a child, including one featuring a print of a map of Paris from the 1850s and a fish print from the children's poem, "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod" by Eugene Field. Peck made a cardboard fish and photographed it to make the print.
He also made origami flowers and photographed them for a print. "I was big nerd growing up. I loved the child craft encyclopedias World Book had. They would always have a make-and-do craft book and I like to make origami," he confessed.
Diverse collection
"It looks like linen or cotton but it's silk so it maintains the color more and stays vibrant even after you wash it, "he said.
Peck emphasizes natural fibers, including silk and organic cotton. Some striped and pink sparkly fabrics were hand woven in India using a process that requires no electricity and maintains traditions that date back thousands of years. The digital prints are done locally in a method that doesn't hurt the environment. And the matte jersey fabrics come from an East Coast mill that is one of the last to manufacture the product.
"We've never claimed to be completely organic, but we try to make responsible decisions to make a positive impact, no matter what we do," he said.
Expanding production
Peck is leading a group of young designers who are determined to design and manufacture high-quality collections right here in Houston. Not only does he produce his entire collection here, he also manufactures clothing for other designers.
"The fashion calender is going to have to shift in some way or designers are going to have to be more innovative and at least offer some things immediately."