Hall’s Ready to Go Out on His Own

Kevan Hall, who until Saturday was Halston’s creative and design director, is intent on building his own house. The longtime Los Angeles-based designer admits to having had a rough-and-tumble time at Halston.

“It was thrilling and agonizing at once,” said Hall in a telephone interview from his New York residence.

Hall, whose family remained in Los Angeles, abruptly lost his job when the company changed ownership. He would say only that “[Halston] was a wonderful opportunity for me. I’m really proud of my contributions to Halston, and at this point, it’s time to move on.”

Hired in 1997 to design the Halston Signature Collection under Randolph Duke, Hall quit after a tumultuous year. A few months later, Duke left Halston, and Hall was asked to return to take his place. Left with a handful of employees, Hall helped rebuild the line’s credibility with two well-reviewed shows. He fought hard to keep the Signature Collection alive.

A major setback came in September when the Halston Signature Collection for spring was not ready to show on the runway in New York.

“My previous collections were done in-house by my design room. I had an atelier of the best tailors, seamstresses and pattern makers in-house,” Hall said. “The spring collection was done by a licensee which had never produced a collection before.”

Hall knew for six months that Halston Newco, as the company is known, had been looking for a new investor.

“I am looking for the right funding to launch and build a phenomenal luxury brand,” Hall added. “And I don’t want to compromise quality or my aesthetic.”