Fair-weather Leather

I grew up in an eclectic, creative and very different household,” says leather clothing designer Jenisa Washington, who was raised Hindu on an ashram in Agoura Hills. “It’s a bit ironic. I was vegetarian and definitely could not wear leather on the ashram.” A former rhythm and blues singer, Washington later worked in retail clothing sales and then as a wardrobe stylist. “I needed a job,” she explains with a laugh, “and I’ve always loved fashion.”

Inspired by what she saw in the market, Washington (below) last year launched her own clothing line, Sold Apparel. “I decided on leather because the designers who were working in cloth were already doing such a great job,” she says, citing Martin Margiela, Ann Demeulemeester and Helmut Lang among her favorites. “Their clothes are wearable but not conventional.” Washington’s goal was to create simple, modern shapes cut from lightweight Italian lambskin: A-line skirts, fitted sleeveless dresses, halter and tube tops and wide-leg trousers. “I wanted people to think of leather as a fabric so that I could create the same shapes and fluidness you get with a wool gabardine or a jersey,” she says. “Instead of leather’s tough biker-chick image, I like the idea of a leather skirt with a pair of flip-flops and a tank top.”

Washington’s 15-piece spring collection comes in metallic bronze, pearlized mustard, stone and white, tomato red, black and gray. There’s also a beige embossed snakeskin print. But color seems almost secondary to the 30-year-old designer’s body-loving tailoring. “I’m into structure without closure,” she says. “So I leave seams unfinished since leather doesn’t ravel. And I use invisible zippers. The result is a classic look with a bit of edge.”

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Styled by Michael Eisenhower/Cloutier; hair and makeup: Jeanne Townsend/Celestine, L.A.; fashion assistant: Michael Cioffoletti; model: Erica Baxter/Ford Models, L.A.