BETSEY JOHNSON IN HAWAII
The line stretches down the walkway of the busy Ala Moana Shopping Center. Faces and hands press against the glass as the crowd vies for a glance. Burly men in “I ♥ B.J.” shirts guard the door. Yes, Betsey Johnson is inside.
She is bubbly and personable as she speaks with fans, shakes hands, gives hugs, and takes one picture after another after another. She is every bit as lovable as you could imagine the cartwheeling designer would be.
Q & A with Betsey
Standing on a box to address the crowd, she begins with, “thank you for how pretty you look in my stuff.” It is clear: Betsey is here for her fans.
Her journey to this moment was unplanned. Johnson did not attend fashion school. She “wanted to be an artist or a rocket,” she laughs, adding that she “majored in cheerleading.” But clearly, Betsey Johnson was meant to design clothes.
Now aspiring designers come to Johnson for advice. To them she says simply, “sew.” It is okay to say “my way or the highway,” Johnson adds, “as long as it sells.” She believes that “to do anything creative, you have to be terrified.” Indeed, her designs are a piece of her, and to put them out there for the world to see and possibly reject, is terrifying. Luckily for Johnson, her customers are as dedicated to her as she is to them.
Johnson came to the Honolulu store location as part of her Pink Cadillac Tour. The goal of the tour is for Johnson to have a chance to connect with her customers, to see them and learn what they like, or don’t. She was nervous to come all the way to our island, but was pleasantly surprised by the amount of support she has received here, even in these “tough times.” “I love my Betsey family,” Johnson declares.
Betsey is thrilled to be in Hawaii.
But visiting our islands isn’t the toughest part of her job. Johnson is thrilled with the luxurious penthouse in The Lotus at Diamond Head where she is staying, and thoroughly enjoyed her visit to her Maui boutique prior to Ala Moana’s store event.
When I ask what she thinks of street fashion, Johnson credits it as the place “where it all comes from.” Although, she laments, New York is not the same as it used to be; New York fashion has become homogenized from borough to borough.
When the time comes for Johnson to leave, she stalls; “I don’t want to say goodbye… any more questions?” Her affection for her fans is endearing. Johnson has exceeded at her hope of being a “friendly designer.” It is hard to imagine a more friendly, or charming, designer than her.
Story by Erin Ludolph
Photos by Aaron K. Yoshino
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