AN EVENING WITH RETROFÊTE'S OHAD SEROYA

Walking into the auditorium, the anticipation was almost tangible. Young, eager, fashion-idolizing students clamored around me to hear and speak with co-founder, CEO, and designer of Retrofête, Ohad Seroya. The seats began to fill, and a buzz of excitement hung in the air. Then, proceeding an illustrious introduction, out walked Seabass Immomen, F@B’s host for the evening, and Seroya; a vision in sandy beige pieces from his brand, Seroya, accessorized with gold jewelry and a palpable aura of a certain je ne sais quoi.

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Ohad Seroya was born and raised in Israel. His mother, who could not afford a babysitter, took Seroya and his siblings to her work cleaning people’s houses. This first exposed Seroya to the world of fashion when he saw designer pieces in the houses his mother cleaned, but his infatuation sparked when he saw his mother transform from a cleaning lady at work to what he described “a fashion icon” when she went out. Derived from his mother’s influence, Seroya’s creations have “always been about the woman and dressing up”. So, at 16 Seroya began his fashion journey working in a boutique. He would often thrift and buy vintage pieces only to distress, cut, and rearrange them into his own style, or as he would say fulfilling his constant need to “upgrade and elevate his wardrobe”. These upgrades, however, did not go unnoticed. Soon enough, customers at the boutique noticed Seroya wearing clothes they had never seen before. Customers began to wonder where this teenager had obtained such novel pieces only to find out they were his own designs. People started to buy his clothes, and as the years quickly progressed, Seroya opened his own boutique in Tel Aviv called The Brunch. While the boutique never took off, it offered Seroya an incredible opportunity to learn and gain inspiration. His time there was highlighted by “one of the biggest celebrities in Israel seen wearing one of the pieces [he] had shown”. This gave him a belief and confidence in himself that brought him to New York City where he first opened his first showroom, Mint, and where he has just opened a Retrofête store in SoHo. Seroya attributes his success to his drive, energy, and his willingness to try new things in new places. His ability to read the client and sell them the products they want displays his business savvy. Although, his capacity to leverage human connection is perhaps what sets him apart from the rest– that and Mint’s signature, “life changing” drink of mint tea. With the blooming success of the Mint Showroom, Seroya soon opened Retrofête, and the party was just getting started.

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Retreofête pieces designed by Seroya are a fusion of Gatsby-worthy glamor and a rhythmic raunchiness nostalgic of Studio 54 that result in an elegant twist on modern party-chic. This signature vibe, as Seroya calls it, is all about “party… It’s a celebration of confidence, sexiness… it’s about [designing] something that a woman will feel energetic wearing”. Indeed, his infamous Gabrielle Dress has skyrocketed and been seen on some of fashion’s most elite: Jennifer Lopez, Heidi Klum, Paris Hilton, and Taylor Swift. While Seroya has “always been a big, big fan of the party”, he discusses how the party changes, and how he and Retrofête adapt:

“Studio 54 is not the vibe anymore… no disco balls. You have to adjust in fashion; you cannot stay in one place. For instance the market doesn’t want to wear disco high [rise jeans] it wants to wear 90s low [rise jeans]. It’s [about] seeing what the market wants, following it, and bringing in your own vibe. I would love to go towards the 80s vibe and sequins, but so many people are not shopping sequins. At the end of our [recent] shows and collections, we ran up the market reports to find that sequins had gone down by 60%. So we have to change.”