His designs have already won over Hollywood royalty, so what’s next?
Words by ELIZABETH VARNELL
Piles of embellished tulle, rolls of embroidered sequins, and all manner of patterned fabrics cover the tables lining Charles Harbison’s studio in downtown L.A. The North Carolina–born designer arrives straight from the gym and walks toward the racks of samples from his namesake line’s fall collection.
“We had all these dead-stock fabrics and vintage fabrics, disparate materials, and we paired them together, playing,” Harbison says. The resulting vibrant pajama-style silk sets, plaid suits, and column dresses hark back to a childhood love of crayons and creating art evocative of a happy place. “I feel like this collection is really a reflection of me absolving myself of certain fashion ideas and trends,” he says. “This is something little Charlie would do and have no explanation for it beyond, ‘It’s pretty.’” Now in its second year, the line is carried at Bergdorf Goodman, Moda Operandi, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Nordstrom. “Harbison embodies California’s independent spirit,” says Nordstrom Fashion Director Rickie De Sole, adding, “there is an innate joy in his work.” But this collection is only the latest chapter in Harbison’s story.
Harbison studied architecture at North Carolina State University, but he fell in love with fabric manipulation, tapestry, and weaving, which led to graduate studies at Parsons and an early career designing sportswear for Michael Kors Collection and Billy Reid. In the mid-2010s, he launched an eponymous line in New York. Editorial recognition followed, with Michelle Obama and Beyoncé donning his designs, but so did physical and emotional burnout. That prompted his West Coast relocation eight years ago. “It was not a sustainable pace for me,” he says.
After prioritizing his health through mind-clearing hikes and connecting to nature with reparative visits to the beach and the desert, Harbison took on design, branding, and marketing work. Soon a much-lauded collaboration with Banana Republic led to a realization: He could run his label from his L.A. perch. The Harbison line relaunched at the postvaccine peak, when the country was reopening after the pandemic and getting out felt especially exhilarating. “People were feeling joyful and wanting to look joyful,” Harbison says.
From his West Coast space, Harbison has a greater proximity to Hollywood, dressing actors Sandra Oh, Jodie Turner-Smith, Issa Rae, Jessica Alba, Quinta Brunson, Anna Kendrick, and Sheryl Lee Ralph. “I’m a Southern boy. I like pomp and circumstance, not that overly demure New York sensibility,” he says. “Here, there are women with a bit more effervescence. Infusing that into a new luxury apparel label felt risky, but it was all I was willing to do.” Stylists have connected his designs to today’s brightest talents. Alexandra Mandelkorn, who dresses Janelle Monáe and Rachel Brosnahan, looks to his line for bold pairings, like those in the fall collection. “Charles combines such different textures, ones you may not normally see together, and yet somehow makes them work seamlessly,” she says of the line’s eye-catching elements and embellishments.
“I like pomp and circumstance, not that overly demure New York sensibility”
In April, the designer won Fashion Trust U.S.’s Ready-To-Wear Award, presented by Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph and her stylists Wayman Bannerman and Micah McDonald, at the organization’s second annual gala held in April. The duo, who go by Wayman + Micah, see a whimsical and dreamlike element to Harbison’s designs and say they love his playful shapes suited to different body types. A slew of guests, including Kelly Rowland and Liza Koshy, arrived that night wearing his looks. The organization’s founder, Tania Fares, says Harbison’s fresh approach is pioneering. She credits his designs with “redefining the U.S. fashion landscape…. The brand’s unique blend of creativity, inclusivity, and exceptional craftsmanship really resonates with me.”
Jewelry is central to Harbison’s L.A. relaunch. “I’m an ’80s kid, so I grew up with women wearing statement jewelry,” he says. “I remember my dad putting brooches on me, sort of like a little bolo tie for church.” He worked on accessories for various lines, including Cult Gaia, which fueled his interest in creating head-to-toe looks. “We made 24-karat plated costume jewelry. One day we had a lot of it in the studio and we laid the jewelry onto the Quantum [a fit-and-flare minidress], took the backings off earrings, and applied them to the dress,” he says. The resulting design became a bestseller in gold, and the hardware-heavy look has grown into a signature.
Harbison also makes bags, including the rectangular Gemini, and shoes are in development. Also coming is menswear, with gender-fluid pieces already in the current fall and resort lineups laying the groundwork. “I want her and him and them to walk into their respective departments and basically find the same things,” he says. “I know I have everyone responding to the same looks. I’ll wear a pajama set or a blazer that my mom wears.”
His long-term goal is a business encompassing every aspect of lifestyle design, the sort pioneered by such creatives as Giorgio Armani. “I want to do it all, and I don’t say that lightly,” he says. “Harbison home is a goal.” A red tweed chaise with gilded polygonal feet and a geometric pillow, perhaps? Yes.
Feature image: PHOTO: Sahaj Singh.
This story originally appeared in the Fall 2024 issue of C Magazine.
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