Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about strong women…who they are, what they stand for, what they want, and how they get it. I’ve been thinking about the path women take to become strong, gain respect and keep it. How can you not have enormous respect for a woman who understands what it takes to survive in this world, be bold, and take charge of her life? When designing for Nikki Rich, Richie and I want the designs to have a feminine sensibility, and at the same time still exude power, confidence and class. We love working with leather and think it’s an important material to use to create strong, but feminine pieces. We were really excited about designing the Love Dream leather jacket for the Fall 12 collection. It has beautiful features that at first glance appear to be very bold, but when you look a little closer you can’t miss the soft details that make it so special. The curved, cropped jacket was constructed with quilted leather and a single closure, loosely fitted around the collar. When you look closely at the detail you can see how it gathers to one side…demanding attention in the most subtle of ways…like only a strong woman truly knows how to do.