Designer Details with
FL AGPOLE
JAIME BARKER AND MEGAN BALCH
E
very so often in life, if you are fortunate enough, you come across a kindred spirit who becomes a best friend. That was the case for fashion designers Jaime Barker and Megan Balch, founders of the New York-based swimwear label Flagpole. From their early days in middle school, when they used to do each other’s homework, to their post-college years as Brooklyn roommates, the two have been virtually inseparable, so it’s no surprise that they decided to go into business together. We sat down to chat with this dynamic duo about what it’s like to work with your bestie, the importance of color in their collections, and what it takes to succeed in the fashion world.
You two have been friends for quite some time. What is your first memory of each other? JAIME We both went to the same middle school, where we had majors like theater and dance. I remember sitting next to Megan in science class, because we both had names that started with the letter B. Our teacher had us do an icebreaker, we paired up and presented to each other— we were ridiculous from day one (laughs). Within the first few weeks of knowing each other, we were planning our outfits and dressing the same by accident. MEGAN I have a very specific memory—we were talking to the same person and Jamie was carrying too many things and she didn’t know what to do with them (laughs). I offered to hold something for her and that was our first actual interaction. Did it ever cross your young minds that someday you would start a successful fashion company together? JAIME It was never really like, “Oh, we are going to own a fashion company together one day.” I don’t think that was ever the plan. We just worked so well together from the start, from picking out outfits to writing poems for a boy in our class. There was an instant connection
between us; we had fun on a different level and were always thinking about the next thing we were going to do together. MEGAN I think the plan was to be in each other’s life. We ended up going to different colleges, but we still talked a couple times a day. We would even still do each other’s homework! What led to you starting your brand, and what drew you to swimwear in particular? JAIME Back in 2011, I was actually working in the same factory where we produce our swimwear—it’s crazy how things have come full circle. I was working for a startup where I learned about design, production and that whole world. I met a woman who designed bathing suits; she was securing a lot of accounts like Anthropologie and Neiman Marcus. I thought to myself that is so cool, then I slowly started putting the pieces together. I thought about how I wouldn’t personally wear that particular swimsuit and then asked myself, well, what would I wear? I started daydreaming about what it could be—solid colors and cutouts, something that didn’t exist. I started thinking about how the suits should be made out of leotards, since you can dance and move in them so easily. It was a total Oprah
Photographed by Sharon Radisch Fashion Editor Ana Tess Interview by Alison Engstrom
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