Rubin & Chapelle is committed to designing innovative and high-quality products that enhance the lives of our customers. We are inspired by the strength clothing can provide the wearer.
Since inception, our design process is as important as the finished product. Our process includes a hands-on approach in close collaboration with highly skilled local artisans. We take pride in using an old-world approach to sewing, draping, and tailoring.
From the beginning of our development, we have adhered to the principles that have now become a modern movement toward ethical and sustainable production.
We go to great lengths in sourcing fabrics and materials. Our exclusively designed prints are digitally printed in Berlin in a facility that is not only certified pollutant-free but exclusively uses German fibers to weave base fabrics. Our leathers are organically dyed. And our products are made in NYC at factories where skilled workers take pride in their ability to assemble and a product from start to finish. Developing these relationships takes years of collaboration. The majority of our silk comes from GOTS certified mills producing humane silk, a laborious process that allows the silkworm to develop into a butterfly instead of being killed during production. We are working toward producing with 100% humane materials.
The most compelling fashion is not bound by momentary trends, and as designers, we are most satisfied by designs that stand the test of time. Perpetual Modernity is our ultimate goal and working toward Ethical Production our means.
Partners Sonja Rubin and Kip Chapelle co-founded Rubin & Chapelle in 1997. The line quickly became a sought-after brand with international retail clients including: Barneys NY, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, and Saks Fifth Avenue, and Joyce Hong Kong.
Austrian Sonja Rubin worked with Vivienne Westwood prior to founding Rubin & Chapelle. In 2011 Sonja was inducted into the Council of Fashion Designers of America. She is a graduate of Fashion Institute of Technology.
American Kip Chapelle worked with Giorgio Armani and Calvin Klein prior to founding Rubin & Chapelle. In 2011 Mr. Chapelle was inducted into the Council of Fashion Designers of America. He is a graduate of Fashion Institute of Technology.
Rubin&Chapelle was among the first designers to establish retail presence in New York’s Meatpacking District in 2002 and were catalysts to its establishment in Manhattan’s retail landscape. The partners opened their second retail store in Malibu, CA in 2011. Each location was designed by architect Annabelle Selldorf.
The designers have received a number of awards and nominations from institutions including: Fashion Group International, The Smithsonian, A Senatorial Citation, and the City of Vienna, Austria.
The designers have participated as critics for graduating fashion design students at Parsons School of Design and Fashion Institute of Technology. Selections from Rubin & Chapelle’s designs are part of the permanent museum collections of School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Fashion Institute of Technology. Rubin & Chapelle collections have been shown internationally in USA, France, Italy, Austria, and Japan.
Rubin&Chapelle has appeared in publications including:
New York Times, WWD, Elle, In-Style, Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, Vogue Italia, Vogue British, Vogue Homme, Ebony, Forbes, Dutch, ID, The Face, V, German Elle, Kurier, Interior Design, Arena, Essence, LA Times, Purple, The New Yorker, New York, L’Officiel, Liberation, Vibe, Wallpaper, People, and Interview
Celebrity clients include:
Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Roberts, Keira Knightley, Julianne Nicholson, Scarlett Johansson, Mischa Barton, Beyonce, Jude Law, Erykah Badu, Jessica Alba, Oprah Winfrey, Uma Thurman, Dave Chappelle, Iman, Daryl Hannah, Cindy Sherman, Sienna Miller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Halle Berry, Rebecca Romijn, Kelly Rowland, Cameron Diaz, Chelsea Clinton, Isabelle Huppert, Sienna Miller, Stella Tenant, Jennifer Lopez, Sarah Jessica Parker, Tyra Banks, Brooke Burke, Shannon Doherty, and Bjork