House of Diehl: Fashion Designers Pushing Boundaries

Tired of the expensive yet mundane offerings of millionaire fashion designers like Marc Jacobs and Ralph Lauren? Want to find an unconventional fashion designer to worship? The House of Diehl may be the answer to your Project Runway prayers.

The House of Diehl has been blurring the boundaries of fashion and art since 2001. Mary Jo Diehl and Roman Milisic formed a partnership with the goal of making a statement in the fashion world. Mass production and universal appeal leave these designers cold. Instead, they try to bring a human touch to design and indeed they have made an indelible imprint on everything they touch.

The duo's quirky collections have been featured on music videos and in museums. Though a few of their t-shirts have been sewn in bulk (the "gator sutra" logo is irreverently chic), most of their clothing is one-of-a-kind.

To figure out just what the HoD team is all about, it's best to visit one of their performances or as the New York- and London-based HoD team calls it an "instant couture" event.

Diehl and Milisic found a perfect place to hold one of these quirky fashion events this past fall at the Soho, New York City Starbucks Salon. The Seattle coffee chain dreamed up this space to attract a hip young audience. Ensconced in a traditional high ceilinged, exposed-brick loft space; the Salon was a temporary haven for free thinkers, artists and lovers of the avant-garde. The heavily caffeinated Seattle team was clearly declaring: "NO, we aren't just about $6 cups of coffee, we also embrace ART!"

The crowd was packed with Generation X members eager to hear good tunes and enjoy a latte or two. The HoD show began with a "band" rushing on stage to do some of sound adjustments before launching into their first number. Milisic channeled his inner Freddy Mercury donning a striped blazer and skinny black jeans. He proceeded to bash his guitar on the floor, announcing to all the fun was about to begin. His partner in crime, Diehl, was attired in a superhero-like outfit: bodysuit, tights and high boots. A trio of actual models (you know the type skinny with vacant stares) filled in the band in the only pre-designed outfits of the day (the prepared fashions were relatively tame, consisting of leather jackets and a group of patchwork items bound together with grommets and metal chains).

When the models left the stage, the designers whipped an audience member onstage and designed a gown from a scrap of silk cloth. Milisic and Diehl snipped and tied the fabric into a sheath around the swaying model. Another impromptu model had her outfit fashioned out of three black umbrellas. You get the gist-fashion can be created from anything and can happen anywhere. While all the mayhem was happening onstage DJ Conor Creaney kept the tunes fresh and flowing. Dance groups The Positive Brothers and JVA Flag Corps grooved and marched to the music creating some distraction as Diehl and Milisic dressed the models.

While the audience loved this offbeat bit of performance art, it's debatable if this qualified as a fashion show. Perhaps, they won't be winning a CDFA award, but they are challenging the preconceptions of fashion. The HoD designers are to be admired for the humor and energy they bring to their jobs.