FRIENDANDNEMESIS: About me, Kristy Lee

Me, Kristy Lee

I thought it would be nice to tell a bit more about myself, but just a bit ;).

I'm really excited about our new shop in Philadelphia, F.A.N FriendandNemesis. It's been in the works for quite some time and my hometown of Philly was the perfect place to launch. My husband Andreas and I had been living in Brooklyn and loving it, we both worked for years developing our skills after University. I studied Fashion Design after being a hairstylist for years and truly learned from the best. I was fortunate to work at London Fashion Week and at Paris Fashion Week for Vivienne Westwood. I have to say the months preparing for a show in Paris is the best training you can have in Fashion. The Vivienne Westwood studio is a powerhouse of talent and you don't stop until the job is done with perfection. The reality of the Fashion world did not stop there, when I moved to New York it wasn't like you just snagged a design job. I worked very hard to become a designer with the luxury brand Kiki De Montparnasse, and again worked with the best. During my time there I was the Accessories Designer but also designed and developed pieces for their Ready to Wear line, if you've ever worked in Fashion you know there are many "hats to wear". But the best part was I designed and made super dope pieces worn by some of the most interesting women in the world, and yes one of those women being Lady Gaga. Such a cool time and my skills just elevated, and as most designers and creatives eventually had the itch to venture out on my own. I then created FriendandNemesis Accessories with my husband and photographer Andreas Billig. He had been working with Interior Designers and indie Brooklyn Labels, he's killer with composition and art direction so I'm lucky to have him as my partner in life and art. It's also a dream having a photographer as part of your design team.

FriendandNemesis quickly got the attention of stylists and became popular at home and in Europe being featured in Nylon and Glamour to name a few ridiculously awesome publications. And so it goes, we are part of the F.A.N team and essentially a photo stylist crew. So it was natural for us to open a style studio otherwise know as a salon, boutique and photo studio. I can go on and on. There's so much to say and we love to chat, so come visit us and we'll shoot the breeze over a coffee or glass of bubbly!

I also posted a few of my favorite designs below.

Ricky Hu wearing the Fury Necklace, FriendandNemesis photo by Andreas Billig