Charles Youssef
President of the board, received his undergraduate degree from Parsons School of Design in New York and an MA in Womenswear from the prestigious Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design, where he studied under Louise Wilson. Charles presented his graduate collection during London Fashion Week in February 2010.
Soon after launching, the line caught the eye of Lady Gaga, who purchased the collection for her 2010 concert tour. Charles held senior design positions at Calvin Klein in New York, Gareth Pugh in London, Cerruti in Paris and Ralph Lauren in New York. In 2014, Charles launched his eponymous label with a Resort collection, which was immediately bought by Barneys New York for 7 locations.
Based in New York, Charles Youssef focuses on strong ideas, luxurious execution, perfected fit, and feminine detailing. He believes that each piece is unique and carefully crafts them to meet the requirements of a dynamic metropolitan and intelligent woman. His inspirations come from architecture, geometry and art, believing that a brand has to be both directional and functional.
Charles Youssef is currently the Design Director of SemSem, a part-time professor at Parsons School of Design, and previously an awardee of the CFDA Incubator program.