I recently got to talk to Rachel Antonoff about fashion, just starting out in the industry, and also about who her customers are.

If you like fun, comfortable-but fashionable clothes, then Rachel Antonoff is your girl. Rachel is a young designer based in New York. Her clothes have a vintage taste, but are still young and on trend. I asked Rachel to describe who her customer is, and here’s what she had to say: “I think that’s something I’m still figuring out and it’s a really fun part of this job. I do think the RA girl/woman is silly and fun and definitely not pretentious.” In her look books you will find many different familiar faces including: “Parenthood”’s Mae Whitman, Gillian Jacobs from “Community” and even Troian Bellisario who plays Spencer on “Pretty Little Liars”.

Does the last name sound familiar? That’s because her brother is Jack Antonoff in the bands fun and Bleachers. When asked if she helps him pick out clothes for his shows, she responded, “I actually don’t! He has a really strong aesthetic all on his own.” Good style must run in the family!

Rachel didn’t know she wanted to be in fashion from the beginning. She said, “I honestly didn’t realize I wanted to be a designer until after I was already doing it, which is a pretty strange way to figure it out. I fell into designing because I just always had ideas for clothes and finally decided to have some made. Once I did that, I showed the samples to some friends and things went from there.”

She has been in the business for a couple of years now and knows how difficult it can be entering the fashion industry. Rachel’s advice for girls going into the business “would be to keep an open mind and a thick skin. It can be a tough business, like any business really, and it’s important to stay focused.”

While staying focused is really important, it is also important not to get too stressed out and Rachel agrees. “I think it is so important to keep things fun, it really shows through in the clothes.” To show her work, Rachel has uploaded videos on her website titled “Best Friends” and “Crush”, and my personal favorite “Top That” which features Alia Shawkat and her brother, Jack. They look like they were a lot of fun to make and more like hanging out than work. When she’s not busy designing new lines, you won’t find Rachel parting but rather at movies and at dinner. “I’m more of a cozy activity person than a partier.”

Doing different activities, like going to the movies, sometimes helps Rachel find inspiration for her clothing. “I look everywhere for inspiration and often find it in the most unexpected of places! Really anything, could be the pattern on a floor, movies, books, things I come across wherever.” You can always find inspiration in something and it can lead you to create something great.

If you’re interested, you can check out Rachel’s collections at RachelAntonoff.com