LOS ANGELES — “What is a typical day like for you?”
“Typical day,” Anwar Carrots repeated slowly into his phone over FaceTime. “Honestly, my typical day changed because I had a baby… Every day it’s literally take care of my child. By 12:00 I come to my office, which I’m at now, have a meeting. Actually, I have one right now, ‘cause I’m doing an interview while I’m with you. It’s kind of sick.”
He smiled. Indeed, it kind of is.
The young designer and entrepreneur — he legally changed his surname from Washington to his high school nickname, Carrots (given for being a redhead) — who helms his contemporary streetwear label Carrots by Anwar Carrots received the call from a marketing agency for Chevy earlier that morning about doing the call for the automaker. He’s now sitting at a work table on the upper floor of the Arlington Heights studio, called the Bird Nest, that he shares with his wife going through a round of prompts to say his name, where he lives and to recite the first few lines from Donny and Marie Osmond’s “A Little Bit Country, a Little Bit Rock ‘N’ Roll.” Three takes later, the caller is pleased

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PARIS — It seems that reports of the death of independent retailers have been exaggerated. Buyers at the recent women’s wear Tranoï, Woman and Première Classe Dressing trade shows in Paris were mostly enthusiastic, refuting talk of small boutiques suffering under changes to the industry.
“I’ve seen a big revival the last few years of small, individual stores. People say retail is over, that all shops are closing, but it’s really the big stores that are closing,” Christiane Celle, founder of Calypso and owner of the Clic concept stores, said at the Woman show.
“Shoppers and the younger generation are different today. People don’t want to look exactly like everybody else, and they’re more educated,” she said. Celle’s business continues to expand with a new store in Larkspur, Calif. “There’s a niche for individual things, so I still do amazingly well,” she reported.
Among the spring looks she saw, “there’s a trend of not revealing as much. A lot of women realize that being sexy doesn’t mean showing off all your body.” Celle sees Paris adopting more streetwear, while New York is leaning more minimal. Still, colorful tailored and unisex suits made their mark. Among her finds was the Japanese brand Toujours, and

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DOWNING BY THE RIVER: For those who have wondered what it’s like to live like Neiman Marcus fashion director Ken Downing, wait no longer.
Through a Related Cos.-Neiman Marcus effort, Downing has designed and styled the interior of a model residence at Fifteen Hudson Yards. Downing’s 1,464-square-foot model residence has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half bathrooms and a price tag of nearly $4.3 million. Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with Rockwell Group, Fifteen Hudson Yards has 285 condos varying in size from one bedroom to four bedrooms.
As a veteran member of the four-fashion-week pack (and the air miles to prove it), Downing gleaned inspiration from the world’s fashion capitals for his at-home curation. His fondness for art collecting was another factor in the final edit. There is also an abundance of color throughout the apartment including pink walls and ceiling, a Venetian-style glass chandelier in purple, a multicolored geometric style rug and a vibrant column painted by Brooklyn artist Nathan Green in the master suite, not to mention the turquoise floor-to-ceiling interior in the condo’s library. Reflective surfaces are meant to bring the West Side view indoors.
Out-of-state residents who have no interest in moving can pick and choose their favorite

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FAKING FUR: More than three years after Maya Reik launched her company Marei 1998, the 20-year-old is stretching her ambition with a spinoff label called “I Am Furless.”
Building off the success of the faux fur items that have been offered from one season to the next, the designer has decided to capitalize on that interest. Her own company is self-funded with financial support from her family. The Italian-made collection is made possible through a 10-person team in the Tel Aviv home office, as well as outposts in Milan, New York and Los Angeles.
Seasonal trunk shows with Modus Operandi has helped to raise her profile, as have more traditional ones and wholesaling to select European boutiques and Marie 1998’s e-commerce site. About 60 percent of annual sales are driven by the company’s own site, she said. The main collection consists of about 30 styles retailing from $300 for a coat to $2,000 for an embroidered dress. By far, the faux fur coats have been bestsellers, Reik said.
The “I Am Furless” label is expected to launch in two weeks or so and will include handbags, scarves, sweatshirts and coats. A Paris photo shoot is planned with Daniel Jackont, who recently shot the

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CENTER STAGE: Coach will be honored at Lincoln Center next month.
The Lincoln Center Corporate Fund Fashion Gala has planned “An Evening Honoring Coach,” for Nov. 29 at Alice Tully Hall. There, Coach creative director Stuart Vevers will be bestowed with the Women’s Leadership Award, a high honor for a male fashion designer.
“New York City has been Coach’s home since 1941, and the art and culture of the city continuously inspire everything we do,” Vevers said of his approaching award. “I am extremely happy to be honored by Lincoln Center, an iconic cultural institution and symbol of creativity in New York. I am also proud to accept this award at an evening that will benefit the Lincoln Center Corporate Fund as it continues to support arts, education and the development of new talent.”
“The Lincoln Center Corporate Fund is thrilled to honor Stuart Vevers with the Women’s Leadership Award,” said Lincoln Center acting president Russell Granet. “Stuart’s unparalleled designs, his charm and his vision for the future of Coach combine to elevate an exceptional brand even further. We celebrate Stuart for his unique spirit as we raise vital funds to support the vast array of 10 world-class resident arts organizations on the

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WHILE IT’S HOT: Riccardo Tisci has a million retail tricks up his monogrammed sleeve, including a new sales strategy of monthly product drops that will sell exclusively through Burberry’s social media and mobile messaging apps.
Taking a page out of streetwear’s book, Burberry will be launching monthly product releases on the 17th of every month to get consumers excited and keep products fresh.
The first release of these monthly drops is called “B Series,” and will be available for 24 hours starting at 12 p.m. U.K. time on Wednesday. The merchandise will be sold exclusively through the brand’s Instagram, WeChat, Line and Kakao, the latter of which are popular mobile messaging platforms in Asia.
The first capsule consists of a unisex white T-shirt and jersey sweatshirt featuring Burberry’s new TB monogram in red. The logo was revealed in August on Tisci’s Instagram Stories and has been designed by the British art director and graphic designer Peter Saville.
In September, ahead of Tisci’s debut show as Burberry’s chief creative officer during London Fashion Week, the brand released a surprise product drop from B Series. The T-shirts, which retailed at $390, and hoodies also appeared on Tisci’s Instagram Stories, worn by celebrities such as Lily James,

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