Let's go back, let's go back to the beginning.
Fashion designer turned “Real Housewives of New York City” star Rebecca Minkoff says MTV’s “Laguna Beach” was instrumental in her brand’s early success.
While riding with Page Six during New York Fashion Week in one of Tri-State Cadillac’s iconic LYRIQ electric vehicles, Minkoff, 43, explained how her doctor father facilitated a spot on Season 1 of the hit reality show.
“I was doing a fashion show in Los Angeles. I think it was 2003 or 2004, and my dad said, ‘Hey, I have a patient whose son is really into design and he’s going to be in this show,’” she recalled, referring to Trey Phillips, a then-creative high school student who eventually went on to design for Vera Wang.
“'It's a reality show…' —because obviously we didn't know what it was— 'It's called something like 'Laguna Beach.' They want to come, they want to film, and they want to sit in the front row.'”
Minkoff said he immediately jumped at the opportunity.
“I thought, 'Yeah, MTV. Obviously!'” he exclaimed.
Minkoff made a splash in the fashion world in 2001 when he designed an “I Love NY” T-shirt worn by actress Jenna Elfman on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” In the years that followed, he continued to work hard to make his clothes more popular, and he had a feeling that MTV could help.
“I needed it! I was like a mediocre designer who literally rubbed sticks together to finish the show,” she said.
“And they came and included it in the program and that really helped boost the name.”
By 2005, Minkoff had shifted her focus to handbags after her signature “Morning After Bag,” also known as “MAB,” debuted. But reruns of “Laguna Beach” spotlighted her ready-to-wear work, prompting her to return to her roots four years later.
“The bags became popular. We stopped selling the clothing because we thought, ‘Let’s focus on this,’” she said. “And ‘Laguna Beach’ came back and because of that popularity, we relaunched the clothing.”
Although Minkoff is proud of her cameo in “Laguna Beach,” she jokes that her only regret is “wearing too much makeup” in front of the camera.
Beauty fails aside, the experience became the catalyst for a long-lasting relationship with Lauren Conrad.
The series star, who after “Laguna Beach” went on to star in its popular spin-off, “The Hills,” from 2006 to 2009, was a known fan of Minkoff's designs, attending many fashion shows and carrying her bags when paparazzi were around to capture photos that often appeared in celebrity weeklies.
“I love Lauren Conrad, she was always very supportive of me,” said Minkoff, whose company has It reportedly raised over $100 million in its almost two decades of activity.
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“She was a real it girl, so the fact that she loved the brand so much meant a lot to me,” the 43-year-old fashion designer added. “That carried a lot of weight.”
While Conrad, 38, has stepped away from reality TV, Minkoff is just entering the unscripted space as a “friend” of the cast on Season 15 of “RHONY.”
“It's a new adventure,” he said of filming the Big Apple-set version of Bravo's massive franchise.
“I’m excited for my clients to get to know me in a different way. And it’s been really cool getting to know all these women.”
“The Real Housewives of New York City,” also starring Jenna Lyons, Jessel Taank, Brynn Whitfield, Ubah Hassan, Erin Lichy, Sai De Silva and Racquel Chevremont, returns to Bravo on Tuesday, October 1 at 9 p.m. ET.
