For designer Carly Mark, a veteran of the contemporary art world, turning to fashion came from a desire to satiate her imagination through new avenues
Photo: Dan & Corina Lecca / Puppets and Puppets Since 2019, Puppets and Puppets, by way of tongue-in-cheek delights — cheese hats and cheese-wedge heels from last season and its signature chocolate-chip cookie bags — has developed a healthy cult following and partnerships with retailers SSENSE and Bergdorf Goodman.
The familiar and beloved elements of Puppets and Puppets were here today — the corsetry, the fun materials — but this collection feels divergent from what you’ve shown in past collections. What was your inspiration and how did your surroundings change that? After being involved in it for about ten years, I realized it wasn’t satiating me. So there was this moment, I was turning 30, I was like, “Which direction do I go in?” My design partner at the time went to school for fashion, so they were like, “Let’s try this.” I put out the first collection, and it was really well-received, but more than that, I had the best time.I don’t technically know what I’m doing, which makes the whole experience limitless for me.