At Lela Rose
Hye Ji Jo divides her days between the production floor and her sketchbook. In her current role as Product Development Associate at Lela Rose, she is the link between design, production, and sales, managing a garment’s full lifecycle so that the label’s distinctive pieces reach customers precisely as imagined. She sources fabrics, trims, and embroideries from European and Asian suppliers across more than 100 styles each season, and she works closely with pattern makers and tech designers to build garment construction that meets the designer’s vision.
Her responsibilities extend beyond sourcing. Jo develops embroidery and fabric manipulation designs, contributes to signature elements like the brand’s laser cut leather staples, and helps ready collections for market week presentations to major retailers including Bergdorf Goodman, Saks, Neiman Marcus, Farfetch, Moda Operandi, and Net-A-Porter. One notable development credit is the embroidery work that appeared on Anne Hathaway’s gold velvet dress (https://www.redcarpet-fashionawards.com/2026/07/01/anne-hathaway-wore-lela-rose-for-the-odyssey-press-junket/), a visible example of how technical development supports red carpet moments.
Developing a Personal Voice: The Ghost in My Room
After hours, Jo channels the same discipline she applies at Lela Rose into a personal project: her first independent collection, The Ghost in My Room, which will be launched in October. The collection grew from a childhood memory — a curtain’s shadow cast on the wall that looked like a ghost — and Jo describes the work as a romanticization of that early fear. She has been developing the collection from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., balancing the rigors of a high-end design house job with the exacting process of building a distinct creative voice.
The pieces shown in her early looks emphasize texture and detail: a wool coat with an ivory ruffle, a cropped vest with fringe trim, a pleated chiffon blouse, and tailored wool trousers; and a chiffon blouse composed of hand-cut circle pieces paired with a wool maxi skirt. These garments speak to Jo’s interest in material storytelling and careful construction, and they mirror the technical strengths she has honed in product development.
Earlier experience and recognition
Before joining Lela Rose, Jo contributed to runway and evening work at Prabal Gurung. There she sourced fabrics, trims, and custom embroideries for multiple collections (SS26, FW26, PF27, SS27), collaborated with pattern makers to refine fit and construction, worked with Indian suppliers on embroidery for eveningwear, and helped manage sample making across domestic and overseas factories. Her runway work is part of a wider technical background that spans both creative concepting and the precise follow-through required for production (https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2026-ready-to-wear/prabal-gurung).
Exposure from her training and early projects opened doors in the industry, leading to interviews and job offers from other high-end designer brands, including Prabal Gurung and Alice + Olivia.
Jo’s training and early signature work also earned institutional recognition. Her Thesis collection from FIT was featured in Vogue, WWD, and Fashionista (https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2026-ready-to-wear/fashion-institute-of-technology/slideshow/collection#24), and she is a FIT Critic’s Award Winner 2023. Those honors helped clarify her technical point of view and gave momentum to the dual path she now walks: supporting established luxury labels while preparing to present a personal collection.
What to expect in October
Jo’s approach blends meticulous product development with a quietly expressive design language. The October launch of The Ghost in My Room will be the first time she presents a body of work that is entirely her own, a culmination of technical expertise, hands-on craft, and the intimate memory that inspired it. For industry buyers familiar with her work at Lela Rose and Prabal Gurung, the collection will offer a clearer view of the ideas she has long helped realize for others, now translated into pieces that reflect her personal narrative.
As she balances a demanding day job and an emerging creative practice, Hye Ji Jo’s trajectory is a reminder that technical rigor and personal storytelling can coexist. Her next steps will be watched by colleagues, buyers, and peers who have already seen her hand in garments that reach retail and red carpets alike. With an October launch on the calendar, she is preparing to move from the development room to the designer’s table, presenting the memory that has shaped her first collection.
