Created in collaboration with Casey Paul, the company’s name is a reference to the songs of Dolly Parton, a childhood hero for both women. The label represents the dualities of femininity: the dark and mysterious midnight raven, the light and innocent little sparrow. Our collection celebrates these innate contradictions inherent in every woman – sultry and sweet, provocative and playful, diva and demure. Inspired by vintage lingerie and the underpinnings of our mothers and grandmothers, each piece is named after important women in our lives. Our company is built on the philosophy that ritual is transformative – that the care and deliberation behind any act is as important as the act itself. Our garments reflect that idealism, and are all one-of-a-kind and proudly made at our atelier in New York City. The lightly distressed silk is pre-washed and our appliqués are placed by hand. The slight irregularities in each piece are a testament to our couture detailing techniques. With Raven & Sparrow, we invite you to take flight. We are honored and delighted to launch our debut collection with Barneys New York and Los Angeles. Read More +
She began her fashion career at age 14 when she entered the Look of the Year contest using snapshots taken by her mother. She has since graced the covers of more than 300 magazines, posing for such luminaries as Richard Avedon, Herb Ritts and Patrick Demarchelier. Still, her greatest inspiration remains that first photographer: her mother, a hairstylist by trade who taught her daughter the importance of fashion and beauty rituals as a means to care for oneself. Stephanie’s acting credits include her portrayal of abstract expressionist Helen Frankenthaler in Ed Harris’s critically acclaimed film “Pollock” (2000). For more than 10 years she modeled under contract for Victoria’s Secret, where she became intimately acquainted with what women want and need in their lingerie. As muse for couture master Azzedine Alaïa, and while fronting campaigns for design icons such as Versace and Chanel, Stephanie cultivated her lifelong passion for the art and architecture of women’s dressmaking. An avid collector of art, jewelry and couture, Stephanie draws design inspiration from her extensive private archive of original work by Mariano Fortuny, Christian Dior and Madeleine Vionnet, among other historic visionaries spanning all the way through to contemporary revolutionaries such as Alaia and Alexander McQueen. Every Raven & Sparrow design reflects Stephanie’s deep understanding of drapery and construction, and her belief in the power of impeccably crafted garments. Read More +
An accomplished fashion illustrator and dressmaker, she has dressed a wide range of celebrity clients and Broadway elites. Casey worked as stylist and costume designer to Liza Minnelli, in whose closet she sharpened her draping skills by studying the masterful techniques of Halston. The North Dakota native grew up in the sewing rooms of her mother and grandmother. She got her first glimpse of the A-list at age 9, when Johnny Cash came to town for her family’s music festival and needed his suit pressed. Casey went on to study apparel and textile design at North Dakota State University, and couture dressmaking at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology. Originally hired as Stephanie’s stylist, the two soon discovered their shared love of timeless design, vintage craftsmanship, and garments that empower the people who wear them. Read More +
The haute couturier hails from Hamlin, New York and first fell in love with design at the pedal of her grandmother’s sewing machine. Kami attended Oneonta Fashion College and New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, where she specialized in women’s wear and met future business partner Casey Paul. The duo teamed up upon graduation to launch Speer & Paul, their couture dress label whose collections have sold to retailers such as Henri Bendel, Searle and Patricia Field. Red-carpet clients have included Kelly Ripa, Finola Hughes, Mary-Louise Parker and Anne Bancroft. Read More +
At its best, haute lingerie is high art – transformative, transcendent, approaching the divine. But too often the age-old rite of dressing for bed is relegated to its external effects, to the secondary purpose of pleasing others when the fabric falls away. I prefer to focus on the magic of lingerie itself – the sense of indulgence that comes when a woman puts silk to her skin, the serene empowerment when she drapes herself in a perfectly cut nightgown. Yes, we were born naked. But what a gift it is to adorn oneself with exquisitely crafted garments, to savor the sublime as we dress for our dreams. Raven & Sparrow is my vision for resurrecting this ritual art, and to inspire all women to transport themselves through the heavenly act of dressing for bed.