Derek Lam
Professional services
UnclaimedDerek Lam is an American fashion designer and the founder of the Derek Lam and Derek Lam 10 Crosby fashion labels.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Derek Lam is an American fashion designer whose career has combined luxury ready-to-wear, contemporary fashion, accessories, licensing, and creative-direction work for international companies. Born in San Francisco in 1967 to a Chinese American family, Lam grew up around the apparel trade. His parents imported clothing from Asia, while his grandparents operated a San Francisco garment factory specializing in bridal and wedding dresses. This family background gave him early exposure to garment production, fashion merchandising, and the commercial realities of the clothing industry. Lam graduated from Parsons School of Design in New York in 1990. During the 1990s he worked as an assistant to Michael Kors for four years, later gaining experience in Hong Kong with a major retail brand. After returning to New York, he became vice president of design for the Kors line. These roles helped establish the combination of polished American sportswear, international production knowledge, and commercial discipline that characterized his later work. Lam launched his own label in 2003 and presented the collection at New York Fashion Week in September of that year. The brand developed as a luxury fashion business spanning womenswear, shoes, handbags, eyewear, and other accessories. His early recognition included the runner-up position in the 2005 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund competition and the CFDA Perry Ellis Swarovski Award for new designers. In 2006, the company signed a worldwide eyewear licensing agreement with Modo. From 2008 to 2012, Labelux, the fashion division of JAB Holding Company, held a majority stake in the business. The brand opened a New York store designed by SANAA in 2009 and launched an e-commerce site for ready-to-wear and accessories in 2010. Lam also built a parallel career with Tod's. He became the Italian company's creative director for ready-to-wear and accessories in the mid-2000s, developed a clothing brand for Tod's, and introduced jewelry for the label in 2008. His contract was extended in 2010, and he departed Tod's at the end of his contract in September 2012. The Derek Lam business expanded through the Derek Lam 10 Crosby diffusion line, launched in 2011. Positioned toward a broader contemporary customer, 10 Crosby eventually became the larger commercial engine of the company. Its categories included apparel, shoes, handbags, eyewear, fragrance, beauty, and beachwear through various licensing arrangements. In 2019, Lam closed the eponymous luxury collection to concentrate on 10 Crosby and its contemporary expansion; the diffusion business represented approximately 70 percent of the company's overall business at that time, according to the cited reference material. Public Clothing Company acquired the Derek Lam brand in January 2020, with Lam remaining chief creative officer of the business. Lam's design practice has also incorporated sustainability-related materials, including non-chromed leather, eco-viscose, recycled cashmere, recycled polyester, and other lower-impact materials. He ended his work for Derek Lam 10 Crosby in 2023. In 2024, he joined the Italian brand Câllas Milano as creative director. His career therefore spans independent luxury fashion, contemporary diffusion products, licensed categories, corporate creative direction, and international brand development.
History
Derek Lam was born in San Francisco in 1967 and is the youngest of three children in a fourth-generation Chinese American family. His parents imported clothing from Asia, and his grandparents ran a San Francisco garment factory focused on bridal and wedding dresses. He graduated from Parsons School of Design in Manhattan in 1990. Lam began his professional career in the 1990s as an assistant to Michael Kors, remaining there for four years. He then moved to Hong Kong to work for a large retail company before returning to New York, where he became vice president of design for the Kors line. In 2003, he founded his own label and showed it at New York Fashion Week. His early accolades included the 2005 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund runner-up position and the CFDA Perry Ellis Swarovski Award for new designers. The Derek Lam label grew from luxury ready-to-wear into shoes, handbags, eyewear, jewelry, and other accessories. A worldwide eyewear license with Modo was signed in 2006. Labelux, a division of JAB Holding Company, held a majority stake between 2008 and 2012. The company opened a SANAA-designed store in 2009 and launched an online store for ready-to-wear and accessories in 2010. Lam's corporate design work included Tod's. He developed a clothing brand for the Italian company and served as its creative director for ready-to-wear and accessories. He presented Tod's first jewelry collection in 2008. Tod's extended his contract in 2010, and Lam left when the agreement ended in September 2012. In 2011, Lam introduced Derek Lam 10 Crosby as a diffusion line. The brand broadened the company's customer base and later added footwear, handbags, eyewear, fragrance, beauty, and beachwear through licensing partners. A shoe licensing agreement with Schwartz & Benjamin was established in 2012. Beachwear was added beginning with the spring 2018 season through Albisetti. Lam also pursued lower-impact material choices, including non-chromed leather, eco-viscose, recycled cashmere, and recycled polyester. In 2019, Lam closed his namesake luxury collection and concentrated on Derek Lam 10 Crosby, which accounted for about 70 percent of the business at the time according to the cited source material. Public Clothing Company acquired the brand in January 2020, retaining Lam as chief creative officer. Lam ended his work for Derek Lam 10 Crosby in 2023. In 2024, he became creative director of Câllas Milano. His personal and professional life has also included a partnership with Jan-Hendrik Schlottmann, who was identified as his spouse and business partner.
- 2024
Joins Câllas Milano
[1]Lam became creative director of Italian brand Câllas Milano.
- 2023
Ends work for Derek Lam 10 Crosby
[1]Lam concluded his work with the Derek Lam 10 Crosby business.
- 2020
Public Clothing Company acquires the brand
[1]Public Clothing Company acquired Derek Lam, with Lam continuing as chief creative officer.
- 2019
Closes the eponymous luxury collection
[1]Lam discontinued the namesake luxury collection to focus on Derek Lam 10 Crosby and its contemporary growth.
- 2018
Introduces beachwear
[1]Beachwear entered the collection through a license with Albisetti beginning with the spring 2018 season.
- 2015
Adds fragrance and expanded eyewear licensing
[1]Derek Lam 10 Crosby introduced fragrance, while Modo received a worldwide license for its eyewear frames and sunglasses.
- 2012
Leaves Tod's and expands footwear licensing
[1]Lam left Tod's at the end of his contract and entered a global shoe licensing agreement with Schwartz & Benjamin.
- 2011
Launches Derek Lam 10 Crosby
[1]Lam introduced the contemporary Derek Lam 10 Crosby diffusion line.
- 2010
Launches e-commerce
[1]The brand introduced an e-commerce site selling ready-to-wear and accessories.
- 2009
Opens SANAA-designed store
[1]The Derek Lam brand opened a store designed by the Japanese architecture firm SANAA.
Products and positioning
Modern American luxury and contemporary fashion combining refined sportswear, tailored silhouettes, accessories, and internationally licensed product categories.
Luxury fashion · 2003
Derek Lam
Lam's original label focused on refined women's ready-to-wear and later expanded into shoes, handbags, eyewear, jewelry, beachwear, and other accessories through direct production and licensing arrangements. The eponymous luxury collection was closed in 2019.
Contemporary fashion · 2011
Derek Lam 10 Crosby
Introduced in 2011, Derek Lam 10 Crosby was the company's diffusion and contemporary line. It broadened the customer base beyond the luxury collection and developed apparel, footwear, handbags, eyewear, fragrance, beauty, and related categories.
Eyewear · 2006
Derek Lam eyewear
Eyewear became a licensed category under the Derek Lam name through Modo, covering frames and sunglasses and extending the designer's aesthetic into accessories.
Beauty · 2015
Derek Lam fragrance and beauty
Derek Lam 10 Crosby introduced a fragrance collection in 2015. The beauty license was later acquired by the Premiere Group by 2018.
Brand decisions
2020
Public Clothing Company acquires Derek LamM&ABackground
The independent Derek Lam business entered a new ownership phase after the earlier Labelux majority-stake period.
Action taken
Public Clothing Company acquired the Derek Lam brand and retained Lam as chief creative officer.
Aftermath
Lam continued overseeing the creative direction of the Derek Lam business, including Derek Lam 10 Crosby, until ending his work with the latter in 2023.
2019
Focus shifts from luxury collection to Derek Lam 10 CrosbyStrategyBackground
The contemporary 10 Crosby line had become the larger part of the business, reportedly representing about 70 percent of company activity.
Action taken
Lam closed the eponymous luxury collection and concentrated resources on 10 Crosby and its contemporary expansion.
Aftermath
The strategy prioritized broader customer reach and additional contemporary categories before the brand was acquired by Public Clothing Company in 2020.
Sources1 sources
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