threeASFOUR is known as much for its bohemian personal past—when there were four designers, they’d sleep in the same bed—as it is for curving layers and intricately ethereal silhouettes, along with the famed circle bags that surfaced on Sex and the City. In 1998, the label—then called AsFour—was started by aspiring downtown designers Kai Kühne, Gabriel (Gabi) Asfour, Adi Gil, and Angela (Ange) Donhauser, who come from Germany, Lebanon, Israel and Tajikistan, respectively. Despite the wacky expressionism from the label’s founding members and the theatrical infighting that led to Kühne’s departure in 2005, the label has acquired clout and credibility in the mainstream. Highlights include a CFDA fund nomination in 2007, which put the team on par with Vogue darlings Phillip Lim and Erin Fetherston and gained them a T-shirt collaboration with the Gap (of all the CFDA nominees, their collection reportedly sold out first). Their avant-garde sensibility, which includes slashed wrap jackets and asymmetrical organza dresses, have also gained attention from prestigious museums like Victoria & Albert and the Met, who have acquired pieces for exhibitions. In 2008, the label branched out from the conceptual ready-to-wear it shows in New York to a swimwear collection.

Status

Up-and-Coming

Clients

Björk, Mariah Carey, Roisin Murphy, Sabina Sciubba

Other Product Lines

Handbags

Collaborations

Kate Spade (2005), Gap (as part of the CFDA fund collaboration) (2007)

Owned By

Gabriel Asfour, Adi Gil and Angela Donhauser

Address

86 Forsyth St., fourth fl.
New York, New York 10002
212-343-9777

Where To Buy

Barneys New York, Seven New York

Related Websites

• threeASFOUR (Official)
• Style.com: threeASFOUR (Media)