The Interview —

Amanda Curtis, CEO & Co-founder, Nineteenth Amendment

A powder blue velour track suit in the early 2000s. Luckily I only wore it during track practice. I have a long held distaste for sweat pants. I second Karl Lagerfeld’s belief that “sweatpants are a sign of defeat”.  

Every day I get to help designers get one step closer to achieving their goals, while reinvigorating the industry that I grew up in and love. Fashion is change and transformation, and it’s thrilling to be a part of the evolution of an industry.  

Speak up. Growing up I was painfully shy. When I moved to New York at 22 I immediately felt the rush of freedom that comes with being one in a sea of millions. In NYC I finally felt free to voice my opinion in the same way that I dressed, boldly. 

Lena Dunham’s “Not That Kind of Girl”. Lena is a phenomenal and unapologetic story teller. I respect women who can do things, and break ceilings, without apology, especially ones who are accomplishing goals at a young age. 

Dior's navy blue, vintage, double breasted “The Suit” handed down to me by a family friend. It’s very Annie Hall, incredibly well made and comfortable. I understand now why men wear suits. 

A pair of well worn Buffalo Jeans from high school. They were so worn through that I had to cut them into shorts. There’s a lot of sentiment in those jeans...I’ll probably always have them.  

Whiskey - my soft coated Wheaton Terrier puppy (they’re an Irish breed with the coloring of whiskey) and my black kitten, Salem. Time with my puppy and kitten brings me into the moment.  

Something wild, colorful, and usually inspired by my Carrie Bradshaw fanciful mindset. Sunday is my “play dress up day”....well every day is, but on Sunday I have more time to experiment and the result is usually more inspired!

I’d love to learn to fence. My fiancé was a fencer in college and I would love to be able to dual with him. Also, I’m a big fan of the uniform and the formality of the sport. 

Starting a company off of a career high then low. At 25, I flew with my first solo designed collection to London (in carry on) to present to the British Fashion Council for London Fashion Week. Despite industry success and funding, the collection was never profitable. I experienced first hand what I had seen in the industry for years, that brands bound to be successful ultimately failed because of financial attrition in a business model stacked against them. Shortly after there was a turning point where my motivation was no longer about preserving and saving my own work, but creating a way to preserve the future of the fashion industry I grew up in and loved. This is the motivation for Nineteenth Amendment.