Derek Lam & Jan-Hendrik Schlottmann
CFDA Award winning fashion Designer & entrepreneur, respectively
Talent, brilliance, and kindness leave me feeling grateful that I tell stories for a living. So, it was a delight to have the opportunity to photograph the renowned fashion designer Derek Lam and esteemed entrepreneur Jan Hendrik-Schlottmann—two soulmates and long time collaborators who epitomize these characteristics—at their home in Gramercy Park, along with their dog Roscoe.
Below, an excerpt from The Wildest feature on this buoyant, and super talented trio. Interview and words by the magazine’s wonderful Editorial Director, Samantha Gurrie:
Derek Lam and Jan-Hendrik Schlottmann have been partners in life and work for nearly two decades, building Lam’s eponymous label, then contemporary line 10 Crosby — which has defined the modern look of a generation with clothes that are at once elevated and effortless. The award-winning designer has dressed everyone from Beyoncé to Michelle Obama, but his most fetching model may just be the couple’s Irish Terrier, Roscoe. The dapper dog has been behind-the-scenes at the atelier, fittings, photo shoots, and even starred in a Barneys Window display. Schlottmann recently launched Câllas Milano, a reimagined luxury brand with sustainability cred — naturally Roscoe donned a floral printed scarf. We caught up with the family at their Gramercy Park apartment to talk about how, despite how prolific his dads are, Roscoe always seems to steal the show.
Tell me about Roscoe. He must have been the cutest puppy.
He was amazing...and he still is! I remember trying to train him when we were living in Soho — it was impossible to go down the street without people stopping us to pet him. We thought it was because he was a puppy — the cuteness factor — but throughout the last eight years he’s still stopped all the time because he just has such a wonderful demeanor and he looks a little cartoony. He’s a dog who people fall in love with. We can’t make it down the street without two or three people stopping us, literally.
Sounds like he has the perfect temperament for an office and studio dog. Is his cuteness factor ever a distraction at model fittings or photo shoots?!
He always has to be the center of attention when we’re doing photo shoots in the studio, so he knows his way around a set. He’s actually amazing in front of the camera — I think he’s just intrigued by the person photographing him, so he kind of models a bit. I was pleasantly surprised by how cool he is about having his photo taken.
He just brings so much happiness to anybody who meets him — people go nuts over him and he goes nuts over them. And he’s fearless: If there is a cluster of women on a street corner, he invariably has to go up to them to get attention, with not only his tail wagging — it’s a whole body wag. He’s really personable and I think he enjoys the reaction, the kind of positive spirit, that he gets from people.
When you welcome any creature — human or animal — who’s vulnerable and depends on your guidance, it really broadens your awareness about everything, from the environment to animal cruelty. How do you make sure they are safe? Your first instinct is to protect them (in our case, Roscoe) and then that extends to having this protective instinct for the general population as well.
I think that’s one of the most important things I’ve learned since having Roscoe — just to be conscious of how do we make sure that this creature has the best life possible? When I first was interviewing trainers, I was asked, “What do you want to achieve with this training program?” I think the point was she wanted specifics, like potty-training or fetch or recall, but my response was, “I just want my dog to have the best life possible!” That was my goal from the beginning.
We take him everywhere, which is perfectly fine by us. You can see the well-being of a pet if you spend time with them — when they’re stressed or relaxed or puzzled. It’s subtle what you can pick up without having the use of a shared language! That’s one of the most satisfying things: when you can answer what you think your dog is asking you — it’s just amazing to have that connection with an animal.
I always say, if there’s nothing else that reassures me about humans — because there’s a lot to wish that we could do better as a species — the fact that we raised dogs to have the best parts of our nature gives me comfort to know that humans can do a good thing. Over the centuries, we’ve created a perfect creature. Loyalty, humor, fidelity, empathy — all the best things you want from another human is encapsulated in your pet. It’s incredible. So much of what humans have created — there’s a downside. I don’t think there’s a downside to dogs.
Photos © Kimberly M. Wang | Reproduction is not permitted.
