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Michelle Ochs, Bio

Michelle Ochs

Cofounder; Designer, Cushnie et Ochs. New York

To compliment yesterday’s badass, we bring you Carly Cushnie’s business partner and stellar all-around chick Michelle Ochs, co-founder of NYC-based cult-loved label CUSHNIE ET OCHS. Since graduating in 2007 from Parsons and winning the Designer of the Year award from their final class, they launched their company in 2008 and put on their first runway show for Spring 2009, where they gave Bergdorf Goodman the exclusive to their debut collection. With experience behind her at fashion houses like Chado Ralph Rucci, Isaac Mizrahi Couture, and Marc Jacobs, Ochs, who loves a good fur and hairbands with spikes (that she made herself FYI), Michelle infuses her precise discipline and order that she learned from and education in military school into the line. Hmmm. We’re starting to think we may have a badass duo on our hands. When they aren’t finishing each others sentences (we’ve always wanted a twin for exactly this reason), they draw upon their mutual love of art, architecture, and the female form to help the evolution of their label. A lover of Jil Sander kicks (she has multiple pairs of the same styles), and little figurines (especially Lenny and Carl from The Simpsons), her style can only be summed up by two words. “My style can be described as Minimal Gangster,” she states. “It’s clean, sharp, edgy and architectural”. But, while she may have suffered some fashion emergencies (we’re talking about the ER here…not perms gone wrong), she’s never one to hold a grudge – especially to the one and only Jil Sander. Case in point: photo #15. “The first time I wore these shoes I fell and split my head open, I had to get two staples in my head just days before fashion week.” Talk about dedication to one’s craft!

Meet Tony. I found him in a shop in Hong Kong and he was so big I couldn’t fit him in my suitcase so I had to hand carry him on the plane like a baby. Guess you can say I am a sucker for duos and underdogs...what better a reminder than Lenny and Carl from The Simpsons? These figures are from Kid Robot.

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Headband, Custom Made by Michelle Ochs

You can never go wrong with black. Every girl needs the perfect black everything: clutch, sunglasses, boots. Metal accessories never hurt either!

Read More

All, Various Designers

If you are true and consistent to your style, dressing becomes so much easier. Because we design clothes, I like for my accessories to be both quirky and unique to compliment our designs.

Read More

All, Various Designers

I originally bought the conservative version of these shoes in navy and loved them so much. They were so comfortable that I went back and bought all three versions.

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Shoes, Jill Sander

These pillows were from Kiki de Montparnasse. They are my mom’s favorite thing in my apartment.

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Necklace, Unknown Designer

I love texture. The pillows are grey Mongolian lamb hair from West Elm. The first time I wore these shoes I fell and split my head open. I had to get two staples in my head just days before fashion week. Still love these shoes.

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Shoe, Jill Sander

This is one of my favorite fur coats. We do one every Fall, and every Fall I have a new favorite fur coat. The necklace was given to me by Carly; she bought it when she was sixteen in London. I love the odd figures.

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Coat, Cushnie et Ochs

Love this dress from our Fall 2011 collection. The combination of a short leather dress and long leather fringe is a recipe for a good time. It's so playful. The ALDO collaboration for Fall 2011 combined our love for leather and metal.

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Dress, Cushnie et Ochs; Shoes, ALDO x Cushnie et Ochs

I love the idea of hard and soft, something that is both feminine and edgy. The dress on the left is from our Spring 2011 collection, again it’s that soft fabric with pleated leather. The dress to the right was from our first collection. It is silk gauze with vinyl embroidery. I love pairing Doc Martens with our dresses.

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Dresses, Cushnie et Ochs; Boots, Doc Martens

My style can be described as Minimal Gangster. It's clean, sharp, edgy and architectural.

Read More

Dress and Top, Cushnie et Ochs

The metal necklace is from a random jewelry store in New York. The metal clutch was a birthday present from Carly.

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Clutch, Calvin Klein; Belt, Maison Martin Margiela; Silver Cuff, ASOS

This dress is a custom print we designed. It is meant to look very sweet but up close contains a headless torso and sharp jagged edges.

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Shoes, Cushnie et Ochs; Shoes, Jill Sander

A great jacket goes a long way. There is nothing like a great jacket. The leather trim compliments the heavy jersey perfectly, and keeps the jackets beautiful shape. Its impeccable tailoring that stands the test of time.

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Jacket, Cushnie et Ochs; Shoes, Jil Sander

This is my usual travel set. I worked all summer in high school to get this bag and it has seen me through all my travels.

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Shoes, Doc Martens; Suitcase, Louis Vuitton

I died when I saw these on the runway, and I knew I had to have them. I was sitting at my desk in the office and saw some shots on Tommy Ton’s site and that was it. I had them delivered them to the office. I haven’t regretted it. This horsewhip does come in handy, it was part of a Halloween costume but I didn’t want any old whip, I wanted a real hand braided one; it was way too beautiful to get rid of after that.

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Shoes, Yves Saint Laurent

L'Oreal will be happy to know their challenge box was put to good use! Our design challenge for the 2011 CFDA/Vogue fashion fund was presented in this box, it was too beautiful to get rid of. The shoes inside are Jill Sander. I own three pairs.

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Shoes, Jill Sander

I made this custom headband from spikes we sourced for our Spring 2011 collection for the spiked heels but we never used them; so I spiked a rubber headband. It’s my favorite hair accessory...and I never wear hair accessories.

Read More

Headband, Custom Made by Michelle Ochs

Leather, metal and plexiglass make up most of my accessories. I like to think of my accessories as a collection and I love discovering new shapes and styles. I cannot wait until we are designing our own accessories, the white flake leather bag is the first accessory we made for ourselves from scrap leather from the Fall 2011 collection.

Read More

All, Various Designers

you may also like

  • Carly Cushnie

    Co-Founder; Designer, Cushnie et Ochs
  • Eugene Tong

    Senior Style Editor, Details Magazine.
  • Karla Martinez

    Fashion Market and Accessories Director, W Magazine.
  • Virginie Dhello

    Fashion Editor; Consultant; Founder, VeePost.com.

Meet Tony. I found him in a shop in Hong Kong and he was so big I couldn’t fit him in my suitcase so I had to hand carry him on the plane like a baby. Guess you can say I am a sucker for duos and underdogs...what better a reminder than Lenny and Carl from The Simpsons? These figures are from Kid Robot. Headband, Custom Made by Michelle Ochs

You can never go wrong with black. Every girl needs the perfect black everything: clutch, sunglasses, boots. Metal accessories never hurt either! All, Various Designers

If you are true and consistent to your style, dressing becomes so much easier. Because we design clothes, I like for my accessories to be both quirky and unique to compliment our designs. All, Various Designers

I originally bought the conservative version of these shoes in navy and loved them so much. They were so comfortable that I went back and bought all three versions. Shoes, Jill Sander

These pillows were from Kiki de Montparnasse. They are my mom’s favorite thing in my apartment. Necklace, Unknown Designer

I love texture. The pillows are grey Mongolian lamb hair from West Elm. The first time I wore these shoes I fell and split my head open. I had to get two staples in my head just days before fashion week. Still love these shoes. Shoe, Jill Sander

This is one of my favorite fur coats. We do one every Fall, and every Fall I have a new favorite fur coat. The necklace was given to me by Carly; she bought it when she was sixteen in London. I love the odd figures. Coat, Cushnie et Ochs

Love this dress from our Fall 2011 collection. The combination of a short leather dress and long leather fringe is a recipe for a good time. It's so playful. The ALDO collaboration for Fall 2011 combined our love for leather and metal. Dress, Cushnie et Ochs; Shoes, ALDO x Cushnie et Ochs

I love the idea of hard and soft, something that is both feminine and edgy. The dress on the left is from our Spring 2011 collection, again it’s that soft fabric with pleated leather. The dress to the right was from our first collection. It is silk gauze with vinyl embroidery. I love pairing Doc Martens with our dresses. Dresses, Cushnie et Ochs; Boots, Doc Martens

My style can be described as Minimal Gangster. It's clean, sharp, edgy and architectural. Dress and Top, Cushnie et Ochs

The metal necklace is from a random jewelry store in New York. The metal clutch was a birthday present from Carly. Clutch, Calvin Klein; Belt, Maison Martin Margiela; Silver Cuff, ASOS

This dress is a custom print we designed. It is meant to look very sweet but up close contains a headless torso and sharp jagged edges. Shoes, Cushnie et Ochs; Shoes, Jill Sander

A great jacket goes a long way. There is nothing like a great jacket. The leather trim compliments the heavy jersey perfectly, and keeps the jackets beautiful shape. Its impeccable tailoring that stands the test of time. Jacket, Cushnie et Ochs; Shoes, Jil Sander

This is my usual travel set. I worked all summer in high school to get this bag and it has seen me through all my travels. Shoes, Doc Martens; Suitcase, Louis Vuitton

I died when I saw these on the runway, and I knew I had to have them. I was sitting at my desk in the office and saw some shots on Tommy Ton’s site and that was it. I had them delivered them to the office. I haven’t regretted it. This horsewhip does come in handy, it was part of a Halloween costume but I didn’t want any old whip, I wanted a real hand braided one; it was way too beautiful to get rid of after that. Shoes, Yves Saint Laurent

L'Oreal will be happy to know their challenge box was put to good use! Our design challenge for the 2011 CFDA/Vogue fashion fund was presented in this box, it was too beautiful to get rid of. The shoes inside are Jill Sander. I own three pairs. Shoes, Jill Sander

I made this custom headband from spikes we sourced for our Spring 2011 collection for the spiked heels but we never used them; so I spiked a rubber headband. It’s my favorite hair accessory...and I never wear hair accessories. Headband, Custom Made by Michelle Ochs

Leather, metal and plexiglass make up most of my accessories. I like to think of my accessories as a collection and I love discovering new shapes and styles. I cannot wait until we are designing our own accessories, the white flake leather bag is the first accessory we made for ourselves from scrap leather from the Fall 2011 collection. All, Various Designers