Outlook Magazine - Fall 2020

In 2008, the same year she founded Stitched Up, in New York, Hogan- Braker made her first suit — for Thomas Keller, chef, restaurateur and cookbook writer, who owns the Napa Valley (Calif.) restaurant the French Laundry and Per Se in New York. “A man’s suit is the hardest garment that you can make,” Hogan-Braker said. “A woman’s dress is fashion, so it can look any which way. A man’s suit has boundaries and rules. That is why I am obsessed with suiting. Sometimes I will tweak things a quarter of an inch, and it’s theirs and it’s custom.” Hogan-Braker has met and helped many stars. “They are like regular people who want their workday to end and get back to their families,” she said. “You don’t get to be at that level without being an incredibly hard- working person.”

ERIN IS A SAVVY BUSINESSWOMAN WHO SAW GAPS IN THE INDUSTRY AND KNEW EXACTLY HOW TO MEET DEMAND

Gindy Neidermyer, College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Management interim dean and a professor in the apparel program, has followed Hogan-Braker’s work for years. “She has a keen eye for styling and savvy tailoring skills to create a jean fit unlike any other,” Neidermyer said. “Erin is a savvy businesswoman who saw gaps in the industry and knew exactly how to meet demand. Erin has amazing sewing skills.” After graduating, Hogan-Braker, of Edina, Minn., interned in New York for 1½ years with Alexandre Plokhov, who founded the fashion label Cloak in 2000. She then apprenticed for eight years with Nelson Arriaga. 7th Bone Tailoring is named for Arriaga’s teaching that suits were to be fit to the seventh vertebrae down. She also learned from Frenchman Nicolas Caito, of New York, who taught her pattern-making, specifically draping on the dress form.

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