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Dressing Michelle Obama: Indonesian-born knitter Evita Chu climbs the fashion ranks
Among her loyal clients are America’s luxury streetwear brands, such as Baja East, John Elliott and Reese Cooper.
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An outfit by Baja East produced by Evita Chu (JP/Courtesy of Baja East)
T
he United States presidential inauguration on Jan. 20 was a highly watched ceremony that was broadcast all over the world. Fashion-wise, the event was also a parade of some of the world’s top designers. Among the looks that stole the show was Michelle Obama’s plum suit by Sergio Hudson.
The three-piece pantsuit consisted of a long, tailored overcoat, high-waist pants and turtle-neck sweater that kept the 44th US first lady warm in the harsh January cold. The sweater was produced by PDR Knitting, a private label knitting company owned by Indonesian-born knitter Evita Chu.
“The color [of the sweater] is actually called oxblood,” Evita told The Jakarta Post. “The material is Italian yak wool and cashmere. It’s very soft and warm.”
Fashion designer Sergio Hudson had emailed Evita about the project several weeks before the inauguration and reminded her that everything about it was “top secret”.
“I couldn’t even tell my parents and husband until after the inauguration,” Evita said.
With a trusted assistant, she produced the sweater in her factory in downtown Los Angeles, California.
“Both of us supervised the process from start to finish,” Evita said. “Nothing ever left our sight. And we didn’t put a name on the project, so nobody in my factory knew.”
