Regal & Rebel is a new women’s brand label: featuring sportswear, jewelry, and accessories collections, designed by fashion stylist Guillermo Castillo, a versatile image-maker, (For more info www.guillermocastillo.net) who has worked for Bergdorf Goodman, Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren, and Interview magazine.

The muse of the season is a fictionalized hybrid: an aristocratic punk rocker, who infuses her wardrobe with inspiration from her spiritual pilgrimage to Tibet. Inspired by the ironic mix of spirituality and rock, this unlikely duo succeeds by combining the colors and details of Tibetan dress, with quality fabrications, in classical shapes whose referential nod to punk revitalizes them. For example, the image of the regal Dalai Lama resides right next to the rebellious Sid Vicious in collage on a T-shirt.  It is the combining of opposite styles that defines the design philosophy of the company. The collection features fabrications such as silk, cashmere, cotton, light weight wool, and knit jersey. It includes items that range from the casual to the dressy, T-shirting, denim, bathing suits, day and evening dresses, jewelry, and accessories.

Guillermo Castillo was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador. He moved to New York with his family at the age of six. Spurred by an interest in art and fashion, he attended the H.S. of Art and Design.  In a stellar class featuring Marc Jacobs, he won the award for best Fashion Design portfolio. Offered a scholarship, he began attending the Fashion Institute of Technology. While completing his degree, he assisted fashion stylists for publication such as The New York Times and Vogue (German). After graduating, he pursued styling in order to meet the burgeoning demand for his services. As he states, “I feel fortunate to have been met with success as a stylist so early on in my career. In hindsight, it was an invaluable experience to be able to edit through the racks of some of the biggest fashion designers in the industry. It was an unexpected detour, which prepared me to create my own collection.” Guillermo Castillo’s debut collection Regal & Rebel, heralds in a return to his roots as a fashion designer.