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Doing Splits With Betsey Johnson

Doing Splits With Betsey Johnson

4:47·By Gemma G
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SUMMARY

Betsey Johnson welcomes Young Hollywood into her New York City studio to discuss her reality series "XOX Betsey Johnson" and her role as creative director for her brands. She shares insights into what defines a "Betsey Girl," her unique design process, and her perspective on fame. The interview concludes with a playful moment of Johnson attempting to teach host Baruch Shemtov how to do the splits.

About this video

We love a gal who dances to the beat of her own DJ, and Betsey Johnson has moxie in spades! We catch up with the quirky designer in her NYC studio where she fills us in on her reality series on Style Network, "XOX Betsey Johnson", which also features her daughter Lulu. She also gives us some insight on what she thinks defines a "Betsey Girl", her creative process, and how she perceives her own level of fame. Stick around because we're doing the splits! Hosted by Baruch Shemtov (@baruchshemtov).

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FULL TRANSCRIPT

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Young Hollywood

Hey guys, Berok here with Young Hollywood. She's beautiful, she's bold. She's Betsy Johnson. And we've got her here behind the scenes at her studio in New York City.

Betsey Johnson

Young Hollywood. I love, what is this with this cool tie? Wait, well that's one of my ties. What is this? That's my name. There's a hole in it. Far out. That is which is from fashion. This is where I get, you really insult me because it's like all I did my whole life was needlepoint. I usually say the wrong things and it gets all screwed up. You haven't seen one episode yet.

Young Hollywood

I've seen little bits and pieces. But we have not seen, we're terrifedly happy.

Betsey Johnson

What we did was very real, very much the flow of our lives the past year. And it's over the bridge or down the waterfall or water under the bridge, right? Water under the bridge. It's both of them together, right? It's great.

Young Hollywood

You're going to something of a real venture right now, right? What would you say Betsy 2. 0 looks like?

Betsey Johnson

I'm the creative director of all my brands. I need to keep the image of the brand in all the categories, really kicking, and so that's what I do now. You do the stuff that is very Betsy.

Young Hollywood

Yeah. Who's the Betsy girl?

Betsey Johnson

I don't know, it's all how you feel. It's the person inside the thing that makes the thing. Defines what that design is. It can be a whole bunch of stuff. I mean the wedding dress is a perfect example, I think. I mean you can take a bride's gown but every bride's gonna make that gown look different. That's right. It's about the attitude. It is.

Young Hollywood

Well you have a lot of celebrity fans.

Betsey Johnson

I'm very happy because I'll see like Cameron Diaz, "Oh I'd love to say hi to Cameron but I'm too scared." And she'll go, "Hey Betsy!" So

Young Hollywood

You're iconic. Everybody knows you.

Betsey Johnson

They know me, they know me. So that's but you get intimidated by celebrities. You are a celebrity.

Young Hollywood

Yes.

Betsey Johnson

Oh no, that's a totally different category. Do you still get butterflies? Do you still get Tarmonto celebrity. They're movie star celebrities. That's That's a whole different world to me. That kind of celebrity. Or a Katy Perry or a Nicki Minaj or Madonna or a music person. That's celebrity.

Young Hollywood

A couple of your fans wrote in some questions on Facebook. I have a question from Adamas La Te Cone, a big fan of yours. We hear here something about a new workout line.

Betsey Johnson

Yeah, that's a trip. That was cool. If you saw the show, Adam, a lot of the stuff that I made for the show is going all my spray-painted prints and the girly, the flowers and the cutesy, and then the rocker. It's always pretty and punk. So, it's I think it's gonna hit around September. Workout stuff is the new jean. It's kind of like the dress, then the jeans and the t-shirt, and for me, the workout wear, I like better than the jeans and the t-shirt. You can hot wash, hot dry, hot. They hold up. There's a lot of kicking quality and you still look great.

Young Hollywood

Another fan of yours, Michelle Clark, wanted to know how your wanted to know how your creative process differs when you are designing for yourself versus designing with another brand.

Betsey Johnson

Well, every time I do anything it's for me. So I gotta get more into the real stuff that I would wear. I I love my sneakers and I have a new bridal bunch of shoes that are really the shoes. Um I mean they're just diamonds and spikes and studs and but the creative process is for me. There we go. It starts with me. What do I feel like? I don't know a trend from a Schmend. I mean I just I mean I get the drift but I know what I connect to.

Young Hollywood

Betsy, what's it gonna take to teach me how to do a split? Can we try?

Betsey Johnson

You're kidding. Can you do one?

Young Hollywood

No, you gotta teach me.

Betsey Johnson

Well, it's nothing about teaching, it's just if your muscles are never tightened up. Oh my god. Mine never did. I I swore for the rest of my life. I was That's pretty good. You you could pass. You can do the hip hop and now absolutely fabulous. And that's a wrap.

Timestamps are approximate — click one to jump the player.

PEOPLE MENTIONED

  • Baruch Shemtov

    Host of the interview

  • Betsey Johnson

    Featured designer and interviewee

  • Lulu

    Betsey Johnson's daughter, featured in reality show

  • Cameron Diaz

    Celebrity fan of Betsey Johnson

  • Katy Perry

    Example of a movie star celebrity to Betsey Johnson

  • Nicki Minaj

    Example of a movie star celebrity to Betsey Johnson

  • Madonna

    Example of a movie star celebrity to Betsey Johnson

  • Adamas La Te Cone

    Facebook fan who asked a question

  • Michelle Clark

    Facebook fan who asked a question

FAQ

What is "XOX Betsey Johnson"?+
"XOX Betsey Johnson" is a reality series on Style Network that features designer Betsey Johnson and her daughter Lulu.
What does Betsey Johnson do now?+
Betsey Johnson is the creative director of all her brands, focusing on maintaining the brand's image across all categories.
What defines a 'Betsey Girl'?+
Betsey Johnson believes a 'Betsey Girl' is defined by how a person feels inside and their attitude, rather than a specific look or trend.
What is Betsey Johnson's creative process like?+
Betsey Johnson's creative process starts with herself and what she feels like, as she designs for herself and what she would wear.
When will Betsey Johnson's new workout line be released?+
Betsey Johnson expects her new workout line to hit around September, featuring spray-painted prints, flowers, and a 'pretty and punk' aesthetic.

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