Want an inside look at the life of TV’s hottest costume designer?  Eric Daman, the costume designer for “Gossip Girl” and the much-anticipated “Carrie Diaries,” has teamed up with Swarovski and Cambio for “The Daman Chronicles, “a reality web series following Eric as he gallivants around New York City prepping for a shoot, researching for upcoming television seasons and meeting with his influential fashionista friends.

The web series will be exclusively distributed on Cambio this summer. The first episode premiered June 19 following a live-streamed kickoff event at Swarovski’s Lincoln Road boutique in Miami.

You can watch the first episode of “The Daman Chronicles” HERE.

Leading up to “The Daman Chronicles” premiere, Swarovski and Cambio invited fashion fans to tap into their own costume design abilities through participating in the Dress as your Favorite “Gossip Girl” contest.  The best interpretation of a character’s overall look according to Eric Daman will win the Rocket Necklace from Swarovski’s summer jewelry collection and Seasons One through Four of “Gossip Girl” on DVD, a more than $550 value!
Here is Eric Daman with the two Gossip Girl contest winners during the premiere.

How did you first get started in costume designing and what led you to costume design?
In general, fashion and clothing as well as, a huge fan of all things cinema have always interested me…. I studied French lit at the Sorbonne in Paris where I was also working as a buyer/merchandiser for a designer boutique where we sold Patricia Field’s line House of Field, a stint modeling with Steven Meisel and Calvin Klein. It landed me in NYC where I reconnected with Patricia who asked me if I would be interested in assisting on SATC. Three seasons and an Emmy win later I decided to move on to become my own designer and the rest is history…

How did you land the position of Gossip Girl’s costume designer?
A producer from The Door in the Floor (my 2nd feature film that I designed solo) was on board for the GG pilot and thought I had the perfect design sensibility that Stephanie Savage (creator/writer) was looking for. I took a meeting with Ms. Savage and during my presentation we discovered we shared at least 85% of the same tear sheets as mood board inspiration for the characters and the rest is history.

Who on the cast of GG is your favorite to dress and why?
It’s impossible to choose, it would be like selecting a favorite child. They are all so different and dressing/establishing each of their styles was such a great and inspiring engagement that to choose a favorite would be tres gauche. (I do have a bit of a crush on Liz Hurley and her wardrobe from last season however)

How do you feel about having your own web series?
The web series is REALLY exciting for me. Anything that involves Swarovski you know will be a class act, which is why I decided to do this with them. They are such an iconic and distinct brand that continuously gives back to the theater, costume and fashion world that it is always a pleasure to collaborate with them.

What will we see on The Daman Chronicles? Relationships? Photo shoots?
Tune in!!…Friends, fashion, insider tips and so much more. A lot of fun and hopefully instrumental to the viewers at home to get a bird’s eye view of a “day in the life.”

Do you like being in front of the camera instead of behind the scenes? If so, why?
I was president of drama club at my high school in the mid west but honestly I like both sides of the camera. There is so much to explore and create artistically that I couldn’t choose. I just feel so honored and privileged to be where I am at this point in my career that I just hope to continue to expand my horizons and others’ at the same time.

In the future, whom would you want to design for most?
I would actually like to go into direction and production to be able to really create a full ED entertainment experience.

Is there anything else you want to share with our readers?
Thanks for the interest and support, keep on watchin!

xoxo

E

Watch the trailer for “The Daman Chronicles” HERE.

Rithanie Gonzales is the Style and Beauty Editor for Chic Galleria. She is a recent graduate from the University of Washington. Internally, writing is something she’s always been passionate about and seeks to work in fashion pr. Rithanie has her own blog and you can follow her on twitter @ritgonz

Tags: Cambio, Costume Designer, Eric Daman, Gossip Girl, Swarovski, The Daman Chronicles, webisode