Joseph Altuzarra Lands on Forbes' 30 Under 30 List, Focuses on Sexy Clothes for Older Women

Among the myriad year-end lists surfacing this week and next, Forbes has highlighted an impressive mix of talents along a variety of budding (and full-blown) talents for its epic "30 Under 30" feature, which rounds up 30 people under 30 in 12 different categories.

In the "Art & Design" category, we spotted quite a few Thread NY ones to watch, including Alexander Wang, the Olsen twins, Pamela Love, Chris Benz, Molly Yestadt of Yestadt Millinery, and Zana Bayne, whose intricate leather accessories were recently featured on Prabal Gurung's Spring 2012 runway.

Forbes gives special focus, however, to the ever-alluring Joseph Altuzarra, who founded his own company at the mere age of 24, and who, in the past two years, has become the darling of the fashion and retail scenes in the city. Interestingly, Altuzarra describes his business and aesthetic as being tailored more towards older women who want to look sexy -- as opposed to the conventional "model off-duty" downtown look that many other designers have focused on. "I wanted to create clothes for women in their 40s and 50s and 60s who have careers and are sexy and don’t want to look like grandmothers," the designer tells Forbes.

"I think when I started the company I was really interested in this idea of older women wanting to feel seductive, and wanting to feel sexy -- and be sexy. I think that's something that's really changed a lot. Maybe 20 years ago when you were 55 or 60, I think you were staring to wear more conservative clothes, and there wasn't this expectation that you would be a sexy woman ... Especially with the rise of plastic surgery and exercise and awareness of a healthier diet, that has really changed. Women today want to feel sexy."

It certainly doesn't seem like a bad business model. See the complete list of Forbes' picks for top Art & Design entrepeneurs under 30, and watch Forbes' interview with Altuzarra below.

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