Christian Francis Roth

[6] He spent a little over a year learning the trade, including basic cutting, sewing, and pressing techniques, after which, he was allowed to design items such as scarves and eventually garments, which were sold at Van Den Akker’s Madison Avenue store.

[7] Roth continued his employment with Van Den Akker while taking night classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology and Parsons School of Design from 1986-1987 and 1987-1988 respectively.

[7] Roth’s first collection debuted in the Autumn of 1988, featuring tailored wool jackets adorned with pop art motifs such as barking dogs, dance step patterns and clothespins.

Roth's crayon inspired jackets and dresses (Fall 1990) transformed a raglan sleeve into a writing instrument while using the body as a canvas for colorful inset "scribbles".

Later collections featured color-blocked styles inspired by Matisse’s decoupages, patchwork reminiscent of Amish quilts, and giant dollar bills printed on silk.