Highdive

October 23, 2025 / Photo: Courtesy of Danielle Simone

Driven by the idea of “innovative reuse,” Lila Habermann creates accessories that stylishly showcase secondhand textiles through her brand Highdive.

Habermann has always been a fashion enthusiast and says she grew up sewing, secondhand shopping, and pouring over the New York Times Style section. She moved to the city from Minneapolis to attend Parsons and went on to work at several retailers and manufacturing companies — but found that she felt removed from what drew her to fashion in the first place. 

So she began working on her own initiative that would allow her to transform often-overlooked materials. She found an ideal outlet in accessories and started creating different types headwear out of silk scarves, principle among them being a clever scarf-hat hybrid called “The EDIE.” Named after “Little Edie” of Grey Gardens fame, the design is an elegant amalgam of form and functionality, and can be worn in a variety of ways.

When designing, Habermann says that she lets the past inspire her but isn’t confined to its conventions. While she loves old things, she likes reframing them in fresh new ways. Her most recent collection is inspired by 70s office aesthetics, and features an array of vintage patterns in autumn-friendly browns, rusts, and reds. 

In the future, Habermann plans on making more innovative secondhand accessories as well as sourcing and selling vintage fashion.

More about Highdive can be found here.