In infusing each of her designs with fantasy and romance, Samantha Pleet has created a brand and a signature look that has boutiques -- and Urban Outfitters stores -- around the world clamoring for more. Home is where the heart is -- and Pleet's studio and home are located in Williamsburg, where she feels as comfortable creating costumes for her friends as she does new clothing lines for the likes of Fashion Week.

Samantha Pleet, 27 years old, lives in a walk up in Williamsburg, a few blocks away from her workroom, which she shares with two close friends. All three are designers, and try their new looks out on each other before bringing them out into the world. One of Pleet's lines, Rapscallion, graces the shelves and hangers of Urban Outfitters, but at heart she is an independent boutique designer whose whimsical jumpers and the flirty bows that adorn them remind one of Paris, circa 1920s. 

Pleet, at five foot with long dark hair, thick bangs and wearing one of her own signature jumpers, meets me at a cafe filled with books in her neighborhood. She is excited to talk about her life as well as her designs, which she says are intertwined. She lives with her husband, Patrick, an architect who just designed her first Menswear line.

"I live in Williamsburg because I want to be inspired by my surroundings when I wake up and walk to my studio," says Pleet. "I am a hard working New York girl watching other hard working young New Yorkers live their lives. I want to create clothing for them."

Pleet started off at Pratt School of Design in Brooklyn, and after graduation she was a stylist for Harper's Bazaar. "I recommend that designers just starting out should work as stylists. You understand what is out there, you build a base for yourself." After a year as as a stylist, she created a lookbook and began traveling around California, talking to boutique owners. Satine, a well known boutique that caters to the celebrity crowd, took on her line, and she began gathering a following.

Three years and several seasons later, Pleet looks back at her life. "I had a magical childhood," laughs Peet, who laughs and smiles often. "I created costumes for my friends when I was little, and little has changed. I make wedding dresses for them, and outfits for parties. It's my favorite thing to do."

She thinks Vivienne Westwood and Betsy Johnson when she has designer's block, because she says that these characters are the epitomy of the liveliness that can only be found in New York. "They both took a lot of chances in life, and so do I," she adds.

One of Pleet's latest lines, Bodkin, features her latest gamble -- eco-friendly materials. She and her friend Eviana Hartman designed the line to contribute to the growing trend, but says the materials still aren't very accessible to designers. "Fabric stores will have maybe one or two bolts of organic fabric, it still hasn't become a mainstream concept," says Pleet. Sexy and minimalist, unlike her other lines this one would be out of place in a world of unicorns and centaurs; but it is unmistakably Pleet in its simplicity and its clean lines. Mini dresses and bustiers feature, but her signature jumper also returns -- as a more mature version of itself. Samantha's advice to the newbies: "Use fashion school as a time to experiment as much as you can, and try to make everything, even the really difficult things." She also recommends an internship. "It's helpful to learn how the business side works -- in fact you usually get to learn how every aspect of being an independent designer works."

As for business advice, Pleet says to start small -- it's okay to put out a collection once every six months. "I put out a full collection right away, but that was because I had so many ideas running around in my head that I just had to make them -- all of them," she laughs. "And you don't need a crazy runway show. You can be creative -- I convince friends of mine in bands to be in my video, they play their music and wear my clothing, and the video becomes my installation for the runway show."

The latest film can be seen on her website, and features her Spring 2009 collection, Season of Wonders, shot by director Tom Hines; the male and female models wearing the clothing lounge in various geometric shapes donning masks of different colors and prancing around a white room. The designer even has a cameo.

Music plays a big part in what comes out of the cloth in her workroom. Naysayer, Joy Dvision and Sonic Youth keep her creative.

Pleet's future plans? "I would love to do a couture line," she says. "I don't read my horoscope -- I don't want to know where my life will take me. I like surprises. I think positively, and aim to work even harder, and thats' about all the planning I am going to do."