Katie Holmes on APC launch, sharing clothes with daughter Suri and Dawson’s Creek catch-ups

Katie Holmes talks about her style and its evolution over the years, touching on the major inspirations throughout her life as she launches a new capsule collection with APC. Photo / Getty Images

The US actress is back with an exciting new project, and rare anecdotes about daughter Suri and Dawson’s Creek.

Katie Holmes is uniquely influential within millennial circles. The 45-year-old first blessed television screens in 1997, playing the uber-cool Joey Potter - a strong-headed teen with a tomboy attitude fans adored - in 1990s teen drama series Dawson’s Creek.

But beyond the show, Holmes has also made a name for herself within fashion. An iconic J. Crew campaign with her Dawson’s Creek co-stars in 1998 kicked off her modelling career, and the actress worked with her stylist friend Jeanne Yang to create their namesake fashion label Holmes & Yang.

No one can forget when Holmes stepped out onto the street in a Khaite cashmere bra and cardigan set in 2019, selling out the set and helping to raise the profile of the New York brand.

Now, bouncing off her reputation as a celebrity whose style is seen as both aspirational and attainable, Holmes has turned her attention towards designing a capsule wardrobe collection in partnership with APC, which launched on June 6 online and in-store.

APC was launched in 1987, with the acronym standing for Atelier de Production et de Creation (Production and Creation Workshop). With a design studio and workshop centred in Paris, the company creates minimalist-style clothing deemed “authentic and accessible by way of its style, prices and philosophy”, the brand’s website says.

APC has a global presence with over 70 stores worldwide, selling menswear and womenswear from London to Tokyo to Sydney.

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Holmes “[stepped] into the memories of APC garments of the past, bringing inspiration from collections of the early 2000s and working to make them modern and relevant to the 2024 experience”, the brand said on Instagram.

The collection includes statement pieces like the Ella Coat and the Katie Grace leather bag. It also includes ribbed jumpers and cardigans, blouses, tops, pants, skirts, shoes, and jackets suited for work, leisure, and everything in between.

To curate the collection, Holmes journeyed to the APC archives in Paris last summer to work with the APC founders Jean and Judith Touitou. Using their past garments as inspiration, they’ve blended French style with NYC flair to create a distinct look for the new collection.

“I remember the 90s as being about looking really simple and very natural. That’s what I wanted this collection to embody - pieces that are cool but not recognisable and [which] can fit into your existing wardrobe seamlessly,” Holmes said to the Times. “Pieces that will last you years, with that edge of classic French style.”

Holmes has had a high profile for a long time. The Batman Begins star first began in Hollywood in 1997 in her debut film The Ice Storm. Joining Dawson’s Creek in 1997, she starred in the show for all six seasons while playing roles in films like Teaching Mrs. Tingle and Pieces of April.

She met Tom Cruise, now 61, in April 2005, and the pair were engaged seven weeks later, eventually marrying in November 2006. Holmes later filed for divorce in 2012 after five and a half years of marriage.

Her recent film work includes Coda and Logan Lucky. She’s also ventured into the directorial space, creating and starring in the films All We Had (2016), Alone Together (2022) and Rare Objects (2023).

Holmes is understood to have a close bond with her and Cruise’s daughter Suri, who turned 18 in April.

Suri has remained estranged from her father for most of her life since he and Holmes split in 2012. Holmes raises her daughter alone in New York City, where they have become known for their chic New York City street style and elegant looks.

Holmes confessed to the Times that often her wardrobe “basics definitely disappear”, jokingly hinting that Suri likes to raid her mum’s closet for clothes to wear. “But that’s fine.”

Katie Holmes walking through SoHo on June 5, 2024 in New York City. Photo / GC Images

When asked if she was keeping her clothes for Suri to eventually have, Holmes replied: “Um, sure. I mean, I’ve saved some things here and there. But she has her own sense of style and her own expressions.”

Suri is shaping up to follow in her mother’s footsteps by pursuing her interest in clothes. She’s tipped to be studying fashion when she heads to Carnegie Mellon University at the end of summer.

Suri’s creative side is likely attributed to Holmes and her mother, who ran a drapery business and is a skilled quilter.

Recalling when Suri was young and asked for a fairy-themed party, Holmes told InStyle: “So we went to the fabric store and picked out everything we needed for fairies.”

“I wanted her to create things instead of having stuff done for her. That way, she was always in charge.”

Holmes emphasised she wanted to ensure Suri could take control of her own life and express herself.

“My biggest goal has always been to nurture her into her individuality. To make sure she is 100 per cent herself and strong, confident and able. And to know it,” Holmes told InStyle.

The mother-daughter duo are often photographed walking around NYC together wearing complementary, 1990s-inspired fits that blend vintage and modern sensibilities.

However, the Dawson’s Creek actress unassumingly dresses for herself, not for the cameras, and said she doesn’t think she is someone with an eye for fashion.

“No, I’m not. I really look at other people that have an innate sense of style, and I’m like, ‘Oh - that with that! Okay, that’s cool,’” Holmes said to the Times.

“I’m always looking for inspiration. I like to mix and match classic pieces. I like vintage a lot.

Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise out for a walk on February 6, 2021 in New York City. Photo / GC Images

“Living in New York City, I have to have things that are practical and comfortable. The city influences my style. Usually I’m in ballet flats, sneakers, baggy jeans and a T-shirt. I like putting it together in a way that doesn’t look like [I] put it together.”

Holmes was quick to thank Dawson’s Creek and its crew for introducing her to Hollywood and giving her the platform to grow. She even credited it for instilling a deeper understanding of what fashion and style mean to her.

“I feel my education in clothes and their meaning came out of working in television and movies, working with great costume designers and having it explained to me what it means if a character has a cable-knit sweater over a plain sweater, and how that reveals a part of them. I fell in love with thinking like that, and letting the clothes really dictate a certain part of someone’s essence.”

The Dawson’s Creek cast used to be some of the biggest names on TV and helped set fashion trends for teens in the 90s. This laid-back style makes use of baggy jeans, T-shirts, crop tops and sweaters to create a simple look that has since become mainstream today.

When asked about an alleged WhatsApp group chat that all the Dawson’s Creek cast is in, Holmes jokingly acted shocked and replied: “Really?”

“I wasn’t aware of the WhatsApp,” she told the Times. “But you know what? I’m really bad at WhatsApp. I never check it because it’s a little too much.”

Still, Holmes said that the crew still keeps in touch “every now and then”, noting, “Everyone’s grown-up and is busy, but the bond will forever be there.”