Brands to check out at the upcoming trade shows.
KATIE EARY
What does a fashion student do after graduating from the Royal College of Art? E-mail Nicola Formichetti. Such was the case for British designer Katie Eary, who was given her shot after reaching out to the then-Lady Gaga stylist and current creative director at Diesel. Since that time, the designer has not only collaborated with Formichetti, but also with retailers such as French Connection, River Island, Topman, Grenson and Donda, Kanye West’s fashion label.
“I created my own company [after school] and it just organically grew,” she said of her brand, which was launched in 2010 and will be shown at Capsule.
The collection, Eary explained, is a mix of luxurious fabrics in an array of prints designed for the 17-year-old skater.
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“I have three brothers, each brother is a muse of mine — they are all completely different,” she said. “The only thing they have in common is that they dress for themselves and no one else. I love that. They all skateboard together. One’s in a band, one is at university and one is a psychiatric nurse. If they like the collection, I know I’ve done a good job.”
For spring, Eary was inspired by a Dallas rodeo. The Western-themed collection is a mix of cowboy shirts and psychedelia with bold vivid tops complete with bones, fish and cacti prints in pink, purple and orange.
The brand has dressed celebrities, including West and Frank Ocean, and is sold at Mr Porter, Harvey Nichols and Antonia, among others. Retail prices range from $60 to $368 for a printed T-shirt, to $600 to $943 for shorts.
— DAVID YI
IRON AND RESIN
Surfwear meets motorcycle culture. That’s the mantra Jackson Chandler of Iron and Resin followed when starting his company three years ago. The California-based brand caters to the man who is attuned to both surf and motorcycle cultures on the West Coast, a bridge between two worlds that Chandler thought was missing in the market.
“We didn’t think there was one brand that understood both the surf industry and motorcycle culture,” he said. “We wanted something that wasn’t too commercial or mass brand.”
The result is a line that mixes classic Western heritage influences with vintage fabrics to create a modern nostalgic look. For shirts, the brand takes inspiration from vintage Aloha prints.
“We take fabrications from the past and bring them back,” he said. “We’re taking what they did in the Fifties and Sixties with flight satins on surf boardshorts and bringing them to men who surf now. But the boardshorts they made in the past weren’t performance stretch fabrics like we see today.”
In addition to boardshorts, the brand offers pants, shorts, knitwear, wovens, fleece, outerwear and leather accessories, including wallets, key fobs and hats. For next season, the brand’s inspiration wasn’t too far from its core: mountains, deserts and oceans.
“We wanted to get dirty hues from the wash,” Chandler said. “It was a heritage Southern kind of dry, airy feel.”
The collection, which will be shown at Agenda, will be expanded for spring with denim jackets, hybrid boardshorts, a corduroy jam-style short and lightweight jackets. The collection will also introduce a Mexican-inspired Serape stripe blanket that will also be sewn into denim.
In terms of prices, jackets retail for $195, boardshorts from $70 to $88, wovens from $85 to $125, and accessories from $35 to $325. Iron and Resin is sold at Nordstrom, Aloha Sunday Supply Co., and more than 50 stores internationally, including its own unit in Ventura, Calif.
— D.Y.
NEXT: Mark McNairy New Amsterdam >>
MARK McNAIRY NEW AMSTERDAM
“I think that somehow I got pinned as preppy Ivy League but really I’m the furthest thing from it,” said Mark McNairy, of the commonly held notion of his aesthetic. “My clothes speak rebellion.”
The designer, who’s been busy working on his own Mark McNairy New Amsterdam collection while simultaneously juggling duties as a creative director at Woolrich Woolen Mills and collaborator at Adidas, said that his design approach has had a punk attitude.
“With it, there are elements of all sorts of Americana,” he said of the line that will be shown at Capsule.
Though he’s become best known for his footwear, it’s his signature camouflage prints (with the occasional yellow ducks swimming on them) in various colors on shoes, coats and outerwear that put him on the sartorial map. McNairy said his use of the print dates back to his first — and now defunct — women’s collection years ago. The love affair still exists today in his latest men’s collection.
For spring, McNairy has infused a rainbow tie-dye with indigo mixed into a camouflage print. The entire collection is composed of shirts, shorts, outerwear, blazers and footwear, including chukka boots in collaboration with Generic Surplus. The inspiration for the new season, he said, was rooted in his fascination with war culture.
“I used British prisoners-of-war uniforms, even adding a British broad arrow print,” he said. There are elements of hippie, frat boy and World War II culture as well.
“I like poking fun at this frat boy Ivy League thing,” he said. That can be seen in a whimsical varsity jacket which is cut in half, with one side in camouflage, its sleeve in red, and the other in navy, its sleeve in yellow. McNairy’s collection is sold at retailers including Opening Ceremony, Odin, American Rag, Harvey Nichols and United Arrows, and it retails from $70 for accessories to $595 for outerwear.
“It’s nice to see that people are enjoying [the clothes] but I don’t think about who’s wearing it or what demographic,” he said. “When I’m making the clothes, I’m making things for myself. To me, it’s a hobby that happens to be a business. But I’m lucky I get to make a living with my hobby.”
— D.Y.
MILLER’S OATH
It was 1906 when the six Miller brothers opened a trading post in the burgeoning town of Groton, S.D. Success soon followed and the Millers expanded into a haberdashery/custom clothier where men could buy a cashmere suit for $5. The store was in business for 20 years, but then immigration to the region slowed and it was shuttered.
Although it took a couple of generations, that love for the apparel industry resurfaced in 2010 when Derrick and Kirk Miller, great-grandsons of those pioneers, launched Miller’s Oath, a bespoke men’s clothing brand. The brothers came to the business with a strong pedigree: Derrick had worked in design at Ralph Lauren and English shoe brand Barker Black, while Kirk cut his teeth at Paul Stuart and Thom Browne.
Previously available only at the Miller’s Oath store in New York’s TriBeCa neighborhood, the brand will introduce its first off-the-rack collection at the MRket show’s Vanguard Gallery for spring.
“This is our first foray into ready-to-wear,” Derrick Miller said. The initial offering will include suits, jackets, shirts, accessories and swim trunks. The collection is all made in America and the “aesthetic is masculine,” he explained.
The design harkens back to those haberdashery days with their one-button silhouette with a cutaway front, slanted pockets and nipped-in waist. The pants are higher rise with a button fly and a single right-rear pocket. Fabrics tend to be on the heavier side, with tweed and beefier wools one of the hallmarks, along with the brand’s pickaxe logo.
Suits will retail for $1,495 to $2,295, sport coats for $1,295, trousers for $395 to $495, ties for $165, pocket squares for $110 and swimsuits for $225, Kirk Miller said. This is about half the cost of the Miller’s Oath bespoke product.
The brothers are hoping to attract both big and small retailers with the new collection. They’re already working with Bloomingdale’s and are targeting smaller specialty stores as well.
But for whomever signs on, there’s one thing for certain: the Millers vow to maintain a certain integrity in their collection. “Our name is a promise between us and our customers for a certain quality and aesthetic,” Derrick Miller said.
His brother added: “And a promise to our family that we’re upholding the tradition.”
— JEAN E. PALMIERI
MOKUYOBI THREADS
Is Thursday the new Friday? Ask Julie Pinzur of the bag line Mokuyobi Threads, and she’ll try to convince you that it is.
“Thursdays are all about being excited for the weekend,” she said. “It’s all about that anticipation. We wanted that excitement in our products too, which is why we took the Japanese word for Thursday and created our brand.”
Pinzur’s Brooklyn-based line of bags takes inspiration from the mélange of bright colors in Japan, she said, and includes hats, accessories such as wallets, backpacks, messenger and tote bags in a whimsical array of bright, color-blocked hues. Her signature best-selling, three-in-one Bedford bag transforms into a backpack/messenger/tote bag.
Pinzur began her design career at Parsons and, while studying illustration, launched the brand after studying abroad in Tokyo in 2008. It wasn’t until 2011, however, that she started working on it full-time. And after a Kickstarter campaign, Pinzur received funds to begin her business. Since then, the brand has been sold in Urban Outfitters and other smaller boutiques.
The customer Pinzur designs for is a “creative, urban individual” between 18 and 32 years old, who “likes to have fun,” she said.
In the past, Pinzur has used various themes as inspirations.
“I’ve done an Australian theme and thought what would come out of there if I went,” she said. “And then I did a ‘Moonrise Kingdom’ theme that was more like an outdoorsy one full of camping, bears, raincoats, maps and a compass.”
For spring, Pinzur will follow an intergalactic theme focusing on unique silhouettes in galaxy-inspired prints. It will include a graphic backpack with a large front pocket. The bags will come in two prints in purple and coral. The color palette focuses on pastels in purple, mint, navy and corals.
Retail prices for the brand, which will be shown at Agenda, includes backpacks from $85 to $120, hats from $45, and wallets from $32.
— D.Y.
ONIA
Onia was founded out of frustration.
Carl Cunow was working at Steven Alan and had a hard time finding a swimsuit that fit his style, so he teamed with Nathan Romano to launch Onia, a brand that straddles the line between swim trunks and summer shorts.
“It all started with the concept of hybrid suits,” said Romano, who also serves as director of sales for Onia, which means “ship” in Hebrew. “They look like normal walk shorts from the outside, but, internally, they’re a swimsuit.” Since launching at Barneys New York in 2010, Onia has made a name for itself with guys “lost in beachwear purgatory,” according to its Web site. The brand’s signature cloth is a soft cotton-nylon blend but models are also available in nylon stretch and Spanish seersucker, for example. The shorts offer a soft textured mesh on the inside and antique nickel hardware details embossed with the brand name that have been specially built for water submersion.
Onia’s signature style is the Calder trunk, which looks like a chino but can also be worn in a pool. It’s available in a variety of lengths. While solids remain a hallmark of the brand, Onia has branched into patterns as well, joining with Liberty of London to rework some of its historic prints into innovative swimwear looks. Polos, Henleys and T-shirts round out of the offering.
In recent seasons, Onia has started to incorporate more “active-inspired swimwear” into its offering, Roman said, and its new bonded short has made the biggest splash at retail this summer. The stretch-solid fabric is laser-cut and fused together with a special machine that uses no stitches and is virtually tear-proof.
For spring, Onia will be introducing a half-elastic chino short and pant and will expand its assortment with Liberty. Tie-dyed stripe prints and a new Montrose shoe built out of swim fabric with eyelets and drawcords will also be offered. The swimwear retails for $120 to $195, T-shirts for $65 to $85, and the collection is found at department and specialty stores including Barneys New York, Saks Fifth Avenue, Rothmans and others. Onia has also dabbled in third-party collaborations, working with Theory and Steven Alan on their swimwear offerings. The collection will be in the Tents at Project.
— J.E.P.
NEXT: Underground Visionaries >>
UNDERGROUND VISIONARIES
Ask the creative director of Underground Visionaries who his target customer is and he’ll reply that he is a “creative, urban man in his 20s or 30s who’s a businessperson seeking something great in life.” This, coming from 18-year-old Ibrahim Mimou from Walnut, Calif., who just started his freshman year in college and launched his firm one year ago.
“I don’t think about my age much, these are things that I like and I definitely always wanted to get into fashion as soon as possible,” he said of the line that will be shown at Liberty Fairs.
The sportswear collection is all about “timeless elegance for everyday wear,” he said. “That’s the overall aesthetic and philosophy. I want pieces that a few years down the line won’t be shocking but will complement what we’re doing then as we are today.”
The offering is composed of ankle-grazing caftans, Henley shirts and scarfed hoodies made from light cotton oxfords or a tri-blend of poly-cotton-rayon. All of the fabrics are sourced from Japan. The aesthetic, Mimou said, is loose and comfortable, but still durable and versatile. “I think that design is just a translation of what I see and what comes up,” he said.
Mimou is self-taught when it comes to fashion, having learned most of his techniques — patternmaking, stitching and digitizing sketches — from the factory workers who produce his line. To jump-start his business, he secured private investors, partnered with a businessman and also hired a full-time employee — without the help of his parents.
For spring, Mimou said he was inspired by the urban settings of Europe and Los Angeles and the way people dress in metropolitan cities. The collection includes a Windbreaker for $700, a raw brim hat for $300 and a poncho for $500. For fall, he plans to add trousers starting at $300 and a blazer starting at $700.
With its wholesale launch coming at Liberty Fairs, the teenager is hoping to open doors in an adult world. But sometimes his youth still shows.
“There’s a quote — my favorite quote actually — from [rapper] Theophilus London,” he said. “Clothes don’t make the man. The man makes the clothes.”
— D.Y.
NEXT: Knickerbocker Manufacturing Co. >>
KNICKERBOCKER MANUFACTURING CO.
What used to be a 60-year-old headwear factory at the intersection between Queens and Brooklyn is now home to the Knickerbocker Manufacturing Co., a young heritage brand that focuses on heritage-inspired apparel and leather goods.
“A 60-year-old guy, Mr. Watman, had no one to pass the factory down to and I became close to him so he passed it to me,” said Andrew Livingston, co-owner of the brand. After launching a Kickstarter campaign to take over the machines and get the business started, the brand launched a year ago and is sold at retailers including Brooklyn Denim Co., Lone Flag in California, Wheat & Co. in Nashville and Kinfolk in New York City.
“We imagine our products for the young Williamsburg dad,” said Livingston, whose background included the now-defunct apparel brand Ferris. “We don’t want to be too trendy. Our whole thing is longevity and shelf life. We want to be the go-to brand for a guy’s favorite shirt.”
The Knickerbocker collection includes shirts, sweaters, shorts, leather goods and hats, with retail prices that range from $65 for T-shirts to $500 for outerwear. Everything is made in New York City. “Our tag line is ‘Made by us in New York,’ and that’s really important to us,” he said. “There are a lot of cultural influences that we get from the city, though it is heritage-based.”
That’s especially true of the hats. “They’re actually made by our master hatter, Felix [Pantaleon], who’s been making hats for more than 30 years,” Livingston said. “He was the same guy who was at the original factory and came along with us.”
For spring, Knickerbocker will move into bottoms, including selvage chinos. The brand will also introduce a preshrunk basic T-shirt line made of heavyweight cotton and expand its offering in wovens. There will also be a shirt-jacket inspired by a vintage lapel-less suit he spotted in a vintage photograph.
“The design made us really want to get focused on outerwear,” he said, noting that denim jackets, wax canvas vests and other pieces will also be offered.
Along with outerwear, headwear will be a prime focus as well. “We run a lot of basic men’s hats from Ivy League, newsboys and others in wool herringbone and lamb’s wool,” he said.
Which goes full circle with the history of the brand and its very name.
“The Knickerbockers were the first baseball team to wear a baseball cap,” he said.
— D.Y.