Founder, Creative Director, Co-Owner of Feltraiger, LLC
@Dan_Feltraiger
Q: Where are you right now?
Working out of our new Feltraiger office in downtown LA. Weāre not all settled and moved in yet but itās really nice to finally have a place to work here, Iāve been working from home since we moved all design and production out here from Brooklyn a year ago. 1800sqft with a showroom and an actual design office, itās heaven.Ā
Q: Ā Where did you grow up?
Boca Raton, FL. I think itās mostly known for being ādeathās waiting roomā, where people go to retire amongst the beautiful weather and palm trees. Everyone hated on it growing up, maybe thatās just what kids do, hate where they are from and dream of living somewhere else, but I liked it and still do. I was in bands most of my life so I spent the majority of weekends in Ft. Lauderdale and other parts of south Florida playing shows, at band practice, and in the studio. Moved to Orlando after I graduated to go to school for audio engineering and entertainment business and then up to NYC to work for The Agency Group booking bands. I was in Brooklyn the last 9 years before moving out to LA a year a go. My plan was to come out here and get production all set up and move back to south Florida in a few years, but now that Iām here I know Iām never leaving.Ā
Q: What do you do for a living ā what are your hobbies ā how closely do these two overlap?
Iām the founder, creative director and co-owner of Feltraiger, an American made menswear brand based in Brooklyn, NY. Our first collection came out in the fall of 2010 so we have been doing this about 5 years now. I love this job and as gnarly as it gets sometimes, thereās nothing I can think of that id rather be doing with my life. Every day is different and there is never nothing to do. The entrepreneur lifestyle doesnāt lend much time to āhobbiesā, but as I get older the concept of not working myself into the ground becomes more and more important to me and Iām constantly working hard on time management and allowing myself to free my mind of work to do other things. I brought two motorcycles with me from Brooklyn when I moved out here, the Sportster is my daily and the Shovelhead is a work in progress that iām about a month away from wrapping up. I try to ride everyday and think about working on them all the time, but it doesnāt happen as much as iād like. I LOVE older cars and driving, so moving out to LA gave me the opportunity to finally get my dream truck, a 1963 Chevy C-10. When I need to lug fabric and things around town I get to take the truck, and while its in pretty great shape, it needs a lot of work. I spend some time working on it have a laundry list of plans for it too. Aside from that iām really working on spending more time outdoors, enjoying the parks and perfect weather and getting out to the beach. I grew up skateboarding and snowboarding, but surfing was always something that I wanted to learn and I have never been able to pick up. I love the feeling of just being in the water, and the way you feel all day with salt in your hair and the sun on your skin, so that was my new years resolution this yearā¦ learn how to surf! My bikes and truck are the kinds of things that encompass the ideas around Feltraiger. To me they represent the rebellious American style and are timeless, things I can work on and one day hand over to my kids and they will continue to get better with age. Thats our goal with our clothing, inspired by timeless American style with quality to last a lifetime, or two.Ā
Q: When did your relationship with PF Flyers begin?
The Sandlot! Ā When that movie came out, all I wanted was a pair of PF Flyers. I thought they were a fake shoe brand because I hadnāt heard of them before then and had never seen them in stores. I mean, I was 9 when that movie came out and there was no internet to just google a pair and have them shipped to my house. I had heard and read miscellaneous things about the company being bought and sold but it seemed like for the most part PFās were still pretty unavailable.
We were showing the new Feltraiger collection at a tradeshow in NYC and I was mid conversation with someone when I looked over their shoulder and saw the PF Flyers booth. I quickly ended the conversation and headed over to take a look. Parry gave me a walk through of the collection and I have been wearing PF Center Hiās and Loās since! My first question was āis there any chance these are made in the USA?ā, with my first thought being I wanted to carry them in our store. She assured me that they were working on it and here we are, a few years later, carrying MADE IN USA PF Flyers in our store in Brooklyn. Pretty insane how that all came full circle!
Q: What is your life motto?
Eyes out chin up. This is a little one liner I wrote for a song back when I was in a band and have tattooed across my legs. Itās about being a person and being in the world. I have a tendency to get wrapped up in things which feels like having blinders on, iāll pick up my head and almost feel like Iāve been in my own little bubble. Sometimes this will last an hour, sometimes months, and itās very easy to do when you run a business and work as a designer. Itās a reminder to live in the moment, stop to smell the roses, and participate in the world. To be less selfish and think about my place in the universe. Eyes out, chin up.
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