#stikeleather

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Lookbook - FW15 - Stikeleather - Directed by Austin Starrett Winchell - Music: 'Temel' (Jamie xx Remix) by Glasser

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#STIKELEATHER

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Teaser: Ian Stikeleather | Fashion & Film

One of our favorite brands we have been working closely with over the past couple months is a magnetic menswear brand, Stikeleather. It was conceptualized by the owner Ian Stikeleather in 2010 and has only grown since! Everything is machine washable, dry cleaner safe and considering the many interchangeable options, timeless. We took the time to sit down and pick his brain last week about his inspirations, style essentials and favorite films. Our full article on him will be released tomorrow morning so we though we would give you a small sneak peak!

Los Angeles being the center of the film industry, tell us about some of your favorites movies and their inspirations?

My taste tends to vary with my mood, because life is fluid so I try to remain fluid as well. So I shall divide and conquer this question by genre by giving you a list of 3 (in no particular order, just my favorite) for the following 5 genres; Comedy, Action, Suspense/Thriller/Horror, Romance and finally Sci-fi/Fantasy. I don’t distinguish between cinema and television because film is film regardless of whether you watch it at home or not!

 COMEDY

Swingers: This movie is a love letter to LA, and back in Indiana there was an entire year where I had it on a loop in the background in my room.

Blazing Saddle/Spaceballs: I know these are two movies, but Mel Brooks is amazing. Entourage, This show always cracks me up, its silly wish fulfillment but the locations in LA they shoot make the town look great and the relationship between Ari Gold and his Wife is sweet and classic.

 ACTION

Rocky: I love the Rocky movies, all of them and I don’t have to explain why, it should be obvious.

Bullit: With Steve Mcqueen, best car chase ever with an iconic car, that McQueen drove himself. 

Unleashed: With Jet Li, Bob Hoskins and Morgan Freeman. This is Jet Li at his most violent, and also most terrified and Bob Hoskins (RIP) at his most evil and Morgan Freeman at his most benevolent.

SUSPENSE | THRILLER | HORROR 

House of Cards: This isn’t horror per say but the plot twists and the moments that leave you with your jaw on the floor come early and often, also Kevin Spacey is by far the best actor of his generation.

Seven: Also Kevin Spacey, and who can forget "What's in the boooxxx?!"

Bram Stoker's Dracula: It is a visually beautiful film, and I love beauty, even in my horror movies.

Hamlet: Honorable Mention* goes to Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet, it is word for word Shakespeare, tackle it someday and you’ll be glad you did.

ROMANCE 

Annie Hall, this movie is endlessly quotable, and its impact on fashion was huge and is still to this day ongoing.

The Thin Man series: This was a series of films done in the 30s and 40s about a rich and witty couple that were shamelessly in love, flirted constantly and solved crimes together. Check it out because it is truly fantastic!

The Mindy Project: Mindy Kaling is the funniest women out there in my estimation and watching her walk the line between fantasy and reality when it comes to her relationships kills me. Chris Messina is also a great actor and watching them do the ‘will they or wont they’ thing is very entertaining to say the least.

SCI-FI 

The Star Trek Series: A lot of Science Fiction like to imagine a post apocalyptic scene or a Wild West type scenario, but not Star Trek. Star Trek’s shameless and perhaps naive hopes that technology will bring together humanity and create a utopia that will let us explore the stars together cultivates such optimism. Michael Kaplan, the costume designer for the new Star Trek movies, did such an incredible job, they are beautiful and quite wearable actually. I even loved the parody Galaxyquest.

Serenity: Joss Whedon's movie based on the TV show Firefly, great ensemble, very funny, and great writing by Whedon himself. This is me at my most hipster thinking I liked Joss Whedon before it was cool haha!

Game of Thrones: I know this is fantasy and not sci-fi, but close enough. The costumes are out of this world amazing, and I’ve had the chance to see many of them in person at the FIDM Costume Museum. I  love this show mainly for the costumes, the story is a bit convoluted, RR martin likes to kill people just to shock the viewer/reader and there are a tad too many sexually violent scenes, but oh the beautiful clothes. This show tends to reinforce the adage ‘the better you are dressed the worse you can behave".

Stay tuned for the complete piece tomorrow morning!

Xx

N & R

[7daystheory]

I will admit, I am a fan of innovation. I believe innovation is what solves some of the world's hardest and most devastating problems.

As we continue to solve hard problems that effect people’s health and life expectancies, people are also innovating in the arts, in this case it is the menswear fashion segment of the arts.

Ian Stikeleather believes that there are better ways for men to dress that could be more efficient, more versatile, and more creative. That sh*t sounds cool to me!

Ian Stikeleather created the brand in 2010 with the future of customization and individuality in mind. Stikeleather comes from a desire to bring design choices to the consumer and is for anyone whose life takes them from the office to the beach to their favorite hotspot seamlessly.

Stikeleather is not only a brand, but instead a lifestyle clothing line of the future. Defined by its patent pending magnetic closure technology and reversible accessories, each piece can be mixed and matched to create a truly customized look unlike any other. Stikeleather is for the trailblazer, the guy who wants to stand out from the crowd in style.

We recently sat down with Ian to discuss how he got started with Stikeleather.

  Check out his interview below…

  Please describe your position at your company.

I am the Founder and Creative Director, but to the State of California I am the President of Stikeleather. I don’t like to get bogged down in names and titles. I am the guy who does it when it needs to get done. I have been doing this for 3 years.

  How long have you known you wanted to do what you are currently working on?

I studied apparel design in 2008. I was and still am drawn to the speed and intensity of the industry and the people therein. I haven’t even sold the spring 2014 collection and I am already fabric shopping for fall 2014, and that’s not just me but the entire industry. It operates with a swiftness that is seldom found.

  Why are you passionate about what you do?

I am passionate because this is my Name. I put the name Stikeleather in every garment I make, and I cant let my name go out on something substandard.

  How did you overcome your own doubts and the doubts of other people?

Doubt is a slow creature, Doubt creeps up on you, Doubt cant catch you if you keep moving. I am always thinking about whats next, and this is how I remain relatively doubt free. And also make sure you keep someone around who like to disagree with you. Because having to back up your opinions, ideas, or your “arguments” with an actual argument means two things. 1 everyone is invested enough in the project to argue about it and not cave to a bad idea. 2. A really bad idea, a “what was I, nuts?” idea will usually get shot down, which is the point.

      What were some bumps you hit to get where you’re at now?

I have searched high and low to get all the pieces of the clothing puzzle (design, production, sales, marketing) to start fitting together, and it has taken a much longer time than anticipated. I have learned to overcome impatience, as it leads to a loss of focus, which can obscure your vision of where you wanted to be in the first place. Work hard and be proactive, but don’t get sidetracked when the inevitable lull times come.

  What is one thing you did wrong in the past that you can share with people?

The list is too long to fit here, but I have allowed business relationships to blur into personal relationships. When you become personally close to someone you work with, what happens when their work cant keep up? What happens when you have an argument? Can you still work together? Loyalty is great, but at what cost? As a general rule keep your business professional, and your personal life personal, and if you find someone that can transcend both, then marry them or hire them.

      What is a way you got your name out there?

Social Media. the big 5. facebook, twitter, instagram, pinterest, and tumblr. But the Bloggers are my favorite, they do the research and pry the good stuff out of the internet.

  Is there anything that almost stopped you from doing this?

A career in real estate. I was going to follow in the family business of developing property into suburban neighborhoods. I owned and ran a small construction business (see position above) I overcame it thanks to the Great Recession, which sent me back to school to something I loved

  Is there anyone in your profession that you admire and/or model yourself after?

Tom Ford

Style, Managerial Skill,Cross Industrial Success (see A Single Man)

    How do you continue to perfect your craft?

By constantly updating the idea of clothing, It has been historically provided 3 things. protection from the elements, self expression, or a socioeconomic status indicator. These things are all great but there are better ways to do all three of them. I think clothing should help humans interact with the world more efficiently and help their bodies function better. I think you will soon see electronics and health and medicinal devices small enough to be embedded in clothing. I mean I don’t foresee us all in Iron Man suits or anything, but a screen on your sleeve and an automatic insulin regulator in a glove will be coming, so to help be a part of clothing becoming more useful than it has in the past will hopefully be a legacy I can leave in this industry.

  How do you envision the future of your product/services?

See earlier answer about perfecting my craft. I am playing with heated and cooled clothing right now but you’ll hear more about that I’m sure.

  What’s some advice you can share for anyone who wants to pursuit what you are doing?

Immerse yourself in it. You need to become a vacuum of anything associated with your industry or job. And if you really want to make it you need to move to where its happening. Music=Nashville or LA; Film=LA; Finance=New York; Fashion= NY or LA, Tech=San Fran. you need to live in and breathe the same air as the people who are daily doing what you want to do. Malcolm Gladwell says it takes 10,000 hours of doing what you do to become a master of it, and the truth is that its probably more hours. So its up to you whether those hours take 3 years or 10 years.

      How much of your business is driven by online buyers/clients?

Not much, I wanted a brick and mortar experience before I really went whole hog on the web.

  Where can people go to find out more about your awesome products/services?

twitter @stikeleatherLA

Stikeleatherapparel.com

Facebook: StikeleatherLA