Billy Reid Interview

I have a friend who was working as an intern under Billy Reid’s creative director in New York City, and was recently promoted as head of Social Media and Communications for the brand as a whole.

Billy Reid is an American designer, who started in the deep south of Florence, Alabama, and is known for making classic styles in high quality fabrics. He has grown in consistency, as well as reputation, and his outerwear and shoes for men is where he is most credible.

Because Claire is a close friend, and because we frequently have creative conversation, we “back and forth” on the brand and her thoughts since she’s had an inside into the brand as a whole.

I transcribed some of her statements specific to my concentration here:

>> Billy always says « if anything, be cool. » Billy’s designs began in Florence, AL and were pigeon joked as a Southern. After years of success within that realm of fashion, he’s really looking to elevate and move beyond it. We’re going to be a part of Pitti this year, in Italy, which will be massive for us, in a European sense.

Billy’s clothes are largely made in America – it’s something both he and our customer care a lot about. There’s a pride there and also a control over the quality of his clothes and emphasis on the way his employees and workers are treated.

When it comes to how he represents European fashion that’s tough bc he focuses so much on made in America BUT our shoes are made 100% in Italy.

Libby, Billy’s Creative Director recently went to that shop and talked with the makers of our shoes and the whole process. It’s grandfathered in process and they make them all in this tiny little house in the city.

His shoe designs are very, very classic. He has done many partnerships with shoes but his actual designs are my favorite and play a huge part in elevating his collections – since they are most often built for wear and comfort and layering. But his boots, loafers, and monks make his outfits different. I think that could be a tie to European fashion. Not only that it’s made there, but his clothes are basic, staples that are built entirely about fit and to last, and that the shoes make the outfit. <<

Find more information and images on Billy Reid, here:

http://journal.billyreid.com

adidas stan smith Trends

All trends go in waves; it’s the nature of fashion and of life. This is especially evident in shoe trends. A couple years ago white high top Chucks were all the rage in Europe. That trend eventually moved to Europe as well.

Next, Europeans started wearing the black Nikes that we’ve talked about in recent posts. These are still seen quite frequently around Europe, and their presence is increasing rapidly in the States.

Now that Mamie and I are at the two month mark, we’ve seen diverse groups of people in arrondissements around Paris. And we’ve noticed another new shoe trend that is popping up left and right:

adidas stan smith shoes!

These sneakers were first released by Adidas in the 1970s as a tennis shoe. They were quite unique during their time because they didn’t feature the signature three stripes that are normally seen on Adidas products.

By 1988 adidas stan smith’s had sold 22 million pairs and were listed in the Guiness Book of World Records, and by 2008 30 million pairs had been sold in total.

But this year, adidas relaunched the stan smith sneakers, offering customers the ability of customization. Most frequently around Paris we have seen men wearing the traditional white with green accents. However, it is not rare to see white with black or red accents!

It’s clear that these shoes are becoming all the rage among younger men on the streets. They’re cool and sporty; they can add edge to any sort of outfit. Buy a pair now in order to get ahead of the masses, and you won’t be sorry!