Dan's Papers - August 24, 2007 - John Varvatos

John Varvatos began designing his men's lifestyle collection in 2000 - not too long ago, in fashion years. Since then, he has created a new trend in men's fashion that combines classic styling with a laid-back that is unmatched by other leading designers' work.

Varvatos grew up in Michigan and got his first exposure to fashion in college, while working in men's clothing stores. He received a degree in teaching and education, but upon graduation, Varvatos gave in to his addiction to design and put aside a career in education to pursue his fashion interests.

After owning a store in Michigan for three years, Varvatos got the chance to work at Ralph Lauren's Midwest offices and later headed to New York. In these first years at Ralph Lauren, the young designer interacted and was involved with much of the company's design team. This is when he realized, "Wow, this is what I want to do," he remembered.

Upon this epiphany, Varvatos took an array of night classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City and later, got more involved with the design side of Ralph Lauren.

After seven years with the company, he had the opportunity to be the head of menswear at Calvin Klein and went for it. He started the cK collection and had the chance to revamp a variety of things, including the company's underwear line.

"I was starting a lot of things from scratch," Varvatos said.

He returned to Ralph Lauren in 1995 as the head of men's design. It was during this time that Varvatos created and launched Ralph Lauren's youthful Polo Jeans Company, which became a great success. After a few more years at Ralph Lauren, Varvatos decided it was time to do something new - so he went solo.

"It was an opportunity to do something different in the marketplace," Varvatos said.

Varvatos saw a void in the fashion world between the preppy and Euro-chic styles, so he created a style based on his own unique vision. From skintight pinstripe suits and tailored wool vests to leather motorcycle jackets and skinny European-inspired ties, the Varvatos style is both edgy and haute. This unique style has resulted in his being named Steve Perry's official designer during Aerosmith's most recent tour. In keeping with his rock n' roll sensibility, his advertising campaigns, shot in gritty black-and-white by music documentarian Danny Clinch, star Iggy Pop, Slash, Alice Cooper, Chris Cornell and other artists with a taste for high fashion with an edge. The first John Varvatos men's line came out in the fall of 2000 and as a result of its success, the Council of Fashion Designers in America (CFDA) honored Varvatos with the Perry Ellis Award for New Talent. Fall of 2000 was a busy time for Varvatos as it was then that he debuted both his first men's line and his first store in SoHo. Since its start in 2000, the company has opened stores in six locations - the newest on Newtown Lane in East Hampton - and has sold pieces in other venues throughout North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Varvatos designs several collections, including the John Varvatos Collection, the Star USA Collection - for the younger customer - and Converse by John Varvatos. He has also started producing fragrance, skincare and eyewear collections that have only added to the company's success.

Along with the Perry Ellis award, Varvatos received accolades in 2001 and 2005 as the CFDA's menswear designer of the year, putting him on the same stage as Michael Kors, Marc Jacobs, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and Helmut Lang. He attributes this recognition to the fact that he has been able to become more focused and aggressive with his designs with each collection. "Like anything in life, you really get your rhythm," he said.

When asked about his biggest learning experience in his business thus far, Varvatos responded that working at Ralph Lauren was "the most defining place [he] had worked for" and that Lauren taught him to "never compromise my vision." Although his newest store on Newtown Lane is just a stroll away from his old employer, mentor and friend, he does not feel competitive with Lauren, as the two designers maintain a mutual respect for one another's careers and design for a slightly different clientele. Varvatos also mentioned that working for Calvin Klein gave him the chance to experience the more modern side of fashion, while Ralph Lauren was taught him how to create a classic look.

On top of establishing himself as designer, Varvatos also values philanthropy and gets involved with the communities in which his stores reside. His store in West Hollywood has donated $1 million to the Santa Monica Rape Treatment Center and a portion of the proceeds of the sale of the Jim Marshall photographs chronicling the lives of artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Keith Richards and Johnny Cash that are on display at the new East Hampton store until September 3 will be donated to the Ross School. Varvatos values education - whether academic, musical or artistic - which is why he chose the Ross School as the beneficiary of the event.

Although Varvatos' name might be new to the Hampton shopper, he has been a visitor to the East End for the past fifteen years. He frequently visits his in-laws in Southampton and always enjoys what the Hamptons have to offer. Varvatos maintains that, "even with some of the area's development, something about the Hamptons still seems untouched" to him. When he comes out here, he likes to spend time with his family, catch up with friends and relax on the beach. Besides his favorite hangout, the Clam Bar, the designer enjoys hanging out at his new store and watching people take in the whole experience. "I'm so busy during the week that it's nice to not always be in the midst of all the craziness," he said.

John Varvatos has earned this respite. Although he cannot be at his new store every day, he was involved with every facet of the design of the East Hampton location. He wanted the outside to look as if the store had been there for a long time, while fitting in with the local East Hampton shops. For these reasons, Varvatos decided to keep the original front faccade of the store, so it felt like his store belonged to the community. The walls are lined with photographs of classic rock n' rollers, vintage furniture and lighting, which he began collecting nine months prior to the store's opening. Varvatos' passions are deeply embedded in all things vintage and rock n' roll and his new store reflects that. "This store became a lot more about my personal sensibility," he explained.

In the upcoming year, Varvatos plans to open four more stores. "It's a very exciting time for my team," he said. As the company continues to grow and he sees more people wearing his clothes, Varvatos likens the uplifting feeling he gets to the moment at the Academy Awards when Oscar-winner Sally Field got on the microphone and said, "You like me! You really like me!"