President + Creative Director
CurrentIn 2019, I began development of a new line of menswear and accessory pieces marrying discreet functionality, ergonomics, and style. In collaboration with co-founder Steve Keefer, I assembled a team and started down the path of crafting outerwear and carry systems for a modern urban setting. Through design, prototype, and iteration we built a line of understated and timeless pieces, defined by purpose and capability. Last week, our design and pre-production work came to its conclusion. I signed off on the final fit samples of the collection, and our partners in San Martino, Italy, began production. These artisans, responsible for crafting pieces for Armani, Zegna, and others, deliver garments at a quality level that can only be described as mission tailored luxury.Each piece is handcrafted, built entirely using sustainable natural fibers: Scottish waxed cotton canvas, Italian cashmere, Italian silk, and Nappa leather. Each stitch, perfectly placed. Every zipper and snap, custom-made for the pieces they now enable. Guided by our north star – build the best possible pieces with the highest degree of integrity, we selected and sourced the best actuating components and the most durable materials available for each garment. Holding to a standard that redefines excellence also ensured forced labor does not taint the line in any shape or form. You are undoubtedly aware of the concentration camps in Xinjiang. The leaked videos and subsequent UN follow-up confirm that crimes against humanity are now endemic in Chinese manufacturing. There is not one fiber that comes from, or through China before it becomes part of this collection. We call it The Dread and Fear of Kings. DFK for short. While a nod to the line from Shakespeare’s play The Merchant of Venice, the name is a challenge to ourselves. The true Dread and Fear of Kings is not the power politicians wield against the population, but rather a capable and thinking population that is not easily misled by opportunists.
