DESIGNER BIO - JOHN VARVATOS

A look from Varvatos' S/S 2013 collection

A Greek-American hailing from the suburbs of Detroit, John Varvatos credits his early obsession with Motor City rock and roll for his interest in fashion, and it is clearly a unifying theme in his design.

Varvatos turned heads early on in his fashion career, serving as head of menswear design at Calvin Klein and later at Ralph Lauren where he created the successful Polo Jeans Company. In 1999 he opened his own fashion house, which debuted its first line in late 2000. The original “black-less collection” of casual-cool suiting garnered critical acclaim and a CFDA New Talent award, followed by a Designer of the Year title in 2001.

The brand has grown into a lifestyle, including a line of footwear for Converse, handbags, eyewear, and luxury skincare and fragrances, all unified by the John Varvatos musical sensibility and sophisticated touch.

Varvatos boasts a boutique at 315 Bowery in New York, the space that formerly housed seminal underground music club CBGB. Seventies audio equipment, vinyl albums, and electric guitars are sold side by side with the designer's minimalist menswear. Memorable ad campaigns for his collection have featured legendary icons Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper, Velvet Revolver, and Green Day among others.

Look for new arrivals from John Varvatos at Butch Blum now.