Isaac Charles Menswear: Fusing Europe and America
The Isaac Charles collection of upscale urban menswear fuses a variety of styles into custom fabrics and “details found nowhere else in the fashion world,” according to Charles.
“My vision is to create quality clothing that fuses modern American design with classic European style,” he said.
The first presentation of Charles’ designs was for Spring 2002. That collection and the current Fall 2002 line are influenced by the designer’s perspective on how American men want to look and feel.
A Los Angeles native, Charles previously worked as designer and merchandiser for Original Man Wear, owned by NBA star John Stark, and began his own collection when singer and model Tyrese asked him to design clothing for his performances. Charles partnered with longtime friend Chicago White Sox all-star Royce Clayton to create Royce Isaac LLC, a holding company that coordinates the design, marketing, manufacturing and distribution of his collection.
Urban Apparel Associates (UAA), the West Coast rep for the line, also creates relationships for Charles to design private-label lines for other entities.
Charles’ collection is tightly merchandised, according to UAA’s Wes Moore, who said that it was trimmed from 140 to 40 pieces. “We wanted to have a collection that we could effectively deliver, and currently, the industry is driven by matched sets. We kept the hottest, most marketable pieces,” said Moore.
Isaac Charles has been placed at such upscale men’s boutiques as Bernini’s, Platinum Plus, New York Looks, Burton’s and Fandango’s.
For more information, call (210) 688-1185, or go to www.isaaccharles.com. —D.J.
