222: Maroon 5's Anti-Celeb Debut
Adam Levine is not the average guy.
As guitarist and songwriter for band Maroon 5, he won a couple of Grammy awards in 2005, and he has performed with music stars such as Rihanna and legendary genius and recluse Sly Stone. Celebrity-news magazines also photographed him squiring starlets around the most fashionable places.
Although he’s now adding “designer” to his reacute;sumeacute;, he’s promising to steer clear of typical rock-star looks, stars or music-industry sizzle.
“I’ve always been pretty anti-celebrity fashion,” said Levine, who will debut his new clothing label, 222, at the upcoming Project trade show in Las Vegas.
Levine joked about being the most under-dressed person in the room and said 222 will be the polar opposite of Lady Gaga’s electric Las Vegas look or even the neo-beatnik look of rock ’n’ roll hipsters populating Los Angeles’ Echo Park neighborhood and Portland, Ore.
Instead, 222 will offer a clean, straightforward look. There are no prints, stripes or embellishments in the line, which offers 20 styles for men and 40 styles for women. The line is composed of an assortment of knits—including T-shirts, thermal tops and selvage jeans—said Aristotle Circa, Maroon 5’s longtime stylist and a designer for the brand.
“These are the great American basics,” Circa said. The strength of the brand stands on the fashion’s fits and the soft, comfortable fabrics used in the line. Almost every piece in the line is manufactured in America. The knits are put together at C.C. Clothing in Gardena, Calif. Acting as a consultant for the line is Levine’s father, Fred Levine, who is co-owner of the prominent Agoura Hills, Calif.–based M.Fredric chain of boutiques.
222’s men’s tops will use soft, Pima cotton for the T-shirts as well as the beefy thermal shirts. The line steps away from the clean look somewhat with a “pucker” fabric used in the some of the tops, which gives the fabric a stylishly rumpled look. The men’s line also offers selvage jeans and a motorcycle jacket.
For the women’s line, a prominent fabric is silk/modal, which is used for wraps, tanks and dresses. Another feature of the line will be its collection of colorful scarves to accent the clean pieces.
Wholesale price points range from $20 for V-neck T-shirts to $80 for long zip hoodies. The core price points range from $35 to $40.
Clean and comfortable may not be buzzwords for rock ’n’ roll styles, but it is Levine’s sartorial style and is evocative of the Southern California look that defines him and his Maroon 5 bandmates. Levine and Circa designed the look of the brand. Levine worked as a fit model for the label and will appear in some of the label’s low-key ads.
Levine plans 222 to be durable as a tough pair of jeans. “I want it to be wearable in all circumstances. I’d like it if you keep a pair of jeans for 15 years.”
For more information, e-mail info@222brand.com or call (310) 622-7222.—Andrew Asch
