New York-based menswear designer John Varvatos is known for having a brand that carries rock’n’roll inspired collections and rebellious footwear. During a recent interview with star2.com, the designer opened up about many things, including how music and fashion allow him to remain “wild at heart.”
The following are quotes from interviews with the Los Angeles Times and the Tribune News Service:
“I saw early on music artists were shopping with us and contacting us about clothes and photo shoots and tours,” Varvatos says.
“And I thought, ‘That’s pretty amazing.’ Then you get people who were icons when you were growing up who want to wear your clothes or are already buying your clothes someplace. And you’re like, ‘Oh my god, Jimmy Page is buying my clothes.’ Or Alice Cooper or Iggy Pop or whoever it was at the time.”
“At this time in the world, we need people who have voices,” he says.
“We need people that aren’t meek and sit back, but they want to create change out there. They don’t want to put up with the that’s going on. Even in the music industry, I believe it’s time for those rebels again – the ones that have a voice that isn’t just a fun pop song.”
Varvatos is currently 63 years old and has just recently opened up a new Westfield Century City store in Los Angeles. This store will be added to the list of stores in California such as in Hollywood, Malibu, Costa Mesa, and San Diego. Varvatos also raises money for Stuart House, a foundation of the Rape Treatment Center at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center.
