MEN OF STYLE: PUBLIC SCHOOL
Although there are several newsworthy renaissances happening in American fashion, many of them are nostalgic in nature. (For proof, check out the revamped, rejuvenated heritage brands governing the racks at all your preeminent department stores and boutiques.) But Public School, designed by Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne, has a vision all its own. The native New Yorkers are at the forefront of a movement in menswear that enlists attitudes of both streetwear and tailoring, done in a very
edited (but far from boring) palette of mostly black and white.
How did you team up?
DAO-YI CHOW: We met working for another company, Sean John. I left and then Maxwell left shortly after me. I opened a store in Miami [Arrive] and we were working on a private label collection for it, which was the precursor to Public School. We always stayed in contact and stupidly thought to do a collection with really no plan or foresight into how to sustain it or what it would be in five years. It was something that wasn’t really thought out terribly well. We did the collection really fast, in like four months. We’ve been hating each other ever since.
What first attracted you to one another?
DC: His eyes [laughs].
Maxwell Osborne: His cheekbones. We definitely shared the same aesthetic, especially in the design world. Growing up in New York doesn’t really mean much, but it kind of does—you understand people a little bit, I guess.
Was there a particular moment when you thought, “Wait, this could be something really important?”
DC: We were walking a trade show, looking for brands to buy for Arrive. We both said, “Wow, there’s really nothing that we both love or want to wear.” And we were like, “Let’s do it.”
What’s the ethos of the brand?
DC: We are all about taking inspiration from New York City, and our collective experience growing up. There’s a lot of emotion to it. When you think about menswear, the palette is always sort of dark, so there’s a bit of—I don’t want to say “mystery,” but [it’s the reason] why people wear black: You can be anonymous or really make a statement. It’s doing something that’s emotionally sensitive, the way that women’s wear is, but still presenting a strong look. It’s really hard and exact. Over time, it’s gotten pretty minimal—it’s really our take on what New York means to us. This big city where people from the outside think it’s tough and people are mean and people are rude...from the outside, it seems that way. But from the inside, when you break it down, people are really thoughtful and caring. I’m probably blowing out that metaphor too much.
Producing in New York seems very important to you.
MO: When we re-launched, we wanted to make sure everything was done the way we wanted it to be done. We used to produce overseas, and it felt great to actually make it here in New York. Not just as a story—it’s giving back to our city. Why produce overseas? This is our city. When the factory’s here, we can oversee the quality. Instead of flying to Asia for weeks, we can just get on the phone and run to the factory any time.
You’re known for your fabrics. What’s your research process like?
MO: It usually starts from a conversation, what we’re feeling season to season. Then we just sit down with all the mills we can, with the inspiration in our heads, and pull the fabrics from there and start designing.
DC: We’re turned on by really tactile textiles that have character to them—there’s some interest or toughness. When you see them you want to touch them. The way we combine the fabrics is also a big signature of ours. We like to work with skins and leather a lot, and we develop fabrics with our mills and figure out how to make a garment look a little fucked up. That’s part of our mantra: finding perfection in imperfection. New York is imperfectly perfect, so there’s a lot of character in the cloth and the fabric that we choose.
Are you guys control freaks with the buyers who order your collection for stores?
DC: I’m sure we could be freakier, more controlling.
MO: We’re still a little young, so we don’t demand the most.
What do you like best about the job?
MO: It’s great to impact people. It’s just a garment, but people get really happy over it. You can change somebody’s outlook on life just by designing some clothing, which is kind of amazing.
What are your personal closets like?
MO: My closet is pretty minimal. It’s just like 50 black tees, 30 gray tees, and some other pieces mixed into that. I used to have a lot of leather jackets, but I’ve been giving those away.
You’ve received a lot of attention in the past year. Is that a blessing or a curse?
MO: Both.
DC: It’s a blessing.