If you don't know about Bianca Chandon, then damn my guy, what rock have you been sleeping under? With cosigns from major fashion retailers like Dover Street Market, it's one of the biggest-little brands flourishing in menswear today—using founder Alex Olson's skateboard credentials to authentically inject skateboarding into fashion (something we've seen with the rise of hybrid skate-fashion brands like Palace and Supreme).
In an recent interview with The New York Times, Olson explains Bianca Chandon's influences—an overall aesthetic that focuses on inclusivity found in the early days of Purple magazine, the infamous nightclub Paradise Garage and DJ Larry Levan (which Olson referenced directly in an earlier collection), and the Fire Island photography of Tom Bianchi.
But Olson isn't just using Paradise Garage as a visual influence, he's basing an entire business strategy off of it. This includes plans to release a '90s-style dance EP, along with (and here's the good part) "a full ready-to-wear collection for Bianca Chandôn."
The plans for the ready-to-wear collection release are inspired directly by limited-edition bootleg records, released during a time when vinyl was king. As Olson puts it, “By producing low numbers of each piece, if it sells out at a store you have to find it some other way."
While we're drooling over the idea of copping a full-on collection from Bianca Chandon, keep your eyes (and ears) peeled for the EP, dropping this fall with help from Paul Takahashi of Sarcastic Disco, and composer Alberto Bof.
Read the full interview over at The New York Times.
