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Clothing brand John Varvatos is marking a major milestone with a new collection and new recollections about its storied musical past.
The rock and roll-inspired menswear label is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a new “John Varvatos Anniversary Collection,” which merges the brand’s downtown New York roots and lived-in aesthetic with reworked materials and silhouettes. The campaign was fittingly shot in various locations across New York City, including at 315 Bowery, the former home of the legendary music club CBGB.
Ellwood Shearling Coat
$3,998
Buy Now AT JOHN VARVATOS
Hand-distressed and aged
John Varvatos calls the collection “a love letter” to its fans, with pieces defined by “refined textures, artisanal details, and razor-sharp silhouettes,” per a release. Fit for rock festivals and everyday dressing alike, the pieces include a revival of a long shearling coat that was first designed by VP of Creative Karl Aberg for John Varvatos’ fall 2000 runway (Aberg is still with the brand 25 years later, by the way).
The “Woodward” jacket below, meantime, reimagines a suit jacket in Italian lambskin and a shimmery silver herringbone finish (the original piece has been seen on everyone from John Legend and Daniel Craig to Beatles’ legend Ringo Starr).
Woodward Soft Jacket
$2,998
Buy Now AT JOHN VARVATOS
Party-ready
The 25th anniversary collection also includes casual T-shirts, jeans and stage-worthy leather boots, like the appropriately-named “Two Five Zip Boot” below. The men’s boots feature Italian lamb leather construction with “folded” detailing along the top, and a hand-stained leather sole.
Two Five Zip Boot
$1,198
Buy Now AT JOHN VARVATOS
Made in Italy
The shoes — as with the other anniversary pieces — also bear anew hand-drawn emblem created just for the collection, with two interlocking “Js” over a stylized and filigree-inspired “V.”
25th Anniversary T-Shirt
$188
Buy Now AT JOHN VARVATOS
100% organic cotton
The new collection continues John Varvatos’ legacy as a go-to brand for both musicians and smart-dressing men alike. According to COO Catherine Jobling Scorey, music has always been an undercurrent for the brand’s collections, drawing direct motifs from genres and artists, to more subtle waves of inspiration and vibes.
“The brand’s music influence originally stems from John Varvatos’s profound love for music, particularly rock and roll,” Scorey tells Rolling Stone. “From the beginning, music was integral to our office environment in Manhattan; we would play an eclectic mix of genres, from punk and rock to soul and jazz and we still do,” she explains. “This deep connection to music, combined with inspiration drawn from musicians’ style and rebellious attitudes, has shaped the brand’s ethos and menswear DNA.”
Similarly, musicians have also drawn from John Varvatos, with the likes of Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper, Slash and Velvet Revolver pulling pieces for their tours and appearing in ad campaigns for the brand over the years. “One of the most exciting moments for me was Iggy Pop’s appearance in our Fall 2006 ad campaign, shot by Danny Clinch in Central Park,” Scorery says. “The styling, location, and energy of that shoot are still a strong reference for me.”
Though John Varvatos is now known for its edgy and adventurous pieces, the brand’s roots were decidedly more simple. “Back in 2000the brand had a more minimal, oversized feel,” Scorery explains. “It even won CFDA awards early on for that vision. The aesthetic was very clean, oversized, and fashion-forward. But as it evolved, it really fell in love with rock and roll and started working closely with musicians — everyone from KISS to Jimmy Page,” she says. “That collaboration with music shaped the brand into something sexier, edgier, and more in tune with that rock spirit.”
The 25th anniversary collection launches the next chapter of John Varvatos, one that Scorery says moves towards a more “contemporary, modern American sensibility” while still being “grounded init’smusical heritage. Music has always been, and will always be, at the heart of John Varvatos,” she declares.
SHOP JOHN VARVATOS 25TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION
With 25 pieces for 25 years, the new collection offers “modern takes on our greatest hits,” Scorery explains, from denim and suiting, to outerwear, accessories and more. While many of these pieces wouldn’t look out of place at the office, at a fine dining restaurant, or for travel, they’ll forever be linked to the music scene and music culture. The pieces can take you from a meal to a mosh pit and everywhere in between, and the brand wouldn’t have it any other way.
As Scorery declares, “The connection to music has really shaped not just the style, but the whole culture around John Varvatos.”
