Can you give us a little background on how your business came to life?
I started Brave GentleMan in 2010. It was the first fully vegan menswear brand, and the focus was on footwear. But I didn’t go to school for fashion. I went vegan in the 1990s when many people didn't even know what the word "vegan” meant, so I had a background in animal advocacy. I started writing about fashion in my pursuit of finding well-made menswear that was vegan, and when I couldn’t find the shoes I was looking for, I decided to try to have them made. From there, it was lots of learning on-the-job and trial and error. I credit my optimistic naïveté for shielding me from anticipating just how difficult it would be to run a fashion brand! After a few years of growth and research into innovative vegan materials, I was recruited to teach at Parsons and there I wrote a book on the topic of animals in fashion - something to which no one else had yet dedicated an entire book.
Brave GentleMan started as a proof-of-concept; a way to fast-track application of innovative materials onto high-quality designs, and has grown into a a brand with 14 years of respect and recognition. We have done collaborations with innovators like Natural Fiber Welding to feature their plastic-free, animal-free vegan leather called MIRUM, and with textile manufacturers like EcoSimple who use waste-diverted fibers to make gorgeous, dye-free, recycled wovens. Our customer is anyone who enjoys classic menswear asthetics. We also appeal to people motivated by sustainability and animal protection.
Which moment or experience (if you had to pick one) was the most impactful in turning your business into a reality?
in 2010, Brave GentleMan was operating out of my Brooklyn apartment. I had inventory tucked into corners and in closets. I think the moment I realized that my business was something that could grow and be successful is after our first collection of shoes sold out and we started getting requests from celebrities’ stylists, inquiries from magazines like GQ, Forbes and Vogue.
What inspires you on an everyday basis?
I've realized how powerful a tool clothing is for articulating ideas and identity while also being part of a global fashion industrial complex impacting millions of workers, billions of animals and ecosystems everywhere. This realization shifted my relationship to clothes. Clothing has taken on much more meaning beyond just aesthetics. The way something was made, who made it, what it’s made from and what impacts it has should inform what we consider to be “good design” today. I am incredibly inspired by material innovation — I believe the emerging field of next-gen materials defines the next industrial revolution. Innovations range from plastic-free and biodegradable leathers made from agricultural waste and recycled CO2, to cell-cultured skins, engineered and fermented simple cell-organisms coaxed to produce sustainable color, texture, and durability. Additionally, there's harnessing waste-diverted biomass, algae, mycelial root structures, and plant-based fibers from banana, lotus, and even bacteria in ways that are truly visionary. A lot of this is featured in the film SLAY that I am a part of (www. slay.film)
What does it mean to you being a small / minority business owner in New York City?
Being a small, LGBTQ-owned business in NYC is empowering. NYC is historic for LGBTQ+ rights - from Stonewall and Martha P. Johnson to Drag Balls, GMHC and Act Up. NYC is also considered a fashion capital of the world, with a rich history of legendary designers, runways and garment factories. I also have family history here. My grandparents were first-generation Jewish New Yorkers whose refugee parents fled antisemitic pogroms. Some of them worked at a dress shop and at glove factories in the “shmatte” (clothing) trade, and having my fashion business here feels like a continuation of that heritage.