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"If you saw me every day, you would actually think I am wearing the exact same gray suit," Thom Browne told us before Housing Works' annual Fashion for Action event Wednesday night. Fittingly, Browne was wearing his signature three-piece gray number at the time. "I don't spend much time getting ready at all. Probably like 5 minutes." Easily done when your wardrobe is chock-full of your own lavish designs. We sat down with the menswear designer to discuss fashion collaborations, style icons and Tokyo's Fashion's Night Out:
You always look so dapper, who is your style icon?
My father. He was as classic as could be, but there’s something so nice and confident about someone that’s so effortless and easy. It doesn’t even look like they think about it, but somehow they always look good.
Who is the person you imagine wearing your clothes?
It’s the idea of somebody that’s just really confident, a true individual, somebody that understands the quality of clothing, but also who wants to be himself, who doesn’t want to be like everyone else.
You've collaborated with Brooks Brothers and Moncler for years; would you ever consider doing a fast fashion line with H&M or Target?
You know, I would never say never, but with those sort of things I really have to want to do and have the time to do it, but it really comes down to the people. I have done projects with Brooks Brothers before because they are an amazing group of people – the collection I do for Moncler is the same, I respect what they are as brands and so it really depends on that. I think that is the only real way collaborations work, when the two parties understand each other and understand where each person is coming from. I just did a collaboration with Rei Kawakubo at Comme des Garcons in Tokyo for Fashion’s Night Out and that was a huge success.
What did you think of Tokyo's Fashion’s Night Out compared to New York?
It was overwhelming. I’ve been to all of them [in New York.] Here, it has done really well, but it was also multi-tiered in Japan because of what the Japanese people have gone through in the last year and a half. It was a great time and we actually sold a lot. The main mission of that night is to get people to shop.
What was the last thing you purchased?
I’m not a real shopper , but actually just bought champagne flutes in Tokyo.
For some timely nostalgia, take a look back at Thom Browne's Thanksgiving-themed Fall 2011 collection below:
