STYLE PROFILE
A scene from House of St. Clair's brick and mortor. OPPOSITE: The Marrakech shirt.
ANDREW DUNKIN: Carson, many of your designs
call back to the roots of the garment industry. Where did that inspiration come from? CARSON MONAHAN: This may sound cliché, but from my granddad. He was one of the first men that I noticed had style. And for me, growing up in the skate and music culture of the ’90s, style was important. He looked elegant no matter what the occasion. Those early inf luences are with me from season to season, but in our own twist. I’ll take a fabric like check tweed, generally used to make a suit or hunting jacket, and make a hoodie or an oversized shirt. It’s fun to take original inf luences in menswear and make them into something that speaks to our generation. AD: How would you describe House of St. Clair? CM: We combine classic with contemporary. I would consider most of our clothing as unisex. For example, many of our pants have a high rise that works well on women. With our tops, we don’t make anything that is super-slim, so on a guy, it’s more shapeless and draping, which also works well on women. Our brand advocates for quality of product. It’s always been important for us to have everything made in the U.S.A., not only because we can easily communicate to somebody in California, Texas or New York who’s making our product, but also to ensure top quality control and well-paid partners. When we source materials, we want to know where the best wool comes from, the best corduroy, where the best denim mills are. LAUREN KIRBY: Yes, because you can’t stand behind something, say it’s made the right way, and not be part of the process. AD: Lauren, how did your experience at Esby lead you to join Carson at House of St. Clair? LK: At Esby, I learned ever y thing from marketing to branding to wholesale, production,
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design and even down to the finances. That base allowed me to hone in on my love of product development — concept to creation — and the making of the garment. AD: Tell me a bit about your personal styles and how that reflects House of St. Clair? LK: My design style is vintage and modern, masculine and feminine. It has to do with my love for old runway shows, vintage pieces, old music and movies. We both enjoy going to vintage and antiques stores to look for clothing, objects, books and art that inspires us. Sometimes it’s just one little detail on an item that we develop further and work around. AD: I can see you two sitting at home, watching “Casablanca” and taking notes. LK: [Laughing.] We really do that. CM: For me, all the inf luences in my life, from grunge to hip-hop, jazz to electronic, have given me a lineage to draw from. Our style is a mix of
the old and new, and I think House of St. Clair reflects that. AD: What gave you the confidence to develop your personal style to what it is today? LK: Dressing for myself. We too often dress for the people around us, but you feel most confident when you feel comfortable in your own skin. When I started doing that, I became more confident. And trying more-adventurous looks, because it’s fun to take risks in fashion. I love picking out outfits in the morning, wondering if things will work together, and then seeing them come to life. CM: Neither of us has a problem with taking risks and wearing something a little different. I like to be comfortable and look good. Clothing is self-expression, so why not have fun with it? If other people think it’s weird, who cares? It’s just clothes. For us as designers, we want everybody to feel