John Varvatos

John Varvatos is an American luxury men's lifestyle brand built on rock 'n' roll aesthetics, and the appeal is as much about that attitude as the garments. Opinion is strongest on the leather and outerwear, while tailoring tends to draw a more mixed response. If the rock-influenced look is what you want, it can be worth it, especially on the right piece; buy for the design rather than the label alone.

Leather is where the brand earns its strongest reviews. The main John Varvatos collection is high-end menswear with rock influences, and its leather goods are widely regarded as among its best output. Inspect the specific jacket's hide and construction, but as a category this is the part of the line most buyers single out as living up to the price.

There is a direct lineage: founder John Varvatos was head of menswear design at Calvin Klein and led menswear for all Polo Ralph Lauren brands, where he created the Polo Jeans Company, before launching his own label. His house pushes a darker, rock-edged masculinity rather than Calvin Klein's minimalism or Ralph Lauren's preppy heritage. Think of it as a more rebellious cousin of the American houses he came from.

The brand is best known for rock-inspired luxury menswear, using rock aesthetics as the foundation of its designs. The main collection aims for a masculine look with a subtle edginess, and over the years it grew to include jewelry, watches, eyewear, gloves, scarves, and other accessories. A fragrance line, launched in 2004, became part of its identity too.

John Varvatos is an international American brand with its headquarters in New York City. The collection is sold through 10 freestanding John Varvatos boutiques across the US, as well as in high-end department stores around the world. The very first boutique opened in New York's SoHo neighbourhood in October 2000.

John Varvatos founded the company in late 1999, with the debut clothing line launching in 2000. That first collection was a deliberately contrarian 'black-less collection' that went against the popular trends of the time. The founder had come from senior menswear roles at Calvin Klein and Polo Ralph Lauren.

In April 2008, Varvatos opened a store at 315 Bowery, the former home of the legendary rock club CBGB. He preserved much of the venue's character, displaying clothes among vintage books, high-end stereo equipment, and a preserved wall of the original club with band flyers. The location hosts free monthly concerts, tying the brand directly to its rock roots.

In September 2001, Varvatos partnered with Converse to create 'Converse by John Varvatos'. In 2004 he designed the laceless Converse Chuck Taylor slip-on, a design that was widely adopted and imitated, and by March 2006 the collaboration produced the first ready-to-wear clothing line in Converse's history. It remains one of the brand's defining partnerships.

The main John Varvatos collection is the higher-end, rock-influenced menswear at the top of the range. In February 2006 the brand launched John Varvatos Star USA Luxe, an in-house label aimed at a younger demographic and set at a lower price point. So the choice is essentially flagship craft versus a more accessible, youth-leaning line.

Yes, and from the industry's highest body. The designer first received recognition from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) in 2000 with the Perry Ellis Newcomer's Award for Menswear, then won CFDA Designer of the Year in 2001 and Menswear Designer of the Year in 2005. GQ also named him Designer of the Year in 2007.