Miami is in the middle of a huge artistic shift of culture, which is giving rise to many unique fashion labels. Out of all the up and coming names, PRSDNTS CLUB has been one of our favorites. The brand holds effortless style with its minimalist aesthetic and has already been finding success with their recent start up initiatives. Several local stores have been buying pieces from the label and the public can’t seem to get enough of it. The brand offers an escape from the typical fashion found in Miami. We sat down with the founder, Barret Hammond for details on how the brand has been growing and what is to be expected for future collections.
As a growing label, what challenges (or advantages) arise from spanning between different locations?
Not being able to spend time with the designer, face-to-face, makes the creative process a bit more difficult. There was a time when we had the opportunity to work in the same space which gave us the chance to experiment with different fabric paints and concepts. I can definitely say the advantages do come from us living in separate regions. Our CFO lives in NYC, while our designer is in London, and I’m here in Miami- we all Skype together and talk about the trends in each of our cities. On the other hand, communication is still a big issue because we all have different schedules. The distance gives us a diverse perspective but makes it harder to communicate.
What has been the most challenging aspect in starting a label in today’s vastly growing fashion marketplace?
We know that the market right now is very saturated; everyone is trying to do SOMETHING. It’s difficult to have your label be a strong voice within the industry, rather than just being some sort of echoing trend. Just getting the word out has proven to be very difficult! Social media only goes so far, which is why we are turning to local events to grab that extra attention. We want our audience to think about PRSDNTS CLUB and associate it with great quality. Finding the label’s voice has been difficult because we want to stay true to our own aesthetic.
Any plans for future collaborations with other designers/artists?
We’ve been very careful with who we colab with, and as of now, there are no joint projects planned. We want to grow organically, and it’s difficult to do that when many people want to collaborate without knowing the direction the label is going to turn to.
What moment gave birth to the label?
I was walking down the street one day while living in East London, and I saw a store called Primitive. Somehow, my brain linked that name to ‘presidential’; I kept thinking about that word, and PRSDNTS CLUB happened to be what came to me after a couple of minutes. I had always wanted to start a clothing line, so I called my friend Aaron (who is now the designer/artist for the label), told him about the idea and he was all for it. We threw a launch party to raise some funds a month later and collected 1,000 pounds! It was a ripple effect of a bunch of little things.
Has Miami influenced the designs for certain pieces of the label?
There is a lot of culture here in Miami, and it can be hard to not get sucked up into it all. I don’t want to make all the pieces about Miami necessarily, but the ‘Miami Short Sleeve’ was very inspired by the environment and it’s one of our favorites.
What elements of design would you say sets your label aside from the rest?
We spend a lot of time perfecting all of our pieces. Whether it involves a specific print, or the fit, we try to get everything just right. The Miami Short Sleeve alone took about two months to make; we pride ourselves in the details and the quality.
What can we expect the future aesthetic of collection to be like from PRSDNTS CLUB?
The label will continue to have a minimalist quality- the pieces will be very refined, especially for the winter collection. We want to have the right textures and fit for the upcoming pieces. I would also love to reintroduce the polo for our audience with a PRSDNTS CLUB twist to it!