BryanBoy: A street style icon

How old were you when you fell in love with fashion?

I was probably about 10. I remember going through my mom’s magazines—she wasn’t into fashion, really, but she loved to shop. I was like 10 or 11, in the third grade, and I’d bring my mom’s magazines

to lunch and read them by myself while all of my classmates were reading Nancy Drew. Magazines provided me with an escape from reality. I went to a Catholic school, and we had uniforms…and I just wanted to be different, to look different from everybody else. I didn’t want to conform to this cookie-cutter image. I would buy glitter glue and cover my shoes with it—I’d push it as far as I could, really!

And I assume it only escalated from there…

Yeah! Since then, I’ve always been obsessed with clothes. When I was 15, I decided that I really wanted a Prada backpack, like one of those nylon ones. At first, my mom just wasn’t having it—but then she finally got it for me when I graduated from seventh grade, as a present. But then, when I graduated from high school, I wanted a Vuitton bag—an upgrade. And later, I decided I needed a Chanel…and then a Birkin. I once met this really chic 65-year-old woman in Hong Kong who told me she’d gotten tired of shopping, even though she loved fashion, and had started collecting artifacts instead. I guess that’s the next step…?

Besides having Marc Jacobs name a handbag in your honor—which I think we can both agree was a major turning point in your blogging career—what other moments have been really special for you?

The Dolce & Gabbana show, for sure. I mean, sitting one seat away from Anna…I mean, it was me, Sally Singer, Hamish Bowles and then me and Tommy Ton. I wanted the ground to just open up and swallow me alive! But no, it goes beyond sitting in the front row and having bags named after you. I love doing projects with brands like H&M and Prada, working to morph myself into whatever a brand wants. I mean, I’d never worn suits before—and then suddenly, I’m working with Hugo Boss! Through fashion, I’ve been able to use the power of clothes to step into different characters, different personalities.

You’re famous for wearing some pretty crazy things–clashing colors, insane visor sunglasses, etc. Have you ever regretted an outfit decision?

I mean, I wouldn’t call it regret, but I’ve definitely had those "What the hell was I thinking?!" moments. But the thing is, I love fashion, and why not try something new if you can? I don’t believe in trends or in following the flock—so when I look at outfits I’ve worn in the past, I know that they were reflections of what I was feeling at the time.

Would you consider flares to be an outragous fashion decision?

of course not, they are going to be the 'it' item of this year!

Say your home caught on fire, God forbid. What three items would you take before fleeing?

As long as you’ve got your passport, credit card and cell phone, you’re good. OK, fashion-wise, I’d grab the custom Armani suit—Armani made it for me!—my Hermès Birkin and my Stubbs & Wootton black velvet slippers.

You’ve been blogging for nearly a decade now—and this Adrienne Landau collection marks your first design collaboration ever. Nowadays, most bloggers launch collabs a year or less out of the gate! Why did you wait so long to jump on the bandwagon?

I usually prefer to stay on the sidelines—I’ve seen so many collaborations that didn’t feel authentic, and I’ve turned down so many offers before. If you’re going to work with someone, you have to believe in the product, and it has to be a reflection of you and your style. So when Adrienne Landau came up with a proposal, it just felt organic. It actually started because I asked Adrienne whether this brown mink scarf she made came in orange. It started as a joke, and became an actual collaboration! I love fur, I love color and I love accessories. I didn’t want to design a $5,000 Chewbacca coat that nobody was going to buy—I wanted the collaboration to be something accessible, something that anybody could wear, guys or girls.

What are your absolute favorite pieces from the collection?

I’m obsessed with the pull-through scarf. It’s so classic–you can wear it with a dress or a suit. Anything, really! It’s about using fur and color as a personal punctuation mark.

What’s the response to the collab been like thus far?

Well, what’s fascinating is that when I had my editor presentation in New York, people weren’t drawn to the black and white pieces, the classics—they wanted the ones that really popped! Colette wound up buying the brights, too.

If you could collaborate with another designer or brand in the future, which would you choose?

Zara. Fast fashion is a no-brainer—I mean, I’m a businessman! And I’m really impressed by the quality of Zara’s clothes. They have incredible resources and worldwide distribution. I think it would be fascinating to work with them.