CLES SELC
New York City, New York
Interview with Brand Creator, Anwar Keeys
What inspired the rebrand from Clés Clo to Clés Sèlc
For me, the inspiration/desire/hunger for fashion does not stop. Day in and day out, I am paying attention to art, architecture, and fashion/style, so the hiatus Clés Clo had was killing me internally. I delayed my releases for work with other brands. I was in route to helping others accomplish their own dreams, but had yet to accomplish my own. So ultimately, I would say the birth of Clés Sèlc was inspired from the necessity of my own visions to become tangible.
How would you describe the new brand’s aesthetic?
Clés Sèlc will display the most beautiful fabrics and high quality craftsmanship for the select designs we release. Our collections will be curated with the sole purpose of being timeless. To achieve such, we pay the utmost attention to the quality, durability, and functionality of our pieces. The fabric combination and colorways will provide the most aesthetically pleasing characteristics of our products, which may result in a higher price point than our previous client base will appreciate, but hey ... you get what you pay for right?
Where do you draw inspiration for the brand’s designs?
At one point, someone told me you are the median of the five people closest to you. With that said, I try to surround myself with the best creatives possible. A creative has to consistently shoot to exude their best in every project, with absolutely no settlement. So for me, my inspiration sprouts from the developments and accomplishments of my close creative circle. Seeing them do great things drives me to do great things as well.
What has been the most challenging aspect of getting the rebrand off the ground?
I find myself as being my own greatest challenge. Just the mere obstacle of my own mind telling me something isn't good enough yet, "this isn't ready," or I need to do more. I am a perfectionist and that, sometimes, can prevent me from moving on. But that is also the reason the world will continuously see Clés Sèlc's constant improvements
Who would you love to see wear Clés Sèlc?
EVERYONE!!! Just kidding ... I am a true believer that everything is not for everyone. So if our products do not fit a particular consumer or demographic, then I'm fine with that. To answer your question though, I want today's trendsetting, risk-taker to find an attraction to our products - a young Kanye West, a new stylish Russell Westbrook, the next Joan Smalls (or the current ones wouldn't hurt either ).
What’s next for Clés Sèlc?
Soon, we have a few additions to our website. First, we are going to celebrate our fashionable female supporters with our "Clés Baès" page. We will select our most beautiful fashionistas across the world and feature them month after month on clesselc.com. Secondly, we feel many of our stylists are under appreciated these days, so we plan to develop a page dedicated to them soon. I'll fill you in on those details later. Lastly, this Autumn/Winter 2016, you will view our first installment for our luggage collection. Stay tuned ... You just might be impressed.
