It has been two years since a Duckie Brown collection appeared on Vogue Runway. In that interim, the label’s heads, Steven Cox and Daniel Silver—“the Duckies,” as they call themselves—were thinking about opening their own store. But, exasperated by New York’s ultra-high costs for ultra-low square footage, they looked inward. They are now set to open a by-appointment-only boutique service in their studio on West 13th Street. Recharged by the idea, they’ve designed a new collection—but don’t call it Fall. According to Silver, the pieces will just keep “rolling out.”
To outline a visual of their range and their non-adherence to seasonal bracketing or, really, rules in general, Cox held up a tweed coat: “This is me in winter.” Then he lifted a pair of wispy, hardly there, leave-little-to-the-imagination short shorts: “This is me, gardening in Mykonos.” Silver noted, “We’ve done a collection for people. All people. Every category on Tinder.” (This also implied that, in some cases, prices will be lower, as the wholesale element is no longer in the picture.)
The clothes did have a nonbinary appeal and were, in places, buttressed by what Duckie Brown has come to be known for over its 16 or so years in the business: loosened and long shirting (especially in lightweight flannels), great jackets, and humorous-slash-offbeat tees.
The studio-store will also feature rarer vintage Duckie Brown pieces; “kettles from Ghana”; “pareos from Spain”; a slew of other curated goods and art; a built-in personalization service; and, promisingly, social gatherings as Cox and Silver see fit. “So many people do one thing, but you might not know what their other talents are,” said Cox. “There are secrets. You’re a journalist, but you may also be really good at knitting; I don’t know. You could come here and knit for us.” Concluded Silver: “We can finally control the world we want to show. And who better to sell Duckie Brown than the Duckies?”
