Getting to know Daniel Patrick…

The Daniel Patrick and Knomadik fashion line has been growing like wildflowers since 2012. The collection is being carried in over 50 boutiques around the world. Last week I visited Daniel Patrick at his headquarters in the Downtown Los Angeles Fashion District. I was able to get a sneak peek into what we can expect from Daniel in the near future as well as learn a little more about the man himself. Let’s learn more about this amazing designer and his collections.

SHOES, DENIM, OUTWEAR, WOMEN’S AND EVEN SOME FOR THE LITTLES…

I’m personally very excited about Daniel’s footwear collection and I wanted to highlight the high-tops and the chelsea boots. The high-top sneakers (Romers) definitely have a spot in my shoe rotation. The premium leather and minimalistic design makes them both easy to wear and excellently crafted. Their chelsea boot collection is certainly something to watch out for. I love the shape Daniel went with and the colour palettes are awesome!

When it comes to denim- I’ve been test driving a pair of his denim all week (the Daniel Patrick x T-Raww collection). Denim doesn’t get more comfortable then this. The subtle drop crotch and slim legs make this style perfect for me.

In the outwear category I was super impressed with the bombers. Not just for men, but women also. Some awesome colour coming soon.

Last but not least the women’s and kid’s collections.The women collection is really amazing and for all of us with little people in our lives, you absolutely must check out the kids collections. My guy has been wearing tons of the stuff and the collections just keep getting better Daniel Patrick – Kids

It’s time to get to know the man behind the clothes a little better. Besides being extremely humble in his success, Daniel tells us a little more about what has made his line so successful and where it all started.

 

KYLE: Lets start at the beginning, how did you get into fashion?

DANIEL PATRICK: In 2006 at the end of the Rugby season in Australia and took stock of my life as I was becoming disinterested in playing. I laid my cards on the table so to speak and looked at what I was passionate about and what drove me since a young age and that was fashion. When I worked this out it was like a spark went off and I was filled with excitement and dreams about what I wanted to create. I was looking at a move to France to play Rugby and even started to go through the motions on getting the visa to do that but I pulled the pin on that and went and enrolled in fashion school and did that for a year. So that was the start of the journey.

KYLE: How has growing up in Australia affected your style and vision of your brand?

DANIEL PATRICK: think the things you do in life, the places you go etc. all kind of shape who you are and that definitely comes out in what you do. I guess this is how I have evolved since moving to the US. In saying that I have also from a young age had an infatuation with America and always wanted to live here so that element was present from the beginning as well. 

KYLE: Are things much different here in Los Angeles then they were in Australia?

DANIEL PATRICK: LA and Sydney where I grew up have a lot of similarities and definitely some differences. In Australia I grew up around the beach and playing sports. The food, coffee and beaches are definitely amazing in Sydney and something I look forward to when I go back. For me though LA is where I love to live and raise my family as I feel it offers such a great quality of life.

KYLE: Who are your fashion icons (Past or present)?

DANIEL PATRICK: There are definitely a few. David Beckham was a big influence of mine early on and still is. Also Michael Jordan as a kid growing up was someone I wanted to be like. These guys transcended their respective sports and that included fashion and even to this day they have an impact.

KYLE: If you were to describe your brand in ONE word what would it be?

DANIEL PATRICK: Minimal

KYLE: You started your brand in 2012. Your brand has grown so much in such a short period of time. How have you managed to stay so humble throughout your growth?

Daniel PATRICK: I think the way to stay grounded is not getting complacent and knowing that things could always be better product wise and the business could always be bigger. With this mentality I’m able to keep things dynamic and ever expanding and I guess also stay humble too. Humility can fade when you think you don’t need to do better. I prefer to be interested in people also and that was something that I was brought up with.

KYLE: Because you don’t release collections based on a typical fashion calendar, it allows your brand to create and release collections more sporadically. Where do you find this consistent inspiration and do you find this challenging?

DANIEL PATRICK: I find this has been the best way for me because I like to move fast and if I like something I want it out now. I think the fashion world is coming around to this and with things like snapchat and instagram people are accustomed to that speed. In terms of inspiration it also falls back on ever improving the product and becoming better at my craft and I feel like as I’ve grown in this way I just get more and more ideas like a snowball effect. Life is inspiration for me but mostly ideas just come to me and as soon as they do I lay them down in pattern form and sample them straight away.

KYLE: Daniel Patrick has an extensive men’s, women’s and kids line. Most recently you launched your footwear collection. Was footwear always something you wanted to get into?

DANIEL PATRICK: Footwear for me has always been a big interest of mine even as a young kid getting that one pair of Nike’s for birthdays or christmas. So you could say footwear was always something I wanted to do but going into it I really didn’t know too much about it and how it worked. With clothing I knew how to bring an idea to life and with shoes it was a totally new domain that I had to learn. Working with a great factory in Italy we are able to keep evolving and applying the same principles we apply to the clothing of ever improving and expanding the product and line.

KYLE: You have a flagship store on Melrose Ave in Los Angeles and are planning on opening another store in New York. Can we expect to see more and more stores pop up over the coming years?

DANIEL PATRICK: It was always a dream to have boutiques for me before I even started the company. New York is gonna be a real big dream come true and I’m excited to get the doors opened on that one. After that we will definitely look to open more stores. I think Tokyo would be a great location perhaps for the next one. I’d also like to have one in London as well.  We are also going to expand into a bigger space on Melrose next year as well.

KYLE: I was personally able to view some of your newest pieces and upcoming releases. What are you most excited about for the end of 2016 and 2017?

DANIEL PATRICK: I’m really excited about the new outerwear and the new footwear we have on the horizon. Chelseas, fringe roamers, low roamers, pony roamers. I can’t wait to get these in my own wardrobe. I’ve also been really expanding our women’s collection and I’ve had a lot of fun doing this and we are planning to have shoes, denim and accessories added to that category as well.

Make sure you check out more of Daniel Patrick collections here Daniel Patrick