Fashion Forward

Patrik Ervell takes on the style world's Luddites

January 31, 2007—Since launching his own line in 2005, Patrik Ervell has attracted a cult following with his slim silhouettes and high-tech fabrics. On Sunday, the 28-year-old designer (and winner of this year's Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation award for menswear) will stage his first-ever runway presentation in New York. We check in with the man before his big moment.

How do you go from political science major at U.C. Berkeley to a runway show during New York Fashion Week?
I was working at [V Magazine] and I just started making a few pieces of clothes for my friends. It's not like I had a business plan or anything—I've always been interested in how fashion could communicate messages and be part of a broader cultural dialogue.

Do you mean political messages?
Not at all. Fashion is a very, very poor medium for making political statements, and I would never do that.

Describe your new collection in four words or less.
Luxurious, beautiful, a little bit cold, and modern.

That's more than four words, but okay. Many young designers are drawn to womenswear. Why are you starting out on the men's side?
Menswear is more interesting. There are so many rules and barriers and things that you can't do, and I find that kind of creative tension exciting. I'd also say that menswear is much more dignified than womenswear these days. It seems like womenswear is more about celebrity and who's wearing what, and men don't really care about that. It's more about the clothes.

Has your taste for materials like nylon and Velcro cost you credibility with the old guard?
Absolutely. Fashion, and especially menswear, has a real Luddite bent to it, and some people think that if it's not evening wear, then it's not fashion. I guess people just prize the old ways of doing things. Take nylon fabrics: People think they're not as luxurious as cashmere.

That's because they're not.
They can be! They can feel amazing, and if worked with properly, they're beautiful. Anyone can make a suit with cashmere or wool—it's old hat, in a way. But to use fabrics that are unexplored but extremely functional, that's interesting.