Style done Diddy’s way at Macy’s
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thursday, October 09, 2008
When Sean “Diddy” Combs debuted his Sean John clothing line during the spring 1999 fashion season, the goal was to bridge the gap between high-end clothing and clothing with an urban sensibility. A decade later, with a boutique on Fifth Avenue, a prestigious fashion award and an ever-growing product line, Combs considers the gap officially bridged.
“Because people knew that I was a hip-hop artist and I owned the brand, they thought the brand was going to just embody the stereotype of what they think hip-hop is, just baggy jeans and oversized T-shirts. It was important to me to push the limits and push the boundaries,” Combs, founder of Bad Boy Entertainment, said Wednesday from New York.
Sean "Diddy" Combs shows clothes from his Sean John Collection
6:15 p.m. Thursday at Macy's Lenox Square. Free.
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Combs will be in Atlanta this evening at Macy’s Lenox Square to celebrate 10 years of his Sean John Collection. The event includes a runway show of more than 40 looks featuring men’s sportswear, boy’s apparel and outerwear for women.
Combs said he first learned the importance of style as a 5-year-old on Easter Sunday when he wore a white three-piece suit made by his seamstress grandmother that garnered compliments from churchgoers. He later drew on that early sartorial success merging his personal style into the Sean John Collection. With designer Ralph Lauren as his inspiration, Combs plotted to build a quality lifestyle brand that always remained loyal to its customers.
His vision was legitimized in 2004 when he won the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s Menswear Designer of the Year award, an honor he shares with designers such as Marc Jacobs and, of course, Lauren.
Today, the Sean John brand includes suits, knitwear, bottoms, shirts, ties, hats and more for men and boys. Last fall, the company launched a women’s collection that currently focuses on outerwear. There is also a fragrance line, eyewear and in the future, Combs said, furniture.
And just as his style has evolved over the years, so he says, has Sean John.
“My goal for the company has always been to be a leader in fashion and to evolve. … I don’t want to be the brand that is always chasing the trends.”
