Two Who Began From Sqwear One

Striking out on their own can be risky, but some young designers still take the chance. Henry Duarte and William Berenck of Sqwear are gamblers in that sense.

“We never worked for anyone,” says Duarte, 26, who designs the collection, while Berenck, 27, manages the business end of the Los Angeles men’s wear company. “We started fresh, so we have a lot to learn.”

That process has resulted in a range of test styles for the 3-year-old company, from one-of-a-kind rock clothing to a classics-inspired retail line.

Some proof of that variety is in the list of their music industry clients, from the Rolling Stones to pop group New Kids on the Block, and from nouveau beatnik Michelle Shocked to hip-hopper Bobby Brown. In fact, Berenck says, 20% to 30% of Sqwear’s business during the past year has been for the entertainment industry.

“A lot of it was classic shapes, but we did different fabrications,” Berenck says of the rock clothing. Jackets, from motorcycle-inspired to traditional notched lapels, were the main thrust of the rock wear, although Sqwear also sold pants and vests.

“But that’s not our main goal,” Duarte says about working in show business. “It’s really two ends. The more extreme and clothes for everyone.”

The Sqwear label is available at the Traffic and Roppongi boutiques in Los Angeles. Pants start at about $250, while jackets are in the $650-range.

“They’re young, they’re fresh out of school and they’re innovative,” says Carl Dias, the general manager of Traffic, who has been buying Sqwear since the company started. “All their stuff was just a little different.”

“We started the business while I was in school,” says Duarte, who attended the Los Angeles Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. “We rented a loft space on Spring Street and started making patterns. We didn’t even know where the California Mart was.”

Luckily, they found the downtown trade center for their first show in 1987, which consisted, Berenck says, of 12 pieces in one fabric.

Soon Sqwear had something like 35 accounts. The company had revenue of about $250,000 in 1989. They readied a store on Main Street in Santa Monica, but “we never opened it. We felt it wasn’t going to work,” Duarte says.

Instead of investing in a store now, the plan is to emphasize retail collections. But it isn’t the end for Duarte’s flashy, one-of-a-kind pieces.

At the recent MARTY awards fashion show at the California Mart, leopard print was a recurring theme.