Wedded to the haute hoodie
JUST when you thought hooded sweatshirts had outlasted their fashion welcome, along comes Mike&Chris;, a line that’s giving them urban sophistication -- and a new lease on life.
Mike Gonzalez, 30, and Christine Park-Gonzalez, 31, are the husband-and-wife, photographer-and-model partners in the year-old collection that grew from a single hooded sweatshirt to a $1.4-million company.
About two years ago, the couple sewed up a few samples that sat neglected. But Christine kept wearing one of them: a rust-colored fleece hoodie.
“People were constantly asking me where I got it,” says Christine. “Then a lightbulb went off -- oh, I guess that this is what we should be doing.”
Together, they shaped, stretched, snipped and cut the hoodie into so many fresh variations that their first-season sales in late 2005 were six times the $50,000 best estimate. They’re selling the $160 to $950 jackets and bags at Barneys, Ron Herman, Diavolina, Harvey Nichols in Hong Kong and stores in Japan and Paris.
Unlike the fruity, fleece tracksuits that reintroduced the hoodie to fashion years back, the Mike&Chris; interpretations give it an edge with creased, washed leather and fleece in city-centric colors like concrete, black, gunmetal and stone. Angelina Jolie was snapped wearing one of their leathers, and Nicole Kidman called personally to get one.
“For us, designing together is really easy,” says Christine. “We’ve been together for nine years, so we know how each other thinks.”
Their signature, distressed lambskin is cut in a lean homage to the 1970s and 1980s, the couple’s formative years. With Mike giving his photographer’s sense of proportion to the silhouettes, and Christine lending her model’s experience to tweaking the details, they’ve expanded the collection. Their hoodie variations may feature epaulets and trench-coat flaps, big wooden buttons, deep sweater rib cuffs or men’s shirt fabric linings, or may morph into a hip-hugging sleeveless cardigan, cropped shrug, pullover dress or tiny leather harness.
“We don’t like the whole one-tone uniform,” Mike adds. “If you have jeans and a T-shirt, this finishes it. You don’t have to get all outfitty about it.”
But they do like the idea of making every piece multifunctional. The leather hoodie can slip under an overcoat in New York, over relaxed jeans in L.A. or cast an element of distressed chic to a frilly dress. Their new oversized bags take on multiple personalities too, depending how they’re worn. They are lined with tribal prints and come with straps that can be shortened or extended, or that cinch up the bag body.
After all, if you’re going to specialize, it’s good to give the shopper options.
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Two on the town
Favorite restaurant: The Alcove in Los Feliz, and Elvira’s Mexican in Eagle Rock (hey, you can bring the baby).
Favorite music: Electronica, jazz, alt rock and, lately, the Killers and Thievery Corporation
Favorite movies: “In the Mood for Love” and “Office Space”
How they relax: Friday night dinners at home. He’s the cook.
Inspiration: A walk down Robertson Boulevard in Beverly Hills or Broadway in downtown L.A. to check out the stores -- and the shoppers
