Ask a Designer : Kenton Harrow
Fashion Indie stopped in on emerging designers Craig Arthur Schroeder about his new collection KentonHarrow, participating at Project NY, and what it means to multi-task as a designer.
Collection: Kenton Harrow
Designer: Craig Arthur Schroeder
Years Designing: 5 years
Designer Bio: Craig Arthur Schroeder, Esquire, (b. 1978) lead designer of KentonHarrow, was marked early on with a penchant for fashion and travel. Born to an eccentric German architect and a crafty Danish teacher in Princeton, New Jersey, Schroeder displayed a predilection for colors and textures from early childhood.
Not content with resting on his creative talents, Schroeder sought out glory on the playing fields, and excelled, most prominently, in the international sport of soccer. It was this global pastime that piqued Schroeder’s interest in far-away people and lands, sparking his passion for travel.
As his formal education continued onto the collegiate level, Schroeder’s constant desire for new surroundings brought him to two undergraduate universities and a worldwide soccer journey through Denmark, England, Guatemala, and finally Argentina. It was in Argentina that Schroeder met Mr. K. Harrow – a fan of Schroeder’s soccer team and a successful international businessman, entrepreneur and playboy. Schroeder ’s interactions with this Renaissance man were memorable.
Most notable was one of K. Harrow’s many truisms – “Life is most enjoyable when traveling with friends to far-away places wearing comfortable, yet finely-crafted clothing.” This revelation, making explicit what Schroeder had begun to learn through experience, changed the course of his life.
By the end of his 21st year, Schroeder had dedicated himself to perfecting the marriage of his love of travel with his passion for clothing- a vision that K. Harrow had articulated so well and that had permanently been imprinted into Schroeder’s psyche. Accordingly, Schroeder began experimenting with materials and garment construction techniques.
Jettisoning more traditional approaches to fashion, Schroeder entered Rutgers Law School and eventually the law profession, which took him, of all places, to Cuba and South Africa. In Cuba he studied and smoked Cohibas at Che Guevara’s gravesite, contemplating the mysteries and vagaries of politics and international diplomacy. In South Africa, he studied in Soweto and Cape Town, and was named an honorary guest worthy of a Springbok tattoo that was ceremoniously needled onto his forearm as a tribute to his time there. In keeping with his personality, vast and contradictory, Schroeder subsequently joined a white-shoe law firm in Philadelphia – all the while moonlighting with fabrics and textiles, silhouettes and details, yet still to travel to new places and meet new people.
What is the inspiration for your collection?
Each piece is inspired by Schroeder ’s travels, both around the world and down the road. The collection is versatile, meticulously fitted and comfortable – all essentials for the modern, fashion-conscious traveler. Moreover, the line utilizes various non-wrinkle, low-maintenance and wearable fabrics. As important as the physical qualities, the collection is purposefully basic, with just the right amount of detail necessary to make each item irrefutably unique and altogether timeless.
Everything’s a Journey.
Who is your customer?
The typical KH customer is well-traveled, well-educated and conscious enough about fashion to want to appear effortlessly pulled-together, wherever they may be.
Who wears it?
While KentonHarrow is not yet a household name, the line has been worn for years by a select yet eclectic network of trusted associates and fellow travelers. It is these individuals who have helped perfect the line’s performance, fit and style. This illustrious, diverse group includes many entrepreneurs, athletes, doctors, lawyers and musicians.
Some of the more notable literary figures include Noam Chomsky and Timothy Ferris.
Your logo is a key. Where did the inspiration for that come from?
Since time immemorial, keys have facilitated access to valuable property and secured lands. The KH logo is forged from this storied past. Individually, the two keys embody the pillars of the KH ethos – uncompromising integrity and insatiable ambition. Together, the crossed keys represent one’s admittance into the haute monde of KentonHarrow, a flourishing KH community that embodies a global society of entrepreneurial spirit, style and principle.
This is your first year designing and your first year at Project. Do you feel it was what you expected?
PROJECT is an amazing show and the people that run it are incredible. Presenting the line to the general fashion public, and seeing, first-hand, their positive reaction excites me and confirms that KH is something special.
What’s next for the collection?
We will continue to sell this line, seeking distribution at select locations, and then start to design our Spring/Summer line.
You do a ton of things on a daily basis. How do you balance it all?
I need very little sleep. It is something I have inherited from my father. I typically go to bed at 1:00 A.M. and get up around 5:00 A.M. It’s the only way I’ve been able to pursue my law career, while designing, producing and showing the KH line.
