Designer Discovery: Public School

Remember public school? I do and it wasn’t pretty. Aside from the fact that I was dressing like an Ugly Betty (Betty La Fea for all you hispanicals who we’re watching it with me on Univision), I was going to class in the meanest part of the Bronx with a class room of older (I was skipped a few times), angry folks who enjoyed bestowing a daily beatdown (woe is young me). And yes, while the scaring from my childhood left a bad taste in my mouth the big apple’s public school system seemed to leave a better bite on designers Dao Yi Chow and Max Osbourne, both formerly of Sean John.

A direct reflection of their upbringing in NYC, Public School is the duo designers shout out to the school system that so systematically chewed me up and spit me out. “We wanted to create something perfect in its imperfection” Chow explains. “Something that captured the attitude and rebellious spirit of New York. For us Public School represents the beginnings of that rebellion, it’s really the first place where we developed our attitude as a New Yorker.”

The theme of rebellion can be clearly seen in the brands manifesto: “Rebellion. It’s at the heart of every cultural movement. It’s the force behind change, helping to sway the power from the status quo. In constant action against the expected, we hold a pen in one hand and a sword in the other, critiquing the culture we help create, stripping the emperor of his clothes and dressing the new guard.”

Public School’s logo is a black apple with a feather quill – both a nod to the Big Apple’s edgier side and an underlying quest for knowledge. Every piece of the collection tells a story, with impeccable attention to detail. The pieces are both sophisticated, and edgy, and cut from high quality fabrics. High-end tailoring techniques get a street edge with elements like a cinch-back jacket with inset waistband straps, semi-elevated patch pockets and a convertible traditional spread collar that folds onto itself into a mandarin. The spring 2008 collection incorporates Italian vegetable dyed lamb leather, Japanese 2×1 cotton twill and a specially developed bonded nylon/cotton. Key items include a leather fitted biker vest with zip off fleece hood and sleeves. Other unique pieces include a pique polo shirt that has a cropped collar with a raised stand made to toughen the neckline.

“We are both teachers and students who continue to critique the culture we help create, resulting in a new vision of constructed garments that focus on fabric, fit and energy,” Chow explains. “It’s the same energy that’s found at the start of every new movement.” Sounds like the same energy that helped fuel my ritual beatings at M.S. 80. Regardless, Public School is one brand to note and watch for.

For more information about Public School, please visit www.publicschoolnyc.com.

More picts of Public School after the jump…