John Elliott Re-imagines Luxury at NYFW: MENS With 'Watching Water'

The meaning of the word “vibe,” John Elliott tell us, has fully planted itself in the public’s consciousness. “It’s so much more than just an attitude, it’s so much more than just a visual. It’s an overall encompassing approach.” Partnering with Lee Bannon and Boiler Room for an unprecedented live-performance show, John Elliott demonstrated his capacity to deliver an intersectional experience for those in attendance, both on and offline. Creating waterproof linens and introducing Nike Aqua Socks to the runway, John Elliott re-iterated his scrupulous attention to detail and keen eye for textiles. Returning with his characteristically washed-out color palette, John Elliott presented his newest collection, Watching Water. Moving beyond exclusivist, Eurocentric ideas of grandeur, Watching Water is Elliott’s own remix of what a yacht club might represent. Skating, playing basketball and watching Jay Z’s “Big Pimpin’,” a younger Elliott emerged, hungry for respect. With Watching Water, Elliott re-imagines luxury for the observing man as an inclusive, detail-oriented phenomenon. Read below for our conversation with the menswear designer.

You’ve described John Elliott as a “basics company.” How have you been able to experiment while keeping to that core aesthetic?


The biggest thing for me was always the foundation. It’s similar to a building. You have to have a strong foundation to build on top of. The core of our business is still very much in basics. Creating basics that matter, that resonate with guys. But then the fun part becomes the creative expression outside of that, trying to tell stories, put a concept together and push that concept into a collection. This is the fourth time we’ve done this and the runway is what really challenges you to do that, and it’s also the true test.


The story is that you met Kanye West at a gym. How does exercise and movement play into your daily life?

I try to exercise everyday because quite honestly, I’m busy. The company moves really fast, and if I don’t exercise, I feel like I get a little bit out of balance. I try to do that for myself every single day. That’s the only thing that people can do truly for themselves. It’s an investment only in yourself, and it’s good for you so I try to do that every morning.

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Speaking of meeting people, how did you meet Pusha T?


I got introduced to Push through mutual friends and he could not be a cooler, more real and incredibly talented dude. To say that I was honored to have him here today would be a true understatement. Having him here when he walked in, my heart started pounding. I’m such a fan. We Got It 4 Cheap Vol. II. When I was a senior in college, I think I listened to that for eight months straight. I could probably rap – obviously to myself – every verse on those tapes. And to have someone who you have respect for also respect what you do… That’s why I do this. Growing up playing basketball, skateboarding, I only really ever cared about having respect from the people that I respect. That’s more important than the money, than social media, that’s more important that anything. Respect.


What drew you to Vietnam as a source of inspiration for your S/S 2016 collection?


It was just curiosity, honestly. He basically had an archive of holdovers from the Vietnam War. When I was a kid I used to rifle through his closet. The utilitarian nature of his closet was so vastly different from my father’s closet that I had this burning curiosity to learn more about it. For the last collection, “Running Through Vietnam,” I really wanted to go and just pick up a palette. That’s where got this washed-down, pale color palette and tried to incorporate that into the collection.


This collection is called Watching Water. Could you expand on that title?

It’s my take on an imaginary yacht club. Growing up I probably saw the Jay Z “Big Pimpin’” video two, three thousand times. That shit was always on MTV. You couldn’t help but think, what is luxury. Luxury is a yacht. Luxury is a beach. But luxury can also be a fountain, it can be pool. Luxury to me and to our guy is watching water. Rather than take it to the place of “true” luxury, which is a European fashion house, for me personally, it’s in small details– creating waterproof linens. I’m such a dork when it comes to developing fabrics. Taking garments and heat-sealing the seams. I try to think about what I would need and what I would wear when I’m watching water.

What technical brands are you into?

I love Stone Island, They’re unfuckwithable.

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You worked with photographer Patrick Maus for your last collection. How do you go about selecting photographers for your look books?


If you know this, I’m a very loyal person. If I meet someone and I start working with them, there’s a good chance that I’m going to keep working with them. Patrick shot the Flats for the first collection and then he shot e-commerce images. He was dedicated to his craft and I saw very similar traits in myself as somebody who had aspirations to be great and we linked up.



John Elliott’s website has featured mixes from the likes of Alexander Spit and Lunice. How does music factor into your work?


It’s so important to have a sonic palette that matches the color palette.“Vibe” is a word that has come into common vocabulary over the past five years. Now, people really understand that word. It’s so much more than just an attitude, it’s so much more than just a visual. It’s an overall encompassing approach. We really wanted to give our guy a sonic palette just as much as we want to give him a color palette. The fact we got to collaborate with Boiler Room for this– no one had ever done that before. It’s our first fashion show, it got live-streamed. That was an incredibly opportunity and I hope our guy was able to follow along.

How did you link up with Lee Bannon for your New York Fashion Week show?

That was through Boiler Room. Boiler Room brought us Lee, and when I had a chance to dive into his music, it was exactly what I wanted to tell. That was a live performance. That was a first for us, having live music and having a live broadcast. I think it went off without a hitch. Being able to utilize technology that’s at your fingertips now to create something more inclusive, that’s what I want. I don’t want this to be an exclusive thing, I don’t even like that word.


The fashion industry in LA is seeing tremendous growth, particularly in terms of trade shows. What other unique assets come with being based in Los Angeles?

I’m from San Francisco. I moved down to LA to chase down a dream. The incredible thing about LA is the manufacturing capabilities. If you are driven, if you are relentless, you can make anything in LA. You can make a chair, a car– you can create a clothing line. You just have to be willing got explore and push yourself really outside of you comfort zone in order to solve your own problems. I moved to LA to try and solve my own problems with my wardrobe. Piece-by-piece, I’ve been doing it, and LA has given me that opportunity.

Can we talk about the footwear?

We debuted the Highs on the website three weeks ago. I think the response was great. We also put the LeBron Soldiers on the runway. That’s because I love that silhouette. I saw LeBron wearing that in Game 5 where they went to Golden State and handed it to the Warriors and I was instantly like, what are those? I thought it would be interesting to try that silhouette on the runway. The twist that I think everyone will talk about is the vintage aqua socks. We sourced those vintage aqua socks from all over the world. With a collection titled Watching Water, and when you have so much love and admiration for Swoosh, (I’m a Swoosh-lifer), I remembered they did those aqua socks so I had to hunt those down. I don’t know if this is a fact, but I would venture to say that we were the first people to ever put Nike Aqua socks on the runway.

While we’re on the subject of SF, how do you feel about KD?


You have to understand, I’m an NBA junkie. I’m from the Bay Area; I’m a Warriors fan. I could not be more excited to see KD in Oakland. I guarantee you, whatever people say about KD going to Oakland, when it’s January 15 and the Warriors are playing the Nets, you’re going to watch that shit. It doesn’t matter. You can say whatever you want about KD going to the Warriors. Every one is going to tune in and watch all 82 games next year. It’s can’t-miss TV. I love KD personally; I love the Warriors. I’m hoping they play LeBron in the finals. That’s what I want, because LeBron is my guy. If that happens, all bets are off, I’m not rooting for everybody. Sit back and watch.