Andrew Christian Undressed | Part 2

ANDREW CHRISTIAN IS NOT JUST THE NAME OF A FASHION BRAND. ANDREW CHRISTIAN IS A REAL PERSON, AND THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND THE POPULAR BRAND. MODEST AS HE IS, HE IS AT THE SAME TIME NOT SCARED TO PUT HIMSELF IN HIS CAMPAIGN PHOTOS. A UNIQUE APPROACH THAT HAS ESTABLISHED ANDREW CHRISTIAN ANS A FASHION BRAND WITH A HUMAN FACE.

And not just a human face. Because Andrew Christian is a pleasure for the eye, and than we are not just talking about the fashion items in his several collections. With his boy-next-door movie star features he is the perfect personification of his own brand: glamorous but accessible. As we found out when we met Andrew Christian in Paris last month during the Paris Fashion Week 2008. Last week you met Andrew here on BeautifulMag, telling all about his work and inspiration. Today we try to go a bit deeper…

Andrew, the question probably everybody wants to have an answer on: how do you know your product is ready for release… how do you test if it fits well?
Andrew Christian: I use and test all of my products on myself before they are released. This is the best way to see how they perform in the real world, and if there is a problem or adjustment to be made I can do it before the product hits the market. Oh yeah, it’s also a lot of fun having everything before it can be bought in the stores.

There is a lot of sex appeal in your product. And in your campaigns. Can you tell us a bit more about this?
AC: Well, it’s like Janice Dickenson told me “Sex Sells”. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure that out. Everyone gay or straight loves looking at a hot guy or girl in next to nothing.

Please react to the following names:
Calvin Klein – AC: Classic
Tom Ford – AC: Talented
Madonna – AC: Mastermind
TJ Wilk – AC: Amazing Abs
David Beckham – AC: Sexy
Channing Tatum – AC: Great Style
Britney Spears – AC: Lost

Your business and the fact you appear on photos yourself a lot, most really have increased your popularity…
AC: It really has increased the popularity of myself and the clothing line. I think people like that fact that there is a real person behind the clothing and not some faceless corporate entity.

What does the ideal man look like according to Andrew Christian?
AC: I am not really sure there is an ideal Andrew Christian Man. We have such wide demographics, and I would really hate to see my designs on just one type of guy. I really like diversity and I think that is what makes all of us so great in our own ways. I don’t believe in one standard of beauty.

Is that a professional or personal view?
AC: It’s both, my designs have to appeal to a wide variety of people. The design also takes on a life of it’s own on how the person wearing it styles it and works it into their own sense of style.

Are you single?
AC: At this time I am single. It can be hard to date sometimes as I have such a busy and hectic schedule. It is rare when I am in Los Angeles for more than one month at a time.

What is the next big thing for Andrew Christian?
AC: There are so many things I would love to do next. The first thing I am going to work on is to design men’s jewelry and make it my own, sexy, street, and fun. I am really excited about all of the possibilities.

Andrew, if Beautiful was a genie and you could rub our little lamp, what would be the three wished you make? Besides world peace of course…
AC: 1.To never have a bad hair day. 2.To always be able to find a parking spot. (yeah, it’s a fact of life in LA, and there is not always valet available. 3.To eat as much as I want and never gain an ounce.

Finally, we want to give you the opportunity to say something nice or naughty to our readers, so let knock yourself out…
AC: I just want to thank everyone for being so supportive and embracing my products so well. It really means a lot to me when I meet someone and they tell me a story about their favorite pair of Andrew Christian underwear. It brings such joy and is something that money cannot buy.-B-

ANDREW CHRISTIAN | BEAUTIFUL

Andrew Christian Undressed | Part 1

BORN AND RAISED IN FRESNO, CALIFORNIA, ANDREW CHRISTIAN MOVED TO LOS ANGELES AT THE AGE OF 19 TO PURSUE A CAREER IN FASHION. IT IS IN THIS CITY OF THE STARS THAT ANDREW FOUNDED HIS BRAND ‘ANDREW CHRISTIAN.’ AND LIKE A REAL HOLLYWOOD STORY, HE TURNED HIS COMPANY INTO AN EMPORIUM THAT IS KNOWN WORLDWIDE, NOT ONLY FOR THE QUALITATIVE CLOTHES, BUT ALSO FOR THE IMAGE IT STANDS FOR, IN NO MORE THEN 10 YEARS TIME.

Establishing a name in the fashion industry that is respected all over the world in less then 10 years would be enough for many to become proud and arrogant, but nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to Andrew Christian. He is modest, smart and sexy. We had been in contact with Andrew fro quite some time already before we finally got the chance to actually meet him. It all happened here in Paris, last month. Andrew is almost a bit shy, but fortunately we aren’t.

Andrew, what is your favorite underwear?
Andrew Christian: That’s a very difficult question, it’s like asking a parent to pick their favorite child. That being said I think my favorite pair of underwear is the Sailor low cut boxer. The fabric is a black and grey stripe with nautical Inspired graphics.

Can you tell us a bit about your childhood? What kind of boy were you?
AC: I grew up an only child, so I had to amuse and entertain myself. That might be where my creativity came from.

How did a guy from Clovis, Fresno County, California, become one of the best known faces in todays mens swim and underwear and urban fashion? In other words, how did it all start?
AC: I started out of my own need for Items I was not finding in the market place. I had always been interested in fashion design, so it was a kind of synergy that came together to form the Andrew Christian line of product. I did have humble beginnings though. When I first started my line I was working out of a Los Angeles garage. I was actually living out of the garage as well. It was really tough to make ends meet sometimes, but I stuck with it and persisted to realize my dream.

Andrew, your collection encompasses pants, shirts, jackets, tank tops. In fact, you offer a complete line of clothes. Still you are mostly known for underwear and swimwear. How do you explain this huge success in this particular sector?
AC: I think the underwear line has had such a huge success is because it has more press value. I mean who doesn’t want to see a hot guy in a pair of nice underwear? It draws the eye more than an image of a guy completely dressed.

Where do you get your ideas from? What inspires you?
AC: I get my inspiration from many different things, it could be the colors I see in a work of art at the museum. Often ideas come to me at the gym while I am working out. That is sort of my zen relaxation time. It sounds a bit weird, but that is when I am totally not thinking about work, and that is when the creative bug hits me.

What does a regular day for Andrew Christian look like?
AC: There is not regular day for me every day is very chaotic for me. There is always something to deal with that needed to be done yesterday. I am constantly dealing with production deadlines, getting order shipped on time to stores, setting up meetings with store buyers, getting samples ready for the next show. You name it and I am doing it.

And the evening/night?
AC: Evening can be equally as busy as the day. Living in Los Angeles there is always some red carpet event, record release party, or viewing party that I need to attend. Sometimes it gets tricky when there is more than one event in the same evening, but I really enjoy attending the events, so it had not been a problem. -B-

Andrew Christian returns on BeautifulMag for Undressed Part 2 on next week Tuesday, February 26 2008.

Orgullo Latino

NYC PUERTO RICAN PHOTOGRAPHER AND ARTIST RICARDO MUNIZ IS A FAMILIAR NAME TO OUR BEAUTIFULMAG READERS. MUCH OF HIS FASHION WORK IS DEVOTED TO PROMOTING DESIGNERS, ARTISTS AND MODELS OF COLOR – ESPECIALLY FROM HIS OWN LATINO BACKGROUND. HERE RICARDO HAS DONE IT AGAIN, BRINGING US THE CULTURAL ARTWORK OF LUIS CORDERO IN THE EDITORIAL ‘ORGULLO LATINO.’

What is a “Cemí?” Graphic artist Luís Cordero, describes a cemí is as “a sacred object which is the artistic representation of a guardian spirit/deity that was skillfully carved in stone, bone, cotton, wood and rock by the Taíno indigenous people of the Caribbean.” It is also the name of the name of Cemí Underground, a Puerto Rican/Latino cultural outlet founded by Luís Cordero, that sells books, t-shirts, art, music, and which produces cultural events including a constantly changing art exhibition.

Cemí Underground was launched “with the goal of establishing an entity that would add another voice to the desperately few voices promoting and proclaiming our art and artists to the world.” And that is exactly what it does. A collectible books section with impossible-to-find books about Puerto Rican/Latino history and culture sets this bookstore apart from the rest. You find authors like Steven Torres, Nicholas Mohr and Pedro Pietri. Poets as Willie Perdomo and María Aponte. painter Yasmin Hernandez, photographer Amy Ponce, ceramic artist and community activist Esperanza Martell. And many many more. There is a music section that features CDs by New York's own Boricua Roots Music sensation, Tato Torres y Yerbabuena, Puerto Rican protest music icon, Roy Brown, and hip hop artists, The Welfare Poets.

Cemí Underground is also the only store where you will find graphic t-shirts with indigenous Taíno symbols and silk-screened designs featuring Don Pedro Albizú Campos and Ché Guevara. Some of these designs, by store owner and graphic artist, Luís Cordero, are featured here in this editorial, “Orgullo latino,” shot by Puerto Rican social worker, teacher, community activist, puppeteer and established photographer, Ricardo Muñiz.

Cemí Underground is located at 1799 Lexington Avenue at East 112th Street in the heart of “El Barrio,” or Spanish Harlem in New York City, 10029. The hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday from 12:00 PM to 7:00 PM. –B-

T-shirt designs by Luís Cordero.
Styling by Valerie Greene.
Makeup by Mackendy Marseille.
Featuring models Miguel Mejía, Giovanni Pérez, Steven Muñoz and Jovanni Jiménez.