As soon as I began earning enough money to feel that I had a enough money to spend on myself, I went to an optical shop in NYC and splurged on a $350.00 pair of Oliver Peoples copper frames with a custom tint that the shop owner tolerated my indecisiveness to make. I still have those frames and now I can call Larry Leight the co-founder & creative director of Oliver Peoples a friend. It was Larry that convinced me that we needed sunglasses in Canvas - all I can say to him for that is thank you so much. We have made some very cool exclusive glasses with Mosley Tribes over the seasons and I am always excited to see what they have coming down the pipeline. Larry is the real …

Jeffrey Levin . Jewelry Designer

I tend to notice things on people and one day a good customer (Stephen Bernard)  stopped in and I immediately noticed his bracelet which was made of multiple leather straps with several thick silver rings(donuts) placed about the piece. Stephen actually had come by to pick-up a few things and to suggest the jeweler of his bracelet for our consideration. Thus began our path with Jeffrey Levin. We decided to ask JL (my email moniker for Jeffrey) a few questions and he was kind enough to answer:

You did not really expect South Africa to win the World Cup did you?  Lol! I didn’t actually but one always can hope… Bafana Bafana

Your designs range from leather, silver, gold to diamonds, is there one medium that you prefer over the others?  I love to work in wax, it is such a forgiving medium and my hands feel the ‘flow’ of the design more than when I work directly in metal. My fingertips talk to me about shape and form when I carve and wax allows me to shift destinations. I can’t choose one particular metal or medium but mixing organic and metal together is my current favorite.

Why did you choose to apprentice as a jewelry designer and what is that process like?  My uncle had a jewelry business and my father became a partner when I was a young boy so I was always hanging around the workshop, watching, absorbing the atmosphere and experimenting with wire and leather. It felt like a natural progression to apprentice when the time came to make my career decision. The apprenticeship format in South Africa is 4 years of bench training as well as yearly semesters at a technical college after which one sits for a trade test which is 2 days long.

You now reside in California- do you find that your designs are changing the longer you are away from home (South Africa), are your designs becoming Americanized?  I am lucky because I have lived in 2 very special places for a long time. My African heritage will never leave me and it has instilled its flavor into my hands as my American journey has excited and teased me with its uniqueness and distinct layers.

What does JL designs offer a womens customer that is unique from other jewelers? My work is very tactile and very clean. I offer a simple freshness, an elegance and clarity that has taken me a while to capture and that I don’t see too often.

 Is it cool for men to wear jewelry?  Beyond cool! I love that men are fully embracing their inner uniqueness and experimenting (finally!) with jewelry. So fun for me to explore my designs for my own sex.

Most interesting inspiration that led to a actual jewelry design?  The Ndebele painted walls that I have interpreted into many designs now. The whole journey of the teenage boys becoming men and the celebration of the families with the unique designs and the open invitation to come celebrate really inspired me.

Would you agree that all good design share similarities, or not – from cars to jewelry etc…?  I do agree. Design flows from the soul of that particular artist to one’s own and forces us to absorb something unexpected… a new creation. That for me is the common denominator with all design.

Can jewelry be eco friendly or green – is that something you think about with your designs?  Jewelry can be eco and more and more resources are opening up with suppliers. We definitely try to source metal, leather, stones, etc that are recycled, fair trade and sustainable where possible. Our diamonds are non-conflict, our operations and marketing are environmentally friendly, but it isn’t always possible to be 100% but we are getting there!

Which of your designs would you say is a timeless piece that is a must have and why?  I think that would be my puffy heart. It is so nicely shaped, it feels great and looks fabulous. Everyone can understand the symbol no matter the language they speak and love is eternal…

Maiden Noir is an amazing new brand that we are introducing to Canvas this week. After buying the brand and being completely impressed with their approach to apparel design (technical yet practical), and distribution(tight), I happened across this video and got drunk off of their kool-aid. Maybe you will see why after viewing.

When asked how he came up with the name for his design studio, Truong explains, “A lot of people do what they love and the things they’re most passionate about as hobbies on the weekend. We essentially do that every single day and it was just appropriate to name our studio, WKND.” Encompassing the many facets of design, WKND design is immersed in branding, graphic design, interior design, public art, landscape architecture, and apparel(Maiden Noir).

When we started with Engineered Garments a few seasons ago the first person  we met was Angelo Urrutia (Design Assistant). He walked Jac and I through the line and is our man with the answers when it comes to EG.  Jake Davis is someone I look forward to meeting in the future, but in the meantime I am a fan of his” Test Shots Series”. Anyone that can get Angelo to stand still for a camera, has already achieved a monumental task. Looking good Angelo!

Jerome Rosseau is an extremely talented designer that was introduced to Canvas by one of our customers who is a dear friend of his. After a brief conversation about his brand and us being fellow canadians (he is from Montreal), we arranged a meeting at his studio. The rest is history because one look at his shoes and you know you are witnessing something special. We currently are featuring one high heel and it is the Jerome Rousseau “Pilotto Uno Boot” – a true work of footwear art.

Martin Greenfield - GQ Dec.2009 Pg.126

MARTIN GREENFIELD roamed the rough planked floor of his clothing plant in Brooklyn recently, enjoying the familiar whir of a dozen machines. He paused abruptly to inspect the details of a custom tailored coat spread across a table, fingering a buttonhole. The hand stitching “is a signature for us, one that reads like a thank-you note,” he said.

For years he labored behind the scenes to perfect the set of a sleeve or slant of a pocket for the likes of Bill Clinton, Paul Newman and Michael Bloomberg, whose photos line his office walls. Among his more clandestine assignments was to whip up a suit for Michael Jackson. Mr. Jackson, he recalled, never appeared for a fitting. “It was a kind of undercover operation,” he said. The suit, he added, fit perfectly.

As early as the 1960s, the Czechoslovakian-born Mr. Greenfield was cultivating a reputation as “tailor to the designers,” as he likes to say. Isaac Mizrahi and Donna Karan are among those who sought out his expertise. Ms. Karan, who had approached him in the ’80s to help her with men’s suits, recalled at the time that Mr. Greenfield taught her “discipline — how a quarter-inch adjustment can alter everything about the way a suit fits and feels.”

Today his cutters, sewers and patternmakers piece together blazers and tailored hoodies for adventurous labels like Band of Outsiders and Rag & Bone.

Mr. Greenfield could probably have reeled off the names of famous clients all afternoon. But more pressing things distracted him. “Look at this,” he said, pausing to watch as a worker bent over a buttonhole. “Each stitch has its own knot,” he explained, with mounting satisfaction. “Her job is to pull each knot exactly as tight as the last.” He would have it no other way. Rag & Bone will be available at CANVAS – Spring 10.