subscribe to Style Like UBrandon Acton-Bond | aspiring shoe designer
"I try to dress for hope, not the apocalypse." Brandon Acton-Bond
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For Brandon, clothes become "armor-like" in both the construction of garments and the feeling he gets from wearing certain pieces. Issey Miyake A_POC cloaklet, Jil Sander trenchcoat, Issey Miyake A-POC turtleneck -
Brandon is an aspiring women's shoe designer. He has been sketching for four years, and finds his designs more sculptural than functional. Inspiration comes "just before I am going to sleep or right when I wake up." For him, "everything morphs into a shoe." Spitfire sunglasses purchased at Flying A in SoHo, Jil Sander trenchcoat, Issey Miyake A-POC turtleneck -
Brandon finds inspiration in the work of expressionist painter Edvard Munch. White high-top Velcro sneakers -
On purchasing this sweater: "It was the first thing I had ever tried on that gave me a real emotional reaction. I tried it on and hadn't even yet looked in the mirror and thought, 'Oh my God, this is so special.'" Issey Miyake Brown A-POC fringe sweater, Cheap Monday pinstripe pants -
On his first experience at the Issey Miyake Store: "Generally, designer boutiques have a certain level of snootiness and they don't want you to even come in if you don't expect to buy anything. The store wasn't like that at all. One of the sales associates walked up to me and asked me if I had ever been in the store, and I said, 'No, but I want to know everything.' I spent three hours there and she explained to me the different lines." Issey Miyake A-POC cloaklet, Jil Sander trenchcoat, Spitfire sunglasses purchased at Flying A in SoHo, Cheap Monday jeans, white high-top Velcro sneakers -
"Every time I wear this [bow tie], everyone loves it. The thing that I really love is that no one expects it to be Issey Miyake. No one really wears it anymore. Issey Miyake is very effortless." Issey Miyake purple bow tie, blue Gap buffalo plaid shirt, Y's Red Label deconstructed sheer purple sweater, Ivan Grundahl half-kimono -
"Throughout my life, I have had passions that I go straight for and must learn everything about. Before I became passionate about apparel, I was obsessed with aviation. Before that, it was architecture." Navy button-down shirt purchased at Opening Ceremony, Comme des Garcons for H&M women's blazer, Comme des Garcons for H&M drop-crotch pants, DIY ribbon arm cage made by Brandon, Kenneth Cole loafers -
"For Issey Miyake's Spring/Summer 2009 collection, they went to the rainforest to find inspiration. They left with actual samples and this is one of the tops that came out of it." Issey Miyake green sheer top, Jil Sander for Uniqlo button-down white shirt, DIY Converse cutout sneakers -
Brandon's favorite people on StyleLikeU are Victoria Mackenzie Childs and Beatrix Ost because of "the spirit in which they wear their clothes." Navy button-down shirt purchased at Opening Ceremony, Comme des Garcons for H&M women's blazer, Comme des Garcons for H&M drop-crotch pants, DIY ribbon arm cage made by Brandon -
"There is something anime/magician about all the designer stuff I wear." Issey Miyake purple bow tie, blue Gap buffalo plaid shirt, Y's Red Label deconstructed sheer purple sweater, Ivan Grundahl half-kimono, Cheap Monday pinstripe pants, Dr. Martens for Raf Simons boots -
On hood: "This is something I have paid full price for and has been completely worth it. I wear it all the time. It's 100% polyester...It's the most comfy thing in the world." Black poncho purchased at the Brick Lane Market in London, Final Home fringe hood -
"When it's windy, I can't resist wearing a cape." Vintage nurse's cape, navy button-down shirt purchased at Opening Ceremony, Comme des Garcons for H&M women's blazer, Comme des Garcons for H&M drop-crotch pants -
Picture of Brandon taken by photographer and friend, Patricia McDonough -
Navy button-down shirt purchased at Opening Ceremony, Comme des Garcons for H&M Women's Blazer -
"I like things to look more like they have been used. I don't like pristine stuff because I can't keep anything pristine." -
"I wear white underneath this so you can see all of the cutout details, which I really love. This sweater to me is Native American by way of Japan. " Issey Miyake Brown Apoc Fringe Sweater -
"I've been putting a lot of thought into how I buy things and what I buy. That way, I don't have to put too much thought into what I wear. I know when I grab something from my closet, it will be very interesting with personality. I have already done that thought." -
"I like invoking more natural images versus futuristic. This [outfit] to me is hippie from the year 2150." Issey Miyake green sheer top, brown patterned shirt purchased at the Brick Lane Market in London, vintage Avon owl pin -
Brandon's love of Issey Miyake began after meeting a woman who had been wearing the designer for thirty years. "I had never met someone who was so emotional about a brand or designer, and I knew that I had to check it out for myself." Issey Miyake A-POC cloaklet, Jil Sander trenchcoat, Issey Miyake A-POC turtleneck -
"The more I wear something, the more it becomes me and less the designer. I put my own imprint into it." Black poncho purchased at the Brick Lane Market in London -
"I got this [black poncho] at one of the markets in Brick Lane. This, to me, is London fashion." Black Poncho purchased at the Brick Lane Market in London, Final Home fringe hood, Cheap Monday pinstripe pants
I was recently enlightened with the Buddhist theory that the most positive energy comes from being in the valley where the grass is growing and new things are being created, rather than at the top of the mountain where the air is thin and you are alone. Brandon has this type of inquisitive excitement for life and a burning desire to learn, discover and share in the details of whatever captures his imagination. Having recently moved here from London, his latest inspiration is his love affair with NYC, where he feels anything is possible.
His passion for the couturier Issey Miyake began when he met a woman who was so emotional about the designer that she has been buying his clothes for thirty years. Brandon is so taken with Issey’s clothing that he wears a white t-shirt under his long cardigan, which he aptly describes as Native American by way of Japan, so that the cutout details underneath it can be appreciated. He has such an insatiable, childlike thirst for knowledge that he spent hours in Issey’s Tribeca store, learning about all of the specifics of their lines, like the purity of the dyes from the rainforest. A self-proclaimed “hippie from 2150,” Brandon loves the mix of romantic with futuristic, like the touch of capes, ponchos, and hoods with his silver trench and sleek aviators. Both worldly and innocent, Brandon portrays a style that is an expression of hope with his use of color and the sheer joy that he gets from making his imprint in the world.
If you like Brandon, you might also enjoy Shaun Stewart, Erik Bergrin, or Ludwig Kuttner.
