Traditional + modern = __________
Do you ever flip through the pages of a glossy fashion magazine, wondering why there is such a big gap between what “fashion people” consider to be “equestrian style” and what equestrians deem to be fashionable? Vogue will style their editorial with top hats and pouffy jods, while riders are going for technical synthetic fabrics and bling. Could
the two ever meet in the middle? This was the primary inspiration behind my own apparel brand, Street & Saddle.
Horses, tailoring, and art
The styles, all manufactured by myself and my business partner, two employees, and a local factory, are inspired by the clash of opposites: tradition and modernity, masculinity and girlishness, classic and unique, practicality and beauty. From our best selling show shirts, easily paired with dress pants for the office, to horse art print silk scarves and
leather belts, they can all be traced back to their roots in equestrian style.
The journey
When I look back on the last two years, it’s been an insane time – from some belts and headbands to scoring a free spot at Fashion Week, features on Refinery 29 and in Horse & Style magazine, shipping orders all over the world, and a full collection of basically all the clothing you need for riding, the office and everywhere in between. It’s Swiss technical fabrics and quirky British style, double-take styles like tailored wool overalls and the best fitting white button up shirt around.
What’s next?
So far we’ve been selling online, doing local pop-ups, and retail partnerships with tack shops… but not for long. We’re moving into distribution mode, which means you may spot some of our best selling ShowStopper shirts at your local tack shop in the new year. We’ve had an insane amount of requests to get into menswear, which we may just
have to do.
