Up and coming fashion designer, Phil Meyer, looked like a future CEO when I approached him for our long anticipated interview. Wearing a tasteful tee under a lightly striped, blue and white button down, khaki cargo shorts and sneakers, Phil was dressed for the out-of-season heat that accompanied our outdoor interview.
Characteristic of celebrity, Meyer was hard to get up with to say the least, but the pleasant interview process made the schedule adjustment worthwhile. The young founder of a new, urban style brand called Tastemakers, Meyer was coolly excited and more than willing to share all aspects of his clothing brand and himself with regard to the Tastemakers movement.
When asked, Tastemaker CEO expresses the word ‘tastemaker’ as “anyone who influences, like, trends or styles whether in fashion, music…whatever you do…its stepping out of the box, doing your own thing that people haven’t seen before or are afraid to do”, and that is exactly what Tastemakers aspires to do through its line of clothing, music and lifestyle.
Founded in 2009, when Phil was a high school senior, Tastemakers was originally 50 printed t-shirts.Much to Meyer’s surprise, the tee’s sold quite rapidly and not long after, Meyer jump-started the official Tastemakers brand with a fall/winter online collection.
“People were feelin’ the movement”, says Meyer, expressing his peer’s reactions to his graphic tee initiative.
More than just a clothing line, Tastemakers is a way of life, according to Mr. Meyer. Some of the logos, specifically the object sticker, sport a question: Are you a Tastemaker? This, says Phil, is designed to encouraged the masses to look “inside themselves” and decide…am I a Tastemaker? As I understood, tastemaking is not only done through clothing. Music, art, whatever…one can become a tastemaker in anything one does.
Phil linked with some of his friends from home, for example, who were aspiring rap artists, and allowed them to produce tracks for the Tastemakers movement. Photographers, artists, and models are also included in this unique group of style trailblazers.
What do the clothes look like? Meyer describes his brand as a mix between urban street wear and high end fashion. An example of this is a Tastemakers piece that illuminates a revamped Louis Vuitton logo (LV) for Tastemakers (TM). Similar to most street wear lines, Tastemakers consists of graphic T’s, crew necks and, newly expected for the summer, tank tops and snap back hats.
Inspiration for the line, Phil acquires from “the streets”. By looking at everyday people who “just don’t care” about what they put on, but still have swag, Meyer uses nonchalant, laidback yet fashionable sense for his own line. The brand also draws inspiration from skating and the retro ’90s.
With Tastemakers being compared to popular brands like Supreme and Stussy, the young Phil Meyer is on his way to success using his exquisite entrepreneurial etiquette.
Online site: TastemakersNJ.com
Blog site: TastemakersNJ.com/blog
Youtube site: TastemakersNJ
Facebook: Phil Meyer
Twitter: @Phillycheeese