Meet sophomore West Shepherd, one of the co-founders of the soon-to-launch clothing line Frank West! Read about what sparked the idea, what the epitome of Frank West style is, and what trend he’s ready to say goodbye to.
Class: 2017Major: International Relations and Spanish Double
1. You’re one of the founders of the clothing line Frank West – so cool! When did you start the line and what inspired you to do so?All three founders, Frank Henry, Charlie Wang and myself, have always had our unique styles and been observant of the direction young fashion is headed. Frank and Charlie went to boarding school together at Wyoming Seminary, and Frank and I were on the same hall freshman year. Picture the three of us packed in one half of my Z-shape dorm room at 2am. I’d be on the bed with a sharpie marking up a button down while Frank drew designs on the whiteboard. Charlie would be sitting on my desk with a pen and tiny moleskin in his aggressive note-taking mode, shaking his head at how unfeasible our absurd ideas were. Needless to say we got written up for noise complaints once a week. It’s an energy.
2. Where did the name Frank West come from?Frank Henry is one of the co-founders. The name is just our two first names. We liked the sound of it. Kept it simple.
3. Who is your target demographic? Has Bucknell been a good market to sell to?Our clothing has the potential to look great on every guy regardless of age. But with college guys in mind, we gave our clothing a modern look and athletic cut. Bucknell students tend to be very fashion conscious, so it’s been fun to see the awareness of the company spread in the last couple of months. We’ve received nothing but great feedback.
4. If you had to describe the epitome of the Frank West look in 3 words, what would it be?Young. Bold. Now.
5. How do you bring Frank West to Bucknell? Have friends modeled/marketed for you?Frank West will launch soon and we’re keeping a veil over the specifics of that. And the modeling part of it has all been out of the blue. The perfect example was last week when a few team members went to Cape Town. Not even looking for one, we met a half-conscious photographer in a bar who said he’d shoot some pics for us. We doubted he’d show up/even remember us the next day, but sure enough he came and we got some great material out of it.
6. Do you have a personal style icon?Arthur Miller
7. How do you balance classes, a social life, and running a retail franchise?I have a watch. That normally helps me know the time.
Quick Qs:
- Winter must have: More button downs.
- Staple piece in wardrobe: White Oxford. Always in style.
- Trend to which you’re ready to say goodbye: Vineyard Vines
- Ugly Christmas sweaters – love ‘em or leave’ em? Are they Frank West?
Check out the website at www.frankwest.co !