4 minute read
PUTTING HIS BEST KICKS
FORWARD
– Timothy Roquemore
Written by ANTHONY KIRBY
Anthony T. Kirby is the Fashion & Lifestyle Editor for CODE M Magazine and has spent over 30 years in the menswear industry. He lives in Philadelphia, PA where he is the Creative Director for FINICKEY, an online men's haberdashery brand. (https:// finickey.us)
Where does one’s creative inspiration come from? It can be those in your circle or a product idea that hasn’t come to market. The Timothy Roquemore footwear brand was the creative inspiration. A luxury footwear brand founded in 2008, that raised the bar on a product we’ve worn for decades sneakers but partnering with the best artisans in Italy using generations of footwear making and exclusive leathers and colors to create his eponymous brand of footwear.
This is how Tim went from concept to creativity. During the late ‘70s and early ‘80s as a junior high student, Tim’s pastime was watching movies like American Gigolo, The Untouchables, and Wall Street that captured the great periods of men’s dress. A seed of creativity was just getting planted for Tim. His creative inspiration started in the home. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, his father was another source of inspiration: a hardworking man who worked multiple jobs. It was his father’s dressing for those jobs wherein Tim took note of his father’s style in presenting himself well-attired. Clothing was paramount in the family household. His dad would take him to some of the best menswear shops around town like Norton Ditton and Sakowitz, exposing him to well-made and tailored clothing. The experience immersed Tim in exploring more about menswear by reading Esquire and GQ magazine’s fashion editorials and watching fashion news shows. This was his calling. During high-school, Tim’s sights were set on how to take his desire of getting into the fashion industry from Houston to New York City. He knew he had to go where the best is. In NYC, you had the best fashion schools to educate you about the industry. Tim had to be very methodical in his journey. It was the very competitive Fashion Institute of Technology that would give him the educational tools he sought. Unfortunately, his application to attend F.I.T. wasn’t accepted on his first try, but a school counselor guided him to areas of study that finally got him accepted into F.I.T. He received degrees in Patternmaking Technology and Marketing Communications. In 2001 he was working retail for Ralph Lauren where he started at the iconic Rhinelander Mansion on 72nd & Madison Avenue working in various positions before joining the executive training program and then becoming part of the Visual Merchandising team. After years at Ralph Lauren, Timothy started his brand while transitioning to working for Italian luxury brand Loro Piana. For vacations, Timothy would travel to Italy to source and be exposed to the generations of Italian designers and manufacturers of menswear collections. This is where the journey started for Tim defining his own brand. “What could make or break a great outfit?” It was footwear. Tim had observed men wearing suits with running shoes. Once they reached the office, they would change into their hard-soled dress shoes. “I started tweaking the idea of creating a dressier sneaker that could be worn daily with a man’s workday attire.” The concept would be a clean, elegant, and use great quality leathers. Tim knew Italy, would be the best place to have high-end quality sneakers made. The one thing that was challenging Tim was:
Where and who in Italy could make his collection? He had recently read a TIME magazine article on Diego Della Valle, the founder of Tod’s leather goods company. In the article, Diego mentioned that between 80% – 90% of Italian footwear is made in the LaMarche region of Italy. This is where Tim decided to focus on identifying an Italian manufacturer. The research and development process was an extensive 3year search in which Tim partnered up with Italian Trade Commission to reach out to factories interested in creating his first collection. Most of the factories he contacted were only making dress and casual shoes; no one was making a luxury lifestyle sneaker. Tim eventually found a manufacturer who was willing to make a dress sneaker. His initial sample collection consisted of styles made of suede, leather, and velvet. He used men’s clothing cloth to give it more of an apparel feel. There was also a patent-leather version that could be worn with black tie.
The Timothy Roquemore collection was one of the first in the space of luxe sneakers as an independent brand and adopted by other brands. You’ll notice that every designer collection now has a version of a luxury sneaker. Tim’s business model for his footwear brand lowered the barrier of entry through made-to-order. It’s direct-to-consumer through crowd sourcing. On his site, the products are made exclusively and in limited-edition for which clients have an allotted time to order. Once the sneaker has reached its maximum number of orders, the ordering is closed. His clientele following is not your typical brand-name followers. They’re looking for something personalized to their individual style and taste level.
The Roquemore collection, being a sustainable and customized brand, has sights on product expansion into small leather goods, totes, laces, and hosiery. These are great companions for his sneaker brand. Check his site out and fall in love! ●
TIMOTHY ROQUEMORE https://timothyroquemore.com IG: timothyroquemore
