Drew Veloric
Drew Veloric, is an entrepreneur and a fashion and furniture designer. He started his business and design experience interning at Calvin Klein, Daniel Andersen and Lanvin. Veloric also did commercial direction, retail distribution, visual and wholesale showroom sales for various established brands. After spending years of research and development to launch his own collection, Veloric now produces photoshoots and videos featuring proprietary fashion, footwear and furniture designs, made without polyester or animal by product from sources including Mirum by natural fiber Welding, pinatex pineapple, mushroom etc.
When did you first become interested in fashion design?
I was first interested in designing when I was a teenager, I was always into fashion and footwear from an early age. In the early 2000s I began to buy and sell deadstock and vintage clothing, sneakers, and accessories on the internet, which broadened my horizons for both design and entrepreneurship.
What inspires you, in both your designs and personal life?
The brands and designers I interned for and worked with focused on nature, music, art, architecture, food, reading, street style, friends, and family.
Besides fashion, you also do furniture design. Can you share with us what makes you interested in designing furniture?
I became interested in designing furniture out of necessity after discovering a void in the market and a lack of upholstery and cushion fill material options that were composed of only naturally derived fibers. To demonstrate some proofs of concept, I began to upcycle and reupholster timeless mid-century, modern chairs and reimagine them upholstered in alternatives to leather like Pinatex pineapple, tree leaf, waste fiber and coconut coir/natural rubber cushioning instead of the typical synthetic poly or feathers for the fill.
What's the most challenging thing about running a sustainable business?
Education. Explaining the importance of transparency in knowing how products are made, who is making them, where they are made, what they are made from etc.
Other than your own, which sustainable fashion brands do you like?
Daniel Andresen, Toogood, Geoffrey B Small, Jan Jan van Essche, Greg Lauren.
How do you think you and your approach to desinging have grown since the start of your career?
Being able to have the honest dialogue about the shortcomings that many current offerings of alternatives to leather have from when I first started, until now. I found a couple solutions going forward that do not contain plastic or poly like Mirum by Natural fiber welding and mushroom muskin. It is empowering to justify these options to our customers instead of the generic faux leather or vegan leather that is primarily used in fashion, footwear, and furniture made from polyester and polyurethane.
What advice would you give young people considering careers in fashion designing?
Intern and apprentice at businesses, brands and with designers that you are inspired by to learn how they operate and what makes them successful managers. Watch them delegate, ask questions. Learn about all aspects of the business and not just the design portion. Take time doing research and development. Test and fail, try again, improve upon your ideas, and keep striving to find better solutions to what is currently available.
What are your goals or vision for your designs and work in the coming years?
I will be debuting original furniture and a full fashion/footwear collection featuring Mirum by Natural fiber welding, and hemp faux fur for fall winter as well as zero waste whole garment knitwear made seamlessly on shima seiki machines in New Jersey in Italian organic cotton yarn.
Social Media.
@drewveloric
Interview by Chloe Liu, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Alexa Dyer, Graphic Design Coordinator, PhotoBook Magazine
*All images courtesy of Drew Veloric
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