New York natives and designers of Public School New York, Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osbourne are the purveyors of cool and they have the downtown scene and aesthetic on lock. They have worked tirelessly to build a brand that homages New York’s gritty style and hustle. Since 2008, PSNY has been creating urban meets upscale black silhouettes for NBA Basketball players ( including Odell Beckham Jr. who has been spotted front row at their fashion shows) to off-duty corporate executives. The charming designers have been quietly shaping the high-end streetwear category one frock and denim cuff at a time, while simultaneously leveraging partnerships with other American brands like J. Crew and Nike.
In celebration of PSNY’s tenth anniversary, the duo has channeled their sophisticated downtown aesthetic to design three custom bottles of Moët Nectar Imperial Rosé. Before toasting a successful brand filled with countless of pieces to fit New York's all- black uniform, I got an exclusive interview with Chow and Osbourne on building a fashion label, collaborating with the powerhouse spirit company Moet & Chandon, and maintaining longevity. Go inside our conversation.
MEL WRITES: You’ve produced ten collaborations from Nike’s Jordan Brand to J. Crew and now Moet & Chandon, how do partnerships play a role in building a global fashion brand?
M: It’s always exciting to tap into different markets and work with people that do things well from Oliver Peoples to Jordan to Moët & Chandon. Working with these brands that are the best in their fields is an honor, and it’s fun to collaborate on those projects.
D: Fashion is not just about clothes it’s about the way that you live. We collaborate with brands that emulate our lifestyle. These are all things that we use in our daily lives. It makes a brand more multidimensional. It’s not just what you wear on your body but the things that interest you. We’re interested in creating products that make up that whole other spectrum outside of fashion.
What was your design process like for the limited-edition Moët bottle?
M: We applied the Public School aesthetic to the bottle, but we also took away some of those distinct elements that you typically find on the Moët bottle. We played with shapes and colors and really stuck to that design philosophy throughout the collaboration.
You closed the door with Public School for two years and relaunched, under the advice/mentorship of CFDA and as the inaugural class… What are some challenges and advice you can share from this period and who were your mentors?
M: Some of our mentors were Andrew Rosen, Rodrigo Bazan, Anna Wintour, Steven Kolb and Lisa Smilor.
D: Breaking into the industry is one thing but being consistent and presenting your point of view every single season is the challenging part. We are lucky to be where we are now. But we advise new designers to stick to their own point of view. We’ve had some great mentors who have given us great advice. But ultimately, it’s what you do with the advice and how you can stay on your own course and not feel the need to rush anything or change course. The industry switches so frequently so for us to be able to keep doing what we’re doing is a fortunate thing for us.