Duckie Brown Designers Question Steve McQueen's Masculinity: "He Beat Up His Wife" (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

"Everyone who feels out of the box moves to New York City," Daniel Silver says. But, "there isn't a love for fantasy in fashion there. Whereas, in Paris, there is a history of celebrating the artistic and creative." And so the tiresome quest to fit in among the innovative endures, no matter the place.

Duckie is an English term of endearment that Daniel and Steven Cox have been calling each other for fifteen years. How incredibly adorable is that? (Steven and Daniel, how do I get to be your best friend?)

Of the world's most frequently referenced men's style icon, Steven says "Steve McQueen is considered a real man, and he beat up his wife." Daniel adds, "Which I've never understood. He was an alcoholic that used to slap around Ali McGraw. I've heard many, many menswear designers reference Steve McQueen when they're talking about 'real men.' "

Neither Daniel nor Steven grew up in the United States and they attribute the overall European feel of their clothing collections to this. Daniel, who is originally from Toronto, and therefore "close to North America," was cultivated in the glamorous and preppie culture of Jackie O, Steve McQueen, Ali McGraw and Marilyn Monroe. Steven is from North London, "that weird, eccentric little island," he says, that is rooted in punk, the Victorian and Edwardian eras and Dickens. Together, their diverse sensibilities are what make their designs so originally authentic, both accessible and aspirational at the same time. This is personified by their woven take on the Wallabee and influence of women's Chanel...more on StyleLikeU!

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