Interview: Aaron Stern

President’s in conversation with Aaron Stern, our SS17 artist-in-residence.

You’ve published several books and have worked with many blue-chip clients. Tell us about your background and trajectory as a photographer?

I grew up taking pictures, drawing, painting, and writing but didn’t think I’d be able to make a living in those fields. So, I owned a creative agency for much of the 2000-2010 decade. We produced concerts, fashion shows, screenings and helped connect brands with musicians, artists, actors, writers, etc.

Over the years, I had been photographing the people I met, the shows I produced and places I traveled. I started posting these images as a personal diary around 2006 when the blog was born. It caught on and I built a small following. Sam Shipley and Jeff Halmos published a book of my photos in 2011 called Everyone Must Be Announced. I still had a few clients after the crash in 2009 but agency had closed. After the book and a show supporting it came out I started getting commercial work.  That allowed me to focus solely on photography.

Give us the backstory of your photograph President’s has chosen to represent the SS17 collection. 

The image chosen by President’s appears on the cover of my third monograph, Horizon Avenue.  I had just spent four days in San Francisco on an assignment for American Vogue.  Three of those days I was in the car either scouting or just wondering aimlessly taking pictures.  These images would eventually be used to create Horizon Avenue

So I was returning from the San Francisco trip and in a car on the way home from Newark Airport I shot this picture.  Believe it or not the road from the airport that feeds into i-78 is covered in tall beautiful grass, like in the photograph.  I must have been to Newark hundreds of times in my life and had always wanted to stop. 

Tell us about your technique. What is your go-to gear? 

Depending on the job or project I use 35mm and 120mm film, both black and white and color.  The current two books are both shot entirely on 35mm film, Horizon Avenue and We Live Behind The Moon Sometimes.  I mostly use Leica M bodies and lenses. 

I am interested in the idea of loss and love, how they affect the landscape around us and in our minds.  I believe we create narratives for ourselves and those narratives shape how we view the world.  Every city, town or rural area has a different affect of course on how we each shape these stories – as well as how we live, sleep, eat, relationships we form and or break. My intension is to explore these themes using pictures and mostly through the narrative of a monograph.

You’ve lived in New York for years. What’s your relationship with the city? Is it your favorite city in the world? 

My family came to New York in the early 1840s. While I grew up in the DC area, I spent summers here and a lot of my childhood visiting family. I moved to New York permanently in June of 2001.  There were still pockets of what I had always envisioned living here would be like. Unfortunately, the global economy, social media and of course 9/11 changed all that. 

Living in New York is like one long rejection. Around every corner there is someone smarter, harder working, better looking, richer, funnier – that obviously just humbles the shit out of you on a daily basis, but it also is pretty inspiring. Couple that with the never-ending pounding of over stimulation: cars honking, overheard conversations, couples fighting and crying on the street, a solitary person yelling into their phone, bars on every corner and people spilling out of them at all hours, kids laughing, construction workers cat calling from the tops of pointless scaffolding, the almost certain chance of running into someone you know or haven’t seen in twenty years, the F train that seems to never come, the Daily News’ and NY Post’s unavoidable and absurd daily take on the world, the sarcasm of NY1…

What I love about New York is that you are surrounded by almost 10 million people who have a similar sensibility in some way as yourself.  We are resilient and proud to be here no matter how much you hear us complain or say otherwise. For me I find the convenience of things helpful in focusing on what is important to me, my work. Within two blocks of my apartment there are two 24 hour bodegas, two grocery stores, two Duane Reades, a bank, two dry cleaners, a gym, a hospital, several restaurants, bars and the 1,2,3,L,F,M,A,C,E trains and yeah, the food’s pretty great, too.

Who are your style icons? 

Steve McQueen?  Does everyone say that?  I’d love to just wear head to toe Nike.

Robert Geller and Phillip Lim are two friends of mine that are designers who’s own personal style I admire.   

What is it about President’s that resonates with you and your style? 

Clean, comfortable and refined.  Not really interested in anything fancy or constricting. I’d rather not think about it at all, and it seems that President’s fits with that idea of keeping it fresh and yet simple.

In the Details

They say the clothes make the man, but it is the details that make the clothes. If the generations of Italian saper-fare that goes into each and every President’s garment has taught us one thing, it is that quality and excellence come from doing the small, subtle things very the best way possible.

We always start with the finest fabrics: Egyptian cottons, quality cashmeres, and selections from esteemed Italian textile houses Larusmiani and Loro Piana. Each is chosen according to its performance, its feel, its drape, and the way it wears over time. And because no fine fabric performs on its own, the way in which we put them together is equally important. We break a few tried-and-true rules of apparel design when it means making a better garment. For example, unlike any industrial apparel brand, and unlike even the vast majority of luxury brands, we make use of the strongest, most durable stitching methods, even if that means more time and cost.

Denim
All of our denim is fine Japanese selvedge, and sewn together with antique machines with double and triple stitches for natural wear and the maximum longevity. Our tags are made of Santa Croce leather.

Linings
The inner layer of your clothes are rarely seen by others, so it is quite common to pass them over or pay little attention to them in order to cut costs. But we know that linings are critical: you are in intimate contact with them and feel them every minute you wear the garment. For that reason, President’s takes special pride in its linings, from the reclaimed Indian wallpaper print in the Kadavu Jacket to the wind-resistant parachute lining in the Freddy Jacket.

Elevated Basics
Even the most casual garments deserve some love. From our classic T’s to our minimal Crewnecks in Japanese cotton or fine cashmere, we find that basics made well out of the best materials last longer, wear better, and they’ll become beloved staples in your wardrobe.

Hardware
Whether it’s the brass zips on a bag, the real bone buttons on the Giza shirt, or the reinforced button enclosures on the indigo selvedge Blazer, we pay special attention to the parts of the garment that go through the most stress. Solid hardware makes your garment look brand new for longer.

 

See the SS16 Lookbook. 

 

The trench coat: It’s more than rain

Perfect for mid-season’s variability, the trench coat is an essential piece a smart man cannot miss to have in his closet. Classic in its shape and color but modern in the choice of details, President’s Hound Trench is made in Japanese double cotton nylon and moreover; it’s waterproof. This garment’s identity stands in the presence of innovative elements as heat-sealed seams, hand-brushed horn buttons with the back hand-stitched in leather and an indigo Japanese flower pattern as lining.

Available at selected retailers both offline and online.

Video: A #TuscanCocktail by President’s

Following the photo recap from our #TuscanCocktail at Palazzo Gondi in Florence last week, here comes the video, capturing the mood of the evening accompanied by some solid tunes. Enjoy!

To not miss out on any videos by President’s, follow us on Vimeo here.

Interview with Guido Biondi on Selectism

“While the President’s brand is making themselves heard in 2014, its original concept is not all that new. Originally conceived in 1957 by Manifatture 7′ Bell’s Francesco Bacci, President’s, the menswear label, did not enter the market until Guido Biondi, Bacci’s grandson, took hold of the name to bring forth a modern take on Italian fashion that communicates the company’s commitment to manufacturing well beyond the boundaries of Europe. […] In our latest Selectism Q&A we speak to Biondi on the conception of the modern President’s line.”

Read the full interview with President’s creative director, Guido Biondi, on Selectism.com.

Basic choices – crew neck sweater

The grey crew neck sweater with inspiration from the 50’s classic pieces is an absolute favourite in the Spring/Summer ’14 collection. It’s a basic garment and definite choice for anyone who appreciates simple design yet high quality material for an everyday look at ease.

You will be able to shop the Spring/Summer ’14 collection within short on sevenbell.com

 

The perfect trench

President’s loves to combine well-suited garments with technical aspects to create a modern yet classic look of high quality. The Pierce trench coat for SS14 embodies both these features with its impeccable design, thermore lining and 3 layered cotton technique. Horn buttons and a contrasting colour over the shoulders are the details completing this must-have piece.

President’s full Spring/Summer ’14 collection will be available to purchase on www.sevenbell.com

 

Jeans Jacket & Hawaiian Prints

It’s time to pick up the Spring looks! President’s styles the Wyatt Jeans Jacket in a light denim of Japanese selvedge with a washed sailor printed poplin shirt. The Hawaiian prints are back to add some movement in the Spring/Summer ’14 wardrobe, matching up with the 60’s Puerto Rican inspiration from which the whole collection draw inspiration. Denim as a never lost core material adds character to an easy yet dress up look.

The Spring/Summer ’14 collection will soon be available on www.sevenbell.com

 

Horween Leather Boot

President’s inspiration sometimes comes from far away. In this particular case, the brand goes back in time to 1940 to delve into the life of the ancient American lumberjacks. The hand-finished Horween leather boot with a camouflage customized Vibram sole is the result of this thorough research and combines the most ancient tradition with the best of the modern techniques.

100% Italian Cashmere Coat

President’s Estate Coat is a classic and elegant garment made of 100% Italian cashmere, accompanied with real horn buttons with an anchor. This coat is suitable for even the most demanding customers who do not renounce to high quality of materials and fine details reserved for connoisseurs.