Bird of Prey
Bird of Prey is an evolution in design for Peter Ross. The founder of Grail launched the brand in August at the Project Global Trade Show in Las Vegas. Ross described Bird of Prey as a metaphor for a bird’s journey from hatchling to grown-up. The clothing itself represents the spirit of a majestic bird of prey. “On a hanger, they’re going to be very beautiful and very regal and very clean and gorgeous. Yet when the man or woman puts it on, they become the predator, the seeker, and they always get what they want,” Ross said.
Sticking with his roots, Ross utilizes many of the innovative wash and printing processes that he created at Grail. But for Bird of Prey, he made a 180-degree turn in style. “We have to keep with what has been successful for us in the past,” he said. “But at the same time that we make it the same, we have to make it completely different.” The look is no longer destroyed and distressed; it is clean and refined with a techy, futuristic twist.
A key to the look is the utilization of mixed-media processes, including sublimation prints, metallic-foil washes, burnouts and denim treatments applied to knits. For example, a T-shirt might have a sublimation print on the front panel and a screen print on the back and sleeves that are printed separately. The Spring collection takes inspiration from vampires and gypsies—agrave; la Stevie Nicks and the glam-rock look of the 1970s. Prior to launching Bird of Prey, Ross took an inspirational trip to Romania to investigate gypsies and vampires. Graphic prints were created from pictures taken on the trip, including a glass window in a monastery, a cool but creepy photo taken in the woods and a field of daisies photographed from the train.
The look came together on the runway when the line bowed at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios in Culver City, Calif.
For women, the look is grownup, feminine and sexy. Key pieces include racer-back tank dresses made in a mixed-media stripe and burnout gypsy print, jackets finished with a metallic-foil wash, and high-waisted fleece pants with a sueded finish. Dresses are casually chic and wearable in soft fabrics, including cotton/rayon and Modal. Colorful knit styles have multilayered sublimation prints for dramatic effect. The 1970s feeling is captured with high-waisted flared bottoms and folkloric-print silk chiffon dresses with ruffled sleeves. The approach is subtle, not in-your-face glitz and glamour. “We like to kind of fly under the radar and be more core and boutique,” Ross said.
For men, the look has a European feel, with clean, super-thin silhouettes and a 1970s glittery glam-rock twist reminiscent of Ziggy Stardust. Metallic stripes are layered on allover star prints on long-sleeved tees, harlequin-print burnouts are applied to hoodies, and graphic-printed tanks are made in athletic mesh fabrications. Ross added a sophisticated edge with woven shirts, clean knit jackets and straight-leg pants. The look suggests a regal, polite vampire with a techy spin—think Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise in “Interview With the Vampire”: dark, yet clean and thoroughly modern.
Wholesale prices are competitive. Prices are $35 for tees and tanks, $45 for burnout zipfront hoodies, $45 to $55 for bottoms, and $85 for jackets. The silk chiffon dress is $185. For more information, contact the Stacy Keyes Showroom in suite B0507 of the California Market Center at (213) 488-9990. —N. Jayne Seward
