Refinery 29: Independent Style, Defined and Refined

Fashion: All

Sign Up For Refinery29 and WIN BIG at Urban Outfitters

April 17, 2008

menswear new designers designer profile

Profiles

This Handsome Man

The new line Bureau puts the Camelot back in men's clothes. By Valery Joseph


bureau_instory.jpg


For designer Cory Gomberg, describing his clothes as "effortless" is the ultimate praise. His nascent menswear line, Bureau, is made up of beautifully crafted basics, each piece as functional as it is refined. This is no accident, as Gomberg has long been inspired by a time when mass production in clothing was still a ways off: His first label, the now-defunct Greige, gave a nod to 1930s migrant farm workers, and Bureau delivers similar references to eras past. In the eyes of Gomberg, these were the halcyon days of menswear, when "integrity and craftsmanship were the norm."

His spring collection, an homage to Camelot-era Kennedys (think off-duty at Hyannis Port) is a tightly edited grouping of classic Americana pieces: canvas shorts, oxford shirts, sweatshirts, anoraks, cotton blazers—all approached in a strikingly modern context. Says Gomberg, "My muse is a creative type who doesn't need a label to define him—it's a bit more stealth."


bureau_instory2.jpg


And stealth would be a perfect way to describe the quiet details with which Gomberg suffuses his line: sweaters cut on a bias, creatively embellished collars, playfully placed pockets. Yet, despite all the fun he's clearly having, Gomberg never fails to forget his customer. "I love the experience of getting dressed, the change one can experience when wearing a well-made garment," he says. "This is why I design—it comes down to making people feel good in their own skin."

Bureau is available in New York at Odin, 199 Lafayette Street, 212-966-0026. For more information go to www.bureau-usa.com.

 
  • Fashion

    Bottom Line

    Trend Watch: Bottom Line

    Pleats, volume, and a little crop define the big trouser of the moment.

  • Pipeline

    Sneakers on the Straße: Le Gang's All Here

    Just off of Kastanienallee, the main drag in Berlin's up-and-coming Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood, li...

  • Shopping News

    Spaghetti Chandelier

    Ebay Blog: Spaghetti Chandelier

    Remember these? Up close the finish is sort of funky (just like plastic spaghetti) but illuminated from the interior, these globes are totally gorgeous. —CB

    Spaghetti Chandelier

  • Style and People

    Peaches Geldof

    My Style: Peaches Geldof

    The British girl-about-town talks fashion, music, and her upcoming debut as designer.

  • Travel and Guides

    Wagons East

    Wagons East

    The Best New Hamptons Pit-Stops.

  • Music

    07/23/08

    The Kiss Off—Brace

    This new Brooklyn band lists Echo and the Bunnymen and David Bowie among their influences and you can tell. There's plenty of drama and paranoia in the vocals and swelling keyboards...

About Fashion
From the most promising up-and-coming designers to the latest trend emerging from the streets of Paris, Los Angeles, or New York, Refinery29's indie fashion content is always on the cutting-edge. Check out our latest objects of desire, new store openings worldwide, and find out what our favorite new designers are doing in the studio as well as the shops.