Daily Front Row

2012 February 20

Gobel-A-Go-Go

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Marlon Gobel
Giorgio Niro View Gallery

(NEW YORK) When Marlon Gobel got the itch to start his own line, he went to DvF to ask her permission and to Sir Elton John for a letter of endorsement. He got both. Not bad for a youngster from Seattle named after the guy best known for crying “Stella!!!” BY EDDIE ROCHE

How did you land the name Marlon?
Brando! Keith Richards’ son is also named Marlon. My mother was close with Keith at the time I was born.

How did she know Keith?
It gets very intense, that story. Very, very intense. [long pause] She was involved in a weird scene there for a while.

Alrighty! What did your parents do?
My mother is a metaphysical scientist, and my dad published children’s books. They didn’t live together. I spent a lot of my childhood in Santa Fe with my mom, but I grew up in Seattle. In high school, I was class president and all that stuff. I had hippie parents. I didn’t take the SAT because they didn’t want me to judge myself by a number.

What would you have scored?
I would have done pretty well. My partner Jace is always giving me a hard time because I understand physics, science, and math so well. 

What did you do after high school?
I wanted to go to school in London, not realizing I wouldn’t be able to afford it. I ended up leaving school because I couldn’t afford the tube and the food, and I didn’t have time to work.

Where did you go to school in London?
I downplay this, but Saint Martins. I didn’t graduate. I spent a whole month once cutting letters out of paper. I returned to Seattle and met the boys who started the Ace Hotel, who offered me a little retail space in their very first location. They wanted either a flower shop or a magazine store, so not being a florist, I did the flower shop. It was super minimal and stark and too advanced for Seattle. I was encouraged to go to New York to be around creative people. So, I packed up everything and moved!

And?
I did apprenticeships. I worked for a bunch of artists ranging from Matthew Barney to Anthony Goicolea. I put Anthony together with Thom Browne for a project, and Thom said he could use some employees who work hard for free. So I went to work for Thom  in 2004 on Little West 12th Street.  When you walked to work, it still smelled like blood. The transsexuals made fun of me for wearing a $7,000 suit with highwater pants. I thought, Now I’m living my fashion dream! We opened a store on Hudson, and I was director of operations. I loved what we were making, but I needed to know more. I need more in my closet than gray suits. I felt it was time to see what else was out there in menswear.

Who helped you?
Men’s Vogue. They knew me from Thom, who once introduced me to Anna Wintour as his Charles Fagan. I told Stephen Watson (former Men’s Vogue fashion director) that I was thinking of leaving Thom. He brought up working with Tom Ford, but I wasn’t really interested.  He said there was a new guy named Michael Bastian who was starting a line with Brunello Cucinelli that was very ‘retail.’ I started working with Michael for his line and then we got a deal with Bill Blass. We did two collections we never showed, and then Bill Blass collapsed. Then Gant called us. At the end of 2009, I was a little baked on the way back from Sweden on business and decided to start my own brand. I came home and asked the family’s permission.

Meaning you asked Michael?
No! My own family. Bosses come and go, but your parents and boyfriend are here to stay. 

Are you and Michael on good terms?
It’s a very frenemy situation, always. I find it sad that everyone in fashion is so scared of each other. It’s like we’re back in middle school standing on the opposite sides of the dance floor. I have no bad blood with anybody, but it’s not like past employers or other designers are calling me to see if I want to go bike riding.

So, after you left Michael...
There was one more person whose permission I needed: Diane von Furstenberg. I humbly wrote her a note card, introduced myself, and explained that I was interested in being a menswear designer and that I’d like her permission. You can’t just barge into the party and not be invited. I was confident enough. I didn’t feel like I was some kid.

Did you really think she would say no?
There was a possibility. I went to her office and left the note with the receptionist at 11 a.m. At 3:30 p.m., I got an e-mail from DvF herself. She wanted to discuss the matter with me in person! I walked right up her magic staircase the next Thursday.

Were you nervous?
I wasn’t. I didn’t want any help from her. I just wanted her permission, like asking for someone’s hand in marriage. We sat on the sofa in her office and a magical person came out with milk, cookies, and tea.

What kind of cookies?
Fancy French ones. She was impressed that I ate them, and I drank my whole glass of milk. She asked me where I got my swatches and I said, ‘Oh you can go to Home Depot and get them for free.’ She said, ‘We pay a lot of money for those swatches!’ She liked my ingenuity. She said, ‘Marlon, you don’t want to do this, you have to do this. My only advice is go make the clothes. You have my blessing, but making the clothes is the hard part.’ She picked up the phone and called Steven Kolb and said, ‘We need to get a space for Marlon in the fashion calendar.’

She’s become your fairy godmother!
I’ve e-mailed her since then on nights before shows, telling her that I’m totally scared. She’ll write back, let go and enjoy. It’s almost hard to believe! She said that nobody had ever asked for permission. They just assumed that since they went to fashion school and are totally great and can sew, they should have a show and sell to stores. We don’t flaunt that she gives me this encouragement. She just sometimes gives me a reason to wake up.

How are you funded?
Savings from working. I made a pretty good living. My family helped out, too. I don’t have an assistant or a show producer. I got picked up by Bergdorf my very first season, and I still sell there. I’m thrilled. It’s the best department store in the world. 

Who was your champion at Bergdorf?
Linda Fargo wrote me my letter of recommendation for the CFDA, which was really an honor because she first said no. But she thought about it overnight and changed her mind. My letters of recommendation were pretty spectacular. John Demsey and Mr. Elton John and David Furnish wrote the others.

What did Elton write in his letter?
[reads aloud] ‘We first met Marlon Gobel in 2007 when he was working for Thom Browne. It was always apparent that his strength as a designer and influence on American’s menswear even at that time meant he was destined to start his own label.... Not only is he talented, he remains humble and charming. He sets the standard very high and never disappoints. He has given us hope that he will be one designer who will start to replace many of the icons and friends we have lost in the fashion industry over the years....’ It’s pretty major!

Were you disappointed that you didn’t get in?
Of course.

What does the good life mean to you?
To get somebody, anybody, on the phone without going through six people. Oh, and taking a car service instead of a subway.

Do you do that?
Not yet.