BFFs Trace Ayala and Justin Timberlake join forces to create William Rast, a street fashion label that debuted to NSYNC-style mayhem at LA Fashion Week.
Trace Ayala has been Justin Timberlake's childhood friend, personal assistant and now his business partner in the pair's latest venture, clothing line William Rast. With Justin providing the catwalk theme music, the duo's first runway collection "Street Sexy," debuted at LA Fashion Week(for the lucky few who got in, we salute your gusto. Check out the red carpet drama here). Celebs like Cameron Diaz, Paris 'I Never Miss a Party' Hilton, and Maroon 5's Adam Levine (who teamed up with JT for his single, This Love) came to support the line. Trace tells us what it's like to work with Justin, the meaning of 'Tennessee Flair' and how to make the perfect pair of jeans.
By Christina Roperti
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ELLEgirl: How did you become involved in designing?
Trace Ayala: Fashion is something that I've always wanted to do. Justin and I grew up in Tennessee, and it's really hard to get into fashion there, especially being a guy. But when I was 17, I moved to Orlando, where Justin had a house from when he was in The Mickey Mouse Club, and it was easier to start designing there. I bought a sewing machine and some patterns, and just took some old Levis apart. I really learned by trial and error.
EG: There are so many celebrity clothing lines out there. What makes William Rast different?
TA: So many celebrities, even friends of mine, have their own lines, but they just find companies that already make clothes and just put their names onto it. For us, we started from the beginning--everything from buttons to stitching to rivets. We fully design and produce the line.
EG: How do you and Justin split up the responsibilities?
TA: I definitely go more towards the design and creativeness than Justin does, but Justin's an amazing businessman. When it comes to perfection and making good marketing decisions, he's always on target. He's really good at sticking to his plans and keeping us in line.
EG: I've heard the line described as infused with "Tennessee flair." What does that mean, exactly?
TA: When we started out, a lot of our graphic tees had Tennessee symbols or slogans on them. But a big part of what we mean by 'Tennessee flair' is that all of our clothes are made in the United States, which is really rare these days. That was the first thing that our family asked us--where was it made and who was sewing it.
EG: How did you come up with the name for your line?
TA: William is Justin's grandfather's first name, and Rast is my grandfather's last name. We were trying to think of names that would mean a lot to us. We didn't want to have to explain it as, "I was inspired one day...haha." Our grandfathers really mean a lot to us - they were like our fathers.
EG: Who would you say is the typical William Rast guy or girl?
TA: That's tough! Basically, someone who's looking for an amazing pair of jeans that you can wear with anything--heels or flats, a tank top or a really nice top. I haven't had many complaints yet.
EG: I heard you're also opening a store in Japan.
TA: We're in talks right now about it. We just want to make sure that it's exactly how we want it, down to the type of wood floors. When we started selling, we weren't sure if the Japanese would get the line, because it's so Americana. But they're a huge market for us now.
EG: What's the next step for you guys?
TA: We have a lot of things coming up, but nothing is set in stone, so I don't want to give specifics. We have a really big designer who wants to come in and design a jean with us, which would be unbelievable, so we're really hoping that goes through. When I started, I really loved the creative part of making the jeans, and finding the right fabrics, but I didn't realize how much of a business it is. Every single day, things are changing--everything is a next step.
