Photos by James Nova at Aaron's apartment on the Lower East Side; See more of Aaron's style in our editorial here.
With a love for vintage threads and classic vibes, Aaron is the epitome of west-coast chill meets east-coast style. Hailing from Scottsdale, AZ, he and I immediately bonded over our shared past and love of making amazing things. Dabbling in so many areas, I wasn't quite sure how to simply define the creative and business-artist that is Aaron Brents. Whether designing furniture for his apartment or artfully putting together an outfit, he's crafted a lifestyle as clearly thought-out as any brand. With his vision & market prowess, Aaron's upcoming menswear launch is definitely something to keep on your radar!
WHY NEW YORK CITY?
I was living in Southern California for the past decade and got sick and tired of beautiful weather year around, driving my ’71 SS with the windows down, and riding my Harley into the sunsets down Pacific Coast Highway. I needed a change, I wanted hot steamy summers, frigid cold winters, dark rainy days, and terrible allergies, plus I wanted to ride subways, take taxis, and spend tons of money on rent so I sold what I could, packed what I couldn’t and bought a one way flight the NYC.
THE CITY NEVER SLEEPS...WHAT TIME DID YOU GET TO BED LAST NIGHT?
I remember hitting the foam, then lifting my head enough to see the cable box’s dim green light showing 01:25 before rolling on my side, throwing my arm around my gal and falling asleep. It was the perfect end to a fun 20th of April evening which started when my gal and I headed to Landmark Cinema in LES for the screening of “What we do in the Shadows”. It was a kitschy spin off on the vampire craze, quite fucking hilarious from what I remember between the laughing and leg slapping. We really enjoyed the film. We then stopped by my favorite neighborhood spot Whisky Ward. I love this place especially on Sunday & Monday nights when the laidback crew is on and the music ranges from John Denver to Mr. Cash, they are on point with their whisky game, (I am on a scotch kick right now) and the felt on the pool table is changed at least once a month. I shot a few games of pool with the “bar champ” Robinson, a mid 20’s Spanish kid who is always fun to shoot against because we are both working on perfecting our game. He is one of those good to be around guys, one of those guys who you can tell works hard and doesn’t let the small shit in life throw a curve in his fastball. I haven’t gotten his life story but I am looking forward to hearing it one of these days. After a glass (or two) of scotch we strolled home, took out the dogs, and then hit the foam. It was a nice Monday night.
PLAY HOST FOR US... WHERE WOULD YOU TAKE US FOR
COFFEE - When it comes to coffee, I will go anywhere that does not have a Starbucks logo in the window; Any small espresso shop works for me, they are not short in demand so take a stroll for a block or two and you will see one.
DINNER - Raoul’s Soho, Freeman’s LES, Barrio Chino LES, Forget Me Not LES, and Bond Street Noho.
COCKTAILS - I play a lot of pool so my spots are Whisky Ward LES, 169 Bar LES, Amsterdam Billiards, The Skinny, Soho House. I also like a lot of other spots but after a few cocktails the names tend to slip my mind.
PARTYING - Depends on your definition of a party, NYC is one big party; you just have to pick your poison. Before I lived in the city, I used to visit here would party all night, ending on some random rooftop, always with an eclectic crowd of pals and gals, squandered up from the night of booze and reminiscing amongst the crowds. Nowadays I tend to keep my hard partying reserved for hanging with my mom, she is the true Rockstar.
WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
I am listening to a playlist on Spotify called “Move Me” by a good friend of mine Chelsea Netzband. It’s a good list with a solid upbeat but chill vibe, it keeps my mind open and my attitude relaxed… I dig it. Listen here.
ANY CREATIVES YOU WANT TO COLLABORATE WITH?
That’s easy… Christina Mannino!! BOOM!
WHAT'S YOUR SIGNATURE LOOK?
I am a bit all over when it comes to my style. My clothing ranges from contemporary designer to vintage, with a touch of tailored and a hint of hippie from time to time. It depends on my mood and the activity at hand, but in a perfect world I’d be wearing some swim trunks under a pair of beat up twill chinos, an old white tee, some worn in leather boots on a Harley cruising the coastline with my gal on the back and the spray of the ocean from the wind in our face.
SHOPPING ADVICE?
One of my favorite things to do is to cruise around shops checking out the assortments they are offering, getting to know the shop people, and seeing what products are making noise in the market. I tend to wonder into a lot of vintage shops, eclectic shops, and any that look like they might have a good story. I would rather hit shops that are still in the early curator phase where the owners are typically in the store everyday, they do events with the local shops to promote, and the realness is still evident. Some of the shops I would put on my list are:
California
- Deus Ex Machina | Venice
- Stronghold | Abbot Kinney
Minnesota
- Martin Patrick | Minneapolis, MN
New York
- Western Spirit | Soho
- J Crew Liquor Store | Tribeca (Ask for Kurt Fronzel)
- Quality Mending Co | Soho
- Red Flower (apothecary) | Soho
- Robert James | Lower East Side
- Hickoree’s | Brooklyn
- Kai D | Brooklyn
- Jane Motorcycles | Brooklyn
Oregon
- Lizard Lounge | Portland
Texas
- Stagg Provisions | Dallas
- By George | Austin
- Service Menswear | Austin
DO YOU HAVE A MUSE?
I would have to say American muscle cars from the early 1970’s, anything with an SS on the front so you can see me in the rearview and an SS on the back so you can see me as I pass you by on the shoulder of the road
DREAM DINNER PARTY -- WHICH 7 GUESTS WOULD YOU INVITE?
My first guest would be hosting the dinner, Mr. Stefan Dahlkvist; Co-Founder of the fashion brand Moods of Norway; he is a close friend of mine, a true mastermind in ambience and execution. From there I would gather an eccentric group of specifically curated guests that when put together would end up the most epic night ever. This list would include the following:
- Kevin Hart
- Sir Richard Branson
- Dan Bilzerian
- Kid Rock
I’d leave the other two spots open for last min decisions to throw into the mix…
NYC FOREVER?
I see New York in myself forever, not sure how that translates to where I will be living in 20 years but this city is now part of me no matter where I go.
MOTTO YOU LIVE BY?
“Every man’s journey ends the same, it’s how we live that defines how we are remembered”
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW AND WHERE CAN WE SEE IT?
I am currently working on a project involving building a higher end American-made men’s outerwear and sportswear brand. We have a factory in New England, third generation sewing operators, and a ridiculous team that has been put together over the last year to debut our SS16 collection this upcoming July market. I have been involved in a lot of projects the past years, but this one really hits home because we are an American made product focused on timelessness opposed to trend, quality verse quantity, and overall longevity in building a lasting company which will create jobs in America and bring manufacturing back to the U S of A.
WOULD YOU RATHER
CINDY CRAWFORD or KATE MOSS
MORNING OR NIGHT
UPTOWN OR DOWNTOWN
CINDY; BOTH; DOWNTOWN
When I lived in LA and worked with Moods of Norway, we kept a hot pink limo at Stefan’s house in the canyon. Nights out in that were some of the best memoires from my times in Cali and each time we took it out we had Cindy Crawford’s 80’s VHS workout video playing on the 8” TV, so I am hands down going with the beautiful Ms. Crawford; Morning or Night? Both, Love getting up early and enjoying my mornings, love staying out late and enjoying the nightlife, tired is a state of mind, understanding that is the key to possibility. Up or Down? I am Downtown most of the time but I am ready for exploration of the uptown scene, maybe I’ll hop on the subway this weekend and head north until I see a stop I don’t know.
Website: www.aaronbrents.com (coming soon)
Instagram: @aaronbrents
Twitter: nope