14 DAY TRIAL // By 2012, Sylvester Stallone will hopefully be known as more than an Oscar-winning screenwriter and director, and iconic action movie star: he will also be known as Sylvester Stallone, the fashion designer. The star has announced a lifestyle range to be out by next year.
Comprised of eyewear, accessories, casual wear and activewear, the line will also include grooming products, fragrances and many other things, Sly reveals in a new interview with WWD’s Men’s Week.
He’s been offered the chance before, when major fashion brands approached him to have his name on their lines, but, he says, he was not ready then.
He is now – and has enough sartorial experience for the enterprise, albeit he’s lacking any as a designer. For that, he has partner Michael Henry, a beauty and retail veteran, to help him out.
Sly says the range will be inspired from his two iconic characters, Rocky and Rambo, though not in the obvious sense. Don’t expect headbands, ripped tank tops and sweats to make the cut.
Instead, it will draw for inspiration on the personality of each man / character, Henry explains.
“Rocky at the end of the day is a love story, while Rambo showcases the other side of masculinity, he’s a loner,” he says.
The line will include looks for “the rebel and the gentleman,” and will target men aged 25 to 40 who want to look classy and elegant but not spend a fortune on it.
“I thought the time is now. I’ve lived a life where I know what has worked and what hasn’t worked. Clothing is the first step to building a character,” Stallone says.
His Rocky, for instance, would have been an entirely different man had he chosen to dress him otherwise. This is a lesson that the actor learned very early on: clothes do make the man, no matter what others may say.
“I want clothing that will be appropriate to my generation, or the generation before,” the actor stresses.
For more on what Stallone’s plans for his first foray in the fashion industry, see the original piece here.