Designer Robert Geller has the type of pedigree that made fashion insiders take notice when he launched his namesake line in 2007. Upon graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2001, Geller landed an apprenticeship at Marc Jacobs, where he helped design four collections for the brand. Next, it was off to Cloak , where he helped Alexandre Plokhov turn the enigmatic line into one of the true cult stars in menswear. The brand won 2003’s Ecco Domani award as well as the Vogue/CFDA grant in 2004. Following that, in quick succession Gellman got a grant to launch his own clever niche women’s label called Harald in ‘06 then finally his current men’s line two years later.

Continue reading for more StyleCrave details on Robert Geller S/S ‘08.

Gellman’s Spring/Summer 08 collection is a strong statement for the German-born designer. Geller called this season, his second collection, Beuys Don’t Cry, a reference to the iconic German artist Joseph Beuys, whose eccentric approach to art was always neatly counterbalanced by his gray-themed and well-tailored, utilitarian dress code. As a result, Geller’s casket-sharp gray blazers and trousers one of the collection’s focal points. Another co-conspirator was Los Angeles, where Gellar moved with his family at the age of 10. The city’s beach-lined skate culture’s influence on the collection is evident in the technicolor skinny jeans and gym-class sweatshirts emblazoned with “OCEANSIDE,” (not to mention the Vans sneakers adorning his models). The goth/new-wave connotation of Geller’s play on the Cure song title is not lost either, as mascara-colored trenches, shoegaze cardigans, and off-beat leather jackets abound. The collection’s seemingly disparate influences make perfect sense when linked together.

But, what’s most evident about Geller’s overall style is how it featuress elements from the two labels he’s worked for previously. Marc Jacobs high-volume approach to color and affinity for the ’90s (and Vans) is all over Geller’s work. The mark of Cloak’s super-sharp tailoring and viciously cool slimness is unmistakable, and no other brand on the planet gets more mileage out of gray and black. Furthermore, it’s not much of a stretch to imagine that Geller himself had a hand in cultivating the defining elements of his previous employer’s work. What is undeniable is the dude’s talent, and that Mr. Geller’s clothes will probably be on the leading edge of cool well into the future.

For a list of stores visit http://robertgeller-ny.com/
Also check out this blog for Seattle stockist Blackbird.