Wanna dress like a queer rock star?
You could do no better than turn to Nice Collective, the SF-based design duo of Joe Haller and Ian Hannula. Former club kids turned fashion designers, they always been local (and international) style favorites cherished for their ability to combine luxurious fabrics, snazzy layered outfits and detailed designs. (Their cashmere knits are to die for.) And surprisingly, their military-influenced designs, while hardly inexpensive, come in at a much more reasonable price points than mass marketed gay fave brands like Gucci and Prada. Though Nice Collective is worn by hetero stars like Bono, Chris Martin and Brad Pitt, the unique combination of masculine and feminine design aesthetic makes it the quintessential gay brand, and not surprisingly it has a cult-like following in the community (and outside it).
The one drawback? It has sometimes been difficult to find a wide selection of their seasonal designs in one place, either online or in a brick-and-mortar store. From boutiques to Barney’s, stores carry a smattering of their designs but you have to hop around any big city to find exactly the piece you most covet. Nice Collective has largely solved that problem with its new Castro store at the corner of Market and Church, right across the street from the restaurant Home. NC promises to move the place, dubbed Mobile Supply Unit, around the city as a kind of pop-up store rather than stay in one location. The Castro location will likely not be there forever, so check it out while you can!
