Mastering Your Craft
We are proud to introduce a new series that highlights friends and family of the Thom Sweeney brand, each of whom are mastering their crafts in their own respective industries.
Mastering Your Craft
We are proud to introduce a new series that highlights friends and family of the Thom Sweeney brand, each of whom are mastering their crafts in their own respective industries.
Billy Cotton
Billy Cotton
For Episode 1, we felt it was only natural to sit down with Billy Cotton, an Architectural Digest 100 designer and Creative Director of Billy Cotton Studio, to learn more about his perspective on the world of furniture and interior design and the future of his partnership with Thom Sweeney.
For Episode 1, we felt it was only natural to sit down with Billy Cotton, an Architectural Digest 100 designer and Creative Director of Billy Cotton Studio, to learn more about his perspective on the world of furniture and interior design and the future of his partnership with Thom Sweeney.
We collaborated with Billy on our recently opened Los Angeles store, 'The Loft'. Featuring art and furniture from Leclaireur Gallery, the space harkens back to the private social clubs from Hollywoods (bygone) golden era, whilst Sol’s, our proprietary bar and lounge, offers customers the chance to relax and wind down away from the stresses of the city.
We collaborated with Billy on our recently opened Los Angeles store, 'The Loft'. Featuring art and furniture from Leclaireur Gallery, the space harkens back to the private social clubs from Hollywoods (bygone) golden era, whilst Sol’s, our proprietary bar and lounge, offers customers the chance to relax and wind down away from the stresses of the city.
"Based around the idea of the 'Thom Sweeney loft', you enter off a hidden entrance up a flight of stairs."
"Based around the idea of the 'Thom Sweeney loft', you enter off a hidden entrance up a flight of stairs."
Q: "Can you tell us about your journey into the world of furniture and interior design and what initially drew you to this craft?"
A: "We are born as creatives, and it’s about figuring out what the manifestation of your creativity really is. For me it’s been a lifelong journey.…and it sort of naturally progressed from a chair to a room to a building to an experience."
Billy wears a Made-to-Measure Brown Wool Silk Linen Blend Double Breasted Suit, Sky Blue Heavy Cotton Casual Button Down Shirt, and Cream Cashmere Beanie.
Q: "Can you tell us about your journey into the world of furniture and interior design and what initially drew you to this craft?"
A: "We are born as creatives, and it’s about figuring out what the manifestation of your creativity really is. For me it’s been a lifelong journey.…and it sort of naturally progressed from a chair to a room to a building to an experience."
Billy wears a Made-to-Measure Brown Wool Silk Linen Blend Double Breasted Suit, Sky Blue Heavy Cotton Casual Button Down Shirt, and Cream Cashmere Beanie.
"The whole space was thought of as the world's best library/closet in a great loft.“
"The whole space was thought of as the world's best library/closet in a great loft.“
"With custom woodwork throughout, we wanted to bring the same richness to the walls that the clothes have.“
"With custom woodwork throughout, we wanted to bring the same richness to the walls that the clothes have.“
Q: "How would you perceive and define the concept of mastering one's craft within your own career trajectory?"
A: "To me, mastering your craft is about developing the muscle, about digging the ditch and doing it every day after day, when you think you'll never get anywhere, you know, to just keep digging. And then eventually, you start to see the manifestation of your labour."
Billy wears the Navy Cotton Air Crepe Polo Shirt, White Denim Easy Fit Jeans, and Navy Wool Cotton Baseball Cap.
Q: "How would you perceive and define the concept of mastering one's craft within your own career trajectory?"
A: "To me, mastering your craft is about developing the muscle, about digging the ditch and doing it every day after day, when you think you'll never get anywhere, you know, to just keep digging. And then eventually, you start to see the manifestation of your labour."
Billy wears the Navy Cotton Air Crepe Polo Shirt, White Denim Easy Fit Jeans, and Navy Wool Cotton Baseball Cap.
"With Thom Sweeney there is an intimacy of the details of construction with everything they make, and the way they design and construct clothes for people."
"With Thom Sweeney there is an intimacy of the details of construction with everything they make, and the way they design and construct clothes for people."
Q: "Thom Sweeney's dedication and craftsmanship parallels your own commitment to excellence in design. Can you discuss the importance of owning one's skills and constantly striving for mastery in creative fields?"
A: "Thom Sweeney's dedication to craft reflects my own dedication to craft insofar as the act of custom, making one's clothing. This super intimate, base level thing, we have to put on clothes every single day. And the idea that something is being tailored to your body, crafted, in a way the same way that it's been crafted for hundreds of years with the same training of hundreds of years. That, to me, is the ultimate form of beauty and intimacy."
Billy wears a Made-to-Measure Grey Wool Flannel Single Breasted Suit and a White Solid Poplin Point Collar Shirt.
Q: "Thom Sweeney's dedication and craftsmanship parallels your own commitment to excellence in design. Can you discuss the importance of owning one's skills and constantly striving for mastery in creative fields?"
A: "Thom Sweeney's dedication to craft reflects my own dedication to craft insofar as the act of custom, making one's clothing. This super intimate, base level thing, we have to put on clothes every single day. And the idea that something is being tailored to your body, crafted, in a way the same way that it's been crafted for hundreds of years with the same training of hundreds of years. That, to me, is the ultimate form of beauty and intimacy."
Billy wears a Made-to-Measure Grey Wool Flannel Single Breasted Suit and a White Solid Poplin Point Collar Shirt.
"We wanted this private shopping space to accommodate intimacy and provide a canvas for the creation of the clients wardrobe."
"We wanted this private shopping space to accommodate intimacy and provide a canvas for the creation of the clients wardrobe."
Q: "Looking ahead, what do you envision for the future of your collaborations with Thom Sweeney? Are there any exciting projects or ventures on the horizon that you can share with us?"
A: "I love what Thom Sweeney makes and how much Thom Sweeney seems to love what I make. And the idea of taking the same intimacy, craft, care, ease, design that goes into the clothing and how that translates to a larger built world of the home and the store and the experience. And being able to weave all of those things together, I think, is a really exciting, natural and beautiful evolution."
Q: "Looking ahead, what do you envision for the future of your collaborations with Thom Sweeney? Are there any exciting projects or ventures on the horizon that you can share with us?"
A: "I love what Thom Sweeney makes and how much Thom Sweeney seems to love what I make. And the idea of taking the same intimacy, craft, care, ease, design that goes into the clothing and how that translates to a larger built world of the home and the store and the experience. And being able to weave all of those things together, I think, is a really exciting, natural and beautiful evolution."
