Even as a high school teenager the mystique of fashion fascinated Simon Melville. Driven by his love of fashion and well-constructed clothes, Simon secured an apprenticeship with a local tailor in his homeland of Trinidad. After graduating high school, Simon became a full-time tailor’s assistant, setting an ambitious goal to “learn how to cut and sew shirts and pants before traveling to United States.” A year and a half later he was enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), majoring in pattern-making. This formal education gave structure to his spirited and fashion-forward designs.

 

Immediately after graduating from FIT, Simon began his career in New York City’s fashion industry working for Bianca Leather. Shortly thereafter, Francis Roth of Christian Kent, recruited Simon to work for the menswear company. His long tenure at Christian Kent allowed Simon to hone his craft, eventually propelling him to work as a patternmaker for Carmen Marc Valvo. Simon has fabricated the patterns of fashions worn by red carpet celebrities, including Lucy Liu, Kim Cattrall, Vanessa Williams, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Joan Rivers, and Queen Latifah. Simon has seamlessly interwoven his skills as a patternmaker and avant-garde designer with his Caribbean heritage to create award-winning costumes for the annual West Indian American Day Parade in Brooklyn, NY.

 

Simon’s entrepreneurial drive led him to launch “Attitude: the Look Shop,” a specialty boutique in Brooklyn, NY, offering ready-to-wear sportswear and custom-made pieces, created by Simon for his private clientele. In addition to being solely responsible for all designs, he also supervised the day-to-day running of the store. Simon’s desire to expand his reach led him to partner with financial backers, forming Simon Duncan, which debuted Fashion Week, Fall 2002 in Bryant Park. A Brooklyn-based company, Simon Duncan inspired Simon to preconceive the interplay of textiles, prints, and shapes, leading to the creation of the Brooklyn Clothing Lab.

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Simon’s latest endeavor, Brooklyn Clothing Lab, is his creative laboratory where he produces Brooklyn Clothing Lab Streetwear, an eclectic mix of attitude and design; Simon Melville Sportswear, a sophisticated collection of fabrics and shapes and Simon Eveningwear, the quintessence of feminine sophistication. Brooklyn Clothing Lab also offers an expanding line of unique and timely accessories under the BCL label. Simon’s designs for Brooklyn Clothing Lab are at the cutting edge of fashion, incorporating his Trinidadian heritage, the vibrancy of Brooklyn, and his masterful patternmaking skills.

 

Very few designers of note can fashion their own patterns, relying on others to materialize their ideas. Able to conceive a design and create its perfect pattern, Simon not only stands out among the best designers, Simon is able to balance form and fashion.