KEEPING UP WITH THE JONAS.
BY LISA MISCHIANTI

Music industry credibility is the calling card of menswear label John Varvatos, with a pantheon of iconic artists—from Alice Cooper and Kiss to Willie Nelson and Ringo Starr—appearing in its buzzy campaigns. This spring, the brand takes that legacy to the next level: singer-songwriter Nick Jonas is not only the face of the season, but has collaborated with the designer on a seven-piece collection, the first time Varvatos has ever put another person’s name on the label. It’s a momentous occasion, brought on by serendipity. “We met at a dinner and connected immediately—started talking about life and music and fashion,” recalls Jonas. “I saw quickly that John, like me, sees beyond the thing he’s known for. I’m thrilled that we’re in the same place, where we can have a glass of tequila and talk about our dreams.”

Indeed, Jonas—a former VMAN cover star himself—is a true polymath with his hands in a lot of different projects. Since the release of his 2016 solo album, Last Year Was Complicated, and two fresh singles in 2017, he’s been dabbling in film, most recently the remake of Jumanji and the forthcoming science fiction flick Chaos Walking. And with his style clout ever-rising, a fashion project of this magnitude was a natural next step. “I’m really inspired by what Nick does, the way he thinks and how he lives his life,” says Varvatos.

Their friendship organically led to a creative union—one for which Jonas, a loyalist of Varvatos’s label, was particularly suited. “This brand has been a part of my life for a long time,” explains Jonas, who mined his personal history with the line for design inspiration. “I looked back and said, OK, I wore this [Varvatos] jacket during this performance at Madison Square Garden and it was really special for me. If we built something that made the men who are going to wear these clothes feel the way I felt on that stage, we’ve accomplished our goal.” The resulting range comprises Jonas’s take on quality essentials, from T-shirts, to a graphic hoodie, to a leather jacket. “When you write an album, you want songs that someone will come back to again and again. And that’s what Nick was saying about the clothes,” adds Varvatos.

“He was really zeroing in on those key pieces that three years from now you pull out of your closet and love even more than when you first got them.” Jonas already has reason to believe the collection, which releases on a rolling basis, will resonate: “It feels really sexy and cool and just like a thing that my friends are gonna be hitting me up to get. Joe already saw it and was begging for it. He’s gonna have to wait!”