Nice Collective is a

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

based

designer clothing Designer clothing is expensive luxury clothing considered to be high quality and haute couture for the general public, made by, or carrying the label of, a well-known fashion designer. Brands Designer clothing is not always created by the foun ...

brand founded in 1997,Guy Treba
The Tribes of San Francisco
''The New York Times,'' 9-2-10 by dance music veterans Joe Haller and Ian Hannula. According to the designers, their first creations were combinations of streetwear they designed for themselves with better fabrics and construction techniques. Though the brand focuses on menswear, Haller and Hannula said they also create collections for women.

Background

Joe Haller was raised in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, and into his 20s worked as a radiology tech. During his off hours, he produced dance music and organized parties in clubs around New York City. A professional bike racer, Ian Hannula was raised in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

and studied combat photography in the Marine Corps. He created dance music events in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

and was a resident DJ in two top clubs. Joe and Ian met on the dance floor in San Francisco in 1995. Their connection was instant, fueled by their common interests in art, music, and fashion. They initially started Nice Collective as loose amalgamation of talent that would launch parties and club nights, a record label, a DJ agency, and a clothing line. Though neither had any fashion training, Haller and Hannula began by producing experimental pieces such as deconstructed than reconstructed camouflage shirts, pullover sweaters made from electric blankets, and shirts that transformed into kites.

Public profile

In February 2010, Haller and Hannula collaborated with environmentalist David de Rothschild on the launch o
Plastiki
a boat made from discarded plastic water bottles that set sail from San Francisco to Australia.
''GQ'', 2-25-10 Nice Collective was featured in GQ Magazine's roundup of 'The Best New Designers in America' in 2007.Andy Comer and Katherine Kingsle
The Best New Designers in America
''GQ'', April 2007 The line has outfitted tours for Coldplay,

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band ...

Smashing Pumpkins Smash may refer to: People * Smash (wrestler) (born 1959), professional wrestler * Moondog Rex, another professional wrestler who briefly wrestled as the original Smash, before being replaced by the above. * DJ Smash, DJ and music producer Art, ...

and

The Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Police ...

. After a multi-year absence, Nice Collective returned to

New York Fashion Week New York Fashion Week (NYFW), held in February and September of each year, is a semi-annual series of events in Manhattan typically spanning 7–9 days when international fashion collections are shown to buyers, the press, and the general publ ...

in February 2009 with the “Time Machine” collections. New York fashion writer Josh Peskowitz of men.style.com described the clothes as having “something post-apocalyptic–not to mention post-erotic.”

Collection history

* Fall 2010 - "Voices" * Spring 2010 - "The Gathering" * Fall 2009 - "Time Machine" * Spring 2009 - "Voix de Ville" * Fall 2008 - "New Romantics"

References

Clothing brands of the United States {{fashion-stub