1800 Tequila is known for taking raw ingredients like their signature, Blue Agave, which is aged for 8-10 years after being harvested at its peak, and refining them into a smoothly crafted, sophisticated spirit. When teaming up with artisans, they look for artists who have that same raw edge, complex, cool style, and are unafraid to contradict the expected. This made a collaboration with designer, Waraire Boswell — to create a unique three-piece ensemble for an NBA legend to wear to a sports award show — a perfect fit.
Boswell has never tried to fit the parameters of ‘normal’ as a fashion designer. He, instead, has always found true style and modern elegance based on his own internal compass. It doesn’t let him down. His designs are innovative while still feeling classic, and he subverts the norms of the industry. In creating a look for the red carpet with 1800, Boswell was challenged to do so using only raw, repurposed materials. In earlier posts, we showed how he repurposed military fatigues for the trousers, and used fabric made from recovered cotton waste for the shirt. Now, it’s time for the jacket.
Design is a creative endeavor, but it has to be practical as well. For this look, Boswell noted that the multitude of hot lights, the crush of people, and the oppressive July temperatures on the red carpet had to be factored into his creations.
“It will be 95 to 100 degrees outside,” he said. “And the heat will be omnipresent.”
Therefore, the garments being created needed to be breathable and allow great range of motion.
With a week and a half left to present his final look, Boswell found himself facing a bit of a creative situation. He still didn’t have a plan for the jacket. That meant it was time to hit up his archives. The designer believes every person who does what he does with any degree of skill has great archives. His are housed in his garage.
When he’s out, and is struck by a material, even if Boswell doesn’t have an immediate plan for it, he snatches it up and has it stored. That means there are boxes and boxes of garments and fabrics in his garage, all waiting for the right project, the right garment, and the perfect inspiration. They stay there so when projects develop, he can pull items from his vast hoard of pieces. Which is exactly what he did during this project.
“In finding materials,” the designer said, “there is no place that I won’t look, because you never know when you are going to find something.”
Tucked on a shelf above a hanging rack in the garage sat a bulky bag. Boswell opened it and revealed orange and white billowy fabric. It was a parachute. Years ago, in a thrift shop, he came across a chute emblazoned with the words “space program.” In addition to its connection to the rallying point of the moon landing, the parachute is made of extremely breathable fabric, making it ideal for a light jacket.
Boswell had found the final piece to his puzzle. He designed a long jacket with a shawl collar. And he wanted it to be black, so all of the parachute’s seams had to be ripped out and each panel dyed. There was concern that it might fall apart during the process, but it held up beautifully.
The jacket finishes off a stunning red carpet look for the modern man. It’s an ensemble that bursts with originality, function, and style — while being entirely sourced from raw, repurposed material. When it comes to recycling raw pieces into modern, extraordinary design, Boswell said “Seeing a completed look, there’s no better feeling.”