After brief internships in the fashion industry, Timo Weiland and Alan Eckstein met and quickly developed a compelling dialogue, which ultimately led to a design partnership. Their mutual interest in European history, travel and a flair for dapper dressing promoted an engaging creative exchange. Debuting their first ready-to-wear men’s and women’s collection for spring 2010, the collection firmly established their romantic yet modern edge to dandy downtown dressing. Retailers such as Pas De Deux in New York as well as Barneys New York and Takashima in Japan have shown their support for the brand.
Anna Sheffield of Bing Bang Jewelry collaborated with the designers on an exclusive range of styles for summer 2010 based on the New Romantics inspired jewelry in their spring/ summer 2010 presentation. Their evolution of the brand lead to further collaborations for fall 2010 with a turban inspired collection with milliner and CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist Albertus Swanoepel and two men’s boot styles with George Esquivel. The lace up and Chelsea side-zip style boots were the first menswear footwear collection to be carried at Opening Ceremony Japan. The Timo Weiland collection reflects their personal aesthetic sensibilities and broader desire to spur a return to the art of dressing.
& TIMO WEILAND and ALAN ECKSTEIN
Born in rural Nebraska and raised between New York City and Jacksonville, Florida, Timo Weiland’s influences reach from the urban to the pastoral. Training from his mother at an early age in sewing, coupled with an understanding of fabric, sparked Weiland’s early interest in fashion. Weiland always demonstrated an inclination towards the arts via ongoing sketching, painting and photography. However, he majored in Economics, Spanish Literature and Business Management and minored in Vocal Performance at Vanderbilt University before returning to New York to pursue a career in fashion and to ultimately launch his namesake brand.
Alan Eckstein was born and raised in Great Neck, NY. Eckstein grew up immersed in music and art, supported by a close relationship with his grandmother, who is a successful interior designer in Manhattan. Eckstein’s enthusiasm for fashion was ignited during high school after first reading the New York Times Style Section. Eckstein continued to engage this early interest via his studies at FIT, exploring the commercial aspects of the industry via courses in Advertising and Marketing Communications.