Jacqueline Lee/E!He went from working out of the living room of his one-bedroom apartment to owning an incredible office/showroom in the heart of Downtown LA.
You may not know Daniel Patrick yet (keyword: yet), but his work and his story are pretty inspiring. The designer (whose line is loved by the likes of Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner and so many others) moved to the U.S. from Sydney, Australia in 2011 with the dream of launching his very own line...which he ended up doing in early 2012 with his wife and co-founder, Jenny.
Fast-forward to today where he's the CEO, Creative Director and Designer of his brand (fun fact: each piece of his collections are individually handmade, from start to finish, using materials sourced in Los Angeles, California), he's launched one incredibly successful first celeb collaboration with the one and only Tyga (no big deal) and he's about to witness the opening of his second store in NYC.
Ready to really get to know him? Start reading.
What was your first job?
Furniture moving for my dad's company was one of the first. In terms of fashion though, it was a retail job selling clothes in Sydney.
How did you get into the industry?
I applied to a fashion school in Sydney—that was the first step. From there I just soaked in more and more experience and knowledge until I worked up the courage to launch my line.
What's a typical day like for you?
Morning coffee and a walk with my son, Cooper, at 7 a.m. Then gym at 7:45 a.m. Then off to the office to organize the staff and what needs to get done for the day as well as planning production, ordering fabric, etc. In terms of designing, I tend to go and lay patterns down with my pattern maker in the evenings.
Tell us about your workspace décor.
The space is very minimal, clean and organized. A lot of fashion books, shoe samples, mood boards, racks of clothing samples and a bunch of patterns. I love our HQ. The feel of it sets the tone for the brand and we have it set up pretty efficiently: showroom, office space, photo shoot area, receiving area, stock area and shipping area. A far cry from working out of the living room of my one-bedroom apartment.
What's the best part about your work?
I get to get up and do what I love every day. I love creating new things and seeing them come to life from just a mere idea in my head. I also love that I get to do this with my wife and business partner Jenny.
What's the most daring career risk you've ever taken?
Moving to LA with barely any money in my pocket and starting a fashion brand.
What was it like collaborating with Tyga a.k.a. T-Raww?
That was a great experience to collaborate with someone that you've listened to musically. We were fortunate enough to also partner with Revolve clothing on it too.
How many celeb collabs have you done?
The Tyga/T-Raww collab was the first, but we would be open to more in the future if it was the right fit.
Which celebs are the epitome of your brand?
I feel like athletes and off-duty models epitomize the brand well. People like Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, Hailey Baldwin and Scott Disick wear it well. We have a lot of NFL, NBA and MLB guys shopping a lot with us too, so we're also catering to their larger frames and even larger shoe sizes.
Who are some of your career heroes?
David Beckham was a big influence of mine and was one reason I wanted to get into fashion in my late teens. Michael Jordan was also another one that inspired me growing up.
What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?
There have been a few. One is to never get complacent and another is to be interested in others. Also, become a professional in what you do. I feel those are words I value a lot.
What exciting things do you have coming up?
I'm really excited about all the footwear and outerwear we have coming up. We're also working on women's denim and we're opening a new store in NYC pretty soon.
Finish the sentences below:
Today for lunch I had…tacos.
The first website I log onto every day is…Facebook or Instagram.
My usual Starbucks order is…don't go to starbucks. I go to other places like Stumptown, Verve or Philz. My order there is a macchiato or Gibraltar and at Philz it's a mint mojito.
If I wasn't doing this job, I would…be playing rugby.
My favorite place to visit is…NYC and Italy.
List five things that are on your desk right now…my Macbook, iPhone, scissors, bottle of Essentia Water, shoe samples.