Asher Levine

Asher Levine (born March 12, 1988) is an American fashion designer. He is the designer for his eponymous progressive menswear label, Asher Levine.
Levine was raised in Port Charlotte, Florida, where he attended Port Charlotte High School. Two days after he graduated from PCHS, Levine got on a plane and moved to New York City to attend Pace University. He graduated from the University in 2010 with a degree in Business Administration. Shortly after graduation, he founded his label. He has over a decade of experience and training in clothing construction. His designs are defined by its fusion of art and fashion, which challenge, if not broaden, peoples' understandings of silhouettes, proportions, and textures. Inspiration is drawn from the natural world and the socio-political psychology of contemporary art and youth culture.
Best known for designing custom garments worn by the Black Eyed Peas, Will.i.am, Bruno Mars, Scissor Sisters, Sam Sparro, Dangerous Muse, Adam Lambert, Johnny Weir, La Roux, Cazwell, Peaches, comedian Caroline Reid’s aka “Pam Ann”, Jim Steinman, on and - most notably - Lady Gaga. The designer has worked with Lady Gaga on several occasions, including for her "Marry the Night " music video. More recently, Levine designed a sculpted body suit for Rita Ora’s music video “Radioactive,” the lead single off her album ORA. The label has a strong celebrity following and continues to be the go-to designer for performance artists.
Though custom designs have formed the foundation of the label's notoriety, his mainline menswear collection has begun to garner attention of its own. The emerging label is already on its 7th season and has participated at New York Fashion Week for six consecutive seasons. Levine's designs were featured in the November 2011 issue of Vogue Italia, photographed by Emma Summerton and styled by legendary stylist, Patti Wilson. His designs have also been featured in major publications such as i-D, Numéro, Interview Magazine, L'Uomo Vogue, Vogue and Rolling Stone.
Levine's work integrates both fashion and technology. His designs explore the interplay and fusion of textile innovation and technological advancements all to re-envision the human experience, through collaborating with pioneers and their respective fields. For Levine’s Fall/Winter 2012 collection, he demonstrated his talent for combining fashion and technological innovation by collaborating with MakerBot Industries, the leading innovator of 3D printing. The partnership led to the first-ever pair of 3D printed sunglasses for the collection leading to CNN writer Laurie Segall calling it “the hottest accessory on the runway at [New York] Fashion Week”.
Levine's interest in technology was recently revisited for his Fall/Winter 2013 collection, where he transformed “fashion into function” as noted by MTV Style journalist, Chrissy Mahlmeister. The designer partnered with software developer, PhoneHalo to showcase clothing and accessories with embedded microchips that communicate with your smartphone. The microchips possess GPS locating technology enabled through an application that is readily downloadable to any smartphone.
Levine further demonstrates his talent for developing “science fashion” looks (wrote Tyler Malone of PMc Magazine) by integrating fashion and technology. To further enhance his trailblazing vision, Levine creates his own fabrics through intricate construction, molding and sculpting techniques. For instance in his Fall/Winter 2013 collection, he utilized materials such as silicone, neoprene, and high-performance polyurethane.
The Fall/Winter 2013 collection exhibits various methods of molding and casting to construct various items in the collection. These innovations can be seen in the three-dimensional hounds tooth printed moto-jacket. The raised print was created by enlarging the relief carving of a traditional houndstooth print onto a rubberized material slab to generate yards of silicone fabric. The final result is a reinterpretation and marriage of the classic motorcycle jacket with a new take on the traditional houndstooth print.
Levine’s skill set is not solely limited to his highly conceptual pieces. His implementation of cutting edge textiles and construction can be seen in his collections staple pieces such as sweatshirts, pants, gloves and even a weekend bag. Levine’s methods and aesthetic are far from ordinary, and his point of view is unlike any of his contemporaries. Due to Levine’s unique and innovative fabrication processes and stand out style, he has become a pioneer of avant-garde menswear, and is quickly becoming “one of Hollywood’s favorite emerging menswear designers”.