Brandon and Sarah Scott are building an empire. They started first with B:SCOTT, Brandon’s namesake label, which blends German and Asian aesthetics to create menswear with a sporty, avant-garde flair. SARAH SCOTT followed, a unique take on womenswear featuring easy to wear, perfectly flattering pieces with a tailor’s touch. These two labels are accompanied by a younger sibling--the third member of the SCOTT x SCOTT family--luxury sportswear brand THE :ODDS, completing the trifecta of the Scott duo’s artistic-yet-still-commercial conglomerate. Below, the ambitious siblings discuss their respective lines, family bond, and next steps. 

What were the inspirations behind your most recent collections?

Brandon Scott: My most recent collection for Fall 2012 is called “Dying To Live." It was inspired by my generation doing whatever it takes to continue working for themselves and their passion rather than for “the man.”
Sarah Scott: My collection was really inspired by the strong, independent, entrepreneurial women I’ve known throughout my life. My grandmother in particular always had the most fearless style. Her and my grandfather had a sort of fairytale romance filled with amazing art, travel, and endless love. She wrote a book, A Stranger I Came, about her transition from Berlin to New York. I felt the title really explained my place in the fashion industry—my entrance as a stranger, so to speak, coming from an interior design background.

Who is the B:SCOTT guy/SARAH SCOTT girl?

BS: It’s difficult to describe, as the B:SCOTT guy is constantly changing with time. I’ve noticed that he is usually an artist--a musician, an architect, an athlete—someone that has the option to wear what they want, instead of something they are told to wear.
SS: The SARAH SCOTT girl is a confident city girl. She doesn't have time to obsess in front of the mirror about what to wear, but is still looking for clothing that will make her look as sexy as she is smart.

What does fashion mean to you?

BS: To feel good in your own skin. If it’s not for you, then it’s not. But if it is, then it is. It’s as simple as that.
SS: Fashion is an illusion we create to make ourselves feel better.

Walk us through each of your design processes.

BS: I usually start the season by picking up a few Japanese magazines to get the creative juices flowing. I usually free sketch about 20 to 30 designs and then take some time to find fabric. As I find the fabrics that I want to use, I start matching them up with sketches. Usually, I’ll design more options than I need, and then begin the editing process. I also like to work closely with previous styles that I still have feeling for and wish to improve on. It’s kind of the same idea as when a car manufacturer builds from a previous model to create the next series.
SS: I'm always drawing quick sketches in notebooks as soon as an idea comes to me, and collecting inspiration from travels, blogs, galleries, and magazines. My office is a shit-show of inspiration overload! Usually by the time I have to make the collection, I’ve already had it all figured out for months in my head. When designing, I usually go through my inspiration folders and sketchbooks to build a large-scale collage. I break it down into elements I want to include--colors that move me, the type of woman I want to see it on. I then draw out the entire collection by hand and pick out all of the fabrics and colors I want to use.

How does working closely with each other help your individual design processes? Are there any downsides?

BS: My sister and I have always been super competitive and I think we will always be. That being said, I tend to always feel I’m right and she’s wrong, and she tends to feel the same way [but about me]. When it comes to our design process[es] I let her do her thing and I do mine, but our competitions only help us with trying to be the best we can.
SS: My brother and I have what I'd like to call a healthy case of sibling rivalry. We want the absolute best for each other, and for ourselves, but we are both highly opinionated, so we tend to butt heads a lot. Usually, we’ll design separately and then meet to run ideas and critiques past each other. Our styles are very different but they are also very complementary. Our two lines, together, look like a perfectly dressed power couple.

What’s it like to see an entire collection come together for the first time?

BS: Each season it’s always exciting to see the samples come in for the first time, but it’s definitely nerve-racking showing it to buyers every season and praying you made the right decisions.
SS: It's as equally nerve-racking as it is exciting. I have all these grandiose expectations in my head of what I want the collection to look like, and it's frustrating as all hell trying to get the garments perfected. I've never worked harder at anything in my life and the process has really caused me to do a lot of soul searching. The reality of it all is that I'm just like any other person trying to chase after the “American Dream,” so to speak, and trying to make a name for myself by creating something I am proud of—that my family can be proud of. So you do the best you can do and you put your heart and soul into it and hope that someday all the sweat and equity will pay off.

How does your personal style influence the clothes you create?

BS: My personal style has everything to do with how I create. I specifically design things I would wear. If I wouldn’t wear it, how could I possibly be okay with creating it?
SS: I have a very bipolar sense of style in the sense that I am either really dressed up or really dressed down. It's hard for me to find a happy medium and that's why I created a lot of the pieces I did. I wanted to create clothes that would work in an office, dinner, or nightclub setting. Transitional clothing that would take you from morning to night without having to go home and change.

You're both based out of Los Angeles. Has California style influenced your clothes at all?

BS: California has played a huge role on influencing my clothes; it’s been my home since I was 14 years old. There is such a distinct style within each city I’ve lived in [Encinitas, San Francisco, and Los Angeles]. Each is different from the next, and every spot has influenced me in so many ways. I would also say skateboarding, snowboarding, and track bikes are a big influence for me as well, along with everything that comes with them—the music, the art, the style. 
SS: Definitely. The style is really casual here, since we live by the beach and it's practically summer all year long. I really wanted to create sophisticated, elegant clothing that was still easy to wear. I paid really close attention to every last inch and seam, aiming to accent the female form in the most flattering ways.

Three words that best describe your brother/sister:

BS: Sarah is strong, confident, and stubborn!
SS: Brandon is talented, ambitious, and cocky as hell!

Can you let us in on what we’re going to see from B:SCOTT/SARAH SCOTT next spring?

Both: We’re both working on custom prints made from our father's photography. He took these beautiful photos of sand that have the most interesting colors and patterns that are so unique because they are not manmade.

What’s next for you two?

Both: We just signed on a new office and retail location in downtown Los Angeles and plan on opening this summer. It's a massive open space, perfect to house all of our collections—B: SCOTT, THE:ODDS (our new luxury sportswear collection) and SARAH SCOTT. Expect some good SCOTT x SCOTT parties, as well as all of the right clothes to attend them in. 

Written by Brandon Jones