GQ Article –
Hitmaker Pharrell Williams and menswear’s most talked-about designer, Mark McNairy, have joined forces for this season’s buzziest new label, Bee Line for Billionaire Boys Club. Streetwear may never fit the same way again. Here, in an exclusive shoot, the duo wear—and discuss—the debut collection
Making the Band
Mark McNairy:
“I always liked what Pharrell did with Billionaire Boys Club—it’s like preppy streetwear. We started by collaborating on one shoe. We talked about doing clothes, and eventually it evolved into a full made-in-the-U.S.A. collection.”
The Line Between Streetwear and Menswear
McNairy: “In my head, there is no line.”
Pharrell: “I don’t know lines. I understand the concept, but it’s just not fun to work inside a box.”
Working with Pharrell
McNairy: “I came in confident. Then I started hearing how picky Pharrell is, so I got a little nervous. We had our initial meetings and decided what the direction should be. When I took all the prototypes to Miami, he loved everything.”
Working with McNasty
Pharrell: “He’s very quirky and a quiet guy, but also funny as hell. Within all that quirkiness, he’s very confident. The man just clicks.”
Southern Players
Pharrell: “Mark has learned a lot along the way, but his mentality is still North Carolina. I like the way he just crashes shit together.”
McNairy: “Pharrell’s basically a southern gentleman. I bet Virginia Beach isn’t that different from Greensboro.”
The One Piece That Says It All
McNairy: “It’s definitely the gold- and silver-sleeve varsity jackets. I was in the factory and saw a metallic scrap on the floor. I ran to 35th Street, bought the leather, and bam.”
