Living Coral might be Pantone's color of 2019, but one hue that'll never go out of style is black. Everyone from Coco Chanel to Neiman Marcus has sung the praises of the eternally-chic shade, which is universally flattering and is appropriate for any and every occasion, as evidenced by fashion insiders like Grace Coddington and Kate Lanphear, to name a few.
In addition to simplifying our daily style decisions, the color black's superpowers also include disguising practically any stain or spill — and if you're looking to give your wardrobe a monochromatic and minimalist upgrade, allow us to introduce you to new Los Angeles-based label MisterMrs.
Founded by advertising industry veterans and married duo Sharlene and Brydon Gerus, the all-black-everything brand is designed in Topanga Canyon and manufactured ethically in Mexico City. Inspired by the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi, an approach to life that embraces imperfection, the brand's début collection is comprised of women's and men's essentials (all priced at under $300 and available in sizes XS to XL) sustainably made from organic fabrics — truly eliminate the need to stock up on fast fashion basics while simplifying our conscious shopping.
Whether you're an avant-garde fashion devotee or a canyon cool-kid, the brand's versatile garments are clearly a cinch to incorporate into any wardrobe style. There's the perfect tee that shows off just the right amount of collarbone ($70) and a military-inspired pant finished with subtle pleats ($170), both of which pair effortlessly with the kimono-inspired jacket with concealed pockets ($210). Rounding out MisterMrs' first-ever collection is the linen canvas jumpsuit ($270), which features a T-cut collar, cinched back waist, and notched bottom hem, giving the silhouette an elevated take on the standard baggy workwear outfit.
To make it even more convenient to overhaul your closet, Mister Mrs also offers stress-free women's and men's bundled options that saves you $50 when you stock up on all four pieces.
Here, we got to know Sharlene to find out how she and her co-founder husband met, the charitable fashion experiment that started it all, why they opted to produce their apparel in Mexico City instead of the City of Angels, and more — read on below, then shop MisterMrs exclusively online here.
First, a bit about you two: How did you meet and what's your love story in a nutshell?
We met in fashion when we were just kids working retail in an Armani store while paying for university. We got married young and moved to London having never been there nor knowing a soul. But we had each other to go through the ups and the down, of which there were a lot of both. Eight years later I got pregnant and we decided to transfer over to LA with Brydon's work. We've been [here] for four years, two kids (technically three with misterMrs) later.
What's are your professional backgrounds, and was sparked the idea to launch the brand?
We both worked in the advertising industry but at different ends of the spectrum. Brydon was on the creative side and I was on the account side. Brydon was a creative director working on Apple for many years before leaving to work at Headspace and is also the founder of ADCAN, which uses creativity as a force for good. I worked for brands and agencies in London that had a focus on fashion and have always hand in the industry from a young age.
The idea for misterMrs came about from an experiment of Brydon's. He does one each year and one particular year he decided to donate his very colorful wardrobe at the time to charity and wear a reduced wardrobe in a color he despised (black) as an act of discipline, simplicity, and sustainability. We didn't realize it at the time but this was the seedling to the idea.
What inspired you to focus on only the color black?
Growing up my mother wore an almost exclusively black wardrobe, which left a lasting impression on me and now that my husband was finally converted there really wasn't any other option.
There's also a psychological benefit to wearing all black every day. Just like Japanese monks wearing Zen robes, there is this sense of it giving a little space between your identity and the world.
How would you describe your own personal styles?
Urban Zen. Gone are the days of high heels for every occasion with the kids — but I still want to be able to throw them on with what I'm wearing and have it work. MisterMrs solves for those transitions so you can go from the playground to a gala with only a shoe change.
How did you find your production studio in Mexico City and what do you love about it?
We initially started production in LA and the handcrafted quality [and] set up for sustainability just wasn't what we wanted. Eventually a close childhood friend also in the industry put me in contact with a small sustainable artisan studio in creative heart of Mexico City we decided to collaborate with.
What we love about it is that it's artistically centered and everything is made by hand. We believe imperfections make the world beautiful, just like the wabi-sabi nature of our clothes.
Given that MisterMrs' connections to both LA and Mexico City, how do the two cultural metropolises compare with one another?
LA and Mexico have a lot of similarities at the moment as they are probably two most exciting cities for creatives in the world right now. Obviously in LA you have Hollywood and the Instagram aesthetic so people tend go to great lengths look like they didn't go to great lengths. In Mexico it's all just more raw, visceral, and real.
Who are your guys' own monochromatic style muses?
We are really influenced by contemporary art which is why we put a heavy emphasis on working with and collaborating with artists. One of our main muses for starting misterMrs was Kazimir Malevich, who founded Suprematism and painted the iconic black square. There are also many others that helped inform the brand in the start like [Japanese architect and photographer] Hiroshi Sugimoto, Man Ray, and Georgia O'Keeffe, who made incredible black clothes.
