Men's Fashions by Francesco

From Princeton to Philadelphia Fashion Week with Commonwealth Proper

Posted: 04 Oct 2009 07:49 AM PDT

Born and raised in Princeton, New Jersey, Craig Arthur von Schroeder has always nurtured an interest in design, particularly in buildings and furniture, since his father was an architect.

Craig was impressed by his father's creativity and independence, as well as by his brother's brief modeling career, which entitled Craig to some "cool" hand-me-down shirts, shoes, and accessories.

Looking up to his older brother, Craig deemed clothing a logical extension of what he wanted to do in life. Nevertheless, Craig soon found himself in Philadelphia going to law school. Well, let's have Craig fill in the gaps for us himself!

First, Craig, why Philadelphia?
I moved to Philadelphia to go to law school at Rutgers-Camden. Philadelphia was appealing to me because it was a big city that was manageable and was still growing and evolving. New York is so saturated and crazy that I wanted a place to root my life that I could have an effect on.

And why law school as opposed to fashion school?
I've always had that creative itch—to make something new out of nothing. But I was too busy playing soccer and studying to really flex my design muscles. Now I've retired from soccer and have time—or at least have made time—to try my hand at new things. And there are more opportunities out there than I had ever imagined, including, of course, clothing.

What led you into fitted shirts?
The silhouette and fit of our shirts comes from my own experience wearing button-downs on a daily basis. The legal community—bless its heart—has a lot of talented minds but generally lacks fashion sense. It's from the ill-fitting shirts I am used to seeing on my way to work and my daily legal practice that inspired me to want to fix the problem. And, believe me, we've fixed it.

Why not other articles for men?
We don't get involved in the pretentiousness of influence—it's just shirts, albeit the best-fitting shirts one can buy off the rack. If we were to branch into, say, cologne, then that might be appropriate to come from an inspiration like "a fall's walk through the park" or something flowery like that. We use incredible fabrics and details, like double-fused collars to tell our story. That way, it's more accessible.

Sum up for me in one word the philosophy behind Commonwealth…
Versatility. We want our shirts to be appropriate for work yet be able to transition to a night on the town. The length of the tail, for example, allows the shirt to be worn tucked in, but easily untucked without looking too long and clown-like.

And what about Commonwealth Proper's look or style?
Americana with a modern, updated fit, created in the independent spirit of Philadelphia itself.

How would you describe the fashion scene in Philadelphia?
It's growing. There are Philadelphia fashion blogs popping up, fashion-centric events and a lot—a lot—of new designers. We're all coming up and growing together, which makes it a robust and exciting community to be involved with.

How does Commonwealth Proper play a role in this scene?
We hope to be at its forefront and not only continue to do well in this city but expand and bring the spotlight back on this city and its talent.

How do you compare the scene in Philadelphia to New Jersey?
I'm originally from Jersey, which, of course, has it's own set of stereotypes about fashion and beyond. It always bugged me that there was a lot of great stuff going on in Jersey, but people just have their own preconceived notions that it's a crap place. It's not. Parts are rough, no doubt, but that doesn't mean there are no redeeming qualities. Philadelphia has a similar bad reputation, but I think it also has a lot of incredible people. And it's taken some time to discover them all, but hopefully it will continue to be appreciated by more and more newcomers.

Do you hold to any "green" practices or principles?
I used to produce another line out of Peru, China, Macau and Hong Kong. But I've gone all local with Commonwealth Proper. It's less of a carbon footprint and you also get higher quality through hands-on management. Buy local. It just makes sense.

Well, thank you, Craig! I wish you great success!

Craig launched Commonwealth Proper in 2009 and will be exhibiting at Philadelphia Fashion Week, 8-10 October 2009.

Photos & Slideshow Copyright Commonwealth Proper.