With DEI at a critical inflection point, cultivating diverse talent is more important than ever before. As part of our commitment to champion diversity across the industry, the 2024 FN Black History Month Spotlight will highlight the new wave of talent that has emerged in recent years, including brand builders, design innovators, content creators and more.
Blackstock & Weber founder Chris Echevarria has found his stride.
In 2023 alone, the menswear designer launched an exclusive loafer capsule with Kith, teamed up with Pharrell Williams’ Billionaire Boys Club, and debuted a clothing line, just to name a few of his noteworthy accomplishments.
But, one of Echevarria’s biggest moments came in September when Sperry announced that it had hired the designer to reinvent some of its signature styles. The move saw him tapped as creative director for the Made in USA line Sperry by Chris Echevarria, with his first collection making its grand debut at Paris Fashion Week Men’s last month.
For Echevarria, that moment was one of his “biggest wins” over the past year. “A big win was launching my first collection with Sperry at Paris Fashion Week,” Echevarria told FN. “S–t, even announcing this collection was a huge moment for me.”
As for working with Sperry on the new line, the designer couldn’t be happier. “It’s been a dream,” Echevarria said. “The team of designers they’ve put alongside me are super talented and the factory is a stone’s throw away so interfacing with product, design and manufacturing has been pretty seamless. One thing I really like is rarely being told ‘no’ or ‘we can’t’. I made it clear that’s what I wanted from the beginning, and they’ve held up their end of the bargain.”
Echevarria is no stranger to fashion. With design training from the Fashion Institute of Technology and mentorship from retail giant Mickey Drexler, whom he worked under at J.Crew, Echevarria set out to launch Blackstock & Weber in 2018 with the mission to create what he now calls “The Best F–king Loafer In the World.”
Over time, the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based footwear brand has collaborated with a number of labels and companies over the past several years, including JJJJound, Malbon Golf, Beams Plus, Brooks Brothers and Pleasures. It also has an ongoing collaboration with Rowing Blazers.
In November 2023, Echevarria realized another dream when he launched his own apparel line. Called Academy, the debut collection, which found its roots in Ivy League aesthetics, was comprised of 26 pieces of sportswear, tailoring and accessories manufactured entirely in New York City working directly with mills from Japan, Italy and Great Britain.
Amongst all of his success, Echevarria manages to not let the day-to-day challenges get to him. “I think the biggest work for me has been understanding that there will be challenges every day and how I move through them,” he said. “Patience, grace and determination are how I move through any challenges I may face.”
As for his biggest lesson learned over the last few years, he emphasizes the importance of time management. “If you don’t mind the calendar, the year will run away from you, and the most important asset that you have as a business owner are the people you surround yourself with,” Echevarria noted. “Not from a networking perspective, but those people that get their hands dirty with you every day. Picking and retaining good people is important.”
Looking ahead, Echevarria is mum on what’s next. “I don’t tease, I just launch,” he said. “I have a lot of plans, but you never show the painting until it’s finished and framed. The thing I will say is that I am doing, and will continue to do, more of the things I’ve always wanted to do and I look forward to sharing more pieces of my world and vision.”
