Von Dutch – 111 clothing and accessories companies. A hallmark of the products of this company is the use or, more precisely, the exploitation of the name and creations of the famous American artist Kenny Howard (Kenny Howard). Kenny Howard, known in his circles as Von Dutch (Von Dutch or, in the Dutch manner, Von Dutch in a rough translation - Dutchman), was one of those enthusiasts who in the 40s and 50s rethought the art of painting motorcycles and cars and created a whole culture that includes both artwork and vehicles and lifestyle, called "custom culture" (in exactly this wrong spelling).
Calling himself simply a mechanic, Von Dutch worked in metalwork, pinstriping, and weapons making, but his main fame came from his work with cars and motorcycles. Putting all his talent and skills into modern and ancient vehicles, he created works of art from them. The most famous graphic symbols created by Kenny Howard are: graphic stylization of his nickname "Von Dutch" and the so-called "Flying Eyeball", these are the symbols that distinguish the clothes and accessories of the company Von Dutch from any other sportswear brand.
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| Von Dutch in person. 1961 |
The image of Kenny Howard is rather ambiguous, he is considered a genius in his niche, a real artist and an extraordinary personality, at the same time, his non-standard turned into anti-social and bordered on mental illness. Alcoholism and passion for Nazi theories, outbursts of aggression and rejection of the laws of society - all this was combined with artistic talent and found its fans. The personality of this man cannot but attract attention: living on the verge of poverty, denying all the conventions of society, Von Dutch was at the same time in demand by this society, his works were actively bought up and appreciated. Kenny Howard died in 1992 a poor, half-crazy old man. He did not leave anything to his daughters, and after thinking a little, they decided to sell the only valuable thing left from their father - his name. Businessmen Michael Cassel (Michael Cassel) and Robert Vaughn (Robert Vaughn) acquired the rights to use the name "Von Dutch" after the death of Kenny Howard and created a company for the production of youth, somewhere even punk style.
Each accessory produced by the company was "decorated" with a name or one of the symbols created by Von Dutch. Since 2001, the company has been owned by Tony Sorensen, with his filing the company becomes a huge empire. The aura of anti-sociality, protest, non-conformity made the brand successful, many celebrities are happy to pose in front of the cameras in their clothes Von Dutch. So, the largest collection of hats Von Dutch in the world belongs to Paris Hilton (it would be interesting to hear the comments of Kenny Howard himself on this matter).
