LOS ANGELES — The upside of having a wife in a budding cult band is the exposure a designer can get among her fans.
That’s part of the dynamic between Stefan Lirakis and singer Butterfly (Fly for short and no last name) the other half of the twin sister act Blonde on Blonde.
“I feel like a princess in this one,” Butterfly said of the strappy, corset-style belt her husband of two-and-a-half years made for her, a favorite among her stage looks.
The Aussie expat and her identical twin, Kite, are almost better known for their quirky, feminine style at parties and clubs about town than the new wave-inflected music, recorded on an eponymous CD produced by Nick Rhodes and ex-Posies frontman Ken Stringfellow.
As admirers inquired about the bold belts the sisters wear, the Long Island-born-and-bred Lirakis has built a business from the couple’s downtown loft and studio here. A craftsman who flirts with everything from furniture construction to motorcycle mechanics, Lirakis more and more has been spending his days metal casting buckles, weaving thick leather straps and saddle-stitching foiled skins.
“I look at leather and envision what it can be,” said Lirakis, a gentle, bohemian type who also fashions guitar straps that match his belts.
His wife encouraged Lirakis to begin producing the handcrafted belts for more than their immediate circle. Now clients, including stylists, visit his workshop to buy the statement accessories — with their buckles cast to look like big bows and in a wide range of colored and tooled skins. They retail from $250 to $400.
The line also sells via his signature Web site.
“I get rockers to glamorous million-dollar women down here,” he said, with a hint of surprise. “My belts become so much about the individual. People tend to choose one they feel says something about them.”