Urbane & Gallant wants men to make their mark.
“Urbane & Gallant is more than a fashion brand—it’s a movement,” founder and CEO Andrew Park said. “Our mission is to design timeless, luxurious pieces that resonate with the modern man while redefining what it means to be truly responsible. Luxury isn’t just about what you wear; it’s about how you impact others and the world we live in.”
The luxury lifestyle label said it’s challenging men to “embrace responsibility with integrity,” holding itself equally liable. This ethos has been brought to life for the Los Angeles-based brand’s latest collection; a creative rebrand, led by Jeffrey Sebelia.
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Sebelia is known for winning—though some fans called foul—the reality show competition show “Project Runway.” Nearly 20 years ago, the self-proclaimed “god of chaos” brought controversy to the Heidi Klum-helmed showcase’s third season in 2006. Sebelia was an anticipated fan favorite, as his brand Cosa Nostra had clients like Jennifer Lopez and Gwen Stefani. He left the show victorious, but also a villain.
Regardless, Sebelia did win the $100,000. That was put into Cosa Nostra. Around the same time, he was hired to design the clothes for the 2007 “Bratz” live-action movie, according to New York Magazine. The designer was subsequently fired for referring to the children’s toy as “slutty little dolls” on the record. In 2009, Cosa Nostra felt the effects and folded.
The once-signed-by-Interscope musician had a few more fashion-centric gigs before returning to the Bravo universe in 2013, competing on the amateur design show’s “All Stars” spin-off. He placed seventh out of the 11 contestants. Around the pandemic, the La Miniatura designer connected with Park.
“We create clothing for men who desire more than just style—they seek meaning,” Sebelia said. “Masculinity combines strength, care and the desire to elevate others. At Urbane & Gallant, every piece is a testament to these ideals.”
To back up a bit, Park “attempted to launch” Urbane & Gallant a few years ago with some factory friends in Korea, Sebelia said. That vision was also focused on man-powerment, but via bespoke, fully finished suit tailoring instead of the current, made-to-measure approach. It’s worth noting the details of this approach have yet to be determined or discovered, as U&G is “still trying to figure out exactly how it’s going to work,” per Sebelia. The original vision was never realized, as Park only got as far as pocket squares before pausing.
It was an “abject failure.” That’s when the two connected and conspired for some time—to “straighten certain edges out,” per Sebelia—before relaunching Friday.
“I think that the main contribution—aside from the idea behind the brand and the impact that [Park] wants to brand to have on the world through men, specifically—is a factory partner,” Sebelia said. He’s referencing Agape International Missions (AIM): a non-denominational Christian organization advocating against human trafficking.
“[AIM] have their own SWAT teams to rescue women from brothels, from human trafficking, and then they employ them in the factories,” he continued. “That’s one of the most powerful aspects of working with the brand for me; receiving samples from Phnom Penh, from this factory, knowing that the women that made them have literally been rescued.”
This relationship with the church organization was one of the first things that “hooked” Sebelia to the brand. Another aspect? It’s aspirational, just like Man Inspiration Mondays.
“We’re going to start with defiance,” Seblia said of the social media schtick. “On ‘man inspiration Mondays,’ we get to highlight certain men that we think are aspirational, people that I think are doing things and living in a way that we should all look up to.”
That list included athletes like former professional quarterback Tim Tebow and the NBA-turned-CBA player Jeremy Lin, as well as men with business acumen, like Red Lobster founder Charley Woodsby, as well as personal friends like U.S. Olympic cyclist, Giddeon Massie.
“Aside from being an aspirational brand, Sebelia said, the real hope is that Urbane & Gallant helps “men move forward.”
“I think that, in our society in particular, there happens to be a lack of responsibility and a lack of accountability, just sort of a hot potato game when it comes to ownness, right? Like, that’s not mine, that happened to me,” Sebelia said. “I think there’s something to be said for being able to sort of stand squarely, pace your life and say, ‘This is what I’m going to do, and this is what it’s going to take for me to take for me to do it, and I’m going to get there,’ right? And whether I get there or not has nothing to do with my effort, am I and my ownness and responsibility for myself as a human being.”
