Simon Spurr Excels at Darts, Both Sewn and Thrown
Between the royal wedding and the Alexander McQueen exhibit in New York, British design has dominated fashion discourse in recent days. Like any good expat, men’s wear designer Simon Spurr delighted in all of it, especially the Costume Institute gala. After all, staying connected to his English roots is something he usually does way off the fashion radar.
That is, he plays in a darts league.
“I kept quiet for a long, long time because it’s not the coolest thing,” he admits. “But it’s one of those sports that dominates pub culture. In every pub there’s a dart board.”
Spurr and a friend frequented George Keeley, an Upper West Side pub, and subsequently were invited to join its team, which soon advanced from B level to A level in the New York Dart Organization.
“It’s pretty serious, especially in the A league. These guys go home after work and practice darts. I have a dart board in the office.”
Every Monday night during dart season, teams from all over the city match up in pubs for about 4 hours.
“It’s intensive. We’ve gotten into a few scuffles actually. When you win, you get charged up, maybe you over-celebrate, and someone takes offense to it. I’m always the voice of reason. It’s only a game. But some of these guys go to Vegas and play for money.”
Spurr, who is up for the CFDA’s Menswear Designer of the Year award, designs an eponymous line of tailored clothing, a sportswear line called Spurr, and consults for Tommy Hilfiger. These demands make it increasingly difficult to keep his Monday night appointment, but it’s a priority.
“I found it was one of the only times I detach from work and the industry. I literally turn my phone off. I think it’s therapeutic.”
And after 12 years in New York, it feeds his British soul.
“I do miss London a lot. I miss the people. I miss the food, believe it or not. Everyone thinks England has the worst food in the world, but it depends where you go. I miss the humor, the TV, pop culture, football. I’m a Chelsea fan. The first thing I do on weekend mornings is tune in to the premiership, I think that’s the only TV I watch.”
Spurr comes originally from a small village called Borough Green, near Sevenoaks in Kent.
“I come from a really rural background. My brother was a farmer for years. He tended cattle. But I think I take after my dad, because he worked and commuted to a bank in the city every day for 40 years.”
His father’s slim suits from the 1960s became a huge influence on Spurr’s design sensibility.
“My aesthetic references things I saw growing up. I don’t have a muse. I’m not sitting here designing with Michael Caine in mind. I reach for iconic traditions—Savile Row, military uniforms, sports. I keep it very masculine.”
Give us a hint about next season?
“Spring 2012 is a continuation of the military theme, and there’s a bit of English poacher in there.”
All photographs by Lexie Moreland.
