SONOMA, Calif. — All-male Colt Studio Group has tapped the L.A.-based fashion company Timoteo to design and relaunch the Colt Basics apparel line as the rebranded Colt Collection.
Helming the creation of the Colt Collection line will be Timoteo Ocampo, chief creative director and co-owner of Timoteo, in partnership with John Rutherford, president and creative director of Colt. The primary focus of the relaunch is to bring back domestic production with an American designer, studio reps said.
"I have been impressed with watching what Timoteo Ocampo and his partner, Joel Johnson, have been producing for some time now," Rutherford said. "We have been using their main Timoteo and CellBlock 13 line of clothing for our shoots and have been very aware of their high quality and excellent reputation.”
The Colt Collection will feature underwear and t-shirts with the Colt logo and classic artwork by the studio's founder, Jim French.
All design and manufacturing elements of the new line will be based in the U.S. A global expansion is set to launch in December.
"One of the most amazing calls I ever received in my life was from John Rutherford asking my partner Timoteo to design the Colt Collection line," said Johnston, CEO of Timoteo. "Colt is an amazing American brand and the original icon for the modern gay movement."
"Ever since I was a young adult I have been a huge fan of Colt," Ocampo said. "They were an inspiration to me when I came out as a gay man. I had a Colt Man Steve Kelso poster in my room, which gave me the confidence to be myself and come out — and now being able to bring my designs to Colt is a dream come true."
The Timoteo brand launched in 2001 as a small storefront in West Hollywood, Calif. that manufactured select fashion pieces for men. It has since evolved into one of the leading gay brands sold worldwide. In 2012, Timoteo launched a second label, CellBlock 13, which caters to a cross section of the gay and fetish communities.
Timoteo will also be the exclusive representative to wholesale the new line to stores around the globe.
For a look at the Colt Collection, visit http://www.COLTstudiostore.com. For a complete release schedule, contact Johnston at joel@timoteo.net.
