Theophilus London has been making a name for himself — his brand has almost taken precedence over his music. He managed to collaborate with Gucci, Cole Haan and Tommy Hilfiger, and meet Kanye West, a fan of his music, all before he even put out his first album.

Every artist claims to be creating forward-thinking, genre-bending music, but London is one of the few that actually does that, meshing indie-rock, pop, electro, hip-hop and soul. Although he’s only been putting music out since 2008, he’s managed to create one of contemporary music’s most diverse catalogs.

His eclectic range of tastes is also clearly exemplified in his personal fashion choices. He meshes Clubmaster glasses with classic jackets, vintage hats and Jordans. His interest and involvement in style exceeds even West, hip-hop’s fashion purveyor.

The Daily Texan spoke with London about the singer-songwriter’s latest shoe line and fashion sense.

The Daily Texan: Your publicist said that you were busy with Fashion Week in New York this past weekend. Could you explain a little bit more about your involvement with that?
Theophilus London: I guess you could say I’m involved in it. Today, my shoe is releasing. I did a collabo with Cole Haan. I just went to the Tommy Hilfiger fashion show. I’m not really that much involved with it.

DT: You said your shoes dropped. You have a line of shoes coming out?
London: Yeah. I designed the shoe with Cole Haan. They’re owned by Nike. I did a blue suede buck. They’re coming out today, actually. They’re being released in stores from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

DT: How widely are they going to be released?
London: It’s limited only. They’ll be exclusively available in New York.

DT: I will not be getting those then.
London: (laughs) There’s always eBay man. I’m going to be doing more shoes and stuff. It’s all good.

DT: On the topic of shoes, you have really interesting style. You pair a lot of classic things with Jordans. You seem to have an affinity for Jordans in general. Could you explain about where that stems from, and what are some of your favorite shoes?
London: Um, I’ve got a lot of favorite shoes man. I like the classic Jordans, I like the loafers, some boots. I like all types of footwear.

DT: How would you describe your style? In interviews, you’ve talked about how you dig grandmother jewelry. You like skinny jeans, but you mix it up on all sorts of levels.
London: Basically, I’m just into classic, vintage jewelry. I would say it’s grandmother jewelry because only grandmas wear jewelry the right way. I like gold. My style is pretty much just raw.

DT: You were quoted in other interviews about how “I Stand Alone” is your favorite song of the new album Timez Are Weird These Days. Why is it your favorite among everything else on the record?
London: Just the message, it’s a patriotic song. The message is what I stand for.

DT: What is the message of what you stand for?
London: It’s got a patriotic message in it. It’s just my country, my flag and how I stand alone. 

Theophilus London by TheophilusLondon

Printed on September 15, 2011 as: Artist mixes eclectic music with fashion