LOCAL Houston | The City Guide May 2017 | Page 50

STYLE + LEISURE LAUNCH PAD LOCAL TALENT IS ALWAYS IN STYLE Downtown shoppers, workers and visitors no longer have to make the schlep to the Galleria or Highland Village to find designer clothes, accessories and home goods. Opened right before the Super Bowl in the Partnership Tower adjacent to the George R. Brown Convention Center, LAUNCH puts homegrown design talent on display. Curated by Sydney Dao, the boutique features a rotating cast of sophisticated local artisans and gives them much-needed exposure and support. A new crew is engaged every month – with high-end goods at excellent price points. One of the designers from April is SHAYNE SALINAS , owner of KOOTHBRAND TIMELESS GOODS & APPAREL (www.kooth- brand.com), who sews beautifully detailed workshirts by hand. Salinas has spent his entire life around farms, ranches and industrial plants and felt that today‘s workwear was not true to its heritage. His goal is to design and handcraft high-quality goods and apparel that combine a traditional worker aesthetic with modern-day touches. “I’ve been sewing my whole life,” says Salinas. While studying fashion design/apparel manufacturing in Los Angeles at FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising), he and a friend started a men’s streetwear clothing brand, Sovereignty. “In 2010, I moved back to Houston and married my wife Andi. In late 2013, I decided to close Sovereignty and shift focus on something more close to my heart, handmade American goods and apparel.” Kooth was born in January 2014, and his son Christiano was born the following month. “Being a husband, dad, designer and entrepreneur keeps me busy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Follow LAUNCH on Facebook (www.facebook.com/LaunchHtx) to see what’s new for May. And catch these local designers before they really take off. By Tim Moloney Photography by Andi Mo 50 L O C A L | may 17