“We see this program as a riff on the traditional trunk show,” said Keith Scott, Tanqueray Senior Brand Manager. “The leaders on our panel are sharing both their in-demand physical creations, as well as their personal take on how to play and win the style game. Our goal is to inspire and equip the next generation of successful entrepreneurs, while enjoying some great cocktails and compelling music along the way.”

 Top industry leaders don’t follow the yellow brick road, they pave their own path.  This past week, Tanqueray brought Common, Maxwell Osborne of Public School and Black Apple, Ronnie Fieg of Kith NYC, Jason Geter of Grand Hustle Records and manager to Iggy Azalea, and Coltrane Curtis, founder of Team Epiphany, together in Chicago for a unique panel discussing their rise to the top of their fields. In a culture that is constantly changing, Coltrane Curtis, Maxwell Osborne, and Jason Geter continue to dominate at the top. These men are responsible for setting the trends for mass amounts of consumers and have an in depth knowledge of the fields they play in.

 

Gin brand Tanqueray launched Tanqueray Trunk Show in January which aims to bring mentorship through progressive style via six private events across the country. Style aficionado Marc Katz was on site to chat with Curtis, Osborne, and Geter in between panel sessions. Katz sat down with Curtis, Geter, and Osborne to get the scoop on topics you won’t find by googling their Wikipedia page.

Team Epiphany recognized early on that brands need new ways to connect with consumers, offline as well as online. While this might seem simple in theory, it isn’t an easy task to take on. Coltrane Curtis recognized this hole in branding early on, and after exiting his first two large corporate jobs at Complex Media and Ecko, created Team Epiphany as a full service creative agency. Curtis credits his father as being the driving force behind creating Team Epiphany, who sadly passed away three years ago and ran his own marketing firm for 25 years. Curtis says: “It was a way for me to put my dreams and goals together and follow my passion of marketing with a twist of creative culture.”

 

Public Schools co-founder Maxwell Osborne was born and bred in New York City. Osborne credits his deep interest in fashion and music as being his driving force for choosing to attend fashion school and soon after make it a lifestyle. Like many aspiring designers, Osborne spent years working the undesirable odd jobs required before making it to the top. If Maxwell could give one tip to designers on the rise, it would be to truly know and understand the business side of fashion. Orborne credits part of his success to partnership with Dao-Yi Chow, saying that collaboration in creative thought is necessary in any industry.

 

Like Maxwell Osborne, Jason Geter was raised in New York and grew up in the Bronx and Brooklyn area. Geter came from a traditional family that believed in attending a four year college and then going straight into corporate America. While he did not know exactly what he wanted to do professionally, he decided to move into the music industry after being connected with family friends that worked on The Notorious B.I.G’s albums.. Geter signed his first artist by the name of T.I. and has continued to help clients climb to the top, including Iggy Azelea.

 To keep up to date with the Tanqueray Trunk Show, check out their video on Style & Access.

 Reporting via Marc Katz and Sarah Aiken for StreetStyleChi.com

Photography: Marisa McWilliams