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 • Fashion  • SUITED FOR WELLNESS

SUITED FOR WELLNESS

A natural born entrepreneur, Taylor founded his first company at age 18 in the world of graphic design. While making many mistakes for certain, his first venture taught him the basics of business-building, marketing, and brand development. In 2017, after years of demanding 60-hour work weeks, Draper found himself once again battling crippling self-doubt, struggling with weight gain, and now facing divorce. To save himself and his marriage, Draper sought healing and support through extensive counseling and found confidence in the most surprising of places: his wardrobe.

“I realized that caring for myself and my appearance gave me the confidence to show up to counseling appointments, helping me build strength to pick up the pieces of a broken marriage and begin to repair,” – explained Draper

Draper has long endured a personal battle with mental health issues, in particular depression. He first came to formal terms with his condition at age 15 following a troubled childhood in Florida. At the time he was diagnosed with clinical depression, he weighed over 300 pounds, and saw nothing changing if drastic measures weren’t taken. Knowing that to have any hope of escaping the demons that plagued him, his mother and he would have to make a major life change. They moved to Colorado Springs to start anew and rebuild their futures upon a healthy foundation both physically & mentally.

INHERENT, which began as a small on-line store in 2020, soon grew into a flagship boutique storefront in Colorado Springs, CO only a year later.For the two years leading up to this collection’s runway debut for Fall/Winter 2023, Taylor Draper has enlisted the help of branding guru Myrdith Leon-McCormack, founder of MLM Represents. Together, they have been seeking to not only grow the brand beyond its Colorado roots to be a truly global presence. One of the first major steps in achieving this goal is to feature the collection on the runways of NYFW, in partnership with several newly inked brand alignments that MLM has brought to the table.

For Fall/Winter, 2023, Taylor Draper elevated his concept of luxury fashion even further, with a collection that embodies all the trappings of luxury, while never forgetting to celebrate the company’s ongoing mission to promote men’s mental health. The collection draws inspiration from classic English tailoring, New York streetwear, and Ivy League styles mixing them all in a manner that only Draper can, to create his own unique blend of timeless and modern fashion under the INHERENT moniker.

The collection was constructed from wool, cotton, and cashmere suitings, twills, plush corduroy, and shirtings, with a serious dose of butter soft knitwear that showed up draped in thought provoking ways to create a feeling of accessible avant garde. His rich color palette of moss and forest green, chocolate brown, and midnight navy, with a few other colors added in for accents, create a sense of warmth and comfort during the colder months. The range of styles and silhouettes ran the spectrum, from traditional blazers and trousers to contemporary streetwear inspired pieces, all crafted with the highest quality materials. Wearing INHERENT is a statement. A statement both of style and support for the mental health of men (and women) everywhere.

 

 

“My mission will not be complete until phrases like ‘walk it off’ or ‘man up’ are redefined in our vocabulary to mean that a man is in touch with his feelings and can communicate them in a healthy way,” says Draper.