She was the face of an upper-crust women's clothing company that dressed first ladies and chief executives. He is the heavily tattooed bass player for heavy-metal band Motley Crue.
Now, former St. John Knits International Inc. executive Kelly Gray and Nikki Sixx have joined forces to launch a line of men's clothing.
Apparel from Newport Beach-based Royal Underground, whose clothing includes $100 T-shirts, $900 cashmere sweaters and $1,200 leather jackets, will begin arriving in high-end stores such as Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus in early November.
“Too many of today's fashions have skulls or look tattered and worn out,” the songwriter said during an interview Monday as he and Gray were boarding a plane. “I think there's something cool about that, but you can step it up a notch and have something a little bit on the classier edge.”
Although the pair will co-design the clothing, their public styles could hardly be more different.
As the signature model for St. John until last summer, when the Irvine company began using younger women such as Gisele Buendchen and Angelina Jolie — the blond-haired Gray was groomed to perfection.
Sixx — along with his rock band mates — was partial to leather, tattered clothes and heavy makeup.
Gray, 39, who met the 47-year-old Sixx at one of his concerts, says he initially spookedher.
marketing@alchempro.com
