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orn and raised an Iowa country boy, one would be hard-pressed to believe that Todd Snyder would one day become a master of American menswear. Flash-forward 40 some- odd years, the designer recently opened his first New York City flagship store and welcomed actor Matt Bomer as the face of the brand's fall 2017 campaign. But in the time before his self-named company took off, Snyder was making his way up the fashion ranks working behind-the-scenes for some of today's most well- known labels. So whether you've personally heard of him or not, chances are he's had a hand in your wardrobe in the last two decades. The Todd Snyder brand launched in 2011 after Snyder himself ventured away from designing for notable retailers such as J.Crew and Gap, and began focusing on building his own signature brand. However, a career in fashion wasn't always in the cards, Snyder explained, recalling his younger, collegiate years. "As a kid, I always loved clothes — it was an easy way to get attention from girls. I started working at a men's store in Iowa in college, and I quickly switched majors from architecture to apparel design. I could not wait to work in the fashion market in New York [City]. It is a dream come true." Snyder eventually moved to the East Coast after graduation, making and selling T-shirts on the weekends while interning for Ralph Lauren—a position the designer admittedly maneuvered his way into. by ABBY MONTANEZ VUE ON FASHION V U E N J . C O M 20

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