Inside Celebrity-Favorite Luxury Accessories Brand Keith and James

When it comes to accessories, James Keith is a name to know. The designer – who is known for his red bottom hats – has taken the world by storm with his innovative approach to fashion. The company, Keith and James, has created a signature line of fedoras for men and women, and are the perfect complement to any outfit. The brand has been around since 2016 and was initially based in Atlanta but is now located in Los Angeles which has been great in terms of their feedback from clients.

Keith and James have become a celebrity favorite in the accessories space and stars around the world have worn the label to red carpet premieres such as Paris Fashion Week. The brand even received the coveted seal of approval from Christian Louboutin himself, who has worn the brand on many occasions, Keith and James also cater to the likes of Floyd Mayweather, The Baby, Billy Porter, Chris Brown and daughter Royalty Brown, Snoop Dogg, E40, Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, Irma Peñuñuri, and more.

James Keith, the founder, came up with the idea for the company in 2015. He was driving back to Atlanta on New Year’s Eve and thought to himself “I really want to put a suit on tonight, get dressed up, put a nice top hat on, get out and go have a drink and just chill out.” However, he wanted something that was more unique and different than what everyone else would be wearing. He went searching for something like this but was unable to find anything that fit what he was looking for. Since he couldn’t find it he decided to create it. James grew up in the church so was always wearing hats and remembers them being his thing but he never thought he would go so far as to create his own brand. The celebrity recognition that the brand has gotten has also been amazing for James and he described it as “mind-boggling, because I created something for me, but everybody else has caught onto it too, and they love it just as much as I love it.”

Keith and James also got picked up by Neiman Marcus which has grown into a great partnership for them. They are also working on creating even more accessories such as hats, bags, and even perfume. The perfume will be coming out within the next month. However, the Coronavirus pandemic did have an effect on their business and so they made sure to take time to “figure out the structure of the brand, and really strategize and figure out what we want to do next with the brand.” They refocused and narrowed down the purpose of the company but they were still able to stay in business the whole time. They continued to strategize how to reach a global and international consumer base as well.

James Keith wants people to take away an important message from their brand and how their brand was formed. James never expected that he would end up being a designer in the fashion industry until unexpected life developments led him to do so. He now is extremely passionate about what he does so he wants people to remember that even though you never know what’s in store for you it’s important that when “something comes your way, you have to embrace it.” James has been following this mentality ever since he started his brand and it has taken him quite far in the accessories industry.