Style

Pirate Prep

Accessorizing for both land and sea

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Describe Kiel James Patrick, your line of bracelets and accessories, in three words.
Gentlemen, New England pirate, golden treasure.

I’m intrigued… and immediately reminded of the ocean. Do you sail?
I can, and often do. I’ve always found it best to make friends with someone who owns a boat.

How’d you get started?

Going to an all boys prep school demands you stick to a strict dress code. After one year of the same blue blazers and khakis, I needed a change. I decided to finally read my school’s handbook and found out the dress code was less strict than my classmates and I had realized. The rules stated you were to wear a button down shirt, “appropriate” dress pants, a necktie, dress shoes and a blazer.

So, you interpreted that how?
Images flashed in my mind of Grandpa Henry taking me to the country club as a kid and me marveling at the men who had the audacity to rock brilliant pastel seersucker, bright madras, florals and conversational motif ties… all in the same outfit. Rummaging through my Grandpa’s cedar closet, I found blazers that were truly “blazing” and pants that Rodney Dangerfield in Caddyshack would have been proud of.

How did everyone at your school react?
I showed up to class and was a sensation. Thrift stores and friends’ grandparents’ closets were my next victims to raid. Soon enough I was wheeling and dealing clothes out of the trunk of my Jeep. Eventually, the school cracked down on the dress code and I was left with a very vibrant but useless wardrobe.

What did you do with all that seersucker?
I decided to start chopping up the ties, motif belts and plaid blazers and stitching them up into bracelets to wear under my uniform. Classmates went nuts for them and the rest is history.

Where are your items made and sold?
Our products are 100% made in Rhode Island and Fall River. We source all materials locally. They’re sold at about 200-plus resort-style boutiques in the U.S. Globally, we’re expanding to stores in Japan, Europe and South Korea.

What’s next for you?
I plan on building a pirate ship and finally leaving Rhode Island for some adventures at sea with my crew.

Available in the East Bay at Hollie’s in Barrington and Kate & Co. in Bristol, and in South County at New England Invitations in East Greenwich and Basketcase in Wakefield.

Kiel James Patrick, bracelets, accessories, clothing, style, designer, Pirate, The Bay

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