Led Zeppelin Changed the Life of John Varvatos—and It Wasn’t the Music

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The menswear designer found escape in music magazines before working for Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein, and creating his rock-inspired fashion label

By Marc Myers | Dec. 11, 2018 10:31 a.m. ET

John Varvatos, 64, is a menswear designer and the chairman of John Varvatos Enterprises, which specializes in rock-inspired men’s fashion. He also is president of John Varvatos Records in Nashville. He spoke with Marc Myers.

 

I was 18 when I went to my first arena rock concert. I saw Led Zeppelin at Detroit’s Cobo Hall in July 1973. The sound of 20,000 people screaming in reaction to the music and the band gave me goosebumps.

Even though I was sitting in the second balcony that night, I could still see the cutting-edge clothes that guitarist Jimmy Page and singer Robert Plant were wearing. The concert changed my life.

I was born in Detroit, but my family lived in Allen Park, a working-class suburb about 20 minutes south of the city. We lived in a 900-square-foot ranch house that my parents had bought in 1955. In addition to my parents, there were five of us. Evan is the youngest followed by Elaine, Dennis, me and Christine. There was one phone and one bathroom. Sundays were tricky. We went to church as a family, so everyone had to use the bathroom at the same time. Eventually I got up super-early to shower without someone pounding on the door.

 

Full article:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/led-zeppelin-changed-the-life-of-john-varvatosand-it-wasnt-the-music-11544542317

 

 

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The only other Led Zeppelin-related line in it:

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Rock keepers: ‘I have a guitar signed by all members of Led Zeppelin and platinum albums from Alice Cooper.’